DELE B1 Passive Voice: Practice Test & Review
The passive voice (fue escrito, se vende, se habla) shifts focus from the doer to the action. It appears throughout the exam — in reading passages, news-style texts, and formal writing.
This page gives you a five-part practice quiz: an evaluation set to see where you stand, three practice sets to drill both the ser passive and the se passive, and a challenge set to confirm mastery. If you get stuck, scroll down for the full explanation. Ready Start with the evaluation set below.
The Rule
The passive voice shifts focus from who does the action to what happens to the object. In English, it’s “The book was written by Cervantes.” In Spanish, there are two ways to express this: the ser passive and the se passive.
Ser passive: ser + past participle (+ por + agent)
Se passive: se + third person verb
Ser Passive
Formed with ser + past participle. The participle agrees in gender and number with the subject.
| Tense | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Present | La carta es escrita. | The letter is written. |
| Preterite | La carta fue escrita. | The letter was written. |
| Imperfect | La carta era escrita. | The letter was being written. |
| Future | La carta será escrita. | The letter will be written. |
When the agent is mentioned, use por:
La novela fue escrita por Cervantes.
The novel was written by Cervantes.
Se Passive
Formed with se + third person verb. The verb agrees with the thing being talked about.
| Subject | Verb | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | Third person singular | Se vende pan. |
| Plural | Third person plural | Se venden coches. |
No agent is mentioned with the se passive. It’s used when the doer is unknown, unimportant, or obvious.
Ser Passive vs Se Passive
| Use ser passive | Use se passive |
|---|---|
| Agent is mentioned (por…) | No agent mentioned |
| Formal writing, news | Everyday speech, signs, ads |
| Focus on the action | Focus on the object |
Examples:
- La casa fue construida por mi abuelo. (Agent mentioned → ser passive)
- Se construyen casas en ese barrio. (No agent → se passive)
- El libro fue escrito por un autor famoso. (Agent mentioned → ser passive)
- Se venden flores en la plaza. (No agent → se passive)
Common Mistakes
1. Forgetting participle agreement.
✗ La carta fue escrito.
✓ La carta fue escrita.
The participle agrees with the subject in gender and number.
2. Using se passive with an agent.
✗ Se construyó la casa por mi abuelo.
✓ La casa fue construida por mi abuelo.
If the agent is mentioned, use ser passive, not se passive.
3. Using singular verb with plural noun in se passive.
✗ Se vende coches.
✓ Se venden coches.
The verb agrees with the thing being sold (coches = plural).
4. Confusing se passive with reflexive se.
Se lava can mean “he washes himself” (reflexive) or “it is washed” (passive). Context tells you which.
Quick Decision Chart
| Ask yourself | Answer | Form |
|---|---|---|
| Is the agent mentioned? | Yes (por…) | Ser + past participle |
| Is the agent mentioned? | No | Se + third person verb |
| Formal writing or news? | Yes | Ser passive |
| Signs, ads, everyday speech? | Yes | Se passive |
| Subject singular? | Yes | Se + third person singular |
| Subject plural? | Yes | Se + third person plural |
Two Sentences That Show the Difference
La novela fue escrita por Cervantes.
The novel was written by Cervantes.
- Agent mentioned (por Cervantes). Ser passive.
Se venden libros en esa tienda.
Books are sold in that store.
- No agent mentioned. Se passive.
