Passive voice (present / past)
La voz pasiva se usa cuando queremos centrarnos en la acción o en el objeto, y no tanto en quién la hace. Aquí veremos la pasiva en Present Simple y Past Simple.
1) Mapa rápido: activa vs pasiva
| Tipo | Estructura | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| Activa | Sujeto + verbo + objeto | People drink coffee. |
| Pasiva | Objeto + be + participio (V3) (+ by Sujeto) | Coffee is drunk (by people). |
Estructura clave de la pasiva: be + participio pasado (V3), en el tiempo que necesites (is made, was built…).
2) Present Simple Passive
Forma: am / is / are + past participle (V3)
| Activa | Pasiva (Present Simple) | Traducción |
|---|---|---|
| They make cars here. | Cars are made here. | Se hacen coches aquí. |
| People speak English in many countries. | English is spoken in many countries. | Se habla inglés en muchos países. |
| They clean the rooms every day. | The rooms are cleaned every day. | Las habitaciones se limpian todos los días. |
Formas básica (afirm / neg / pregunta)
| Tipo | Estructura | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| Afirmativa | S + am/is/are + V3 | The food is prepared here. |
| Negativa | S + am/is/are + not + V3 | The rooms are not cleaned on Sunday. |
| Interrogativa | Am/Is/Are + S + V3…? | Is the homework done every day? |
3) Past Simple Passive
Forma: was / were + past participle (V3)
| Activa | Pasiva (Past Simple) | Traducción |
|---|---|---|
| They built this house in 1990. | This house was built in 1990. | Esta casa fue construida en 1990. |
| Someone stole my bag. | My bag was stolen. | Mi bolsa fue robada. |
| They invited us to the party. | We were invited to the party. | Fuimos invitados a la fiesta. |
Formas básica (afirm / neg / pregunta)
| Tipo | Estructura | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| Afirmativa | S + was/were + V3 | The letter was sent yesterday. |
| Negativa | S + was/were + not + V3 | The tickets were not bought on time. |
| Interrogativa | Was/Were + S + V3…? | Were the results published online? |
4) ¿Cuándo usamos la voz pasiva?
Usamos la pasiva cuando:
- El agente (quién hace la acción) es desconocido:
My car was stolen. (no sabemos quién) - El agente es obvio o no es importante:
The thief was arrested. (por la policía, se entiende) - Queremos centrarnos en el resultado, no en la persona:
The bridge was opened in 2005. - Estilo más formal (noticias, informes, anuncios):
The meeting will be held on Monday. (más adelante verás otros tiempos)
En muchos casos, en español usamos “se + verbo”: Se venden coches → Cars are sold.
5) El agente con by (introducción)
Si queremos decir quién hace la acción en la pasiva, usamos by:
• This song was written by Adele.
• The bridge was built by engineers.
• The documents are checked by the manager.
- Si el agente es obvio (police, people, they), normalmente lo omitimos:
The man was arrested. (se entiende “by the police”) - Si el agente es importante o sorprendente, podemos incluirlo:
The film was directed by a famous actor.
En la siguiente lección verás con más detalle cuándo mencionar o no al agente con by.
6) Errores comunes
| Incorrecto | Correcto | Por qué |
|---|---|---|
| *The house is build in 1990.* | The house was built in 1990. | Tiempo pasado → was + V3, no is build. |
| *Cars are sell here.* | Cars are sold here. | Siempre usamos participio (V3), no la forma base. |
| *The rooms clean every day.* | The rooms are cleaned every day. | Falta el verbo be en pasiva. |
| *English is spoke in many countries.* | English is spoken in many countries. | Participio correcto de speak = spoken. |
| *My bag was stole.* | My bag was stolen. | Participio correcto de steal = stolen. |
7) Mini-práctica
- Transforma de activa a pasiva (Present Simple):
a) They open the shop at 9 o’clock.
b) People use this app all over the world.
c) They wash the cars every Saturday.
d) The teacher checks the tests. - Transforma de activa a pasiva (Past Simple):
a) They built the stadium in 2010.
b) Someone broke the window.
c) They cancelled the flight.
d) They invited Maria to the wedding. - Completa con la forma correcta de be + V3 (presente o pasado):
a) The letters ______ (send) every Friday.
b) The film ______ (make) in 1995.
c) These products ______ (not / sell) in this country.
d) The road ______ (close) yesterday. - Decide si es mejor usar activa o pasiva en inglés y explica por qué (en español):
a) La policía arrestó al ladrón.
b) Abrieron el museo en 2001.
c) La gente usa Internet todos los días.
d) Al presidente lo eligieron en 2024. - Traduce al inglés usando voz pasiva:
a) El café se sirve caliente.
b) Esta habitación fue limpiada esta mañana.
c) El libro fue escrito por un autor famoso.
d) Los resultados se publican en línea.
e) Estos coches se fabrican en Japón.
Respuestas ejemplo:
1) a) The shop is opened at 9 o’clock. (más natural: “opens at 9”, pero como pasiva: is opened)
b) This app is used all over the world.
c) The cars are washed every Saturday.
d) The tests are checked by the teacher.
2) a) The stadium was built in 2010.
b) The window was broken.
c) The flight was cancelled.
d) Maria was invited to the wedding.
3) a) are sent b) was made c) are not sold / aren’t sold d) was closed
4) Respuesta posible:
a) Pasiva: “The thief was arrested (by the police)” → nos importa el resultado.
b) Pasiva: “The museum was opened in 2001” → dato histórico.
c) Activa: “People use the Internet every day” → sujeto general “people”.
d) Pasiva: “The president was elected in 2024” → típico en noticias.
5) a) Coffee is served hot.
b) This room was cleaned this morning.
c) The book was written by a famous author.
d) The results are published online.
e) These cars are made in Japan.
8) Próximo paso
Continúa con Agente y omisión del agente (by…) para profundizar en cuándo mencionar a la persona que hace la acción en la pasiva y cuándo es mejor omitirla.