Last Updated on June 19, 2026 by I Love Spanish Club
The Spanish passive voice is one of those grammar topics that confuses many intermediate learners — mainly because Spanish uses it differently from English. While English loves the passive voice (“The book was written by Cervantes”), Spanish speakers often prefer other constructions. But knowing the passive voice is essential for reading newspapers, formal texts, and understanding natural Spanish. In this complete guide you’ll learn how to use the passive voice in Spanish — with clear formulas, real examples, and the key differences from English. ¡Empecemos! (Let’s begin!)
🤔 What Is the Passive Voice?
In an active sentence, the subject performs the action. In a passive sentence, the subject receives the action:
| English | Spanish | |
|---|---|---|
| Active | Cervantes wrote the book. | Cervantes escribió el libro. |
| Passive | The book was written by Cervantes. | El libro fue escrito por Cervantes. |
📐 Type 1 — The True Passive Voice (Pasiva con SER)
This is the most direct equivalent of the English passive voice. It uses the verb SER + past participle:
El libro + fue + escrito + por + Cervantes
Conjugating SER in different tenses
| Tense | Formula | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | es / son + participle | El libro es escrito por él. | The book is written by him. |
| Preterite | fue / fueron + participle | El libro fue escrito por Cervantes. | The book was written by Cervantes. |
| Imperfect | era / eran + participle | La carta era leída por todos. | The letter was read by everyone. |
| Future | será / serán + participle | El proyecto será aprobado. | The project will be approved. |
| Conditional | sería / serían + participle | La ley sería cambiada. | The law would be changed. |
El libro fue escrito — masculine singular
La carta fue escrita — feminine singular
Los libros fueron escritos — masculine plural
Las cartas fueron escritas — feminine plural
📐 Type 2 — The Reflexive Passive (Pasiva Refleja con SE)
This is actually more common in everyday Spanish than the true passive voice. It uses SE + verb in 3rd person — and it’s used when we don’t mention who performs the action:
Se habla español aquí. / Se venden casas.
| Spanish | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Se habla español aquí. | Spanish is spoken here. | Singular verb — español is singular |
| Se venden casas. | Houses are sold / Houses for sale. | Plural verb — casas is plural |
| Se busca cocinero. | Cook wanted. | Common in job ads |
| Se prohíbe fumar. | Smoking is prohibited. | Very common on signs |
| Se aceptan tarjetas. | Cards are accepted. | Common in shops |
⚖️ Pasiva con SER vs Pasiva Refleja — When to Use Each
| Pasiva con SER | Pasiva Refleja (SE) |
|---|---|
| More formal — written Spanish | More common — spoken Spanish |
| Usually mentions the agent (por…) | Agent is unknown or unimportant |
| Common in news, literature, academic texts | Common in signs, ads, everyday speech |
| El proyecto fue aprobado por el director. | Se aprobó el proyecto. |
🔄 Active to Passive — Step by Step
Here’s how to transform an active sentence into a passive one:
| Step | Active sentence | Passive sentence |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Original active sentence | El chef preparó la cena. | |
| 2. Object becomes new subject | La cena (object becomes subject) | |
| 3. Add SER + past participle | La cena fue preparada | |
| 4. Add agent with “por” | La cena fue preparada por el chef | |
| 5. Final result | El chef preparó la cena. | La cena fue preparada por el chef. |
💬 Passive Voice in Real Sentences
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| El Quijote fue escrito por Cervantes en 1605. | Don Quixote was written by Cervantes in 1605. |
| La ciudad fue fundada por los españoles. | The city was founded by the Spanish. |
| Se hablan más de 20 idiomas en este país. | More than 20 languages are spoken in this country. |
| Se necesitan voluntarios para el proyecto. | Volunteers are needed for the project. |
| El acuerdo será firmado mañana. | The agreement will be signed tomorrow. |
| Se prohíbe el uso del teléfono móvil. | The use of mobile phones is prohibited. |
| Las leyes fueron cambiadas por el gobierno. | The laws were changed by the government. |
Reading authentic Spanish content — news articles, novels, official signs — is one of the best ways to see the passive voice in action. LingoPie lets you watch Spanish TV shows with interactive subtitles, where you’ll spot passive constructions constantly in news segments and drama series.
💬 Real Conversation: Passive Voice in Context
📍 Two students discussing a history class
Marco: ¿Sabías que Machu Picchu fue construido por los incas en el siglo XV?
Did you know that Machu Picchu was built by the Incas in the 15th century?
Sofia: Sí, y fue redescubierto por Hiram Bingham en 1911. ¡Es fascinante!
Yes, and it was rediscovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911. It’s fascinating!
Marco: En el museo se exhiben muchos artefactos de esa época.
Many artifacts from that era are exhibited in the museum.
Sofia: ¿Y se permite tomar fotos adentro?
And is taking photos allowed inside?
Marco: Creo que se permiten fotos, pero no se puede usar flash.
I think photos are allowed, but flash can’t be used.
⚠️ Common Mistakes English Speakers Make
❌ Forgetting gender/number agreement on the participle
✅ La carta fue escrita — not escrito — because carta is feminine.
❌ Using pasiva con SER in everyday conversation
✅ Native speakers almost always prefer se constructions in conversation. Se aprobó la ley sounds much more natural than La ley fue aprobada in casual speech.
❌ Wrong verb number with pasiva refleja
✅ Se venden casas (plural) — not se vende casas. The verb agrees with the noun that follows.
❌ Translating English passive directly word for word
✅ “It is said that…” → Se dice que… — not Es dicho que… Spanish prefers se for impersonal statements.
❌ Confusing ESTAR + participle with the passive voice
✅ La puerta fue cerrada (passive — someone closed it) vs La puerta está cerrada (state — it is currently closed). SER = action; ESTAR = result/state.
🎯 Practice Quiz
Transform these active sentences into passive (pasiva con ser):
- García Márquez escribió “Cien años de soledad.” →
- El gobierno aprobó la nueva ley. →
- Los estudiantes completaron el proyecto. →
Translate using pasiva refleja (se):
- Spanish is spoken here. →
- Houses are for sale. →
- Smoking is not allowed. →
👁️ Show Answers
- “Cien años de soledad” fue escrita por García Márquez.
- La nueva ley fue aprobada por el gobierno.
- El proyecto fue completado por los estudiantes.
- Se habla español aquí.
- Se venden casas.
- No se permite fumar.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Is the passive voice common in spoken Spanish?
The pasiva con ser (SER + participle) is rare in everyday conversation — native speakers find it stilted and overly formal. What you’ll hear constantly in spoken Spanish is the pasiva refleja with se: se dice, se hace, se vende. Save the SER passive for when you’re reading or writing formal texts, news articles, or academic content.
What’s the difference between “fue cerrada” and “está cerrada”?
Fue cerrada (SER + participle) describes the action — someone closed it. Está cerrada (ESTAR + participle) describes the resulting state — it is currently closed. This is one of the most important distinctions in Spanish grammar and comes up constantly. If you want to practice it in real conversations, working with a native tutor on Italki is a great way to get real-time corrections until it becomes automatic.
Does the past participle always change gender and number?
Yes — but only in the pasiva con ser. When the participle follows SER as part of the passive voice, it must agree with the subject in gender and number: escrito / escrita / escritos / escritas. In compound tenses with HABER (like he escrito), the participle never changes — it always stays in the masculine singular form.
📚 Keep Learning
- 👉 Ser vs Estar in Spanish — essential for understanding passive constructions
- 👉 Spanish Verb Tenses Explained — all tenses used in the passive voice
- 👉 Spanish Conditional Tense