6 differences between subject patient and agent

The differences between subject patient and agent They refer to the action, the voice, the type of subject, the appearance in the sentence and the omission. In a Teacher we tell you.

The subject is one of the most important parts of sentences; However, the Spanish language hides some secrets within its structure, which you will need to discover in order to correctly understand the use of this language. Have you ever wondered why some actions fall directly on objects, while others are carried out by living and active beings?

In this lesson from a TEACHER we want to help you understand a little better the differences between subject patient and agent, in addition to giving you some examples of each of them. Can you come with us?

Index

1. What are the differences between subject patient and agent
2. What is the agent subject?
3. What is the patient subject?
4. Examples of agent subject
5. Examples of patient subject

These are the differences between subject patient and agent:

• The agent subject is the one who performs the action in a sentence, while the patient subject receives the action.
• The agent subject is found in active sentences, where the verb is in the active voice, while the patient subject is found in passive sentences, where the verb is in the passive voice.
• The agent subject is usually a person or an animated being, while the patient subject can be an object or an animal.
• In an active sentence, the agent subject usually appears before the verb, while in a passive sentence, the subject patient is placed before the verb and is followed by the auxiliary verb "to be" and the past participle of the verb major.
• The agent subject can be omitted in a passive sentence, while the patient subject is necessary.
• The transformation of an active sentence to a passive one implies changing the agent subject for the patient subject and reorganizing the structure of the sentence.

Hesubject agent is the one who carry out the action that proposes the verb in a sentence. It is characterized by being active, that is, by being the one who executes the action and does not stand still receiving it.

For example: The mechanic fixed my car in less than an hour.

"The mechanic" is the agent subject that actively carries out the action of the verb. This type of subject is the one used in the active voice sentences.

He patient subject is that type of subject that receives the action of the verb in a sentence, but does nothing to carry it out. It is about the subject that we find in passive voice sentences and is characterized precisely by his passivity, that is, there is always another who performs the action that he receives.

For example: The nationality was processed in less than 5 years.

"Nationality", in this case, is the patient subject, since it does absolutely nothing, but receive action of the verb in the passive form.

we leave you with some examples of sentences that contain agent subject, so that you can see how the subject is in charge of carrying out the action proposed by the verb in each case. We have marked it in bold to make it easier for you to identify it:

• Sandra she went to the movies with her boyfriend.
• The chef she prepared her specialty for dinner today.
• The protagonist of the film performed better than expected.
• Government announced a package of highly ambitious economic measures.
• The rainlast night destroyed my flowers
• Dove made a nest in the window of my room.
• Barack Obama she was president of the United States twice.
• Internet connection it is very bad in this hotel.
• Protesters they cut off the main avenue of the city.
• The phone It rang twice, but I didn't answer.
• ground chili It's too strong a sauce for my taste.
• with a lot of patience, my mother finished a 5,000 piece puzzle.

The patient subject can be a difficult concept to understand. That is why we are going to give you some practical examples, so that you can learn to identify this element of the language, whenever it appears in your texts. These are some sentences containing subject patient. We have also indicated them in bold, so that you can quickly recognize the subject:

• Federico Garcia Lorca he was shot for being homosexual.
• All the products of this place They were made by people living on the streets.
• The novel Hopscotch It was written by Julio Cortazar.
• After spending several years in captivity, finally, the whale was released.
• The president's speech was questioned very harshly.
• my bank account was blocked for security reasons.
• In tribute to Freddie Mercury, Somebody to love was played by George Michael.
• The Godfather it was chosen the best film in history by the specialized press.
• Penicillin, the wheel and the printing press They are considered some of the most transcendental inventions in the history of humanity.
• Miró's works They were exhibited in this museum on more than one occasion.
• The lyrics of Luis Alberto Spinetta They are considered poetry.
• The Bible It is the first printed book.
• The entire rural area of ​​my province It has been strongly affected by the rains of the last few days.
• The news was announced by the CEO of the company, during the end of the year toast.
• The arguments They were heard by the defense.
• book rights They were bought by a major foreign production company that has in mind to make a movie based on it.
• Tomorrow first thing in the morning they will be deposited their belongings.

Now you know much better difference that exists between the agent subject and the patient subject. If you are interested in continuing to learn more about this subject or something similar, do not hesitate to consult our grammar and linguistics section, where we will give you all the tools you need to learn the Spanish language correctly.

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• Delbecque, N. (1987). The position of the grammatical subject: implications for the teaching of Spanish as a foreign language. Spanish journal of applied linguistics, (3), 81-136.
• Cerrón-Palomino, A. (2017). Reflections of Quechua in a variety of contact? The position of the grammatical subject in Andean Spanish. philology bulletin, 52(1), 47-77.