86 A SPANISH REFERENCE GRAMMAR

pelearse, to fight; tardar or tardarse, to delay, tarry. 398.

3. Reciprocal verbs. These are found only in the plural, since it takes at least two persons to exchange an action. Clearness, as well as distinction from reflexives, is obtained by using uno a (de) otro or el uno al (del) otro : se aman uno (-a, -os, -as) a otro (-a, -os, -as), they love one another, each other; nos olvidamos uno (etc.) de otro (etc.), we forget each other. 399

3. THE ACTIVE VOICE (la in the active. voice when sented as acting: yo voy, doubted it. 400.

4. THE PASSIVE VOICE (la voz pasiva). Verbs are in the passive when the subject is represented as acted upon: la nifla es admirada, the girl is admired. 401.

I. Ser is the auxiliary of the passive, the action represented by the variable past participle (see 461) taking place at the same time as that of ser : el ladrOn fuê capturado por los soldados, the robber was captured by the soldiers. This may be made active thus: los soldados capturaron al ladrOn, the soldiers captured the robber. 402.

2. Estar + the past participle forms the " apparent passive " in which the participle is in

THE PASSIVE VOICE   87

reality nothing but an adjective descriptive of the condition of the subject as a result of the previous action: la hierba esta cortada, the grass is cut, in a cut condition. Other verbs similarly used are quedar, hallarse, encontrarse, etc. 403.

3. In either the real or apparent passive the past participle agrees with the subject. See foregoing examples. 404.

4. The agent of the action of a passive verb or participle is preceded by por or de, the former when the action is physical, the latter when it is mental or the language is figurative: fue fusilado por el enemigo, he was shot by the enemy; Juan es amado de todos, 7ohn is loved by all. See 384. 405.

5. The real passive is most commonly found when the subject is a person; the apparent passive when the subject is a thing. 406.

6. The passive is frequently replaced by either the personal or impersonal reflexive. When the subject is a thing the personal reflexive is the common substitute: se corta la hierba, the grass is being cut. When a person, the impersonal reflexive is substituted: se le ama a Juan, 7ohn is loved. Note that what is the subject in English usually follows the verb in Spanish. See 383, 389-391. 407.

7. The passive may be replaced by the active in the indefinite 3rd person plural: cortan

voz activa). Verbs are the subject is repreI go; lo dudaron, they