In the active voice, the subject does the action. In the passive voice, the subject receives the action. We use the passive when what matters most is the action and who or what receives it, not who did it. It is very common in news, scientific texts, reports and exams.Na voz ativa, o sujeito faz a ação. Na voz passiva, o sujeito recebe a ação. Usamos a passiva quando o mais importante é a ação e quem ou o que a recebe, e não quem a fez. Ela é muito comum em notícias, textos científicos, relatórios e provas.
A2 From active to passive
Active
The focus is on the architect, who did the action.O foco está no arquiteto, que fez a ação.
Frank Gehry designed the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. (Frank Gehry projetou o Museu Guggenheim de Bilbao.)
Passive
The focus is on the museum, which received the action.O foco está no museu, que recebeu a ação.
The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao was designed by Frank Gehry. (O Museu Guggenheim de Bilbao foi projetado por Frank Gehry.)
To build the passive, the object of the active sentence becomes the subject. Then use be in the right tense and the past participle of the main verb. The agent, with by, is optional.Para montar a passiva, o objeto da frase ativa vira sujeito. Depois use o be no tempo certo e o particípio do verbo principal. O agente, com by, é opcional.
- Coffee is grown in Minas Gerais. (O café é cultivado em Minas Gerais.)
- The windows are cleaned every Friday. (As janelas são limpas toda sexta.)
- The match was cancelled because of the rain. (O jogo foi cancelado por causa da chuva.)
- The results will be announced next week. (Os resultados serão divulgados na semana que vem.)
When to use by
In most passive sentences, we don’t say who did the action, because we don’t know, it doesn’t matter or it is obvious.Na maioria das frases passivas, não dizemos quem fez a ação, porque não sabemos, não importa ou é óbvio.
- My house was built in 1976. (Minha casa foi construída em 1976.)
- The hotel rooms are cleaned every day. (Os quartos do hotel são limpos todos os dias.)
- The Titanic was found in 1985. (O Titanic foi encontrado em 1985.)
- My wallet was stolen on the bus. (Minha carteira foi roubada no ônibus.)
We use by when the person who did it is important or new information.Usamos by quando quem fez é uma informação importante ou nova.
- The Old Man and the Sea was written by Ernest Hemingway. (O Velho e o Mar foi escrito por Ernest Hemingway.)
- This dress was designed by Donatella Versace. (Este vestido foi criado por Donatella Versace.)
Don’t use by with vague agents
✗ The rooms are cleaned by someone every day. ✗ It was made by people. Just leave it out: The rooms are cleaned every day.✗ The rooms are cleaned by someone every day. ✗ It was made by people. Simplesmente omita: The rooms are cleaned every day. (Os quartos são limpos todos os dias.)
B1 The passive in every tense
The passive exists in every tense. Compare the active and passive versions of each sentence below.A passiva existe em todos os tempos verbais. Compare as versões ativa e passiva de cada frase abaixo.
| Tense | Active | Passive | Português |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present simple | They make these vases in Korea. | These vases are made in Korea. | Estes vasos são feitos na Coreia. |
| Present continuous | They are showing Kurosawa’s films. | Kurosawa’s films are being shown. | Os filmes de Kurosawa estão sendo exibidos. |
| Present perfect | World leaders have bought his paintings. | His paintings have been bought by world leaders. | Os quadros dele foram comprados por líderes mundiais. |
| Past simple | I. M. Pei designed the Louvre Pyramid. | The Louvre Pyramid was designed by I. M. Pei. | A Pirâmide do Louvre foi projetada por I. M. Pei. |
| Past continuous | The museum was selling copies. | Copies were being sold by the museum. | Cópias estavam sendo vendidas pelo museu. |
| Past perfect | Someone had stolen the car. | The car had been stolen. | O carro tinha sido roubado. |
| Future (will) | Ang Lee will direct the film. | The film will be directed by Ang Lee. | O filme será dirigido por Ang Lee. |
| Future (going to) | The Tate is going to show the drawings. | The drawings are going to be shown at the Tate. | Os desenhos vão ser expostos na Tate. |
| Modal verbs | You must sign the form. | The form must be signed. | O formulário precisa ser assinado. |
The secret
The main verb is always in the past participle. Only be changes tense: is made, was made, has been made, will be made, is being made.O verbo principal fica sempre no particípio. Quem muda de tempo é o be: is made, was made, has been made, will be made, is being made.
Verbs without a passive
Intransitive verbs (verbs with no direct object) have no passive, because nobody “receives” the action. Some state verbs don’t go into the passive either, even with an object: have, fit, resemble and lack. We say She has a car, never ✗ A car is had by her.Verbos intransitivos (sem objeto direto) não têm voz passiva, porque ninguém “recebe” a ação. Alguns verbos de estado também não vão para a passiva, mesmo tendo objeto: have (ter), fit (servir), resemble (ser parecido com) e lack (faltar). Dizemos She has a car, nunca ✗ A car is had by her.
| Verb | Português |
|---|---|
| arrive / come / go | chegar / vir / ir |
| happen | acontecer |
| die / live | morrer / viver |
| fall / rise | cair / subir |
| sleep / sit / stand | dormir / sentar / ficar de pé |
| seem / look (= appear) | parecer |
- The accident happened last night. (O acidente aconteceu ontem à noite. ✗ was happened)
- Prices rose again this month. (Os preços subiram de novo este mês. ✗ were risen)
Questions in the passive
In passive questions, be comes before the subject, and the past participle stays after it.Nas perguntas na passiva, o be vem antes do sujeito, e o particípio fica depois dele.
- When was that picture painted? (Quando aquele quadro foi pintado?)
- Where were those cups bought? (Onde aquelas xícaras foram compradas?)
- What is this soap made of? (De que é feito este sabonete?)
- What are these brushes used for? (Para que servem estes pincéis?)
B1+ The passive in real life
Many everyday expressions use the passive in English where Portuguese uses “se” or an active verb. Notice them on signs, in the news and in conversation.Muitas expressões do dia a dia usam a passiva em inglês onde o português usa “se” ou um verbo na ativa. Repare nelas em placas, notícias e conversas.
| English | Português |
|---|---|
| English spoken here. | Fala-se inglês. |
| House for sale. / Houses to let. | Vende-se casa. / Alugam-se casas. |
| It is said that… | Dizem que… |
| He was born in 1990. | Ele nasceu em 1990. |
| My phone got stolen. | Roubaram meu celular. (informal, com get) |
be + participle
Neutral and formal. It works in every context.Neutro e formal. Funciona em qualquer contexto.
The window was broken during the storm. (A janela foi quebrada durante a tempestade.)
get + participle
Informal, common in speech, often for something unexpected or unpleasant.Informal, comum na fala, muitas vezes para algo inesperado ou desagradável.
My bike got stolen last week. (Roubaram minha bicicleta semana passada.)
I was born in…
To say where or when someone was born, always use the passive be born: I was born in São Paulo. ✗ I born in São Paulo. ✗ I am born in São Paulo.Para dizer onde ou quando alguém nasceu, use sempre a passiva be born: I was born in São Paulo. (Nasci em São Paulo.) ✗ I born in São Paulo. ✗ I am born in São Paulo.
Common Mistakes
Avoid these
✗ The accident was happened at night. ✓ The accident happened at night.Verbos intransitivos, como happen, não têm passiva.
✗ The rooms are clean every day. ✓ The rooms are cleaned every day.Na passiva, o verbo principal vai para o particípio.
✗ The car was stole. ✓ The car was stolen.Use o particípio (stolen), não o passado (stole).
✗ I born in Recife. ✓ I was born in Recife.“Nascer” em inglês é a passiva be born.
✗ It was made by someone in 2010. ✓ It was made in 2010.Omita agentes vagos como someone e people.
✗ When was painted that picture? ✓ When was that picture painted?Na pergunta, o sujeito vem entre o be e o particípio.
Quick Summary
| Rule | Example | Português |
|---|---|---|
| present simple | It is made in Brazil. | É feito no Brasil. |
| past simple | It was built in 1976. | Foi construído em 1976. |
| present perfect | It has been sold. | Foi vendido. |
| continuous | It is being repaired. | Está sendo consertado. |
| future and modals | It will be signed. It must be signed. | Será assinado. Precisa ser assinado. |
| by + important agent | It was written by Hemingway. | Foi escrito por Hemingway. |
| question | When was it painted? | Quando foi pintado? |
Practice Time
Quiz