Passive Voice: Using

Passive voice is all about changing the perspective. Imagine you are at a fancy art gallery. You don't care who hung the painting. You care about the painting itself. In a normal sentence, the subject does the action. "Juan eats the apple." In passive voice, the apple is the star. "The apple is eaten by Juan." We use the verb ser (to be) as a bridge. Then we add a special version of the action verb. Finally, we use the preposition por to name the doer. It is like shifting from "I found the keys" to "The keys were found by me." It sounds a bit more serious. It also sounds very organized. Think of it as the "grammar of results."

1. 1Start with the thing receiving the action. This is your new subject.
2. 2Add the verb ser. Make sure it matches the time and the number of things.
3. 3Add the past participle of your main action verb. For -ar verbs, use -ado. For -er/-ir verbs, use -ido.
4. 4Crucial Step: The participle must match the subject in gender and number. If the subject is las pizzas, use cocinadas.
5. 5Finish with the preposition por and the person who did the work.
6. 6Example: El libro (Subject) + es (Ser) + leído (Participle) + por Ana (Agent). Total: El libro es leído por Ana.

Use this when the action is more important than the person. You will see this a lot in the news. "The bank was robbed." It sounds official. Use it in history books. "America was discovered." Use it in science reports. "The liquid was heated." It is also great for art and literature. "The poem was written by Neruda." In a job interview, it can make you sound humble. Instead of "I finished the project," you might say "The project was finished on time." It shows you care about the outcome. Think of it like a grammar traffic light. It tells the reader where to stop and look first.

Don't use this for every sentence. If you are ordering a taco, keep it simple. Don't say "The taco is ordered by me." The waiter might think you are a robot. In casual chat with friends, active voice is king. Spanish speakers often prefer the se passive for general things. For example, Se vende pan (Bread is sold) is more common than El pan es vendido. Only use the ser + por structure when you want to name the specific person. If you don't know who did it, or don't care, stick to se. Using passive voice too much makes you sound like a textbook. Nobody wants to be a walking textbook at a party.

• Agreement Fails: This is the big one. If you talk about la casa, the participle must be pintada. Many learners say pintado by habit. Don't let the o trap you!
• Wrong Preposition: Always use por. Never use de or con for the agent. Think of por as the bridge to the doer.
• Tense Trouble: Remember to change ser. If it happened yesterday, use fue. If it happens every day, use es.
• Ignoring Irregulars: Some verbs don't follow the -ado/-ido rule. Escribir becomes escrito, not escribido. Yes, even native speakers mess this up sometimes! Just breathe and memorize the top five.

At the A1 level, you might confuse this with the present continuous. Estoy comiendo means "I am eating." Passive voice looks similar but uses ser and a participle. La manzana es comida means "The apple is eaten." Also, compare it to the se passive. La puerta fue cerrada por Luis focuses on Luis. La puerta se cerró just says the door closed. Think of ser + por as the "Whodunit" version. It tells us exactly who to blame or praise. The se version is more of a mystery. Choose the one that fits your story best.