A passive sentence (frase passiva) is one in which the grammatical subject is not the doer of the action but the receiver: the book was written by Pessoa instead of Pessoa wrote the book. The thing acted upon is promoted to the subject slot; the thing doing the action, if mentioned at all, is demoted to an optional by-phrase. English has essentially one way of doing this (be + past participle); Portuguese has two, and a third construction that often looks like a passive but is not.
The first Portuguese passive uses ser + past participle (foi escrito por Pessoa). This is the periphrastic passive (passiva analítica), the closest match to the English structure. The second uses the reflexive clitic se with a transitive verb (vendem-se casas) — the pronominal passive (passiva pronominal), which is actually the default for many everyday uses in European Portuguese and which learners often undervalue. The third, estar + past participle (a porta está fechada), is not a passive at all — it describes the state that results from an action, not the action itself.
Getting passives right in Portuguese requires keeping these three structures straight. This page walks through each, when to use it, what agreement it triggers, and how PT-PT speakers genuinely handle agentless events.
The two Portuguese passives at a glance
| Construction | Structure | Example | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Periphrastic (passiva analítica) | ser + past participle + (por + agent) | O livro foi escrito por Pessoa. | Specific subject; agent often named; neutral/formal register |
| Pronominal (passiva pronominal / se-passive) | verb + se, agreeing with promoted object | Vendem-se casas. | Generic, agentless; everyday register; preferred for indefinite objects in PT-PT |
| Resultant state (not a true passive) | estar + past participle | A porta está fechada. | Describes the state after an action, not the action |
The periphrastic passive: ser + past participle
This is the structure that most closely mirrors English. You take the object of the active verb, move it to the subject slot, conjugate ser in the relevant tense, and follow it with the past participle of the main verb. The doer (the agent) is optionally introduced by por.
subject (patient) + ser + past participle + (por + agent)
O livro foi escrito por Fernando Pessoa.
The book was written by Fernando Pessoa.
A torre será inaugurada em setembro.
The tower will be inaugurated in September.
As cartas são entregues todas as manhãs.
Letters are delivered every morning.
O contrato foi assinado ontem à tarde.
The contract was signed yesterday afternoon.
Participle agreement
In the periphrastic passive, the past participle behaves like an adjective. It agrees in gender and number with the grammatical subject. This is one of the features English does not have, and it is a common slip for learners.
| Subject | Agreement | Example |
|---|---|---|
| o livro (masc. sg.) | masc. sg. | O livro foi escrito por ela. |
| a carta (fem. sg.) | fem. sg. | A carta foi escrita por ela. |
| os livros (masc. pl.) | masc. pl. | Os livros foram escritos por ela. |
| as cartas (fem. pl.) | fem. pl. | As cartas foram escritas por ela. |
A casa foi vendida na semana passada.
The house was sold last week.
As casas foram vendidas na semana passada.
The houses were sold last week.
Os alunos foram avisados sobre a mudança.
The students were informed about the change.
Agent phrase: por (and sometimes de)
The agent is introduced by por, which contracts with the definite article: pelo, pela, pelos, pelas.
O jantar foi preparado pelo chefe.
Dinner was prepared by the chef.
As perguntas foram feitas pela professora.
The questions were asked by the teacher.
A cidade foi fundada pelos romanos.
The city was founded by the Romans.
With a small set of verbs — especially verbs of emotion and mental attitude — the agent can be introduced by de instead. This is a literary and slightly archaic pattern, still found in older prose and set phrases.
| Verb | Typical agent preposition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| amar (to love) | de / por | É amado de todos. (literary) / É amado por todos. |
| temer (to fear) | de / por | É temido dos inimigos. (literary) / É temido pelos inimigos. |
| respeitar (to respect) | de / por | É respeitado dos colegas. (literary) / É respeitado pelos colegas. |
| acompanhar (to accompany) | de / por | Vinha acompanhado do irmão. (formal) |
| conhecer (to know) | de | É conhecido de todos. (idiomatic — widely known) |
É amado de todos os vizinhos.
He is loved by all his neighbours. (literary)
É conhecido de toda a aldeia.
He's known to everyone in the village. (idiomatic)
A decisão foi tomada por unanimidade.
The decision was made unanimously.
In most everyday and neutral writing, por is the default. De as an agent marker belongs to literary and archaic registers, or to fixed phrases like conhecido de todos.
When agents are omitted
In both English and Portuguese, passives often omit the agent when it is unknown, obvious, or irrelevant. The agent phrase is grammatically optional; the periphrastic passive remains a passive even without it.
O edifício foi construído em 1890.
The building was built in 1890. (agent: whichever architect/firm — irrelevant)
A decisão foi adiada para a próxima reunião.
The decision was postponed to the next meeting. (agent: the committee, obvious)
Aquele ladrão nunca foi apanhado.
That thief was never caught. (agent: the police, unknown/irrelevant)
Agentless periphrastic passives are especially common in news headlines, official announcements, and academic writing.
Periphrastic passive across tenses
Because ser can be fully conjugated, the periphrastic passive works in any tense. Below is a compact survey of the most common ones with the verb escrever (to write) and a masculine singular subject o livro.
| Tense | Ser form | Full passive |
|---|---|---|
| Present | é | O livro é escrito. |
| Imperfect | era | O livro era escrito. |
| Preterite | foi | O livro foi escrito. |
| Future | será | O livro será escrito. |
| Conditional | seria | O livro seria escrito. |
| Present perfect | tem sido | O livro tem sido escrito. |
| Pluperfect | tinha sido | O livro tinha sido escrito. |
| Present subjunctive | seja | ... que o livro seja escrito. |
Os relatórios eram entregues todas as sextas-feiras.
The reports used to be delivered every Friday.
O prédio tinha sido demolido antes da nossa chegada.
The building had been demolished before our arrival.
Espero que a proposta seja aprovada.
I hope the proposal gets approved.
The pronominal (se-)passive
Alongside the periphrastic passive, European Portuguese uses a construction with the reflexive clitic se that behaves, semantically, as a passive. The verb is transitive, the logical object is promoted to look like a subject, and the verb agrees with it in number. There is no agent phrase — the se-passive is inherently agentless.
verb (agreeing with promoted object) + se + promoted object
or, with the clitic attached by enclisis or mesoclisis depending on context:
verb-se + promoted object (enclisis, default in PT-PT)
Vende-se uma casa em Sintra.
A house is for sale in Sintra.
Vendem-se casas em Sintra.
Houses are for sale in Sintra.
Procuram-se empregados com experiência.
Experienced employees wanted.
Alugam-se quartos a estudantes.
Rooms for rent to students.
Notice the agreement: uma casa triggers the singular vende-se; casas triggers the plural vendem-se. European Portuguese grammarians are strict about this, and a sign reading vende-se casas (common in Brazilian usage) is considered non-standard in PT-PT.
Why PT-PT reaches for the se-passive
A speaker of European Portuguese will often choose the se-passive where an English speaker would reach for a plain passive or a generic they. Three factors favour the se-passive in PT-PT:
- Indefinite, generic objects. If the promoted object is bare (no article) or indefinite (um, uma, uns, umas), the se-passive fits naturally. The periphrastic passive tends to prefer a definite subject.
- No agent to mention. The se-passive has no slot for a por-phrase — it is inherently agentless. When you do not want to (or cannot) name an agent, this is ideal.
- Shorter and more vivid. Vendem-se casas is four syllables; casas são vendidas is five and feels stiffer.
Compare these pairs:
Vendem-se casas nesta zona.
Houses are sold in this area. (se-passive — natural)
Casas são vendidas nesta zona.
Houses are sold in this area. (periphrastic — grammatical but stiff)
Bebe-se muito café em Portugal.
A lot of coffee is drunk in Portugal.
Muito café é bebido em Portugal.
A lot of coffee is drunk in Portugal. (stiff, journalistic)
For specific, definite subjects, the balance tips the other way. You would say o livro foi escrito em 1920, not o livro se escreveu em 1920 — the definite subject prefers the periphrastic passive.
Se-passive vs. impersonal se
A related but distinct construction is the impersonal se, which looks very similar but does not promote any object. With intransitive verbs or with prepositional objects, se signals an unspecified agent, and the verb stays singular.
| Type | Verb | Object? | Agreement | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Se-passive | transitive | direct object, promoted | agrees with promoted object | Vendem-se casas. |
| Impersonal se | intransitive or with prep. object | none or prepositional | always 3rd-person singular | Vive-se bem em Portugal. |
Vendem-se casas.
Houses are sold. (se-passive — casas is promoted)
Vive-se bem em Portugal.
Life is good in Portugal. (impersonal se — no object)
Fala-se muito dele.
People talk about him a lot. (impersonal se — prepositional object, no promotion)
Falam-se várias línguas aqui.
Several languages are spoken here. (se-passive — línguas promoted)
The distinction is strict in European Portuguese and relaxed in Brazilian Portuguese. See Impersonal Sentences for a fuller treatment.
Clitic placement
Clitic placement with the se-passive follows standard European Portuguese rules:
- Enclisis (attached after the verb, with a hyphen) is the default in affirmative main clauses: vende-se, fala-se, bebe-se.
- Proclisis (before the verb) is triggered by negation, certain adverbs, subordinating conjunctions, and interrogative pronouns: não se vende, aqui se fala português, onde se compra o pão?
- Mesoclisis (inside future/conditional forms) is triggered in those tenses if nothing else forces proclisis: vender-se-ão casas, construir-se-ia um novo hospital.
Não se vendem armas a menores.
Weapons are not sold to minors. (proclisis — triggered by 'não')
Aqui se faz, aqui se paga.
Whatever you do here, you'll pay for here. (proverb — proclisis with aqui)
Construir-se-á um novo hospital no próximo ano.
A new hospital will be built next year. (mesoclisis in the future)
Estar + past participle: not a passive
This is the construction learners most often confuse with the true passive. It uses estar + past participle, and the participle agrees — so it looks structurally very much like ser + past participle. But it expresses a different meaning: it describes the state that follows from an action, not the action itself.
A porta está fechada.
The door is closed. (state — who closed it is not part of the sentence)
A porta foi fechada pelo vento.
The door was closed by the wind. (action — a closing event happened)
The contrast is sharp. Foi fechada reports an event; está fechada describes a situation. English conflates them because in English we say the door is closed for both. Portuguese will not let you do that: foi/está makes the action/state distinction visible.
| Verb | Meaning | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| ser + participle | passive action | Reports an event; agent is often (or could be) mentioned |
| estar + participle | resultant state | Describes a situation; often no agent is thinkable |
A janela foi aberta há dois minutos.
The window was opened two minutes ago. (action)
A janela está aberta desde manhã.
The window has been open since morning. (state)
A cidade foi destruída por um terramoto.
The city was destroyed by an earthquake. (event)
A cidade está destruída — olha só.
The city is devastated — just look. (state)
Ficar + participle: a state coming into being
A third state-oriented construction uses ficar + past participle. It signals that the state came about — a change into the state — rather than a neutral description of it.
Fiquei surpreendida com a notícia.
I was surprised by the news. (became surprised)
A porta ficou aberta toda a noite.
The door stayed/was left open all night.
Ele ficou ferido no acidente.
He was injured in the accident. (became injured)
Ficar + participle sits between ser and estar: like estar, it describes a state; like ser, it implies an event that brought the state about. For emotional reactions especially (ficar contente, ficar triste, ficar surpreendido), ficar + participle is the go-to pattern.
Which passive to choose: a guide
Given the same idea, a Portuguese speaker often has several viable constructions. The choice tracks a few reliable factors.
| Situation | Preferred construction | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Definite subject, agent named or implicit | Periphrastic passive (ser) | O livro foi escrito por Pessoa. |
| Indefinite or generic object, no agent | Se-passive | Vendem-se casas. |
| Agentless, generic statement about "people" | Impersonal se or 3pl | Vive-se bem aqui. / Dizem que vai chover. |
| Describing a current state | Estar + participle | A porta está fechada. |
| Describing a state that came about | Ficar + participle | A porta ficou aberta. |
| News headline / official notice | Periphrastic or se-passive | Foi aprovado o orçamento. / Aprova-se o orçamento. |
A note on Brazilian vs European preferences
Two subtle differences between varieties are worth flagging:
- Brazilian Portuguese is more tolerant of non-agreeing se-passives: vende-se casas is common in BR but non-standard in PT-PT (which insists on vendem-se casas).
- Brazilian Portuguese uses the periphrastic passive more freely, including with indefinite subjects where PT-PT would reach for the se-passive.
For European Portuguese specifically, stick to the rule: the se-passive verb agrees with the promoted object.
Common Mistakes
❌ A carta foi escrito ontem.
Incorrect — participle must agree with carta (fem. sg.).
✅ A carta foi escrita ontem.
The letter was written yesterday.
❌ Vende-se casas em Cascais.
Non-standard in PT-PT — verb must agree with casas (pl.).
✅ Vendem-se casas em Cascais.
Houses for sale in Cascais.
❌ A porta foi fechada há dois dias.
Meaning mismatch — 'for two days' describes a state, not an action.
✅ A porta está fechada há dois dias.
The door has been closed for two days.
❌ O livro foi escrito para Pessoa.
Wrong preposition — agent uses por (pelo/pela), not para.
✅ O livro foi escrito por Pessoa.
The book was written by Pessoa.
❌ Vive-se bem. A vida é boa. (as equivalents)
These are not the same construction — vive-se bem is impersonal se, not a passive.
✅ Vive-se bem aqui.
Life is good here. (impersonal se, not a true passive)
❌ Fala-se várias línguas no edifício.
Non-standard in PT-PT — línguas is plural, so falam-se.
✅ Falam-se várias línguas no edifício.
Several languages are spoken in the building.
❌ A cidade foi fundada para os romanos.
Wrong preposition for agent — use pelos (= por + os).
✅ A cidade foi fundada pelos romanos.
The city was founded by the Romans.
Key Takeaways
- Portuguese has two genuine passives: the periphrastic (ser + participle, optionally with por + agent) and the pronominal or se-passive (verb + se, no agent phrase).
- In the periphrastic passive, the participle agrees in gender and number with the subject: a carta foi escrita, os livros foram escritos.
- The agent is introduced by por (contracted to pelo/pela/pelos/pelas). A small literary/archaic set of verbs takes de (é amado de todos).
- The se-passive is the default in PT-PT for indefinite, generic, agentless events. Its verb agrees with the promoted object: vendem-se casas, not vende-se casas.
- Distinguish se-passive (transitive verb, object promoted, verb agrees) from impersonal se (no object, verb stays singular): vendem-se casas vs vive-se bem.
- Estar + participle is not a passive — it describes a resultant state, not an action: a porta está fechada (the door is in a closed state) vs a porta foi fechada (the closing event happened).
- Ficar + participle signals a change into a state: fiquei surpreendida, a porta ficou aberta.
- European Portuguese is strict about se-passive agreement; Brazilian Portuguese is not.
Related Topics
- Impersonal SentencesB1 — Portuguese sentences without a specific subject — weather verbs, existentials, the se-passive and reflexive se, third-person-plural impersonals, and infinitive impersonals with é.
- Advanced Passive ConstructionsC1 — Complex passive structures in Portuguese — ser passive, se-passive, impersonal se, passives of compound tenses, and the alternatives speakers use to avoid them.
- Expressing 'There Is/There Are' (Há, Existe, Tem)A1 — The different Portuguese ways to say there is and there are — há, existir, and ter — with careful attention to register and the PT-PT preference for há.