fue vs estuvo

Question

in number 8 why is it fue premiado and not estuvo premiado?

Accepted Answer

Hola Mimi
This is using ser in the past, fue, because it is the passive voice: is + past participle, was/were + past participle, will be + past participle, etc. The passive voice in Spanish is formed by the verb  ser conjugated in whatever tense and the past participle of the other verb, which is what we see in this sentence:

El arquitecto fue premiado por su última obra.
The architect was awarded a prize for his latest work.

We also have a form of passive using the verb estar, which is used to indicate a final result, for example:

Ese libro ya está traducido al inglés.
That book is already translated into English.

I hope this clarified it.
Saludos
Inma