Passive Voice: Ser vs Estar with Past Participles
Quick Answer: Ser + past participle forms the passive voice (action). Estar + past participle describes the resulting state of a completed action.
Understanding passive constructions and resulting states
Category: Ser vs Estar
The Rule
Ser + past participle forms the passive voice (action). Estar + past participle describes the resulting state of a completed action.
Why This Matters
This distinction parallels English but is stricter. 'The door was opened (by someone)' = ser (action). 'The door is open (state)' = estar (result). In everyday speech, Latin America and Spain both prefer active constructions or 'se' passives over ser + participle.
Examples
• El libro fue escrito por Cervantes. — "The book was written by Cervantes." [Passive voice: action (ser)] • El libro está escrito en español. — "The book is written in Spanish." [Resulting state (estar)] • La ventana fue rota por el niño. — "The window was broken by the child." [Passive voice: action (ser)] • La ventana está rota. — "The window is broken." [Current state: it's broken now (estar)]
Common Mistakes
❌ La puerta es abierta. (meaning 'The door is open') ✅ La puerta está abierta. → For the resulting state (the door is currently open), use estar. 'Es abierta' would mean 'it is being opened' (action). ❌ La carta está escrita por María. (meaning 'The letter was written by María') ✅ La carta fue escrita por María. → When expressing who performed the action (agent with 'por'), use ser for the passive voice.
Quick Tip
If you can add 'by someone' (por alguien), use ser. If you're describing 'how it looks/is now,' use estar. In conversation, prefer 'se' passives: 'Se escribió el libro.'
If you can add 'by someone' (por alguien), use ser. If you're describing 'how it looks/is now,' use estar. In conversation, prefer 'se' passives: 'Se escribió el libro.'
Examples
Common Mistakes
Incorrect: La puerta es abierta. (meaning 'The door is open') → Correct: La puerta está abierta.. For the resulting state (the door is currently open), use estar. 'Es abierta' would mean 'it is being opened' (action).
Incorrect: La carta está escrita por María. (meaning 'The letter was written by María') → Correct: La carta fue escrita por María.. When expressing who performed the action (agent with 'por'), use ser for the passive voice.
Quiz
'The house is painted white.' (It's currently white) Which is correct?