Introduction
Learning how to form the passive voice in Portuguese helps you describe actions where the focus is on the receiver rather than the doer. This article explains the passive voice using ser plus past participles, shows conjugation patterns, and provides natural Brazilian Portuguese examples so learners can use the passive voice with confidence.
- What is the passive voice?
- Forming the passive with ser + past participle
- Common tenses with ser + past participle
- Irregular past participles
- Por versus de to introduce the agent
- Passive with pronominal se as an alternative
- Passive with estar + past participle
- Passive voice examples across contexts
- Common mistakes and tips
- Cultural and usage notes
- Quick reference: templates and examples
- Conclusion
What is the passive voice?
The passive voice shifts attention from the subject who performs the action to the object that receives the action. In English, we say The letter was written by Maria. In Portuguese, the standard passive construction uses ser plus a past participle: A carta foi escrita por Maria.
When to use the passive voice
Use the passive voice when the doer is unknown, unimportant, or you want to highlight the action or result. In formal writing, news reports, and technical descriptions, the passive voice is common in Portuguese. In everyday conversation, Brazilians often prefer active forms or other passive-like structures, which we will also mention.
Forming the passive with ser + past participle
The core structure is subject + ser (conjugated) + past participle, optionally followed by por + agent. The past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject. This agreement is a key difference from English.
Step-by-step formation
1. Identify the object in the active sentence that will become the subject in the passive sentence.
2. Conjugate ser in the desired tense and person.
3. Use the past participle of the verb and make it agree with the new subject in gender and number.
4. Optionally add por + agent to indicate who performed the action.
Example (present to passive):
Active: Os alunos terminam o projeto.
Passive: O projeto é terminado pelos alunos.
Past participle agreement
Portuguese past participles change to match the subject: masculine singular usually ends in -o, feminine singular in -a, masculine plural in -os, feminine plural in -as. Many regular -ar verbs form participles with -ado; -er and -ir verbs form -ido. Irregular verbs have special participles to memorize.
Examples:
Escrever → escrito / escrita / escritos / escritas
Fazer → feito / feita / feitos / feitas
Amar → amado / amada / amados / amadas
Common tenses with ser + past participle
You can use ser in many tenses. Below are the most used ones with examples in Brazilian Portuguese.
Present indicative
Use to describe a general state or habitual fact in the passive voice. Conjugate ser in the present and pair with the participle matching the subject.
Example:
A loja é responsável pelos pagamentos. (The store is responsible for the payments.)
A carta é escrita por ela todos os dias. (The letter is written by her every day.)
Preterite (simple past)
The preterite expresses a completed action. Conjugate ser in the preterite and match the participle to the subject.
Example:
A casa foi vendida na semana passada. (The house was sold last week.)
O relatório foi entregue ontem. (The report was delivered yesterday.)
Imperfect and continuous passive
The imperfect of ser with a participle expresses an ongoing or repeated past state in the passive. For continuous actions, Brazilian Portuguese often prefers the periphrastic passive with estar plus participle, but ser in imperfect is still valid in formal contexts.
Example imperfect:
A música era tocada durante a festa. (The music was being played during the party.)
Example continuous (using estar):
A porta está sendo pintada. (The door is being painted.)
Compound tenses with ter + participle versus ser + participle
Be careful: compound perfect tenses use ter + participle, which is active and does not form the passive. The passive requires ser. Compare:
Active perfect: Ele tem escrito cartas. (He has written letters.)
Passive perfect: As cartas foram escritas por ele. (The letters were written by him.)
Irregular past participles
Some common verbs use irregular participles; these are essential for accurate passive sentences. Here are useful examples with both masculine and feminine forms shown implicitly in context.
Ser escrito → escrito / escrita (escrever)
Ser feito → feito / feita (fazer)
Ser visto → visto / vista (ver)
Ser dito → dito / dita (dizer)
Ser aberto → aberto / aberta (abrir)
Example sentences:
O projeto foi feito pela equipe. (The project was done by the team.)
A notícia foi dita no rádio. (The news was said on the radio.)
Por versus de to introduce the agent
The agent who performs the action is usually introduced with por. In some formal or passive-agentless contexts, de can appear, but por is far more common and natural in Brazilian Portuguese.
Example with por:
O prêmio foi entregue por Ana. (The prize was delivered by Ana.)
Note: In some contexts where the agent is an institution or origin, de can appear in more formal registers, but do not confuse it with the common por construction.
Passive with pronominal se as an alternative
In spoken Brazilian Portuguese, the passive with ser can sound formal. A common alternative is the impersonal passive or the pronominal se construction. This is used when the agent is unspecified and you want a natural conversational tone.
Structure: se + verb (3rd person). The verb does not change for gender or number in this construction.
Example:
Vende-se apartamento. (Apartment for sale; literally One sells apartment.)
Fala-se português aqui. (Portuguese is spoken here.)
Note that the se passive does not require participle agreement and is mostly used for general statements, advertisements, signs, and casual speech.
Passive with estar + past participle
Another common construction is estar + participle, focusing on the state or condition resulting from an action, rather than the action itself. This is often translated as to be + -ed in English when referring to a current state.
Example:
A janela está quebrada. (The window is broken.)
As portas estão fechadas. (The doors are closed.)
Use estar when you want to emphasize condition, and ser when you emphasize the action or the event that took place.
Passive voice examples across contexts
Below are categorized examples that show the passive voice in news, formal writing, and everyday usage, highlighting differences between ser, estar, and se.
News/formal (standard passive with ser):
O projeto foi aprovado pelo conselho. (The project was approved by the council.)
A nova lei será assinada pelo governador. (The new law will be signed by the governor.)
State/result (use estar):
O carro está danificado. (The car is damaged.)
A loja está fechada. (The store is closed.)
Informal/impersonal (use se):
Aluga-se casa. (House for rent.)
Vendem-se produtos naturais aqui. (Natural products are sold here.)
Common mistakes and tips
1. Forgetting participle agreement: Always match past participle gender and number to the subject in ser constructions.
2. Mixing ter + participle with passive: Ter + participle forms perfect tenses, not passives.
3. Using se incorrectly: The pronominal passive does not mark gender or number and is used for impersonal or general statements.
4. Choosing between ser and estar: Ask whether you want to highlight the action/event (ser) or the resulting state (estar).
Cultural and usage notes
Brazilians often favor simpler, less formal constructions in conversation. Where English speakers might use passive voice frequently, Brazilian Portuguese speakers sometimes use active voice with an unspecified subject, the pronominal se, or passive with estar to describe states. In formal writing, academia, journalism, and legal texts, the ser + past participle passive is more common. Pay attention to register: using ser passive in a casual chat can sound overly formal.
Quick reference: templates and examples
Basic passive template: Subject + ser (conjugated) + past participle (+ por + agent).
Examples:
A comida foi preparada pela equipe. (The food was prepared by the team.)
Os livros são vendidos na livraria. (The books are sold at the bookstore.)
O filme será exibido no cinema. (The film will be shown at the cinema.)
Impersonal/pronominal template: Vende-se + noun / Fala-se + language.
Examples:
Aluga-se sala comercial. (Commercial space for rent.)
Fala-se inglês na empresa. (English is spoken at the company.)
Conclusion
Understanding the passive voice with ser and past participles allows you to form clear, formal descriptions and to interpret written Portuguese accurately. Remember participle agreement, choose the correct auxiliary between ser and estar, and consider the pronominal se for natural spoken Portuguese. With practice, you will recognize the contexts where each passive form sounds natural and use them appropriately in Brazilian Portuguese.
