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Passive voice · ser + part. / se passive / impersonal se

Three ways to leave the doer out: the ser-passive, the se-passive, and impersonal se ("one does / people do").

Examples

  • Se vende la casa.The house is for sale.
  • Se habla español.Spanish is spoken.
  • El libro fue escrito por Cervantes.The book was written by Cervantes.

How it works

Spanish has three "passive-like" structures.

1. SER + past participle ("true" passive — formal, written):

ser + participle (agreeing in gender + number) + (por + agent)

El libro fue escrito por Cervantes. The book was written by Cervantes. Las casas son construidas por los obreros. The houses are built by the workers.

Used mostly in writing / journalism. Spoken Spanish rarely uses this.

2. SE PASIVA (passive with se — most common in everyday Spanish):

se + 3rd person verb + subject
Subject usually a thing, no agent expressed:
Se vende la casa. / Se venden las casas.

The house is for sale / Houses are for sale.

Se habla español aquí. — Spanish is spoken here.
Se construyeron muchas casas.

Many houses were built.

Verb agrees in number with the (delayed) subject.

3. IMPERSONAL SE — "one / people / they" (no defined subject):

se + 3rd person SINGULAR + (no subject):

Se vive bien aquí.

One lives well here. / Life is good here.

Aquí se come muy bien.

Here, the food is great. (people eat well)

Always singular, even with what looks like a plural object.

The difference can be subtle:

Se venden coches.

Cars are sold (passive — focus on cars). VERB AGREES.

Se vende a turistas.

One sells to tourists (impersonal). VERB STAYS SINGULAR.

Personal "a" tells you it's impersonal:

Se busca a los culpables.

They're looking for the guilty parties. (impersonal — verb sg)

Se buscan los documentos.

The documents are being looked for. (passive — verb pl)

What you'll practise

  1. 1. ser + participle (agree in gender/number) + por + agent

    Formal passive used mostly in writing.

    • La carta fue enviada ayer.The letter was sent yesterday.
    • Los libros son leídos por todos.The books are read by everyone.

  2. 2. se passive (verb agrees with subject)

    Default passive in spoken Spanish.

    • Se vende.For sale.
    • Se construyen casas.Houses are built.

  3. 3. Impersonal se (always singular)

    Use for general 'one / people' statements; verb stays singular.

    • Se vive bien aquí.Life is good here.
    • Se come bien.The food is great.

Practise it until it sticks

Short drills built on these 3 skills, with instant feedback on every answer. Free to start.

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