The passive voice is used all the time. Why should I avoid using it?

Question

The pizza was eaten by my friends......La pizza fue comida por mis amigos.

It appears that the passive voice is used quite often. So why should I avoid it?

Answer 1

There's nothing wrong with the passive voice. It's just a weak literary tool. If you're a writer your writing will be more effective if you avoid the passive voice. Otherwise it's a perfectly good construct.

Thanks - root1, Oct 2, 2010

Answer 2

The pizza was eaten by my friends......La pizza fue comida por mis amigos.

It appears that the passive voice is used quite often. So why should I avoid it?

That is easy to answer: because you'll sound very, very, very weird if you talk like that in Spanish (a lot worse than Terminator with his "Affirmative!") A native would always say "Mis amigos se comieron la piza" or something similar. But if you don't mind to sound weird, go ahead! The grammar is fine.

P.D. You wouldn't find a sentence like that in written or formal Spanish either. It is simply... alien!

That's probably not a good example. It sounds weird in English, too. - KevinB, Oct 2, 2010

Yes, I thought so, but in Spanish it sounds too weird. - lazarus1907, Oct 2, 2010

Yes, it does sound unnatural - FELIZ77, Oct 2, 2010

Yes it should be My friends ate the pizza. - kenwilliams, Oct 2, 2010

Answer 3

Let's see. I agree that such construction is correct. Well used, in literature can be even very elegant, but:

La pizza fue comida por mis amigos.

La pizza fue comida por mis amigos??? Nooo... please!

This example, namely, is unacceptable talking in terms of good style and just heard by native speakers. When I see something like this, I automatically think that I'm reading one really bad translation from English, or I'm listening to a foreign speaker.

Cog I think you mean just heard 'by' native speakers (not on !) Just to help :) - FELIZ77, Oct 2, 2010

Thanks Feliz! - cogumela, Oct 2, 2010

Answer 4

The reason to avoid using the passive voice in any language is that using it makes it unclear who is doing what to whom.

Developing a discipline to use the active voice is important in making your writing more effective. If you write in the active voice it will be clear "who is kicking whom." When you write in the passive voice, you make the reader work harder to figure out what is going on. That makes your writing less effective.

That said, the passive voice is often used in certain circles (government and business, for example) to strategically make it unclear who is responsible.

However, in order for you to be able to strategically use the passive voice, you need to learn the difference and be writing mostly in the active voice.

Good answer, but it is also used when the actor is in the background or is irrelevant. - lazarus1907, Oct 2, 2010

Answer 5

Who said you should avoid it?

I have seen two lessons on how to avoid the passive. - root1, Oct 2, 2010