Voz Passiva Sintética

This structure uses the word se. We call it the pronome apassivador. It turns the object into the subject. Imagine you are writing a lab report. You do not want to say "We mixed chemicals." That sounds like a high school project. Instead, you say Misturaram-se os produtos. Now, the chemicals are the stars of the sentence. The person doing the mixing disappears. This is perfect for when the actor is obvious. Or maybe the actor is just not important. It keeps your writing clean and direct. It is like a grammar magic trick. One moment there is a person, then poof! Only the action remains.

1. 1Creating this is easier than choosing a Netflix movie. Just follow these three steps:
2. 2Choose a transitive direct verb. These are verbs that need an object.
3. 3Conjugate the verb in the third person. This can be singular or plural.
4. 4Add the particle se after the verb. Use a hyphen in most cases.
5. 5If the thing being acted upon is plural, the verb must be plural. This is the golden rule. Vende-se casa is singular. Vendem-se casas is plural. Yes, even native speakers mess this up sometimes. It is the most common "oops" moment in Portuguese. Just remember: the verb and the noun are best friends. They must always agree.

Use this in formal writing. It is great for academic papers and news reports. If you are writing a thesis, use it often. It makes your work sound unbiased. Use it for public signs and advertisements too. Procura-se or Aceitam-se cartões are classic examples. It works well in job interviews when describing processes. "At my last job, organizavam-se events weekly." It sounds much more sophisticated than "I organized." It shows you understand the professional register. It is like wearing a suit for your words.

Do not use this in casual chats with friends. If you say Comprou-se uma cerveja at a bar, people will stare. It sounds way too stiff for a party. Stick to the active voice for daily life. Also, avoid it if the actor is the most important part. If you want to brag about your work, say "I did it!" Do not hide behind the passive voice then. Finally, do not use it with verbs that take prepositions. Verbs like gostar or precisar do not work here. They follow a different rule called the indeterminate subject. Using se there is different.

The biggest trap is the plural agreement. Many people say Aluga-se apartamentos. This is wrong and will make your professor sad. It must be Alugam-se apartamentos. Think of it like a grammar traffic light. Red means the verb and noun do not match. Green means they are both plural. Another mistake is using it with the wrong verbs. You cannot use it with ir or vir. Only use verbs that act directly on something. Also, watch your hyphen placement. In formal writing, it is usually Verificou-se. In some cases with negative words, it jumps: Não se verificou.

You might know the analytic passive voice. That is A casa foi vendida. It is longer and uses the verb ser. The synthetic version Vendeu-se a casa is shorter. It feels more modern and punchy. Then there is the indeterminate subject. Precisa-se de ajudantes looks similar but it is different. Notice the de? That preposition changes everything. In that case, the verb stays singular forever. The synthetic passive is only for direct actions. It is a subtle difference, but at C1 level, it matters. It is the difference between a good writer and a great one.