Esp. 203 PASIVO PERSONAL
| When the subject of the passive sentence is a specific individual or being(s), a special SE passive construction is required. In this construction, the verb is ALWAYS third person singular and the preposition A precedes the subject of the passive sentence. |
Consider these sentences:
1. Mother Theresa was respected.
2. The nuns were
admired.
If these sentences were translated:
1a. Se respetaba la Madre Teresa.
2a. Se admiraban
las monjas.
Their English equivalents would be:
1b. Mother Theresa respected herself.
2b. The nuns
admired themselves (or admired "each other")
Though these sentences are completely grammatical, they do not convey the meaning of the original sentences # 1 & #2, which are PASSIVE sentences. To get the passive meaning required for #1 & #2, these sentences must be rendered in Spanish thus:
1c. SE RESPETABA A la Madre Teresa.
2c. SE
ADMIRABA A las monjas.
| If the subject represents a being or entity capable of performing the action expressed by the verb, the "PERSONAL PASSIVE" MUST BE USED. If not, the sentence will be understood to be REFLEXIVE or RECIPROCAL. |
| If
the subject is a pronoun instead of a noun, the pronouns LE, LES are used for masculine
subjects, and LA, LAS for feminine subjects. 3.
She was respected.
4. He was not admired. |
Haga oraciones pasivas con SE en el tiempo verbal indicado.
| MODELO:
[interrogar - PASADO] / los revolucionarios SE INTERROGÓ A los revolucionarios. (The revolutionaries were questioned) [castigar - PRESPERF] / el prisionero SE HA CASTIGADO AL prisionero. (The prisoner has been punished.) [castigar - PRESPERF] / él SE LE HA CASTIGADO. (He has been punished.) |
1. [atacar - PASADO] / varios policías durante la protesta.
_________________ varios policías durante la protesta.
2. [encarcelar - PRESPERF] / el inmigrante ilegal.
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3. [encarcelar - PRESPERF] / los inmigrantes ilegales.
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4. [encarcelar - PASADO] / (ellos)
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5. [proteger - PASADO] / los exiliados políticos.
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6. [proteger - PASADO] / ellos
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7. Me alegro que [proteger - PRESPERF] / los exiliados políticos
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8. Me alegro que [proteger - PRESPERF] / (ellos)
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9. [nombrar - PRESPERF] / mi madre presidente de la empresa.
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10. No es sorprendente que [nombrar - PRESPERF] / mi madre presidente de la empresa .
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11. No es sorprendente que [nombrar - PASADO] / (ella) presidente de la empresa.
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12. [excluir - PRESPERF] / los ciudadanos hispanos.
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13. Es injusto que [excluir - PRESPERF] / los ciudadanos hispanos.
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14. [castigar - PASADO] / el criminal.
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15. [castigar - PASADO] / los criminales.
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16. [admirar - PRES] / la profesora.
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17. [admirar - PRES] / esas dos profesoras.
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18. [admirar - PRES] / (ellas)
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19. [admirar - PRES] / ese novelista.
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20. [invitar - PASADO] / los estudiantes del Sindicato.
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Last updated 10/04/2004