Voice is a grammatical term used to indicate the relationship between the subject of the verb and the action described by the verb. This article will explain the difference between active voice and passive voice in Spanish.
Spanish active voice
Definition: Active voice can be found in a sentence in which the performer or the doer of the action is the subject of the verb. Subject is the noun that is performing the action of the verb and object receives the action.
Note: In active sentences, an object (the receiver of the action) can exist or not.
Examples:
Yo hago un pastel - I am making a cake
Colon discovered América - Colon descubrió América
Mi madre cocinó la pizza - My mom cooked the pizza
Spanish passive voice
Passive voice can be found in a sentence in which the receiver of an action is the subject. The thing that receives the action is the subject of the sentence and the thing that performs the action is optionally included near the end of the sentence.
Forms of passive voice:
- ser + past participle (+ por + agent)
- se + third person
Examples:
El libro fue escrito por Emilio.
The book was written in by Emilio.
The old man was bitten by dog - El anciano fue mordido por el perro.
La pizza fue cocida por mi madre - The pizza was cooked by my mother.
Se establecieron las colonias hace 200 años - The colonies were established 200 years ago.
You may want to learn about: Spanish reflexive verbs and pronouns!