Passive Voice Flashcards
What is the active voice?
The subject performs the action
eg) el Padre Francisco ximénez translated the Popol Vuh
=Frather Francisco Ximénez translated the Popol Vuh
What is the passive voice?
the subject is the recipient of the action
eg) El Popol Vuh fue traducido por el Padre Francisco
=The Popol Vuh was translated by Father Francisco
True Passive Voice (when the agent is expressed or strongly implied)
SER + Past Participle
eg) Las máscaras rituales son talladas a mano por los nativos
=Ritual masks are carved by hand by the natives
LESS FREQUENTLY USED = OVERUSE IS CONSIDERED A STYLISTIC DEFECT
When the agent is not expressed or strongly implied
use the indefinite third-person plural of the active verb –> the subject is not ellos or ellas but an unexpressed indefinite they
eg) Tallan a mano las máscaras rituales.
= Ritual masks are carved by hand (they carve the ritual masks by hand)
The apparent passive (when it is referring to the state of the subject and there is no action expressed)
ESTAR + past participle
“Mario was wounded” could be understood as (a) an action in which someone wounded Mario which would be SER + past participle or (b) the condition that Mario was in a a result of the fact that someone wounded him which would be ESTAR + past participle
eg) Mario fue herido
eg) Mario Estaba herido
eg) Ya están plantados los árboles ¿verdad?
= The trees are already planted aren’t they?
If the subject is thing(s), animal(s) or group(s) of persons and the agent is expressed or strongly implied
use ser + past participle
eg) Esos ritos fueron prohibidos el año pasado por las autoridades eclesiasticas
=those rites were forbidden last year by the ecclesiastical authorities
If the subject is thing(s), animal(s) or group(s) of persons and the agent is NOT expressed or strongly implied
use either the reflexive substitute with agreement of subject and verb OR the impersonal third-person plural of the active verb
eg) Se prohibieron esos ritos el año pasado
= those rites were forbidden last year
eg) Prohibieron esos ritos el año pasado
= they forbade those rites last year
If the subject is an individualized person or persons and the agent is expressed or strongly implied
use ser + past participle
eg) Esos sacerdotes mayas fueron entrevistados por el periodista = those Mayan priests were interviewed by the journalist
If the subject is an individualized person or persons and the agent is NOT expressed or strongly implied
use the impersonal third-person plural of the active verb
eg) Entrevistaron a esos sacerdotes mayas
= they interviewed those Mayan priests
The reflexive substitute for things, animals and groups of persons
the english subject becomes the subject of the Spanish active verb used with se
if the subject is singular or plural the verb is singular or plural
eg) Ese árbol se plantó el verano pasado
= that tree was planted last summer
eg) Se pueden comparar perros y gatos en el mercado de animales = dogs and cats can be bought at the animal market
The reflexive substitute for individualized person(s)
se + third-person singular of the verb only
eg) se admira mucho a esas dos profesoras
= those two professors are much admired
eg) Se creó al hombre de maíz = Man was created out of corn
don’t forget to use the personal a
if you need direct object pronouns in the reflexive substitute
use le, les, la, las
eg) Se la admira mucho = she is much admired
eg) Se le creó de maíz = he was created out of corn
