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Look at this example of a passive sentence in English:
The computers were sold by the shop assistant.
- the computers = the object acted on by the verb
- by the shop assistant = the person performing the action
Using Voz pasiva
We use the Voz pasiva in these cases:
1. When we give more importance to the action than to the subject. In these cases the subject is not normally mentioned. For example:
2. If we want to emphasise the subject of the action using generally por + [agent]. For example:
Las ausencias de los estudiantes son anotadas por la secretaria en un registro.Student absences are marked by the secretary in a register.
- The conjugated verb in the passive voice is "ser" and can be conjugated in any tense.
- The participle always agrees with the subject of the passive sentence in gender and number!
The passive voice is much more common in English than in Spanish, which often uses Verbos pronominales (usually reflexive verbs) where English would use the passive voice.
See also Voz pasiva
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