The passive voice in Spanish highlights the action or the recipient of the action rather than who performs it. English has two main passives: the agentive passive with "by" and the more neutral passive voice.
Ser Passive
The ser passive uses ser + past participle that agrees with the subject, and you can name the agent with por. It feels formal and is great when the doer matters.
Formation
To form the passive voice with ser, conjugate ser in the needed tense, add the agreeing past participle, and optionally include the agent with por.
The songs were recorded in the studio.
Usage
Use the passive voice with ser in reports, news, and when you want to emphasize or specify who did the action.
Examples
Se Passive
The se passive uses se + third-person verb that agrees with the thing affected. It hides the agent and sounds natural in notices and everyday speech.
Formation
To form the passive voice with se, place se before a third-person verb; make it singular or plural to match the noun, and do not add an agent.
Usage
Use the passive voice with se for general rules, ads, instructions, and when the doer is irrelevant or unknown.
Examples
Differences
The ser passive can name the agent and works across all tenses; the se passive generalizes and omits the agent.
Summary
Use ser + past participle to highlight the action and optionally the agent, and use se + third-person verb for neutral, agentless statements common in signs and everyday language.
Pasiva con ser
The passive voice with ser turns the past participle into an adjective that agrees with the subject, and it often includes the agent introduced by por. Use this passive to emphasize the completed action and sometimes who did it.
Formation
Form the passive voice with ser by using the appropriate tense of ser + the past participle that agrees in gender and number with the subject. The agent can be added with por if needed.
Examples
Uses
Use the passive voice with ser for official statements, news reports, and when you want to highlight the action or include the agent. It works well for actions with a clear result.
Pasiva con se
The passive voice with se is impersonal and more common in everyday language. It omits the agent and keeps the focus on the action or rule, making it useful for instructions and generalizations.
Formation
Form the passive voice with se by placing se before a verb that agrees in number with the thing affected: use the third-person singular for singular nouns and the third-person plural for plural nouns. No agent is expressed.
Examples
Uses
Use se for passive constructions in advertisements, signs, recipes, and when the doer is unimportant or unknown. It sounds natural and is widely used in spoken Spanish.
Diferencias
The passive voice with ser is more formal and can name the agent, while the passive voice with se is more neutral and anonymous. Choose based on whether you need to mention who did the action and the tone you want.
Resumen
Remember that ser + past participle is the agentive passive useful for highlighting actions and agents, while se + verb is the impersonal passive for general, agentless statements. Practice both to sound natural in different contexts.
Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025