Passive Voice (All Tenses, Impersonal Structures) (Voz Pasiva Completa)

Passive Voice: Comprehensive View (Voz Pasiva: Visión Completa)

The Passive Voice shifts the focus from the performer of an action (the agent) to the receiver of the action. While we often learn it first in simple tenses, it can be used across almost all verb tenses and structures in English.
La Voz Pasiva cambia el foco del realizador de una acción (el agente) al receptor de la acción. Aunque a menudo la aprendemos primero en tiempos simples, se puede usar en casi todos los tiempos y estructuras verbales en inglés.

This page covers the formation of the passive in various tenses and introduces Impersonal Passive Structures, commonly used for reporting general beliefs or opinions.
Esta página cubre la formación de la pasiva en varios tiempos e introduce las Estructuras Pasivas Impersonales, comúnmente usadas para informar sobre creencias u opiniones generales.

General Formation Review (Repaso de la Formación General)

Remember the core structure:
Subject (Receiver) + Correct form of 'to be' + Past Participle (+ by Agent)
The key is changing the tense of the verb 'to be'.
Recuerda la estructura central:
Sujeto (Receptor) + Forma correcta de 'to be' + Participio Pasado (+ by Agente)
La clave es cambiar el tiempo verbal del verbo 'to be'.

Passive Voice Across Tenses (Voz Pasiva en Diferentes Tiempos)

Here's how the passive looks in various common tenses:
Así se ve la pasiva en varios tiempos comunes:

Present Simple: Active: They build houses. → Passive: Houses are built. Presente Simple: Activa: Ellos construyen casas. → Pasiva: Las casas son construidas.
Past Simple: Active: Someone stole my bike. → Passive: My bike was stolen. Pasado Simple: Activa: Alguien robó mi bici. → Pasiva: Mi bici fue robada.
Present Continuous: Active: They are painting the room. → Passive: The room is being painted. Presente Continuo: Activa: Ellos están pintando la habitación. → Pasiva: La habitación está siendo pintada.
Past Continuous: Active: They were discussing the problem. → Passive: The problem was being discussed. Pasado Continuo: Activa: Ellos estaban discutiendo el problema. → Pasiva: El problema estaba siendo discutido.
Present Perfect: Active: We have finished the report. → Passive: The report has been finished. Presente Perfecto: Activa: Hemos terminado el informe. → Pasiva: El informe ha sido terminado.
Past Perfect: Active: They had closed the shop before I arrived. → Passive: The shop had been closed before I arrived. Pasado Perfecto: Activa: Ellos habían cerrado la tienda antes de que yo llegara. → Pasiva: La tienda había sido cerrada antes de que yo llegara.
Future Simple (will): Active: Someone will clean the office. → Passive: The office will be cleaned. Futuro Simple (will): Activa: Alguien limpiará la oficina. → Pasiva: La oficina será limpiada.
Future (be going to): Active: We are going to hold a meeting. → Passive: A meeting is going to be held. Futuro (be going to): Activa: Vamos a celebrar una reunión. → Pasiva: Una reunión va a ser celebrada.
Modals (can, must, should, etc.): Active: You must complete this form. → Passive: This form must be completed. Modales (can, must, should, etc.): Activa: Debes completar este formulario. → Pasiva: Este formulario debe ser completado.
Modal Perfects (should have, could have, etc.): Active: They should have invited her. → Passive: She should have been invited. Modales Perfectos (should have, could have, etc.): Activa: Deberían haberla invitado. → Pasiva: Ella debería haber sido invitada.

Impersonal Passive Structures (Estructuras Pasivas Impersonales)

These structures are often used in formal writing (like news reports or academic texts) to report beliefs, opinions, or sayings without stating exactly who holds the belief. Common reporting verbs include: say, think, believe, know, expect, consider, report, understand.
Estas estructuras se usan a menudo en la escritura formal (como noticias o textos académicos) para informar sobre creencias, opiniones o dichos sin indicar exactamente quién tiene esa creencia. Verbos comunes para informar incluyen: say, think, believe, know, expect, consider, report, understand (decir, pensar, creer, saber, esperar, considerar, informar, entender).

Structure 1: It + passive reporting verb + that + clause

It is said that... he is very rich.
It was believed that... the Earth was flat.
It is expected that... the company will make a profit.

Se dice que... es muy rico.

Se creía que... la Tierra era plana.

Se espera que... la compañía obtenga beneficios.

Structure 2: Subject + passive reporting verb + to + infinitive

He is said to be very rich. (Simple infinitive for present state)
The Earth was believed to be flat. (Simple infinitive for past state)
The company is expected to make a profit. (Simple infinitive for future action)
She is known to have lived abroad. (Perfect infinitive for past action relative to 'is known')
They were reported to have escaped yesterday. (Perfect infinitive for past action relative to 'were reported')

Se dice que es muy rico. (Infinitivo simple para estado presente)

Se creía que la Tierra era plana. (Infinitivo simple para estado pasado)

Se espera que la compañía obtenga beneficios. (Infinitivo simple para acción futura)

Se sabe que vivió / ha vivido en el extranjero. (Infinitivo perfecto para acción pasada relativa a 'se sabe')

Se informó que escaparon / habían escapado ayer. (Infinitivo perfecto para acción pasada relativa a 'se informó')

Impersonal: "It is known that smoking causes cancer." OR "Smoking is known to cause cancer." Impersonal: "Se sabe que fumar causa cáncer."

Impersonal: "It was reported that two prisoners had escaped." OR "Two prisoners were reported to have escaped." Impersonal: "Se informó que dos prisioneros habían escapado."

Tips for Using the Passive Voice (Consejos para Usar la Voz Pasiva)

Practice Strategies (Estrategias de Práctica):

Focus on 'to be': Mastering the different tense forms of 'to be' is crucial for forming the passive correctly.
Identify the receiver: When converting from active, find the object of the active sentence – it becomes the subject of the passive sentence.
Know your past participles: Regular verbs end in -ed, but irregular verbs must be memorized (e.g., stolen, built, finished, held, known).
Consider the agent: Only include 'by + agent' if it's important information. Often, it's omitted.
Notice its use: Pay attention to passive structures in news headlines, scientific reports, and formal announcements.
Practice transforming sentences: Convert active sentences into passive ones across different tenses.

Céntrate en 'to be': Dominar las diferentes formas temporales de 'to be' es crucial para formar la pasiva correctamente.

Identifica el receptor: Al convertir desde activa, encuentra el objeto de la oración activa – se convierte en el sujeto de la oración pasiva.

Conoce tus participios pasados: Los verbos regulares terminan en -ed, pero los verbos irregulares deben memorizarse (p.ej., stolen, built, finished, held, known).

Considera el agente: Solo incluye 'by + agente' si es información importante. A menudo, se omite.

Fíjate en su uso: Presta atención a las estructuras pasivas en titulares de noticias, informes científicos y anuncios oficiales.

Practica la transformación de oraciones: Convierte oraciones activas en pasivas en diferentes tiempos verbales.