The Passive and Impersonal Verbs

The passive voice in Spanish is made up of the verb ‘ser’ followed by the past participle. An example would be, “El libro fue escrito por el autor” (The book was written by the author).
In the Spanish language, the passive voice is less frequent than in English. The use of the reflexive passive or “se” passive is much more common.
The “se” passive is formed by using the reflexive pronoun ‘se’ before the verb. For instance, “Se venden libros” (Books are sold).
Strictly speaking, the “se” passive isn’t a true passive because it doesn’t provide information about who or what is performing the action. Instead, it tends to give a more general or impersonal sense to a statement.
The impersonal ‘se’ is used when the person carrying out the action is not known or not important. For example, “Se vive bien en este país” which translates to “One lives well in this country” or “People live well in this country”.
In Spanish, you can also create an impersonal statement using the generic ‘uno’. For example, “Uno puede comprar pan en la tienda” (One can buy bread at the shop).
To form the past participle in Spanish, remove the infinitive ending (-ar, -er, -ir) and add -ado for -ar verbs and -ido for -er and -ir verbs.
Remember to change the past participle ending if it is being used with the ser form of passive voice to match the gender and number of the noun it is relating to, such as “las cartas fueron escritas” (the letters were written).
Note the irregular past participles: abierto (opened), cubierto (covered), dicho (said), escrito (written), hecho (done), roto (broken), visto (seen). These need to be learned by heart.
In a sentence, the verb should always agree with the subject. Therefore, in a passive sentence, the verb must agree with the part of the sentence that’s receiving the action. For example, “La manzana fue comida” (The apple was eaten).

Understanding the uses of the passive and impersonal verbs and mastering their formation are important elements of Spanish grammar. Practise regularly by writing both types of sentences and incorporating them into your spoken language use. This will make your Spanish sound more natural and fluent.