2. Uses of the passive voice
When we do not know who performed the action.
Example: The car was stolen. (El coche fue robado.)
When we want to give more importance to what
happened, who did it or when the action is not to say
who made it.
A mistake was made. (Un error fue cometido.)
o We cannot use the passive voice with intransitive verbs
like "die", "arrive" or "go". Intransitive verbs are verbs
that do not take a direct object.
3. Structure of the passive voice
The passive voice is formed with the auxiliary verb "to be"
and the past participle of the verb.
Subject + auxiliary verb ("to be") + past participle.
Examples:
The speech is written for the president. (El discurso está escrito
para el presidente.)
The house was built in 1975. (La casa fue construida en 1975.)
My wallet has been stolen. (Ha sido robada mi cartera.)
4. Form of the passive voice
Tense
Active verb
Passive verb
Present Simple
Eat/s
Is/are eaten
Past Simple
Ate
Was/were eaten
Present Perfect
Has/ have eaten
Has/have been eaten
Past Perfect
Had eaten
Had been eaten
Future with will
Will eat
Will be eaten
Future with be going to
Are going to eat
Are going to be eaten
Modal verbs ( should, can, Can eat
must)
Can be eaten
5. Active to passive transformation
To change an active sentence to passive we have to consider the
following points:
1. The object of the active sentence becomes to be the subject in
the passive sentence .
2 . The main verb is replaced by the auxiliary verb "to be" at the
same time along the main verb to the past participle .
3. The subject of the main sentence is agent complement in the
passive .
4. If we mention in the sentence the subject that performs the
action ( agent subject), this will normally be preceded by the
preposition "by" .
6. Examples of the transformation
Someone has stolen my wallet!
My wallet has been stolen!
They receive the newspaper everyday.
The newspaper is received everyday.
We will complete the renovations next week.
The renovations will be completed next
week
Jose and Ana have eaten the cookies.
The cookies have been eaten by Jose and
Ana.
He reads books every day.
Books are read every day.