Passive Voice: Changing the Focus of Action

The passive voice is a verbal construction that shifts the focus of action from the agent to the patient, allowing different perspectives in presenting information. It’s a powerful stylistic tool for varying textual structure and emphasizing different elements of communication.

What is Passive Voice?

The passive voice is characterized by:

• Change of focus: From agent to patient of the action
• Emphasis on receiver: Direct object becomes subject
• Optional agent: Can be omitted or expressed
• Emphasis on result: Focus on the action performed

Verbal Voices

Active Voice

The subject performs the action:

• João comprou o livro (João bought the book)
• Os alunos fizeram o trabalho (The students did the work)
• O vento derrubou a árvore (The wind knocked down the tree)

Passive Voice

The subject receives the action:

• O livro foi comprado por João (The book was bought by João)
• O trabalho foi feito pelos alunos (The work was done by the students)
• A árvore foi derrubada pelo vento (The tree was knocked down by the wind)

Reflexive Voice

The subject performs and receives the action:

• João se cortou (João cut himself)
• Ela se penteou (She combed herself)
• Nós nos preparamos (We prepared ourselves)

Types of Passive Voice

1. Analytical Passive Voice

Formation: SER + Past Participle

Simple Tenses

Tense	Active Voice	Passive Voice
Present	O professor corrige as provas	As provas são corrigidas pelo professor
Preterite	O professor corrigiu as provas	As provas foram corrigidas pelo professor
Imperfect	O professor corrigia as provas	As provas eram corrigidas pelo professor
Future	O professor corrigirá as provas	As provas serão corrigidas pelo professor

(The teacher corrects/corrected/was correcting/will correct the tests → The tests are/were/were being/will be corrected by the teacher)

Compound Tenses

Tense	Active Voice	Passive Voice
Present Perfect	O professor tem corrigido as provas	As provas têm sido corrigidas pelo professor
Past Perfect	O professor tinha corrigido as provas	As provas tinham sido corrigidas pelo professor
Future Perfect	O professor terá corrigido as provas	As provas terão sido corrigidas pelo professor

(The teacher has/had/will have corrected the tests → The tests have/had/will have been corrected by the teacher)

2. Synthetic Passive Voice

Formation: Verb + SE (passive particle)

Characteristics

• Only with direct transitive verbs
• Patient subject agrees with verb
• Doesn’t express the passive agent

Examples

Singular	Plural
Vende-se casa	Vendem-se casas
Aluga-se apartamento	Alugam-se apartamentos
Conserta-se sapato	Consertam-se sapatos

(House for sale / Houses for sale, Apartment for rent / Apartments for rent, Shoe repair / Shoes repair)

Active → Passive Transformation

Step by Step

1. Identify the direct object in active voice
2. Transform the DO into patient subject
3. Conjugate verb SER in the tense of active verb
4. Add the past participle of main verb
5. Optional: Include agent with “by”

Detailed Example

Active: Os bombeiros apagaram o incêndio (The firefighters put out the fire)

1. DO: o incêndio (the fire)
2. Patient subject: O incêndio (The fire)
3. Verb SER: foi (was - preterite)
4. Participle: apagado (put out)
5. Passive: O incêndio foi apagado pelos bombeiros (The fire was put out by the firefighters)

Agreement in Passive Voice

Analytical Passive

The participle agrees with the subject:

• A carta foi escrita (The letter was written - feminine)
• As cartas foram escritas (The letters were written - feminine plural)
• O problema foi resolvido (The problem was solved - masculine)
• Os problemas foram resolvidos (The problems were solved - masculine plural)

Synthetic Passive

The verb agrees with the subject:

• Vende-se terreno (Land for sale - singular)
• Vendem-se terrenos (Lands for sale - plural)
• Procura-se empregado (Employee wanted - singular)
• Procuram-se empregados (Employees wanted - plural)

Agent of the Passive

Prepositions Used

POR (most common - by)

• Foi elogiado pelo diretor (Was praised by the director)
• Será recebido pelos colegas (Will be received by colleagues)
• Foi descoberto por acaso (Was discovered by chance)

DE (with verbs of feeling - of/by)

• Era amado de todos (Was loved by all)
• Foi odiado dos inimigos (Was hated by enemies)
• É temido de muitos (Is feared by many)

A (less common, archaic style)

• Foi ferido a bala (Was wounded by bullet)
• Movido a vapor (Powered by steam)

Agent Omission

The agent can be omitted when:

• Unknown: “O banco foi assaltado” (The bank was robbed)
• Obvious: “O criminoso foi preso” (The criminal was arrested)
• Not relevant: “A reunião foi cancelada” (The meeting was canceled)
• Generalizing: “Fala-se português no Brasil” (Portuguese is spoken in Brazil)

Restrictions on Passive Use

Verbs that Don’t Allow Passive

Intransitive Verbs

• ❌ “Foi chegado por ele” (Was arrived by him - chegar/to arrive)
• ❌ “Foi morrido pelo paciente” (Was died by the patient - morrer/to die)

Indirect Transitive Verbs

• ❌ “O filme foi assistido por mim” (The movie was watched by me - assistir a)
• ❌ “A lei foi obedecida pelos cidadãos” (The law was obeyed by citizens - obedecer a)

Exception: Some ITVs allow passive

• “A pergunta foi respondida” (The question was answered)
• “A vaga foi preenchida” (The position was filled)

Linking Verbs

• ❌ “Alto foi estado por ele” (Tall was been by him - estar/to be)
• ❌ “Feliz foi sido por ela” (Happy was been by her - ser/to be)

Stylistic Uses of Passive Voice

1. Highlight the Result

• Active: Os operários construíram a ponte (The workers built the bridge)
• Passive: A ponte foi construída (The bridge was built - focus on the work)

2. Omit the Responsible Party

• Active: Alguém roubou meu carro (Someone stole my car)
• Passive: Meu carro foi roubado (My car was stolen)

3. Formality and Impersonality

• Active: Nós analisaremos os dados (We will analyze the data)
• Passive: Os dados serão analisados (The data will be analyzed)

4. Avoid First Person

• Active: Eu conduzi o experimento (I conducted the experiment)
• Passive: O experimento foi conduzido (The experiment was conducted)

Passive Voice in Different Contexts

Scientific Language

Passive predominates:

• “A solução foi aquecida a 100°C” (The solution was heated to 100°C)
• “Os resultados foram analisados estatisticamente” (The results were statistically analyzed)
• “As amostras serão coletadas mensalmente” (Samples will be collected monthly)

Journalistic Language

Balance between active and passive:

• “O presidente foi recebido pelo governador” (The president was received by the governor)
• “A decisão será anunciada amanhã” (The decision will be announced tomorrow)
• “Medidas foram tomadas” (Measures were taken)

Legal Language

Passive for impersonality:

• “O réu foi condenado” (The defendant was convicted)
• “A sentença será proferida” (The sentence will be pronounced)
• “Os autos foram conclusos” (The case files were concluded)

Advertising Language

Synthetic passive common:

• “Vende-se felicidade” (Happiness for sale)
• “Procuram-se talentos” (Talents wanted)
• “Oferece-se desconto” (Discount offered)

Regional Differences

Brazil

• Preference for analytical passive
• Frequent use of “foi feito” (was done)
• Synthetic passive in advertisements

Portugal

• Greater use of synthetic passive
• Constructions with “estar + participle”
• Maintenance of classical forms

Common Errors

1. Agreement in Synthetic Passive

❌ “Vende-se casas” (Is sold houses) ✅ “Vendem-se casas” (Houses are sold)

❌ “Conserta-se sapatos” (Is repaired shoes) ✅ “Consertam-se sapatos” (Shoes are repaired)

2. Passive with Inappropriate Verbs

❌ “A festa foi ido por todos” (The party was gone by everyone) ✅ “Todos foram à festa” (Everyone went to the party)

❌ “O filme foi gostado” (The movie was liked) ✅ “Gostaram do filme” (They liked the movie)

3. Double Passive

❌ “Foi sido feito” (Was been done) ✅ “Foi feito” (Was done) or “Tem sido feito” (Has been done)

4. Confusion SE Passive vs. Indetermination

❌ “Precisa-se de empregados” (Is needed of employees - not passive) ✅ “Procuram-se empregados” (Employees are wanted - passive)

Practice Exercises

Transform into Passive Voice

1. The jury chose the winner.
2. The students delivered the assignments.
3. The government will announce the measures.
4. Everyone respects the teacher.

Answers

1. O vencedor foi escolhido pelo júri. (The winner was chosen by the jury)
2. Os trabalhos foram entregues pelos alunos. (The assignments were delivered by the students)
3. As medidas serão anunciadas pelo governo. (The measures will be announced by the government)
4. O professor é respeitado por todos. (The teacher is respected by everyone)

Passive Voice and Style

When to Use

1. Focus on result: When action is more important
2. Unknown agent: When you don’t know who did it
3. Objectivity: In scientific and technical texts
4. Variation: To avoid repetitions

When to Avoid

1. Dynamic texts: Narratives need action
2. Clarity: When agent is important
3. Conciseness: Passive can be longer
4. Naturalness: In informal conversations

Conclusion

The passive voice is a versatile grammatical resource that enriches the expressive possibilities of Portuguese. Mastering it allows speakers to choose the most appropriate perspective for each communicative situation, whether highlighting results, maintaining objectivity, or varying textual structures. Understanding when and how to use the passive voice is essential for effective and elegant communication in Portuguese.