ser + Participle

The Passive with Ser

Level 4

The passive is ser + participle, and the participle agrees with the subject: A ponte foi construída (the bridge was built). Name the doer with por: por Rosalía, pola policía.

How It Works

How it works

Take an active sentence, Rosalía escribiu o poema. The object becomes the subject, the verb becomes ser + participle, and the old subject can follow por: O poema foi escrito por Rosalía.

Agreement

  • O museo foi inaugurado (masculine singular)
  • A ponte foi construída (feminine singular)
  • Os resultados serán publicados (masculine plural)
  • As cartas foron enviadas (feminine plural)

Irregular participles agree too: escrita, feitas, abertos, postas (see irregular participles).

The agent with por

Before an article, por contracts: polo concello, pola policía, polos veciños (see contractions of por). Often the agent is simply left out: O ladrón foi detido onte.

Ser or estar

Ser + participle describes the action: A tenda foi pechada ás dez (the shop was closed at ten, by someone). Estar + participle describes the resulting state: A tenda estaba pechada (the shop was closed, not open).

Register

This passive is rare in conversation. In speech, Galician usually says Construíron a ponte en 1990 (impersonal they) or Construíuse a ponte en 1990 (passive se). Use ser + participle when you want to name the agent or when writing formally.

Examples (6)

  1. A ponte foi construída en 1990.

    The bridge was built in 1990.

    Construída is feminine singular, agreeing with a ponte.

  2. O poema foi escrito por Rosalía de Castro.

    The poem was written by Rosalía de Castro.

    Escrito is the irregular participle of escribir. Por introduces the author.

  3. Os resultados serán publicados o luns.

    The results will be published on Monday.

    Ser carries the future tense; publicados agrees with os resultados.

  4. O ladrón foi detido pola policía.

    The thief was arrested by the police.

    Por + a contracts to pola.

  5. As cartas foron enviadas onte.

    The letters were sent yesterday.

    No agent is given; enviadas is feminine plural.

  6. A exposición foi inaugurada pola alcaldesa.

    The exhibition was opened by the mayor.

    A typical news-style sentence.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving the participle in the masculine singular.

    A ponte foi construído en 1990.
    A ponte foi construída en 1990.

    In the passive with ser, the participle agrees with the subject: a ponte is feminine.

  • Introducing the agent with de.

    O poema foi escrito de Rosalía.
    O poema foi escrito por Rosalía.

    The agent of a passive is introduced by por.

  • Not contracting por with the article.

    O ladrón foi detido por a policía.
    O ladrón foi detido pola policía.

    Por + a must contract to pola, and por + o to polo.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

ser + ParticipleLevel 4The Passive with Ser

Learn This First

Ser with a participle presents an action in the passive voice.

Words in This Pattern