Día 263 · Pasiva impersonal — It is said that…
⏱️ Duración total: ~3 h 15 min — Clase 60 min · Ejercicios 60 min · Reto 60 min · Quiz ~15 min. Puedes dividirlo en varias sesiones el mismo día.
🎯 Objetivo del día
- Al terminar dominarás la pasiva impersonal: It is said/believed/thought that…
- Formarás la pasiva personal: He is said to be… / She is believed to have…
- Usarás verbos de opinión/reporte (say, believe, think, know, expect, report, consider).
- Distinguirás to be (acción simultánea) de to have been (acción anterior).
- Sonarás formal y preciso al transmitir rumores, datos y noticias sin nombrar la fuente.
📖 Clase (60 min)
Introducción y contexto
Hoy aprendes una de las estructuras más elegantes y útiles del inglés culto, omnipresente en periodismo, ciencia y diplomacia: la pasiva impersonal con verbos de opinión. Sirve para transmitir lo que "se dice / se cree / se piensa" sin atribuirlo a nadie en concreto:
- It is said that the company is in trouble. (Se dice que la empresa está en problemas.)
- The CEO is believed to have resigned. (Se cree que el director ha dimitido.)
Esto es lo que hace que un texto suene a artículo serio y no a charla informal.
Explicación detallada (regla por regla)
Partimos de una oración como: People say that he is rich. Hay dos formas de pasivizarla:
Estructura A — Pasiva impersonal con It.
It + is/was + [said/believed/thought…] + that + frase normal.
- People say that he is rich. → It is said that he is rich.
- Experts believe that the economy will recover. → It is believed that the economy will recover.
- They reported that the bridge had collapsed. → It was reported that the bridge had collapsed.
Aquí la frase tras that queda intacta. Es la más fácil.
Estructura B — Pasiva personal (sujeto adelantado + infinitivo).
Sujeto + is/was + [said/believed…] + to + infinitivo.
- People say that he is rich. → He is said to be rich.
- They believe that she knows the answer. → She is believed to know the answer.
Clave del tiempo del infinitivo:
- Si la acción es simultánea/posterior al verbo de opinión → to + infinitivo simple: He is said to live in Paris.
- Si la acción es anterior → to have + participio: He is said to have lived in Paris. / The painting is believed to have been stolen.
- Si es continua → to be + -ing: He is believed to be hiding.
Verbos que admiten esta estructura: say, believe, think, know, expect, consider, report, claim, allege, understand, presume, estimate, rumour.
Ejemplos comparados:
| Activa | Pasiva impersonal (A) | Pasiva personal (B) |
|---|---|---|
| People say he is honest. | It is said that he is honest. | He is said to be honest. |
| They believe she stole it. | It is believed that she stole it. | She is believed to have stolen it. |
| Experts think prices will rise. | It is thought that prices will rise. | Prices are thought to rise / to be going to rise. |
| Police reported he had fled. | It was reported that he had fled. | He was reported to have fled. |
Vocabulario clave
| English | Pronunciación aprox. | Español |
|---|---|---|
| it is said that | it is sed dat | se dice que |
| it is believed that | it is bilíivd dat | se cree que |
| it is thought that | it is zot dat | se piensa que |
| it is known that | it is nóun dat | se sabe que |
| it is reported that | it is ripórtid dat | se informa que |
| it is expected that | it is ikspéktid dat | se espera que |
| it is estimated that | it is éstimeitid dat | se estima que |
| it is claimed that | it is cléimd dat | se afirma que |
| he is said to be | hi is sed tu bi | se dice que él es |
| she is believed to have | shi is bilíivd tu hav | se cree que ella ha |
| to allege | tu aléch | alegar, presuntamente |
| allegedly | aléchedli | presuntamente |
| rumour | rúmor | rumor |
| source | sors | fuente |
| widely | uáidli | ampliamente |
Gramática a fondo
| Tiempo de la idea | Estructura B (personal) | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|
| Presente / general | is/are said to be / to do | He is said to be rich. |
| Pasado / anterior | is/are said to have + part. | He is said to have left. |
| Continuo | is/are said to be + -ing | He is said to be working abroad. |
| Pasado del reporte | was/were said to + inf. | He was believed to be innocent. |
Negativa: It is not thought that… / He is not believed to be involved.
Pronunciación y notas de uso
It is said → "itssed"; is believed → "izbilíivd". Esta estructura es registro alto: noticias, informes, ensayos, ciencia (It is widely believed that…, The treatment is thought to reduce…). En conversación informal se prefiere They say / Apparently / I heard that…. Allegedly es típico del periodismo legal: He allegedly stole the money.
Errores comunes del hispanohablante
- ❌ Is said that he is rich. → ✓ It is said that he is rich. (sujeto it obligatorio)
- ❌ He is said that he is rich. → ✓ He is said to be rich. (en estructura personal, infinitivo, sin that)
- ❌ It is said he have left. → ✓ It is said that he has left. / He is said to have left.
- ❌ He is believed to stole it. → ✓ He is believed to have stolen it. (acción anterior → inf. perfecto)
- ❌ People is said... → ✓ usar It is said that people… o reformular.
- ❌ It is said than he is rich. → ✓ ...said that he is rich. (that, no than)
Mini-diálogo de ejemplo
Reporter: It is reported that the company is closing. Is that true? Spokesperson: It is believed that some changes are coming, yes. Reporter: The CEO is said to have resigned. Can you confirm? Spokesperson: She is thought to be on leave, not resigned. Reporter: And the losses? Spokesperson: They are estimated to be around two million.
Traducción: —Se informa de que la empresa cierra. ¿Es cierto? —Se cree que vienen algunos cambios, sí. —Se dice que la directora ha dimitido. ¿Puede confirmarlo? —Se piensa que está de baja, no que dimitió. —¿Y las pérdidas? —Se estiman en torno a dos millones.
✍️ Ejercicios (60 min)
Bloque 1 — Activa → pasiva impersonal con It (10 min)
- People say that he is very rich.
- Experts believe that the climate is changing.
- They reported that the road was closed.
- Everyone knows that exercise is good for you.
- They expect that prices will rise.
Bloque 2 — Activa → pasiva personal (sujeto + to inf.) (12 min)
- People say that she is a genius.
- They believe that he knows the truth.
- Experts think the painting is fake.
- They say that he lives in Canada.
- People believe that she stole the money.
Bloque 3 — Elige el infinitivo correcto (simple / perfecto) (10 min)
- He is said ______ (live / have lived) in Paris now.
- The thief is believed ______ (escape / have escaped) last night.
- She is thought ______ (be / have been) abroad at the moment.
- The painting is said ______ (paint / have been painted) in 1700.
Bloque 4 — Traducción Español → Inglés (12 min)
- Se dice que él es muy inteligente.
- Se cree que el cuadro fue robado en 1990.
- Se espera que los precios suban.
- Se piensa que ella está trabajando en el extranjero.
- Se informa de que la carretera está cerrada.
Bloque 5 — Corrige (8 min)
- Is said that he is rich.
- He is said that he is rich.
- He is believed to stole it.
- It is said than she left.
Bloque 6 — Producción escrita (8 min)
Escribe un mini-artículo de 5–6 frases sobre un rumor o una noticia, usando al menos 3 estructuras impersonales/personales distintas.
Ver soluciones
B1: 1. It is said that he is very rich. · 2. It is believed that the climate is changing. · 3. It was reported that the road was closed. · 4. It is known that exercise is good for you. · 5. It is expected that prices will rise.
B2: 1. She is said to be a genius. · 2. He is believed to know the truth. · 3. The painting is thought to be fake. · 4. He is said to live in Canada. · 5. She is believed to have stolen the money.
B3: 1. to live · 2. to have escaped · 3. to be · 4. to have been painted
B4: 1. He is said to be very intelligent. / It is said that he is very intelligent. · 2. The painting is believed to have been stolen in 1990. · 3. It is expected that prices will rise. / Prices are expected to rise. · 4. She is thought to be working abroad. · 5. It is reported that the road is closed.
B5: 1. It is said that he is rich. · 2. He is said to be rich. · 3. He is believed to have stolen it. · 4. It is said that she left.
B6: Respuesta libre. Verifica estructuras A y B correctas.
🚀 Reto del día (60 min)
"Breaking news / rumour report" — artículo periodístico.
- Escribe un breve artículo de prensa (180–220 palabras) sobre un suceso (real o inventado): un famoso, una empresa, un descubrimiento.
- Usa mínimo 6 estructuras impersonales/personales: It is reported that…, He is said to…, The losses are estimated to be…, She is believed to have…
- Incluye al menos un infinitivo perfecto (to have + participio) y allegedly una vez.
- Grábate leyéndolo con tono de presentador de noticias (3 min).
Rúbrica de autoevaluación (0–10):
- Estructura impersonal con It correcta: 0–3
- Estructura personal (sujeto + to inf.) correcta: 0–3
- Elección correcta de infinitivo simple/perfecto: 0–2
- Registro periodístico y fluidez: 0–2
✅ Quiz (~15 min)
- ______ is said that he is rich. (palabra que falta)
- Transforma a personal: People say that she is honest.
- He is believed ______ (steal) the money last week.
- Corrige: He is said that he lives in Rome.
- Pasiva impersonal de: They report that the road is closed.
- Traduce: "Se cree que el cuadro fue robado."
- ¿Infinitivo simple o perfecto para acción anterior?
- She is thought ______ (work) abroad now. (continuo)
- Traduce: "Se espera que los precios suban." (personal)
- ¿Es registro formal o informal esta estructura?
Ver respuestas
- It. 2. She is said to be honest. 3. to have stolen. 4. He is said to live in Rome. 5. It is reported that the road is closed. 6. The painting is believed to have been stolen. / It is believed that the painting was stolen. 7. Perfecto (to have + participio). 8. to be working. 9. Prices are expected to rise. 10. Formal (periodismo, ciencia, informes).
📚 Recursos
- BBC Learning English – Impersonal passive (It is said that…).
- British Council: "Reporting structures: passive".
- Lee Reuters/BBC: localiza is said to / is believed to / it is reported that.
- Cambridge Dictionary: be said to, be thought to.
⏭️ Siguiente
Mañana: pasiva de verbos con preposición, phrasal verbs y verbos causativos (have/get something done). Cierre de la gramática avanzada de la pasiva.
Quiz
Q Which word is missing? "______ is said that he is rich."
* It
- He
- That
Q Transform to the personal passive: "People say that she is honest."
* She is said to be honest.
- She is said that she is honest.
- She said to be honest.
Q For an earlier action: "He is believed ______ the money last week."
* to have stolen
- to steal
- to be stolen
Q This impersonal passive structure belongs to which register?
* Formal (journalism, science, reports)
- Informal everyday conversation
- Slang