1. La voz pasiva se forma con el verbo to be conjugado más el participio del verbo principal. En inglés es mucho más frecuente que en español y, normalmente, aparece cuando no es importante quien realiza una acción sino el hecho en sí. Por eso, no siempre que veamos una pasiva, tenemos que traducirlo literalmente, puesto que en español suena más forzado. Sólo es posible el uso de la voz pasiva con verbos transitivos (verbos que llevan complemento directo).
VOZ ACTIVA
Tom writes a letter
Tom is writing a letter
Tom was writing a letter
Tom wrote a letter
Tom has written a letter
Tom had written a letter
Tom will write a letter
Tom is going to write a letter
Tom can write a letter
Tom could write a letter
Tom must write a letter
Tom may write a letter
Tom might write a letter
VOZ PASIVA
A letter is written by Tom
A letter is being written by Tom
A letter was being written by Tom
A letter was written by Tom
A letter has been written by Tom
A letter had been written by Tom
A letter will be written by Tom
A letter is going to be written by Tom
A letter can be written by Tom
A letter could be written by Tom
A letter must be written by Tom
A letter may be written...
A letter might be written...
2. El sujeto agente se expresa con by. Sin embargo, en la mayoría de las ocasiones se prescinde del sujeto ya que no nos interesa saber quién exactamente ejecuta la acción. Si una oración activa tiene complemento directo e indirecto, cualquiera de los dos complementos puede ser sujeto paciente de la pasiva:
ACTIVE: Someone gives me a dog
PASSIVE 1: A dog is given to me
PASSIVE 2: I am given a dog (forma pasiva idiomática)
La forma pasiva de doing, seeing, etc es being done, being seen, etc.
ACTIVE: I don't like people telling me what to do
PASSIVE: I don't like being told what to do
En ocasiones en las que ocurre algo a veces imprevisto, no planeado o fortuito para la formación de la voz pasiva se prefiere usar get y no be:
get hurt, get annoyed, get divorced, get married, get invited, get bored, get lost
3. Las construcciones impersonales (se dice, se comenta, etc.) son muy típicas de la pasiva y difíciles de traducir para los hispanoparlantes. Este tipo de construcción pasiva -utilizada cada vez con mayor frecuencia en los medios- se forma con la estructura sujeto + to be + participle: It is reported (Se informa); It is said (Se dice); It is known (Se sabe); It is supposed (Se supone); It is considered (Se considera); It is expected (Se espera). Veamos algunos ejemplos:
ACTIVE: Everybody thinks Cathy works very hard.
PASSIVE 1: Cathy is thought to work very hard. (Se piensa que Cathy...)
PASSIVE 2: It is thought that Cathy works very hard. (Se piensa que Cathy...)
ACTIVE: They believe Tom is wearing a white pullover.
PASSIVE 1: Tom is believed to be wearing a white pullover. (Se cree que...)
PASSIVE 2: It is believed that Tom is wearing a white pullover. (Se cree que...)
4. USOS ADICIONALES DE SUPPOSEa) Se usa en afirmativo para acciones que estaban planeadas, que se supone que van a realizar, u obligaciones que uno debería cumplir.
You were supposed to be here at 9:00 am!!
b) Otras veces, el uso de supposed indica que estos planes o obligaciones finalmente no se cumplieron:
The train was supposed to arrive at 5 o'clock. (but it arrived at 8 o'clock)
You were supposed to go to the supermarket. (but you didn't go)
c) Por el contrario, en negativo, supposed significa la no conveniencia o prohibición de hacer algo:
You are not supposed to smoke here. (you are not allowed to smoke here)
You are not supposed to copy our web files. (you must not copy our web files)
A letter is being written by Tom
A letter was being written by Tom
A letter was written by Tom
A letter has been written by Tom
A letter had been written by Tom
A letter will be written by Tom
A letter is going to be written by Tom
A letter can be written by Tom
A letter could be written by Tom
A letter must be written by Tom
A letter may be written...
A letter might be written...
2. El sujeto agente se expresa con by. Sin embargo, en la mayoría de las ocasiones se prescinde del sujeto ya que no nos interesa saber quién exactamente ejecuta la acción. Si una oración activa tiene complemento directo e indirecto, cualquiera de los dos complementos puede ser sujeto paciente de la pasiva:
ACTIVE: Someone gives me a dog
PASSIVE 1: A dog is given to me
PASSIVE 2: I am given a dog (forma pasiva idiomática)
La forma pasiva de doing, seeing, etc es being done, being seen, etc.
ACTIVE: I don't like people telling me what to do
PASSIVE: I don't like being told what to do
En ocasiones en las que ocurre algo a veces imprevisto, no planeado o fortuito para la formación de la voz pasiva se prefiere usar get y no be:
get hurt, get annoyed, get divorced, get married, get invited, get bored, get lost
3. Las construcciones impersonales (se dice, se comenta, etc.) son muy típicas de la pasiva y difíciles de traducir para los hispanoparlantes. Este tipo de construcción pasiva -utilizada cada vez con mayor frecuencia en los medios- se forma con la estructura sujeto + to be + participle: It is reported (Se informa); It is said (Se dice); It is known (Se sabe); It is supposed (Se supone); It is considered (Se considera); It is expected (Se espera). Veamos algunos ejemplos:
ACTIVE: Everybody thinks Cathy works very hard.
PASSIVE 1: Cathy is thought to work very hard. (Se piensa que Cathy...)
PASSIVE 2: It is thought that Cathy works very hard. (Se piensa que Cathy...)
ACTIVE: They believe Tom is wearing a white pullover.
PASSIVE 1: Tom is believed to be wearing a white pullover. (Se cree que...)
PASSIVE 2: It is believed that Tom is wearing a white pullover. (Se cree que...)
4. USOS ADICIONALES DE SUPPOSEa) Se usa en afirmativo para acciones que estaban planeadas, que se supone que van a realizar, u obligaciones que uno debería cumplir.
You were supposed to be here at 9:00 am!!
b) Otras veces, el uso de supposed indica que estos planes o obligaciones finalmente no se cumplieron:
The train was supposed to arrive at 5 o'clock. (but it arrived at 8 o'clock)
You were supposed to go to the supermarket. (but you didn't go)
c) Por el contrario, en negativo, supposed significa la no conveniencia o prohibición de hacer algo:
You are not supposed to smoke here. (you are not allowed to smoke here)
You are not supposed to copy our web files. (you must not copy our web files)
