In Brazilian Portuguese, the passive voice is slightly more formal than the active voice. The passive voice is common in journalism, where it is used to create a sense of neutrality and an objective tone in the reporting.
Brazilian Portuguese Articles
The passive voice in Brazilian Portuguese: What is it, how to form it, and when to use it?
By: Ana Amélia Rodrigues dos Santos Thu Dec 12 2024
The passive voice is sentence structure that is used to emphasize the nounNo definition set for nounLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. that receives the action of the main verb by turning the objectNo definition set for objectLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. into the subjectNo definition set for subjectLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.. Compare:
agent (do-er)patient (receiver)
Active:
O Carlos comprou o bolo.
Carlos bought the cake.
Passive:
O bolo foi comprado pelo Carlos.
The cake was bought by Carlos.
In Brazilian Portuguese, the passive voice is typically formed by combining the verb ser(to be) with the past participle form of the main verb:
serpast participle
foi comprado
was bought
This is the most common way to form the passive voice, but there are variations. There are a few other verbs that can function as the auxiliary and there is an alternative structure for the passive voice that uses the pronoun se. If you are curious about the passive voice in Brazilian Portuguese, keep reading this post!
Table of Contents
What is the passive voice in Brazilian Portuguese?
In Brazilian Portuguese, the passive voice is a grammatical structure used to emphasize who/what receives the action of the verb, as opposed to who/what completes the action of the verb (the agent).
You’re likely already familiar with the active voice. In the active voice, the subject of the sentence is also the “agent” (the noun that does the action of the verb). For example:
agentverb
A loja entregou a encomenda.
The store delivered the order.
In a passive voice sentence, the emphasis would be on the other noun – in this case, the order that was delivered.
Tip
There are two ways to form the passive voice in Brazilian Portuguese.
By combining an auxiliary verbNo definition set for auxiliary verbLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. (usually ser ) with the past participleNo definition set for past participleLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.:
recipientpassive with serA encomenda foi entregue pela loja.
The order was delivered by the store.
By using the pronoun se alongside the verb:
passive with serecipientEntregaram-se as encomendas.
The orders were delivered.
We’ll now talk about each structure of the passive voice and its uses!
How to form passives with an auxiliary verb?
In Brazilian Portuguese, you can form a passive by combining an auxiliary verb with the past participle form of the main verb. This is just like we do it in English verbs like “was caught” or “got eaten,” so this form of the passive will feel familiar to what you know from English!
In Brazilian Portuguese, this type of passive most often uses the auxiliary verb ser(to be). This verb is conjugated in the appropriate tense, and the main verb of the sentence is formed using the past participle.
The auxiliary verb in the passive voice can be conjugated in all tenses and moods and it can also be used with modal verbsNo definition set for modal verbsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum..
auxiliary verbpast participle
Um prédio está sendo construído no centro da cidade.
A building is being built downtown.
→ Here the auxiliary verb is in the present progressive.
Seria muito melhor se a festa fosse feita em julho.
It would be much better if the party were held in July.
→ Here, the auxiliary is in the present subjunctive.
Exception!
The passive voice cannot be used with verbs in the imperative form.
Here is a quick comparison between an active sentence and the passive voice formed with ser.
subject (agent)subject (receives action)
Active voice:
Monteiro Lobato escreveu os livros.
Monteiro Lobato wrote the books.
Passive voice:
Os livros foram escritos (por Monteiro Lobato).
The books were written (by Monteiro Lobato).
Notice the big differences:
The form of the verb is different in the active and the passive.
In the active sentence, the recipient of the action is the object. In the passive sentence, the recipient of the action is the subject.
In the active sentence, the agent is the subject. In the passive sentence, the agent follows the preposition por(by) and is optional.
Important
In Brazilian Portuguese, you can only turn the direct object of an active sentence into the subject of the passive. This is a major difference between Brazilian Portuguese and English. Compare:
indirect objectdirect object
Active:
He gave me a present.
✅ Passive 1:
A present was given to Louis.
→ This can be translated to Brazilian Portuguese using a passive verb, because the subject is the direct object in the active sentence.
❌Passive 2:
I was given a present.
→ This cannot be translated into Brazilian Portuguese using a passive verb, because the subject is the indirect objectNo definition set for indirect objectLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. in the active sentence.
In Brazilian Portuguese, you would express the meaning of the second English passive like this instead:
Deram-me um presente.
Somebody gave me a present.
The sentence above is still in the active voice, but the person who completed the action is just omitted.
Does the past participle agree with the subject of a passive verb in Brazilian Portuguese?
In the passive voice, the past participle of the main verb must agreeNo definition set for agreeLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. in gender and number with the subject of the verb because the participle functions as an adjective. Earlier, we saw this example:
Os livros foram escritos por Monteiro Lobato.
The books were written by Monteiro Lobato.
Did you notice the extra -s on the past participle? Here, escritos(written) agrees with os livros(the books) in gender (masculine) and number (plural).
Check out our post on the past participle in Brazilian Portuguese to review all the forms you’ll need!
How to use the preposition ‘por’ (by) in the passive voice?
The preposition por(by) is used to indicate the agent (do-er) of the passive verb. We saw this in the earlier example: por Monteiro Lobato(by Monteiro Lobato).
When the agent is accompanied by the definite article o, a, os, as(the), the preposition por must form a contraction with the article, as in:
por + o = pelo
por + a = pela
por + os = pelos
por + as = pelas
So, we can break down the examples from earlier:
por + os professores → pelos professores
by the teachers
por + as crianças → pelas crianças
by the children
Tip
As in English, the presence of the agent of the passive is optional in Brazilian Portuguese. The agent can be omitted when it is not important, it is unknown, or it is obvious from the context. So, for example, a teacher can say:
Os trabalhos devem ser entregues até sexta-feira.
The assignments must be delivered by Friday.
In this case, we don’t need to mention the agent of the passive voice (pelos estudantes(by the students)), since we understand from the context who needs to deliver the assignments to the teacher.
What other auxiliary verbs can be used with the passive voice?
In the passive voice, the verb ser(to be) is the most standard auxiliary verb, but there are a few additional verbs that can be used as auxiliaries when expressing states, changes of state, and movement:
estar(to be)
andar(to walk)
viver(to live)
ficar(to stay)
ir(to go)
vir(to come)
In these cases, the structure of the passive voice is exactly the same; only the auxiliary verb changes. For example:
auxiliary verbpast participle
Os alunos vinham acompanhados pelos professores.
The students came accompanied by the teachers.
How to form the passive voice of compound tenses?
When you form the passive voice of a verb in a compound tense, you’ll simply conjugate the passive auxiliary (e.g. ser) in that compound tense. Let’s say we want to start with the active sentence below:
Maurício tinha feito todas as reservas da viagem.
Maurício had made all the reservations for the trip.
This sentence is in the past perfect, and uses the auxiliary verb ter(to have). To make this sentence passive, all that we need to do is conjugate the passive auxiliary ser(to be) in this same tense, giving us the form, tinham sido(had been), which we use before the past participle:
auxiliary verb (past perfect)past participle
Todas as reservas da viagem tinham sido feitas pelo Maurício.
All the reservations for the trip had been made by Maurício.
It’s actually very much like English!
Tip
Both the passive and the perfect tenses (like the past perfect) use the past participle form of the main verb, so telling them apart can be difficult for some Brazilian Portuguese learners. Just remember that:
The passive voice auxiliary verb is ser(to be), or one of the options discussed above.
In compound perfect tenses the auxiliary verb will be ter(to have).
Before we move on to the uses of the passive voice, let’s first take a closer look at some additional auxiliary verb options, the agreement of the past participle, and the use of the preposition por(by).
How to form the passive voice with ‘se’?
Use the following structure to form the passive with se:
verb
se
subject
Aluga-se apartamento no bairro da Tijuca.
Apartment for rent in the Tijuca neighborhood.
The pronoun se, used in this construction, is invariable — it never changes!
There are a few more things to keep in mind when conjugating the verb to use the passive se form:
The verb will always be in the third person, but whether it is singular or plural depends on the subject.
- singular
Procura-se ajudante.
- plural
Procuram-se ajudantes.
Helpers wanted.
In the passive with se the agent of the verb is always understood to be human. However, unlike the passive with ser + participle, the agent will always be omitted.
- passive with participle:
O inglês é falado (pela maioria das pessoas) na Austrália.
English is spoken by most people in Australia.
- passive with se:
Fala-se inglês na Austrália.
English is spoken in Australia.
→ por + agent is not allowed!
The pronoun se is usually attached to the verb by a hyphen in affirmative sentences, but it can occasionally be placed before the verb if an adverb like não(not) or aqui(here) comes before the verb:
Não se vendem casas.
Houses are not sold.
Just like the passive voice with ser + past participle, the verb in the passive se form can be conjugated in all verb tenses and moods, with the exception of the imperative.
The subject of a passive verb with se will always be understood to be the noun that would have been the direct object of the active verb (not the indirect object).
- Active:direct objectindirect object
Alguém aluga um apartamento para estudantes no bairro da Tijuca.
Somebody is renting an apartment for students in Tijuca.
- Passive:subjectindirect object
Aluga-se apartamento para estudantes no bairro da Tijuca.
Apartment for rent for students in Tijuca.
Important: Does the passive with se look familiar?
You might have noticed that the passive with se looks similar to the impersonal se. The main difference between these two structures is that:
The passive se is used to emphasize the action being done, rather than the person doing it. In this case, the “doer” is unimportant or unknown. Remember that the verb of the passive voice always agrees with its subject:
Vendem-se casas.
Houses are sold.
The impersonal se is used to refer to people in general, rather than to a specific person or group of people. In this case, the verb is always in the singular form. Usually, the se in the impersonal structure accompanies intransitive verbs, such as andar(to walk) or transitive verbs without an object.
Anda-se muito rápido em São Paulo.
People walk very fast in São Paulo.
When to use the passive with ‘se’ vs. the passive with a participle?
In both the passive with se and the passive with a participle, a noun that undergoes the action of the verb is the subject of the sentence. So when should you use each construction?
We use the passive with a participle in most cases where you might use the passive voice in English. This form of the passive voice is especially common in journalism, where it is used to create a sense of neutrality and an objective tone in the reporting.
Tip
The passive voice is slightly more formal than the active voice. For that reason, even if the agent is irrelevant, native speakers prefer to use the active voice over the passive voice to express the same idea. So, instead of saying:
Estou sem carro hoje porque ele está sendo consertado.
I am without my car today because it is being fixed.
They would say:
Estou sem carro hoje porque ele está no conserto.
I am without my car today because it is in the repair shop.
The passive with se is only used in a case where the agent is understood to be human, but is not specific or often, unknown. This form of the passive is often used to advertise something being sold or a job being offered, as in:
alugam-se apartamentos
apartments for rent
procura-se ajudante
help wanted
This is also used when you’re speaking about generalities, as in:
Fala-se inglês na Austrália.
English is spoken in Australia.
Summary
In this post, we saw how to form and use the passive voice in Brazilian Portuguese. Here are your major takeaways.
The passive voice is a way to structure a sentence so that the subject is understood to have undergone or receive the action of the verb. There are two ways to form it in Brazilian Portuguese:
Passive voice with a past participle:
subject
ser
to be
past participle
por(by) + agent
Use this as a “basic” passive to translate most English passive sentences.
You can optionally include an agent.
This structure is often used in formal texts and journalism, in order to create a more neutral tone.
Passive voice with se:
verb (3rd singular/plural)
se
subject
The agent is understood to be human, but cannot be included.
This structure is often used to advertise something being sold or a job being offered, as the examples above show.
It is used to emphasize the occurrence of an action rather than the person(s) responsible for it.
Now, practice what you’ve learned about the passive voice with some activities!
