Spanish · Chapter 24 · Lesson 8 · Grammar primer
The passive with ser
ser + past participle (+ por + agent): la novela fue escrita por Cervantes. The participle agrees with the subject, the tense lives on ser, and how it differs from estar + participle (action vs resulting state).
The short version
Fue cerrada happened, está cerrada just is
Ser plus a participle reports an event; estar plus the same participle describes the state it left behind. La puerta fue cerrada means somebody shut it. La puerta está cerrada just means it is shut, no event in view. The quick test: if you could add por plus an agent, you want the action, so ser.
La puerta fue cerrada por el viento.
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