When we think about the properties the verbs might have, chances are that the first property that comes to mind is its tense: Does it refer to actions in the past, present or future? But verbs also have two other grammatical properties that are important to understanding how they are used: their mood and their voice.
The mood of a verb (sometimes called the mode of a verb) is a property that relates to how the person using the verb feels about its factuality or likelihood; the distinction is made much more often in Spanish than it is in English. The voice of a verb has more to do with the grammatical structure of the sentence in which it is used in and refers to the connection between a verb and its subject or object.
The three moods: Both English and Spanish have three verb moods:
•The indicative mood is the "normal" verb form used in everyday statements. In a sentence such as I see the dog (Veo el perro in Spanish), the verb is in the indicative mood.
•The subjunctive mood is used in many statements that are contrary to fact, are hoped for or are in doubt. This mood is by far more common in Spanish, since it has mostly disappeared in English. An example of the subjunctive in English is the verb in the phrase if I were rich (si fuera rico in Spanish), which refers to a contrary-to-fact condition. The subjunctive is also used in a sentence such as I request that my pseudonym be published (pido que se publique mi seudónimo in Spanish), which indicates a type of desire.
•The imperative mood is used to give direct commands. The short sentence Leave! (¡Sal tú! in Spanish) is in the imperative mood.
Active and passive voice: The voice of a verb depends primarily on the structre of a sentence. Verbs used in a "normal" fashion, in which the subject of the sentence is performing the action of the verb is in the active voice. An example of a sentence in the active voice is Sandi bought a car (Sandi compró un coche in Spanish).
When the passive voice is used, the subject of the sentence is acted on by the verb; the person or thing performing the action of the verb isn't always specified. An example of a sentence in the passive voice is The car was bought by Sandi (El coche fue comprado por Sandi in Spanish). In both languages, a past participle (bought and comprado) is used to form the passive voice.
It is important to note that, while common in English, the passive voice is seldom used in Spanish. A common reason for using the passive voice is to avoid stating who or what is performing the action of a verb. In Spanish, that same goal can be accomplished by using verbs reflexively.
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