la voz pasiva

Question

If I want to say "the animals are tortured", and want to use the passive "se" is it "Los animales se tortura" or perhaps: "Se tortura a los animales?

Answer 1

If I want to say "the animals are tortured", and want to use the passive "se" is it "Los animales se tortura" or perhaps: "Se tortura a los animales?

The latter one is the only correct one, and strictly speaking, it is impersonal, not passive. A passive one would have been "Los animales se torturan", but you probably prefer the "humane" touch of the personal "a" used in the impersonal construction.

Answer 2

"Se tortura a los animales?

Perfecto, bienvenido al foro

Answer 3

The English sentence is in the passive voice. Wouldn't the passive voice in Spanish be the sentence below?

Los animales son tortuados.

Yes, that is correct for classic passive voice (Ser+PP) but the question asked about passive se. - 0074b507, Dec 12, 2010

And it would be tortuados. In passive voice the PP must show concordance. - 0074b507, Dec 12, 2010

Yes, that is passive. - lazarus1907, Dec 12, 2010

Answer 4

Darn natives that only give answers and don't explain themselves!

This isn't impersonal se. Why is the singular verb used? Why not...Se torturan los animales?

I'll never get this straight. Impersonal se uses 3rd person, singular verbs with plural or singular objects, but I thought passive se used plural verbs with plural objects. I realize that the subject of the verb is not mentioned in passive voice.

Torturar is a transitive verb so is that "a" a personal "a"? I thought that the personal "a" wasn't used with wild animals? (unless we are assuming pets/domestic animals here).

I assume that your answer is correct, but give us a clue as to why it is said that way.

delete-already explained