The passive voice is used when the focus is on the action rather than the subject performing it. In passive constructions, the object of the active sentence becomes the subject.
Formula:
🔹 Active: Subject + Verb + Object
🔹 Passive: Object + BE (conjugated) + Past Participle
Unit 3 – Present & Past Continuous (Passive Voice)
The continuous tenses describe ongoing actions. The passive form includes “being” + past participle.
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| I am eating an apple. | The apple is being eaten. |
| I was eating an apple. | The apple was being eaten. |
🔹 More Examples:
- She is writing a letter → The letter is being written.
- They were repairing the car → The car was being repaired.
- He was painting the house → The house was being painted.
✅ Key Notes:
- The auxiliary verb “BE” must match the tense and subject.
- The action is still happening at the moment of speaking (present) or at a past time (past).
Unit 5 – Simple Present & Past (Passive Voice)
The simple tenses describe general facts or completed actions.
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| I eat pizza. | The pizza is eaten. |
| I ate pizza. | The pizza was eaten. |
🔹 More Examples:
- They make delicious cakes → Delicious cakes are made.
- He built the house in 2000 → The house was built in 2000.
- She writes a blog → A blog is written.
✅ Key Notes:
- In the present, the verb “to be” is is/are.
- In the past, the verb “to be” is was/were.
- The past participle form of irregular verbs must be used.
Unit 7 – Abilities (Passive Voice)
When using “can” or “could”, the passive form follows this pattern:
➡ can/could + be + past participle.
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| I can eat pizza. | The pizza can be eaten. |
| I could eat pizza. | The pizza could be eaten. |
🔹 More Examples:
- She can fix the computer → The computer can be fixed.
- They could finish the project → The project could be finished.
- He can drive a car → A car can be driven.
✅ Key Notes:
- “Can” expresses present ability.
- “Could” expresses past ability or possibility.
Unit 8 – Future (Passive Voice)
➡ will + be + past participle.
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| I will eat pizza. | The pizza will be eaten. |
🔹 More Examples:
- She will complete the report → The report will be completed.
- They will paint the house → The house will be painted.
- He will fix the car → The car will be fixed.
✅ Alternative Future Structure:
- “I am going to eat pizza” → “The pizza is going to be eaten.”
Unit 12 – Present Perfect (Passive Voice)
➡ have/has + been + past participle.
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| I have eaten pizza. | The pizza has been eaten. |
| I have been eating pizza. | The pizza has been eaten. |
🔹 More Examples:
- She has written a book → The book has been written.
- They have repaired the car → The car has been repaired.
- He has made a mistake → A mistake has been made.
✅ Key Notes:
- The passive form does not always differentiate between simple and continuous perfect tenses.
- “Has been eaten” and “has been being eaten” (rarely used) can sometimes mean the same thing.
Active vs. Passive (Key Differences)
1. No agent (Passive)
The passive is used when the subject (agent) is unknown or irrelevant.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| No se usa. | It is not used. |
| No se usó / No fue usado. | It was not used. |
| No lo usamos. | We didn’t use it. |
2. Agent Present (Active)
In active sentences, the agent (subject) is clearly mentioned.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| No lo uso. | I don’t use it. |
| No lo usamos. | We don’t use it. |
| No se usa en Chile. | It isn’t used in Chile. |
Extra Examples & Conversations
Unit 5 – Simple Present/Past (Conversation)
🔹 Active Voice:
- “I eat every time I get home from the office.”
- “Did you eat yesterday after work?”
- “No, I didn’t.”
- “Why didn’t you eat?”
- “Because I had eaten at the office.”
🔹 Passive Voice:
- “Dinner is eaten every night at 8 PM.”
- “Lunch was eaten earlier today.”
Unit 12 – Present Perfect (Common Questions)
🔹 Have you had any meetings in English?
✅ Yes, I have.
❌ No, I haven’t.
🔹 Different Ways to Ask About an Experience:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿Cómo te fue? (concierto) | How was it? |
| ¿Cómo te fue? (doctor) | How did it go? |
| ¿Cómo te fue? (examen) | How did you do? |
Unit 8 – Future Forms
🔹 Ways to Express the Future:
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| I will go to the gym. | The gym will be gone to. |
| I am going to go. | The gym is going to be gone to. |
| I am going to the gym. | The gym is being gone to. |
✅ With Objects:
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| I will eat pizza. | The pizza will be eaten. |
| I am going to eat. | The pizza is going to be eaten. |
| I am eating pizza. | The pizza is being eaten. |