Back
Advanced

The Passive & impersonal se

Avoiding or omitting the agent

Passive: ser + past participle

The participle agrees with the subject.

📊 Avoiding / omitting the agent
Form Example Meaning
passive (ser + por) foi escrito por written by
passive se vendem-se casas houses are sold
impersonal se fala-se português Portuguese is spoken
💬 Examples
A carta foi escrita.
The letter was written.
📝 ser + participle (agrees)
As casas foram vendidas.
The houses were sold.
📝 Passive + agreement
The agent uses por

'By X' = por X.

💬 Examples
O livro foi escrito por Saramago.
The book was written by Saramago.
📝 por = by (agent)
É amado por todos.
He is loved by everyone.
📝 Agent phrase
se for passive / impersonal

A common alternative.

💬 Examples
Vendem-se casas.
Houses are sold.
📝 Passive se (verb agrees: vendem)
Aqui se trabalha muito.
One works a lot here.
📝 Impersonal se