En este post intentaré explicar la pasiva siguiendo unos pasos muy sencillos.
Primero de todo, ¿qué es la pasiva? Pues es una oración en la que el peso y el "focus" se hace en el objeto (direct or indirect). Ese objecto es el sujeto de la pasiva.
NOTE: Si no ves objeto, no se puede hacer la pasiva.
Desde ahora, el resto está en inglés.
Okey, now let´s go to the boring part. There are some basic steps to do the passive. I recommend following these steps in order not to get lost.
Here we have an example of an active sentence:
ACTIVE: I am baking a cake in the kitchen
Pretty easy. If you analyse this sentence syntactically, you have:
I: Subject/ am baking: verb/ a cake: object (direct)/ in the kitchen :circumstance
You see? It has a direct object. That DIRECT OBJECT is going to be the SUBJECT in the Passive.
And these are the steps you have to take:
- Identify the object. The object is the subject.
- Identify the verb tense. (In this case, "am baking"--> present continuous)
- That tense is going to be reflected in the verb TO BE. (e.g: the present continuous of the verb TO BE is....."is being") Take into account the subject (singular or plural). Example of plural: The cakes ARE being...
- The verb that carries the action (bake) goes in past. participle (el participio del español)
- The Indirect/Direct Object and complements, like Circumstance.
- by...whom? You can add it if the sentence needs it. Use it if you´re not sure.
PASSIVE WITH 1 OBJECT (DIRECT)
ACTIVE: I am baking a cake in the kitchen.
PASSIVE: A cake/ was being/ baked/ in the kitchen (by me)
(Una tarta/ estaba siendo/horneada/ en la cocina.)
PASSIVE WITH 2 OBJECTS (DIRECT AND INDIRECT)
In this kind of passives, there are 2 ways to make the passive: with the direct and indirect object.
ACTIVE: The teacher gave the exam results (direct) to the students (indirect)
PASSIVE:
1. The exams results were given to the students by the teacher.
2. The students were given the exam results by the teacher.
1 step: subjects: the exam results; the students
2 step: verb tense "gave": past simple
3 step: past simple of TO BE: were (because the subject is plural)
4 step: p.participle of the verb "give": given.
5 step: indirect object: to the students/ direct object: the exam results.
6 step: by the teacher.
IMPERSONAL PASSIVE
There are 2 ways to make the passive: the easy one and the "difficult" one.
Example: They say that the governor had inaugurated the bridge last year.
You have to follow steps 2,3,4.
say:present simple------to be in the present simple, taking into account the subject: IS
The verb that carries the action goes in p.participle: said
Then, you must add THAT.
AND THE REST IS ABSOLUTELY THE SAME.
>>> It is said that the governor had inaugurated the bridge last year.
Another example: They believed that she has killed her husband.
(1) It was believed that she had killed her husband.
2) IMPERSONAL
In this type of impersonal passive, you take the subject of the subordinate sentence. In other words, the subject of the "That" sentence.
Example: They say that the governor had inaugurated the bridge last year.
1) The subject is "the governor"
2) Follow the steps 2,3,4
3) DON´T use THAT.
4) You will use one of these structures:
to+ inf (to arrive, to leave...) / to be (happy, fat, sad, tired,...)à FOR PRESENT
to+be+ ing (to be reading, to be eating) à FOR CONTINUOUS
to have +p.part (to have eaten, to have run...) à FOR PERFECT TENSES (both present and past) AND PAST SIMPLE.
to have been + -ing (to have been stealing) à FOR PERFECT CONTIUNOUS AND PAST CONT.
PASSIVE: The governor is said to have inaugurated the bridge last year.
WHY "to have inaugurated"? Because it is something that has happened.
Example: They believed that she has killed her husband.
(2)She was believed to have killed her husband.
Example with Impersonal 1 and 2
Everyone thinks the train will arrive at 6 am.
(1) It is thought that the train will arrive at 6 am.
(2) The train is thought to arrive at 6 am.
WHY "to arrive"? Because it reflects the future.
Another example with Impersonal 1 and 2
They say that he is overweight.
(1) It is said that he is overweight.
(2) He is said to be overweight.
WHY "to have inaugurated"? Because it is something that has happened.
Example: They believed that she has killed her husband.
(2)She was believed to have killed her husband.
Example with Impersonal 1 and 2
Everyone thinks the train will arrive at 6 am.
(1) It is thought that the train will arrive at 6 am.
(2) The train is thought to arrive at 6 am.
WHY "to arrive"? Because it reflects the future.
Another example with Impersonal 1 and 2
They say that he is overweight.
(1) It is said that he is overweight.
(2) He is said to be overweight.
WHY "to be"? Because it reflects the present
---------------------------------------------------------------------
QUESTIONS WITH PASSIVE?
ACTIVE: Do they make cars in Korea?
PASSIVE: Are cars made in Korea?
ACTIVE: Has anyone cleaned the oven yet?
PASSIVE: Has the oven been cleaned yet?
ACTIVE: Will The King inaugurate the new bridge?
PASSIVE: Will the new bridge be inaugurated by The King?
Truco español: Si te parece más difícil hacer una pasiva interrogativa, trata de poner esa oración en enunciativa afirmativa y te será más fácil ponerlo en interrogativa.
Ejemplo: Will the king inaugurate the new bridge?
Activa (enunciativa afirmativa) : The king will inaugurate the new bridge.
Pasiva: The new bridge will be inaugurated by the king.
Para la oración interrogativa, se hace la inversion verbo-sujeto:
- Will the new bridge(sujeto) be inaugurated by the king?
