Passive and impersonal voice
Ser + participle agreement, passive es, impersonal es, and natural alternatives.
Catalan prefers active clauses and es-passives more often than English
The full passive uses ser + past participle, with the participle agreeing with the grammatical subject. It is useful when the result or patient deserves focus, especially in formal reporting. Everyday Catalan often prefers an active sentence, a passive with es, or an impersonal es.
Ser + participle
| Subject | Passive form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| masculine singular | és aprovat | El pressupost és aprovat pel ple. |
| feminine singular | és aprovada | La proposta és aprovada pel ple. |
| masculine plural | són aprovats | Els comptes són aprovats pel ple. |
| feminine plural | són aprovades | Les mesures són aprovades pel ple. |
The agent, if needed, is usually introduced by per. Tense sits on ser: va ser construït, havia estat anunciat, serà publicat.
Passive reflexive: es + agreeing verb
When the patient is a third-person noun, es plus an agreeing verb is concise and natural: Es ven un pis; es venen dos pisos; aquí es parla català. The noun is grammatical subject, so singular/plural agreement matters.
Impersonal es
With no specific subject, the verb stays third-person singular: Es diu que canviaran la llei; aquí es treballa bé; no es pot aparcar. A following direct object may create ambiguity with the passive reflexive; choose agreement according to whether it functions as subject in your construction.
Choosing the most natural voice
| Heavy English-like option | Natural alternatives |
|---|---|
| La decisió va ser presa ahir. | La decisió es va prendre ahir. / Ahir van prendre la decisió. |
| Els resultats seran publicats demà. | Els resultats es publicaran demà. / Demà publicaran els resultats. |
Examples in context
L’edifici va ser construït a finals del segle XIX.
The building was constructed at the end of the nineteenth century.
La novel·la ha estat traduïda a vint llengües.
The novel has been translated into twenty languages.
Els guanyadors seran anunciats divendres.
The winners will be announced on Friday.
Es lloguen habitacions a estudiants.
Rooms are rented to students.
En aquesta botiga es venen productes locals.
Local products are sold in this shop.
Aquí es parla català i castellà.
Catalan and Spanish are spoken here.
Es diu que obriran una nova línia de metro.
They say a new metro line will open.
No es pot entrar sense acreditació.
You cannot enter without accreditation.
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