LanguageGuide: Spanish Grammar: Passive, Accidents

Passives

With passive sentences, what is important is that which was done. Who or what did it need not be mentioned.

We have eaten all the cookies.

	El cielo fue illuminado por el relámpago.
	The sky was lit up by the lightning.
	Desafortunamente, Luis fue comido por los crocodilos.
	Unfortunately, Luis was eaten by crocodiles.

The passive aboves were formed by moving the object to where the subject was, using a form of ser, and following everything with a past participle.

Impersonal se
The reflexive pronoun se, also is used to create a passive sentences. When used in this way it is known as an impersonal se.

Accidents

A special construction is used to express accidents, impersonal se + indirect pronoun (referring to the 'victim' of the accident) + verb.

	Se me olvidó el dato.	I forgot the date.
	Se le cayó el vaso antiguo	He accidently dropped the old vase.
	A los políticos se les perdió el dinero.	The politicians lost the money.
	A Marta se le rompió el brazo.	Marta broke her arm.