The state passive
When an action is completed and you want to describe the state or result it left behind, use the state passive (pasiva de resultado). In English, we use this when we say things like "the file is deleted" or "the system is protected."
To form it, use the verb estar followed by a past participle.
Because the past participle functions as an adjective describing the subject, it must agree with that subject in gender and number.
For a masculine subject, the participle ends in -o (or -os for plural):
| The bad thing was the cyberattack, but the system is protected. | Lo malo fue el ciberataque, pero el sistema está protegido. |
| The data is encrypted. | Los datos están encriptados. |
For a feminine subject, the participle ends in -a (or -as for plural):
| All the information is backed up on the server. | Toda la información está respaldada en el servidor. |
Word order
The subject often comes before the verb, but it can also follow the past participle, especially in questions:
| Is the company's network infected? | ¿Está infectada la red de la empresa? |
Using the subjunctive
You can conjugate estar in different tenses or moods depending on the context. For example, use the subjunctive of estar when expressing hopes, opinions, or importance. The past participle still agrees with the noun it describes:
| The important thing is that the messages are encrypted. | Lo importante es que los mensajes estén encriptados. |
| It is dangerous that the alarm is deactivated. | Es peligroso que la alarma esté desactivada. |