Breakdown of La nueva estructura fue construida por los albañiles.
ser
to be
nuevo
new
construir
to build
por
for / by / through / in/during (part of the day)
la estructura
the structure
el albañil
the mason
Questions & Answers about La nueva estructura fue construida por los albañiles.
Why does the past participle end in -a (construida) instead of the usual -o?
In the analytical passive voice, the past participle functions like an adjective describing the subject. Because the subject receiving the action is La nueva estructura (feminine singular), the participle must agree with it, becoming construida.
Why use the preterite fue instead of the imperfect era?
Since the passive se is so common in Spanish, could I say se construyó por los albañiles?
No, that would sound very unnatural. While the passive se is heavily used in Spanish, it is almost never used when you explicitly name the agent (the person doing the action). Because this sentence names the builders with por los albañiles, you must use the analytical passive voice (fue construida).
Is there a subtle difference between saying nueva estructura and estructura nueva?
Yes. Placing an adjective before the noun often emphasizes a change or makes it more subjective. La nueva estructura highlights that it is a newly introduced replacement for whatever was there before. La estructura nueva would simply state the objective physical fact that the building materials and construction are brand new.
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