More on Passives

Why do we use passive sentences?

• We use the passive voice when the receiver of the action is more important than the one who did it:

The new video game was published today. (We are interested in the video game, not the company that published it)

• We can use the passive when we don't know who did the action:

The jewels were stolen yesterday. (It was a robber but we don't know who)

• We use the passive when we don't need to say who did the action:

The prisoners were taken into prison after the trial. (We know that the police did it)

STEP BY STEP: Formation of the Passive Voice

Subject + finite form of to be + Past Participle

A valuable painting was stolen from the Museum by a famous thief (passive)

A famous thief stole a valuable painting from the Museum (active)

A valuable painting was stolen from the Museum by a famous thief (passive)

Note the following changes when rewriting active sentences in the passive voice:

1. The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence (A valuable painting)
2. The finite form of the verb is changed (to be  + past participle) (stole→ was stolen).The tense doesn't change (stole= Simple Past, was=Simple Past)
3.  If we want to say who does an action the subject of the active sentence becomes the object using "by" (a famous thief →by a famous thief)
4. But if the subject of the active sentence is a generic expression (people, they, someone), we never use it in the passive.
   They publish this newspaper daily → This newpaper is published daily.
   Someone stole my car yesterday → My car was stolen yesterday.
   
   

Watch these presentations about the present simple passive and the past simple passive:

Present Simple Passive

   Past Simple Passive

Passive Sentences with two objects 

Rewriting an active sentence with two objects (direct object and indirect object) into the passive voice means that one of the two objects becomes the subject, the other one remains an object. Which object to transform into a subject depends on what you want to focus on:

They gave medals to the winners.

a) The winners were given medals 

b) Medals were given to the winners

*Important: we usually prefer the first example because people are more important.

Remember that the first option (changing an indirect object into a passive subject) doesn't exist in Spanish, so the way to translate both is by using an Impersonal construction:

(a/b) A los ganadores se les dio medallas

Impersonal Passive

Some verbs of reporting (say,report, state, rumour) and belief (believe,think) make an impersonal construction using "It" as the subject. Therefore this passive is called Impersonal Passive.

They say that Literature is more difficult than Maths. 

→   It is said that Literature is more difficult than Maths.

Note the structure:
It is said/reported/rumoured/believed/thought that.......

¿Por qué se usa la pasiva?

• Usamos la pasiva cuando el afectado de una acción es más importante que quien lo hizo:

The new video game was released today.(Han sacado el nuevo videojuego hoy).(Nos interesa el videojuego, no quien lo saca)

• Podemos usar la pasiva cuando no sabemos quién hizo la acción:

Las joyas fueron robadas ayer.(Era un ladrón, claro, pero no sabemos quién)

• Usamos la pasiva cuando no queremos decir quién hizo la acción

The prisoners were taken to jail after the trial (Se llevaron a los prisioneros a la cárcel después del juicio.) (We know that the police did it)

PASO A PASO: Formación de la pasiva

Sujeto + BE (en un tiempo verbal) + Participio

A valuable painting was stolen from the Museum by a famous thief (pasivo)(Un cuadro valisoso fue robado del Museo por un ladrón famoso)

A famous thief stole a valuable painting from the Museum (activo)(Un ladrón famoso robó un cuadro valioso del museo)

A valuable painting was stolen from the Museum by a famous thief (passive)

Presta atención a los siguientes cambios cuando se cambia una frase active a la pasiva:

1. El objeto de la frase activa se convierte en el sujeto de la frase pasiva sentence (A valuable painting (Un cuadro valioso))
2. La forma del verbo se cambia (to be  + participio) (stole→ was stolen).El tiempo verbal de la frase no cambia (stole= Simple Past, was=Simple Past
3.  Si queremos decir quién hace una acción el sujeto de la frase activa se convierte en el agentemediante la preposición "by"(=por)(a famous thief →by a famous thief)
4. Pero si el sujeto de la frase active es una expresión generica -people, they, someone (la gente, ellos, alguien)-no lo usamos en la pasiva.
   They publish this newspaper daily(Publican este periódico a diario → This newpaper is published daily (Se publica este periódico a diario.)
   Someone stole my car yesterday (Alguien robó mi coche ayer) → My car was stolen yesterday.(Mi coche fue robado ayer)
   

Ver las presentaciones de arriba sobre la pasiva en presente y pasado simple.


Oraciones pasivas con doble objeto

Volver a escribir una oración activa con dos complementos objeto (CD y CI) en la voz pasiva implica que uno de los dos objetos se va a convertir en el sujeto paciente (sujeto pasivo), mientras que el otro se quedará como complemento objeto. La elección de cuál complemento objeto va a ser el sujeto paciente dependerá de lo que queramos enfatizar:

They gave medals to the winners.

a) The winners were given medals 

b) Medals were given to the winners

*Importante: se prefiere utilizar el primer ejemplo ya que las personas son más importantes.

Recuerda que la primera opción (cambiar el CI como sujeto pasivo) no existe en español, así que la forma de traducirlo al español es mediante una constucción impersonal con "se":

(a/b) A los ganadores se les dio medallas

Pasiva Impersonal

Algunos verbos que se usan para informar –say (decir), report (informar), state (afirmar), rumour (rumorear) y para indicar creencia - believe (creer), think (pensar) forman una construcción impersonal usando "It" como sujeto, y esta pasiva se llama Pasiva Impersonal.

They say that Literature is more difficult than Maths. 

→   It is said that Literature is more difficult than Maths

Se dice que la literatura es más difícl que la matemática. 

Fíjae en la estructura:
It is said/reported/rumoured/believed/thought that... ( = Se dice/informa/rumorea/cree que...)

 Practice:  Exercise1,  Exercise2, Exercise3, Exercise4, Exercise5, Exercise6, Exercise7.