Voz passiva em inglês: formação, usos e exemplos
A voz passiva desloca o foco de quem realiza uma ação para o que acontece ou o que é afetado. Aparece na escrita académica, no jornalismo, em instruções formais e na fala do dia a dia. Este guia cobre todas as formas verbais, as passivas modais e a pergunta-chave: quando é que você deve realmente usá-la? Explore todos os 48 exemplos ou filtre por categoria.
48 items · 6 topics
"The report is written every week"
Someone writes the report weekly (present simple passive)
"The report is written every week by the marketing team."
"Mistakes are made"
People make mistakes — a general truth in passive
"Mistakes are made, but the important thing is to learn from them."
"The car is being repaired"
Someone is repairing the car right now (present continuous passive)
"The car is being repaired at the garage — it will be ready tomorrow."
"English is spoken here"
People speak English in this place
"English is spoken here, so you don't need a translator."
"The windows are cleaned every month"
Someone cleans the windows monthly
"The windows are cleaned every month by a professional service."
"The data is being processed"
A system or person is processing the data at this moment
"Please wait — the data is being processed by the server."
"New employees are trained online"
The company trains new employees via online courses
"New employees are trained online during their first two weeks."
"The package is delivered to the door"
A courier delivers the package directly to the door
"The package is delivered to the door within 24 hours of ordering."
"The letter was signed by the manager"
The manager signed the letter (past simple passive)
"The letter was signed by the manager before it was sent."
"The bridge was built in 1920"
Workers built the bridge in 1920
"The bridge was built in 1920 and is still in use today."
"The meeting was cancelled"
Someone cancelled the meeting
"The meeting was cancelled due to a scheduling conflict."
"The files were being uploaded"
Someone was uploading the files at a specific past moment (past continuous passive)
"The files were being uploaded when the connection dropped."
"He was arrested last night"
Police arrested him last night
"He was arrested last night and released this morning."
"The invoice was sent on Monday"
Someone sent the invoice on Monday
"The invoice was sent on Monday, but payment has not arrived yet."
"The rules were changed without notice"
Someone changed the rules without informing anyone
"The rules were changed without notice, which frustrated many employees."
"The project was completed on time"
The team finished the project by the deadline
"Despite the challenges, the project was completed on time and within budget."
"The problem has been fixed"
Someone has fixed the problem (present perfect passive)
"The problem has been fixed — you can log in again now."
"Three emails have been sent"
Someone has sent three emails so far
"Three emails have been sent, but we haven't received a reply."
"The report had been submitted before the deadline"
Someone submitted the report before the deadline (past perfect passive)
"The report had been submitted before the deadline, so we were not penalised."
"The decision has been made"
Someone has made the decision (finality implied)
"The decision has been made — we are moving to the new office in January."
"The contract has been reviewed by legal"
The legal team has reviewed the contract
"The contract has been reviewed by legal and is ready to sign."
"All tickets have been sold"
Buyers have purchased every available ticket
"All tickets have been sold — the concert is fully booked."
"The evidence had been destroyed"
Someone had destroyed the evidence before a later point
"By the time the police arrived, the evidence had been destroyed."
"The app has been updated to version 3.0"
The development team has released version 3.0
"The app has been updated to version 3.0 with several new features."
"This must be done today"
It is necessary for someone to do this today
"This must be done today — the deadline cannot be moved."
"The form should be completed in full"
It is advisable or required to fill in every part of the form
"The form should be completed in full before submission."
"The package can be collected at reception"
It is possible to pick up the package at reception
"The package can be collected at reception between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m."
"Mistakes could be avoided"
It was possible to prevent the mistakes
"With better planning, these mistakes could be avoided."
"The results may be published next month"
There is a possibility the results will be published next month
"The results may be published next month if the review is completed."
"This issue might be caused by the update"
The update is possibly the cause of the issue
"This issue might be caused by the latest update — we are investigating."
"The fee will be refunded within 5 days"
Someone will return the fee to you within 5 days
"The fee will be refunded within 5 days of your cancellation request."
"Your request cannot be processed"
It is not possible to process your request
"Your request cannot be processed without a valid ID number."
"It is said that prices will rise"
People say that prices will increase (impersonal reporting)
"It is said that prices will rise significantly next year."
"He is believed to be innocent"
People believe he is innocent
"He is believed to be innocent, and his lawyers are confident of an acquittal."
"It is reported that ten people were injured"
News sources report that ten people were hurt
"It is reported that ten people were injured in the accident on the motorway."
"The CEO is known to prefer email"
People know that the CEO prefers to communicate by email
"The CEO is known to prefer email over phone calls for formal decisions."
"It is thought that the policy will change"
Many people think the policy will be changed
"It is thought that the policy will change after the upcoming election."
"The suspect is alleged to have fled the country"
Authorities allege that the suspect has left the country
"The suspect is alleged to have fled the country on a private flight."
"It is estimated that 2 million people watched the broadcast"
Analysts estimate that 2 million viewers watched
"It is estimated that 2 million people watched the live broadcast."
"The drug is claimed to reduce cholesterol"
The manufacturer claims the drug lowers cholesterol
"The drug is claimed to reduce cholesterol by up to 30% within three months."
"The thief was caught (actor unknown)"
Use passive when you do not know or need not mention the agent
"The thief was caught late last night — police have not released a name."
"The vaccine was developed in record time"
Use passive to put emphasis on the result, not who did it
"The vaccine was developed in record time and approved by regulators."
"Visitors are asked to sign in at reception"
Use passive in formal instructions to sound impersonal and authoritative
"Visitors are asked to sign in at reception and wear a visitor badge at all times."
"The samples were heated to 200°C"
Use passive in scientific writing to focus on method, not researcher
"The samples were heated to 200°C and held at that temperature for one hour."
"Twelve people were made redundant"
Use passive when the speaker wants to avoid naming the responsible party
"Twelve people were made redundant as part of the restructuring programme."
"The policy is reviewed annually"
Use passive for ongoing institutional processes where no single agent is highlighted
"The policy is reviewed annually by the compliance committee."
"This tower was constructed in 1890"
Use passive in historical writing when the doer is less important than the object
"This tower was constructed in 1890 and remains the tallest building in the city."
"The active voice is preferred in most writing"
Know when to choose active — passive should be deliberate, not default
"The active voice is preferred in most writing because it is clearer and more direct."
Perguntas frequentes
Como se forma a voz passiva em inglês?
A voz passiva é formada com o tempo correto do verbo "be" mais o particípio passado do verbo principal. Por exemplo: presente simples — "is written"; passado simples — "was written"; presente perfeito — "has been written"; futuro — "will be written"; modal — "should be written". O agente (quem realiza a ação) pode ser acrescentado com "by", mas é frequentemente omitido.
Quando devo usar a voz passiva?
Use a voz passiva quando (1) o agente é desconhecido ("the window was broken"), (2) o agente é óbvio ou não é importante ("the suspect was arrested"), (3) quer enfatizar o resultado em vez de quem o produziu ("the vaccine was approved"), ou (4) está a escrever num registo formal ou científico onde se espera impessoalidade.
Qual é a diferença entre "was done" e "has been done"?
"Was done" é a passiva no passado simples — refere-se a uma ação concluída num momento específico do passado ("The report was sent yesterday"). "Has been done" é a passiva no presente perfeito — enfatiza que a ação tem relevância para o presente ("The report has been sent — we can proceed"). Use "has been" quando a ação passada ainda importa agora.
O que são passivas de relato como "it is said that"?
As passivas de relato (também chamadas de passivas impessoais) são usadas no jornalismo, na escrita académica e no discurso formal para apresentar informações sem as atribuir a uma fonte específica. Padrões comuns: "It is said/reported/believed/thought/estimated/known/alleged that + oração" ou "He is said/believed/known to + infinitivo". Criam um tom objetivo e distanciado.
Devo evitar a voz passiva nos meus textos?
Não — evite a "passivofobia". A passiva é uma ferramenta valiosa quando usada de forma deliberada. O problema é abusar dela como opção padrão. Na maioria dos textos do quotidiano e empresariais, prefira a voz ativa pela clareza. Mude para a passiva quando realmente servir a um dos quatro propósitos: agente desconhecido, ênfase no resultado, tom formal ou registo científico.
Ouvir a voz passiva usada de forma natural em conversas autênticas e conteúdos de notícias é a forma mais rápida de internalizar quando e como os falantes nativos a utilizam de facto.
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