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Three ways to express passive meaning in Spanish: ser + participle, estar + participle, and the se passive. Use this page to study the core Spanish words, English meanings, part-of-speech labels, and example sentences for this topic.
Review each word with examples and usage notes where available.
El libro fue escrito por Cervantes.
The book was written by Cervantes.
Ser passive = action performed by an agent (often expressed with "por"). Used in formal/written Spanish.
La puerta está abierta.
The door is open (= it was opened, now in open state).
Estar + participle = describes a resulting state, not the action. "La puerta fue abierta" = the door was opened (action); "está abierta" = it is open (state).
Se habla español aquí. — Se venden casas.
Spanish is spoken here. — Houses are sold.
The most common passive in spoken Spanish. No agent mentioned. Verb agrees with the subject noun.
Las cartas fueron enviadas ayer.
The letters were sent yesterday.
Participle agrees in gender and number with the subject: escrito/escrita/escritos/escritas.
Se come muy bien en España.
One eats very well in Spain. / The food is great in Spain.
Se impersonal = verb is always 3rd person singular. No specific subject. Different from se reflexivo.
El problema fue resuelto por el equipo técnico.
The problem was solved by the technical team.
La canción fue compuesta por Beethoven.
The song was composed by Beethoven.
"Por" introduces the agent in ser passives. If there is no agent, se passive is preferred.
Se construyeron nuevos edificios en la ciudad.
New buildings were built in the city.
In the past, se passive uses preterite. Verb agrees with the noun: "el edificio se construyó" / "los edificios se construyeron".
El proyecto está siendo revisado ahora mismo.
The project is being revised right now.
Progressive passive = estar + siendo + participle. More natural than "está siendo hecho" — prefer se construction when possible.
El edificio quedó destruido tras el terremoto.
The building was left destroyed after the earthquake.
"Quedar" as a semi-passive expresses a final state resulting from an event. Common in formal writing.