In the above examples, all of the feminine objects (gafas, pruebas, ausencias) are plural so that the past participle of the action ends with -as. Does this mean that for a single object (chica, casa, etc) the past participle takes on -a?
Example: La casa fue construida por Miguel.
Hola M. S.
Yes, exactly, you’ve understood it correctly.
When you form the passive voice with ser + past participle, the past participle works like an adjective and must agree in gender and number with the subject, not with the verb itself.
So:
Feminine singular → -a
Feminine plural → -as
Masculine singular → -o
Masculine plural → -os
That’s why your example is perfectly correct:
Here, la casa is feminine singular, so construido becomes construida.
In the examples you mentioned (gafas, pruebas, ausencias), they are feminine plural, which is why the participle ends in -as.
Just remember that this agreement happens only in passive constructions with ser (or when the participle is used as an adjective). When the participle is part of a compound tense with haber (e.g. he construido), it never changes.
Good observation! This is a key point of the passive voice in Spanish.
Saludos
Silvia
In the above examples, all of the feminine objects (gafas, pruebas, ausencias) are plural so that the past participle of the action ends with -as. Does this mean that for a single object (chica, casa, etc) the past participle takes on -a?
Example: La casa fue construida por Miguel.
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