Passive Voice Across Tenses

Level 4

The passive voice (voz passiva analítica) is formed by conjugating the auxiliary verb ser in the desired tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb. The participle must agree in gender and number with the subject.

How It Works

The passive voice is highly versatile and can be used in almost any tense to match the aspect of the action.

1. Tense Selection:
The tense of the auxiliary verb ser determines the timeframe:

  • Pretérito Perfeito: Used for completed actions. (e.g., foi feito - was done).
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: Used for habitual or ongoing past actions. (e.g., era feito - used to be done).
  • Futuro: Used for upcoming events. (e.g., será feito - will be done).
  • Subjuntivo: Used for hypothetical or uncertain situations. (e.g., fosse feito - were it to be done).

2. Agreement Rules:
Unlike compound active tenses where the participle is often static, in the passive voice, the participle acts like an adjective. It must match the subject:

  • O livro foi escrito (Masculine Singular)
  • As cartas foram escritas (Feminine Plural)

3. The Agent of the Passive:
If you want to mention who performed the action, use the contraction pelo/pela. For example: A ponte foi construída pelo governo.

4. Register and Usage:
This construction is common in formal writing, news, and academic contexts. In casual speech, Brazilians often prefer the 3rd person plural active ('Quebraram o vidro' instead of 'O vidro foi quebrado') or the passive with 'se'.

Examples (5)

  1. A nova lei foi aprovada pelo Parlamento ontem.

    The new law was approved by Parliament yesterday.

    Word by Word: The new law was approved by the Parliament yesterday.

    Uses the 'Pretérito Perfeito' (foi) to indicate a specific, completed action in the past.

  2. Os resultados serão divulgados na próxima semana.

    The results will be released next week.

    Word by Word: The results will be released in the next week.

    Uses the 'Futuro do Presente' (serão) for a future event. Note the plural agreement 'divulgados' with 'resultados'.

  3. Antigamente, o pão era feito pela minha avó.

    In the past, the bread was (regularly) made by my grandmother.

    Word by Word: Formerly, the bread was made by the my grandmother.

    Uses the 'Pretérito Imperfeito' (era) to describe a habitual action in the past.

  4. Seria melhor se a casa fosse pintada de azul.

    It would be better if the house were painted blue.

    Word by Word: It would be better if the house were painted of blue.

    Uses the 'Imperfeito do Subjuntivo' (fosse) to express a hypothetical condition.

  5. As encomendas já tinham sido enviadas quando liguei.

    The orders had already been sent when I called.

    Word by Word: The orders already had been sent when I called.

    A compound passive form using the 'Mais-que-perfeito composto'. Note the inclusion of 'sido'.

Common Mistakes

  • Failing to agree the past participle with the subject's gender and number.

    As cartas foi enviado.
    As cartas foram enviadas.

    In the passive voice, the participle must agree with the subject (as cartas = feminine plural, so 'enviadas').

  • Using the wrong preposition to introduce the agent.

    O livro foi escrito para o autor.
    O livro foi escrito pelo autor.

    Use 'por' (pelo/pela) to indicate the agent of the action. 'Para' would imply the book was written 'for' someone else's benefit.

  • Using the regular participle form for verbs that require the short/irregular form with 'ser'.

    O documento foi imprimido.
    O documento foi impresso.

    With the auxiliary 'ser', you must use the irregular (short) participle if the verb has two forms.

How It Connects

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

Passive Voice Across TensesLevel 4

Learn This First

To learn the passive voice across different tenses, you first need to understand the basic 'ser + past participle' formula and how the participle agrees with the subject. Additionally, you must be familiar with the various conjugations of the verb 'ser' (past, future, etc.), as it is the auxiliary verb that changes to indicate the tense of the passive action.

Words in This Pattern