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Portuguese (Portugal)

### The Analytic Passive Voice

When discussing historical events, battles, or discoveries, we often focus on what happened rather than who did it. We do this using the passive voice.

The analytic passive voice in Portuguese is built using three pieces:
- The verb **ser** (to be) conjugated in the tense of the action.
- A **past participle** describing the action.
- The preposition **por** (by) to introduce the agent (the doer).

### Participle Agreement and "Por" Contractions

Because we use the verb *ser*, the past participle acts like an adjective. It **must** agree in gender and number with the subject receiving the action (**-o**, **-a**, **-os**, **-as**).

Additionally, when the agent is preceded by a definite article, **por** contracts:

| Preposition + Article | Contraction |
|---|---|
| por + o | pelo |
| por + a | pela |
| por + os | pelos |
| por + as | pelas |

### The Passive Voice in the Past

To talk about historical events or inventions, conjugate *ser* in the past tense (**foi** / **foram**). Notice how the participle endings match the subjects, and how *por* contracts.

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### The Passive Voice in the Present

To describe general facts or ongoing situations, conjugate *ser* in the present tense (**é** / **são**). 

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### Pronouns as Agents

When the agent is a pronoun, **por** stands alone without contracting.

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The passive voice (ser ... por)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

contraction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

phrase

prefix

prep

preposition

pron

pronoun

sentence

verb

Demonstratives and the verb to be (isto é, o, a)

Subject pronouns and negation (eu, não)

Yes/no questions and question words (quem, o que)

Plural pronouns, articles, and verbs (somos, são, os, as)

Origin and possession (de, do, da)

Introductions (chamar-se)

Indefinite articles (um, uma, uns, umas)

The verb to be for locations (estar)

Contrasting the two verbs to be (ser vs. estar)

Preposition for locations (em, no, na)

Numbers 0 to 10 (zero, um, dois)

The verb to have (tenho, tem)

Regular -ar verbs (falar, trabalhar)

Regular -er verbs (comer, beber)

Regular -ir verbs (abrir, partir)

My, your, and our (o meu, a nossa)

His, hers, and theirs (dele, dela)

Adjective agreement and placement

Days of the week (segunda-feira)

Months of the year (janeiro)

Counting by tens to 100 (trinta, quarenta...)

Telling time (é uma, são...)

Asking about time (quando, a que horas)

The verb to go (ir)

Prepositions of direction (a, para)

Preposition a contractions (ao, à, aos, às)

Prepositions of place (ao lado de, em frente de...)

Demonstratives (este, esse, aquele)

Contractions with demonstratives (neste, desse, daquele)

Asking which and how many (qual, quanto)

Plurals ending in -ão (-ões, -ãos, -ães)

Plurals ending in consonants (-ns, -is, -es)

The verb to like (gostar de)

The verb to need (precisar de)

The verb to want (querer)

The verb can or may (poder)

Expressing obligation (ter de)

Adverbs of degree (muito, pouco)

Quantifiers (muito, pouco)

Comparatives (mais... do que, menos... do que)

Equality comparisons (tão... como)

The preposition com (comigo, contigo)

Coordinating conjunctions (e, mas, ou, porque)

The preposition por (pelo, pela)

Double negation (nunca, nada, ninguém)

Present continuous (estar a)

Near future (ir)

Past tense of regular -ar verbs

Past tense of regular -er and -ir verbs

Past tense of ser and ir (fui, foi)

Direct object pronouns (me, te, o, a, nos, os, as)

Pronoun placement with negatives and questions

Greetings and courtesy (bom dia, obrigado)

Physical states with ter (ter fome, ter frio)

Asking the way (à direita, sempre em frente)

Colours (vermelho, amarelo, cor-de-rosa)

Money and shopping (custar, a moeda)

Getting around (o motorista, a paragem de autocarro)

Weather and seasons (faz calor, o inverno)

Omitting the subject pronoun

Where things are: ficar (Onde fica...?)

Richer questions: que + noun and é que

Numbers above 100 (cento e vinte, mil)

First-person sound changes (durmo, prefiro)

Advice and ability: dever and saber

Asking why: porquê and porque

When one thing happens: quando-clauses

Here and there: aqui, aí, ali (cá e lá)

Formal and plural possessives: o seu, o vosso

Irregular presents: ver, vir, dar

Present irregulars

Reflexive verbs (me, te, se, nos)

Stem-changing reflexives

Attached object pronouns (-lo, -la, -los, -las)

Nasal attached pronouns (-no, -na, -nos, -nas)

Pronoun placement with adverbs

Past tense of fazer, dizer, and trazer

Past tense of ter, estar, poder, and saber

Past tense of querer and vir

Past tense of ver, dar, and ler

Past tense reflexive verbs (-se)

Time elapsed in the past (há)

Question	Answer
to invent	inventar
The computer was invented by the scientist.	O computador foi inventado pelo cientista.
Were these things invented by you?	Estas coisas foram inventadas por ti?
the invention	a invenção
The brilliant invention was created by the engineer.	A invenção brilhante foi criada pelo engenheiro.
That invention is used by many people.	Aquela invenção é usada por muitas pessoas.
to invade	invadir
the army	o exército
The country was invaded by the army.	O país foi invadido pelo exército.
the soldier	o soldado
The border is protected by the soldiers.	A fronteira é protegida pelos soldados.
the empire	o império
to defeat	derrotar
the hero	o herói
The empire was defeated by the hero.	O império foi derrotado pelo herói.
The kings were not defeated by the army.	Os reis não foram derrotados pelo exército.
The city was destroyed by the fire.	A cidade foi destruída pelo fogo.
The very beautiful castle was destroyed by the soldiers.	O castelo lindíssimo foi destruído pelos soldados.
the battle	a batalha
The battle was decided by a hero.	A batalha foi decidida por um herói.
The soldier survived, but the hero was defeated.	O soldado sobreviveu, mas o herói foi derrotado.
The event was organized by the president.	O evento foi organizado pelo presidente.
the territory	o território
The very rich territory was discovered by us.	O território riquíssimo foi descoberto por nós.
The hero is adored by the whole nation.	O herói é adorado por toda a nação.
The empire was founded by that king.	O império foi fundado por aquele rei.
The territory was invaded by the army during the battle.	O território foi invadido pelo exército durante a batalha.