Passive Voice in Compound Tenses (Ter + Sido)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'ter + sido + past participle' to describe actions that have been completed by someone over a period of time.
- Use 'ter' (conjugated) + 'sido' + 'past participle' to express a passive action that occurred repeatedly or continuously.
- The past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject of the sentence.
- This structure is common in formal writing and reporting to emphasize the action rather than the agent.
Overview
Mastering the passive voice in Portuguese, particularly within compound tenses, signifies a significant leap in your linguistic proficiency. At CEFR C1, you are expected to navigate complex grammatical structures with precision, allowing for nuanced expression and a more formal register. This rule, combining the auxiliary verb ter (to have), the invariant past participle sido (been), and the main verb's past participle, allows you to describe actions that have been completed, had been completed, or will have been completed from a passive perspective.
It shifts the focus from the agent performing the action to the action's recipient or outcome, crucial for academic, journalistic, and professional communication.
This construction is more than a grammatical exercise; it is a stylistic choice. It enables a level of objectivity and detachment often sought in formal discourse, where specifying the agent is either unnecessary, unknown, or intentionally omitted. Understanding ter sido fundamentally alters how you perceive causality and agency in Portuguese sentences, empowering you to convey complex temporal relationships and emphasize the state of affairs over the actor.
How This Grammar Works
Ter + Sido) is a three-part structure that precisely conveys an action's completion and its passive nature. You are combining two auxiliary verbs, ter and ser, with the past participle of the main verb. The key to its function lies in the individual roles of these components and their interaction.ter acts as the primary auxiliary verb. It is fully conjugated to indicate the tense, mood, person, and number of the sentence. Ter sets the temporal framework, establishing whether the action is perceived as having been completed in the past (pluperfect), up to the present (present perfect), or by a future point (future perfect).eu tenho (I have), ele tinha (he had), nós teremos (we will have).sido is the invariant past participle of the verb ser (to be). Its role is strictly to mark the passive voice. Unlike other participles, sido never changes its form to agree with the subject in gender or number.sido as the constant indicator that the subject is receiving, not performing, the action.Eu tenho feito where feito is invariant) and a frequent source of error for advanced learners. If the subject is plural feminine, the participle will be plural feminine (e.g., feitas). This agreement reinforces that the subject is the recipient of the action, reflecting the completed state it now possesses.A carta tinha sido escrita. Here, tinha (from ter) sets the pluperfect tense. Sido unequivocally signals the passive voice.Escrita (past participle of escrever) describes the action and agrees with A carta (singular feminine), confirming that the letter was the object of the writing action.Ter provides aspect (completion, duration), while ser (via sido) provides voice. The combination creates a sophisticated mechanism for precisely situating a passive event in time while maintaining grammatical congruence with the affected entity.Formation Pattern
ter and vigilant agreement of the main participle. The general formula is:
Ter (conjugated in the appropriate compound tense) + sido (invariant) + Main Verb's Past Participle (agrees with subject) + (optional por/pelo/pela + Agent)
Eu tenho lido os livros. | Os livros têm sido lidos por mim. |
Ele tem escrito a carta. | A carta tem sido escrita por ele. |
Nós temos construído a ponte. | A ponte tem sido construída por nós. |
Muitos projetos têm sido aprovados este ano. (Many projects have been approved this year.) This implies a continuous or repeated approval process up to the present.
A verdade tem sido escondida por décadas. (The truth has been hidden for decades.) Here, escondida agrees with A verdade (singular feminine).
Eu tinha lido os livros. | Os livros tinham sido lidos por mim. |
Ele tinha escrito a carta. | A carta tinha sido escrita por ele. |
Nós tínhamos construído a ponte. | A ponte tinha sido construída por nós. |
Quando cheguei, a decisão já tinha sido tomada. (When I arrived, the decision had already been made.) Tomada agrees with a decisão.
Os erros tinham sido notados antes do relatório. (The errors had been noticed before the report.)
Eu terei lido os livros. | Os livros terão sido lidos por mim. |
Ele terá escrito a carta. | A carta terá sido escrita por ele. |
Nós teremos construído a ponte. | A ponte terá sido construída por nós. |
Até amanhã, o trabalho terá sido terminado. (By tomorrow, the work will have been finished.) Terminado agrees with o trabalho.
Em 2030, muitas cidades terão sido transformadas. (By 2030, many cities will have been transformed.)
Eu teria lido os livros. | Os livros teriam sido lidos por mim. |
Ele teria escrito a carta. | A carta teria sido escrita por ele. |
Nós teríamos construído a ponte. | A ponte teria sido construída por nós. |
Se houvesse tempo, a questão teria sido resolvida. (If there had been time, the issue would have been resolved.) Resolvida agrees with a questão.
Sem ajuda, a tarefa não teria sido cumprida. (Without help, the task would not have been fulfilled.)
por/pelo/pela)
por. This often contracts with definite articles:
por + o = pelo
por + a = pela
por + os = pelos
por + as = pelas
A decisão tinha sido tomada pelo diretor. (The decision had been made by the director.)
When To Use It
- Example:
As contas têm sido pagas regularmente.(The bills have been paid regularly.) The focus is on the payment status, not who paid them. - Example:
Os arquivos confidenciais tinham sido acessados antes do ataque.(The confidential files had been accessed before the attack.) The violation is paramount, not the perpetrator.
- Example (Brazilian Portuguese news):
Novas medidas de segurança têm sido implementadas nas fronteiras.(New security measures have been implemented at the borders.) This sounds authoritative and objective. - Example (European Portuguese academic):
Os dados teriam sido recolhidos através de inquéritos anónimos.(The data would have been collected through anonymous surveys.) This maintains academic rigor.
Pretérito Perfeito Composto Passivo (tem sido + participle) is particularly useful for describing actions that started in the past and continue to occur or have been repeated up to the present. It conveys a sense of duration or sustained effort regarding the passive state.- Example:
Muitos esforços têm sido feitos para preservar a floresta.(Many efforts have been made to preserve the forest.) This implies continuous efforts over time. - Example:
As reclamações dos clientes têm sido registradas e analisadas.(Customer complaints have been registered and analyzed.) This speaks to an ongoing process.
Pretérito Mais-que-perfeito Composto Passivo (tinha sido + participle) is essential for clarity when narrating a sequence of past events. It precisely indicates that one passive action occurred and was completed before another past action.- Example:
Percebemos que o relatório tinha sido alterado antes de ser publicado.(We realized that the report had been altered before being published.) The alteration preceded the publication.
Futuro do Presente Composto Passivo (terá sido + participle) allows you to project backward from a future point, discussing what will already be a completed passive state by then. Useful for planning, deadlines, or predictions.- Example:
Até o fim do projeto, todas as fases terão sido concluídas.(By the end of the project, all phases will have been completed.)
Futuro do Pretérito Composto Passivo (teria sido + participle) is the correct choice.- Example:
Sem a intervenção, a situação teria sido agravada irremediavelmente.(Without the intervention, the situation would have been irrevocably worsened.)
ter sido when you need to combine the idea of a completed action (compound tense) with the focus on the recipient of that action (passive voice), often in more formal or analytical contexts.Common Mistakes
Eu tenho feito), the main verb's past participle typically remains invariant. However, in the passive voice with ter sido, the main verb's past participle MUST agree in gender and number with the grammatical subject of the sentence. This agreement signifies that the subject is in a state resulting from the action.- Incorrect:
As portas tinha sido abertos.(The doors had been opened - Abertos is masculine plural, portas is feminine plural). - Correct:
As portas tinham sido abertas.(Abertasagrees withas portas).
- Incorrect:
A carta tem sido escrito.(The letter has been written - Escrito is masculine singular, carta is feminine singular). - Correct:
A carta tem sido escrita.(Escritaagrees witha carta).
ter is invariable) with the passive voice rule (where the participle following ser—or sido in this case—functions adjectivally and must agree).Sido or Confusing with Active Voice:sido entirely, leading to an active voice construction that completely alters the meaning. Ter + participle (without sido) is always active.- Incorrect:
O trabalho tem feito.(The work has done.) This implies the work itself is performing an action. - Correct:
O trabalho tem sido feito.(The work has been done.) This correctly conveys the passive meaning.
Formation of Compound Passive
| Subject | Auxiliary (Ter) | Participle (Ser) | Main Verb |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Eu
|
tenho
|
sido
|
feito(a)
|
|
Você/Ele/Ela
|
tem
|
sido
|
feito(a)
|
|
Nós
|
temos
|
sido
|
feitos(as)
|
|
Vocês/Eles/Elas
|
têm
|
sido
|
feitos(as)
|
Meanings
This construction forms the passive voice for compound tenses, indicating an action that has been performed by an agent over a duration.
Continuous Passive
Actions that have been happening repeatedly up to the present.
“As leis têm sido discutidas no congresso.”
“Muitos erros têm sido cometidos recentemente.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Subj + têm + sido + Participle
|
Os relatórios têm sido lidos.
|
|
Negative
|
Subj + não + têm + sido + Participle
|
Os relatórios não têm sido lidos.
|
|
Interrogative
|
Têm + Subj + sido + Participle?
|
Têm os relatórios sido lidos?
|
|
Short Answer
|
Sim/Não + têm/não têm
|
Sim, têm.
|
|
Feminine
|
Subj(fem) + têm + sido + Participle(fem)
|
As cartas têm sido enviadas.
|
|
Plural
|
Subj(pl) + têm + sido + Participle(pl)
|
Os carros têm sido consertados.
|
Formality Spectrum
Os relatórios têm sido verificados pela auditoria. (Workplace)
Os relatórios têm sido verificados. (Workplace)
A gente tem verificado os relatórios. (Workplace)
Os relatórios tão sendo vistos. (Workplace)
Passive Voice Components
Auxiliary
- ter to have
Connector
- sido been
Main Verb
- particípio past participle
Simple vs. Compound Passive
Agreement Flowchart
Is the subject feminine?
Is the subject plural?
Examples by Level
Os livros têm sido lidos.
The books have been read.
As cartas têm sido enviadas.
The letters have been sent.
Os testes têm sido feitos.
The tests have been done.
As portas têm sido abertas.
The doors have been opened.
Os projetos têm sido finalizados.
The projects have been finished.
As reuniões têm sido canceladas.
The meetings have been cancelled.
Os preços têm sido aumentados.
The prices have been increased.
As luzes têm sido desligadas.
The lights have been turned off.
Muitas leis têm sido alteradas recentemente.
Many laws have been changed recently.
Os relatórios têm sido revisados com cuidado.
The reports have been reviewed carefully.
As estratégias têm sido discutidas pela diretoria.
The strategies have been discussed by the board.
Os problemas têm sido ignorados por muito tempo.
The problems have been ignored for a long time.
As políticas de segurança têm sido implementadas em todo o país.
Security policies have been implemented nationwide.
Os dados têm sido analisados por especialistas.
The data has been analyzed by experts.
As metas têm sido alcançadas com sucesso.
The goals have been reached successfully.
Os recursos têm sido alocados de forma eficiente.
Resources have been allocated efficiently.
As falhas no sistema têm sido reportadas recorrentemente pelos usuários.
System failures have been reported recurrently by users.
As mudanças climáticas têm sido estudadas exaustivamente pela comunidade científica.
Climate change has been studied exhaustively by the scientific community.
As decisões têm sido tomadas sem a devida consulta pública.
Decisions have been made without proper public consultation.
Os direitos humanos têm sido defendidos por diversas organizações internacionais.
Human rights have been defended by various international organizations.
As estruturas arcaicas têm sido desmanteladas em prol de uma modernização institucional.
Archaic structures have been dismantled in favor of institutional modernization.
As nuances do discurso têm sido interpretadas de formas divergentes pelos críticos.
The nuances of the discourse have been interpreted in divergent ways by critics.
As evidências têm sido corroboradas por múltiplos estudos independentes.
The evidence has been corroborated by multiple independent studies.
As tensões diplomáticas têm sido mitigadas através de negociações bilaterais.
Diplomatic tensions have been mitigated through bilateral negotiations.
Easily Confused
Learners confuse 'são feitos' (are done) with 'têm sido feitos' (have been being done).
Learners confuse active voice with passive voice.
Learners aren't sure when to use 'haver' as an auxiliary.
Common Mistakes
Os livros tem sido lido.
Os livros têm sido lidos.
Eles tem sido feito.
Eles têm sido feitos.
Tem sido feito os testes.
Os testes têm sido feitos.
Tem sido lida os livros.
Os livros têm sido lidos.
As cartas tem sido enviado.
As cartas têm sido enviadas.
Não tem sido feito nada.
Nada tem sido feito.
Têm sido feito muitas coisas.
Muitas coisas têm sido feitas.
Os relatórios têm sido revisando.
Os relatórios têm sido revisados.
Têm sido discutido os problemas.
Os problemas têm sido discutidos.
Eles têm sido visto.
Eles têm sido vistos.
As decisões têm sido tomado.
As decisões têm sido tomadas.
Têm sido sendo feito.
Têm sido feito.
Os dados têm sido analisado.
Os dados têm sido analisados.
A gente tem sido feito.
Nós temos sido feitos.
Sentence Patterns
Os ___ têm sido ___ pelo(a) ___.
___ têm sido ___ recentemente.
Têm ___ sido ___?
Não têm sido ___ os ___.
Real World Usage
Os resultados têm sido analisados mensalmente.
As medidas têm sido criticadas pela oposição.
As amostras têm sido coletadas em diferentes locais.
Os preços têm sido um absurdo!
Meus projetos têm sido bem-sucedidos.
As rotas têm sido alteradas devido ao clima.
Check the Subject
Don't Forget the Accent
Use for Trends
Regional Differences
Smart Tips
Use 'têm sido' to sound more objective.
Use 'têm sido' to emphasize the duration.
Check the participle ending immediately.
Use 'têm sido' for safety in formal contexts.
Pronunciation
Têm
The nasal sound in 'têm' is crucial to distinguish it from 'tem' (singular).
Sido
The 's' is soft, and the 'o' at the end is often reduced to a 'u' sound in Brazilian Portuguese.
Declarative
Os relatórios têm sido lidos. ↘
Falling intonation indicates a completed statement of fact.
Interrogative
Têm os relatórios sido lidos? ↗
Rising intonation indicates a question.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Think of 'Ter' as the 'Time-keeper' and 'Sido' as the 'Bridge' to the action.
Visual Association
Imagine a conveyor belt (the 'ter' time) moving items (the subject) that are being stamped (the 'sido' + participle) one by one.
Rhyme
Com 'ter' e 'sido' a ação se repete, o particípio concorda, ninguém se compromete.
Story
Maria is a quality inspector. Every day, she watches the factory line. She says, 'Os produtos têm sido verificados' (The products have been checked). She repeats this every hour, emphasizing the ongoing nature of the work.
Word Web
Challenge
Write 5 sentences about your daily work or study routine using 'têm sido' in 5 minutes.
Cultural Notes
In Brazil, 'ter' is almost exclusively used for this construction, even in formal contexts.
In Portugal, 'haver' is sometimes preferred in very formal or literary contexts, though 'ter' is common.
This construction is highly valued in academic writing to maintain an objective tone.
Derived from the Latin 'habere' (to have) and 'esse' (to be).
Conversation Starters
Quais projetos têm sido desenvolvidos na sua empresa?
Como as regras têm sido aplicadas ultimamente?
Você acha que os problemas têm sido resolvidos?
Quais mudanças têm sido notadas na cidade?
Journal Prompts
Common Mistakes
Test Yourself
Os relatórios ___ (ser) revisados pela equipe.
Find and fix the mistake:
As cartas tem sido enviado.
Which sentence is correct?
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
Eles (ter + sido + feito)
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Use: metas, têm, sido, alcançadas.
The participle must agree with the subject.
Score: /8
Practice Exercises
8 exercisesOs relatórios ___ (ser) revisados pela equipe.
Find and fix the mistake:
As cartas tem sido enviado.
Which sentence is correct?
sido / os / têm / feitos / testes
Eles (ter + sido + feito)
As casas...
Use: metas, têm, sido, alcançadas.
The participle must agree with the subject.
Score: /8
Practice Bank
13 exercisesA decisão ___ (ter/ser) tomada ontem à noite.
sido / projeto / O / finalizado / tinha / já
Match the sentences.
The rules had been broken.
As cartas terão sido entregue amanhã.
By 2030, the city ___ (will have been rebuilt).
Se eu soubesse, o carro não ___ (would have) sido vendido.
sido / avisados / Nós / tínhamos / não
Match the grammar terms.
Muitas mentiras têm sido contadas.
O projeto haviam sido cancelado.
Elas ___ sido convidadas para a festa, mas não foram.
Choose the sentence that means 'has been being tested'.
Score: /13
FAQ (8)
In Brazil, 'ter' is standard. In Portugal, 'haver' is used in very formal writing.
Yes, it must agree in gender and number with the subject.
It is more common in writing, but used in formal speech.
Place 'não' before 'têm': 'Não têm sido feitos'.
Use 'tenho': 'Eu tenho sido elogiado'.
Yes, 'têm' is plural, 'tem' is singular.
No, this is for actions that have been happening up to now.
It requires mastery of agreement and register.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
han sido + participio
Spanish uses 'haber', Portuguese uses 'ter'.
ont été + participe
French uses 'être' for passive, not 'avoir'.
sind ... worden
German uses 'werden', Portuguese uses 'ter + sido'.
passive form + te iru
Japanese is agglutinative; Portuguese is analytic.
passive voice + verb
Arabic uses morphology, not auxiliary verbs.
bei + agent + verb
Chinese does not conjugate verbs.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
Learn These First
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