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Passive Verbs


Quaeso December 05, 2025 06:15 PM

Passive Verbs
 
For passive verbs, what is more common?
La pelota se patea "the ball is kicked", or
La pelota es pateado "the ball is kicked"
La pelota patean "The ball is kicked/ They kick the ball"

aleCcowaN December 05, 2025 07:33 PM

I think you mean passive voice

Patean la pelota (voz activa)
La pelota es pateada (pasiva)
Se patea la pelota (pasiva refleja)

"Se patea la pelota" is impersonal
"La pelota es pateada (por el jugador)" admits an agent.

"Se patea la pelota" is centered in "patear" while "La pelota es pateada" is centered in "pelota", but always "pelota" is the recipient of the action.

The ball is kicked (by a player)

I don't know of a way to say "se patea la pelota" in English

Think in these examples

Se alquilan cuartos = Rooms for rent
Se aceptan cheques = We accept bank cheques/checks (English needs an explícit agent, Spanish doesn't)

Quaeso December 05, 2025 10:01 PM

Quote:

Se patea la pelota (pasiva refleja)
Thank you, that's interesting because I think of the passive as being different from the reflexive. "The ball is kicked" vs. "The ball kicks itself". Could the Spanish phrase mean either?
Quote:

I don't know of a way to say "se patea la pelota" in English
I think I could be either simply "The ball is kicked" without needing an agent. In English that sounds poetic. Or paraphrasically "One kicks the the ball".
Quote:

Se alquilan cuartos = Rooms for rent
That looks to be passive instead of reflexive. Literally "Rooms are rented [here]", or commonly "Rooms available".

aleCcowaN December 06, 2025 02:01 AM

"La pelota se patea" may mean "the ball kicks itself"

"Se patea la pelota" is impersonal (One, as you said, but as in French "on botte dans le ballon" and not the Spanish "uno patea la pelota"). It means "la pelota es pateada por un agente desconocido" and it is passive voice.

"¡La pelota se patea, no el contrincante!" may be a word of admonition a coach gives to his junior football/soccer team member who just committed a foul, using the passive voice.


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