Breakdown of El monumento fue tallado por un escultor.
ser
to be
un
a, an (masculine)
por
for / by / through / in/during (part of the day)
el monumento
the monument
Questions & Answers about El monumento fue tallado por un escultor.
Why use fue tallado instead of the passive with se (se talló)?
We use the analytical passive (ser + past participle) here because we are explicitly naming the agent who performed the action using por un escultor. The passive with se is much more common in everyday Spanish, but it is generally used when the person doing the action is left unmentioned or is unimportant.
Why does tallado end in -o in this sentence?
Could I use era tallado instead of fue tallado?
Can I use tallar for carving food, like a turkey or a roast?