Passive voice with ser + past participle

In brief

Use ser + a past participle when the focus is on an action received by the subject rather than on who performs it. This is especially useful in announcements, reports, and other contexts where the action or its result matters more than the person responsible.

Form

Subject + ser (in the appropriate tense) + past participle agreeing with the subject in gender and number; optionally add por + the person or group performing the action.

Usage

• Change the tense of ser to place the action in the past, present, or future: foi, é, será.
• Match the participle to the subject: o documento foi enviado; as mensagens foram enviadas.
• Include the person responsible with por when that information is relevant; otherwise, leave it out.

Examples

• O contrato foi assinado ontem. — The contract was signed yesterday.
• As encomendas serão entregues amanhã. — The packages will be delivered tomorrow.
• Os resultados foram divulgados pela escola. — The results were announced by the school.

Common mistake

❌ As encomendas serão entregue amanhã.

✅ As encomendas serão entregues amanhã.

Unlike the English passive participle, the Portuguese participle agrees with the subject: encomendas is feminine plural, so use entregues.

Remember

In this passive construction, the participle agrees with the subject even when the person performing the action is not mentioned.