B2 (Upper Intermediate)Lesson 3: Passive Constructions & Alternatives
The ter + sido + participle construction forms compound passives in Portuguese. The form of ter and the context determine the time and aspect: tem/têm sido describes ongoing or repeated situations extending toward the present, while tinha/tinham sido locates a passive action before another past reference point.
Combines ter (have) + sido (been) + past participle
Shows actions done to the subject, not by the subject
Participle agrees with subject in gender/number
The construction occurs in speech and writing; register depends on context
Tem/têm sido describes ongoing or repeated situations toward the present; tinha/tinham sido marks past anteriority
Different from ser + participle (simple passive)
The form of ter determines the compound tense; distinguish auxiliary tense from the tense of the whole construction
Active or se alternatives can change agency or aspect; choose according to context
ter (conjugated) + sido + past participle (agreeing in gender/number with subject)
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Need to describe a repeated passive process or an action completed before another past event? The ter + sido + participle construction is your gateway to expressing complex passive ideas with different time values: tem/têm sido describes an ongoing or repeated situation, while tinha/tinham sido locates it before another past reference point. Although active alternatives can suit casual speech, compound passives also occur in spoken Portuguese; mastering this structure is essential for formal writing, business communication, and understanding news articles where you'll encounter phrases like "As medidas têm sido implementadas" (The measures have been implemented).
The ter + sido + participle passive is like a three-layer cake of grammar:
TER (auxiliary verb) - provides the time frame of the compound verb form
SIDO (past participle of ser) - creates the passive structure
PARTICIPLE - identifies the action and agrees with the patient-subject
English "has/have been" is only a context-dependent gloss, not an automatic translation rule. Tem/têm sido describes ongoing or repeated situations extending toward the present; it does not normally report a single completed event at a closed past time such as ontem. Other forms of ter give the compound passive other time values.
Let's break down "O projeto tem sido desenvolvido" (The project has been undergoing development):
O projeto = subject (masculine singular)
tem = has (3rd person singular of ter)
"O projeto tem sido desenvolvido por uma equipe internacional" (The project has been developed by an international team)
"Suas ideias têm sido bem recebidas pela diretoria" (Your ideas have been well received by the board)
"Os pagamentos têm sido processados com atraso" (Payments have been processed with delay)
"A empresa tem sido administrada pela mesma família" (The company has been managed by the same family)
"O ministro tem sido criticado pela oposição" (The minister has been criticized by the opposition)
"As medidas têm sido implementadas gradualmente" (The measures have been implemented gradually)
"Vários suspeitos têm sido interrogados" (Several suspects have been interrogated)
"A lei tem sido questionada no Supremo" (The law has been questioned in the Supreme Court)
Watch out for these irregular participles in current standard usage:
abrir → aberto (not "abrido")
escrever → escrito (not "escrevido")
fazer → feito (not "fazido")
ver → visto (not "vido")
pôr → posto (not "ponido")
dizer → dito (not "dizido")
vir → vindo (not "vido"); ordinary vir is intransitive, so tem vindo is active, not a passive model
Example: "A porta tem sido aberta" (not "abrida")
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