Spanish · B2 · Family moment
A Drawing Without a Name in Spanish
Helping your child navigate the emotions of a school art competition involves discussing their hopes and fears. This guide focuses on expressing these feelings using passive infinitive constructions in Spanish, allowing you to discuss the experience of being judged, noticed, or praised fairly and anonymously.
What you'll learn
- Express hopes and fears using 'ser' + past participle.
- Discuss expectations regarding fair treatment and outcomes.
- Identify how to use passive infinitives after verbs like 'esperar' and 'temer'.
Spanish phrases for a drawing without a name
¿Esperas ser elegido para la exposición de arte de la escuela?
Are you hoping to be chosen for the school art exhibition?
'Ser elegido' is the passive infinitive meaning 'to be chosen'.
Puedes esperar ser juzgado con justicia, al igual que los otros niños.
You can expect to be judged fairly, just like the other children.
'Con justicia' or 'justamente' both work for 'fairly'.
¿Tienes miedo de ser reconocido porque siempre dibujas dragones?
Are you afraid of being recognised because you always draw dragons?
'Miedo de' is followed by the infinitive 'ser'.
No tienes por qué tener miedo de que se rían de tus ideas.
You don't need to be afraid of being laughed at for your ideas.
Spanish often uses 'que se rían' (subjunctive) rather than a literal passive for 'being laughed at'.
Cada niño espera ser notado por algo en lo que trabajó duro.
Every child hopes to be noticed for something they worked hard on.
'Ser notado' translates 'to be noticed'.
Puedes esperar ser informado de los resultados después de las vacaciones.
You can expect to be told the results after the holiday.
'Ser informado' is a formal way to say 'to be told'.
Entiendo que esperas ser elogiado por todos esos pequeños detalles.
I understand that you're hoping to be praised for all those tiny details.
'Elogiado' means praised/commended.
Incluso sin tu nombre en el cuadro, puedes esperar ser tomado en serio.
Even without your name on the picture, you can expect to be taken seriously.
'Ser tomado en serio' is a direct equivalent for 'to be taken seriously'.
Hear these phrases and practise them
Tildi plays every phrase out loud, tests you in five-minute lessons and builds them into bedtime stories from your own picture books.
Try it free for 7 daysKey words
exposición
exhibition/show
Refers to the art display.
juzgado
judged
Past participle of 'juzgar'.
reconocido
recognized
From 'reconocer'.
elogiado
praised
Often used in academic or artistic contexts.
Passive Infinitive Complements
In Spanish, to express 'to be [actioned]', we use the infinitive 'ser' followed by the past participle. The participle must agree in gender and number with the subject (the child).
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Hope to be... | Esperar + ser + Participle | Espero ser invitado. |
| Fear being... | Tener miedo de + ser + Participle | Tengo miedo de ser visto. |
| Expect to be... | Esperar + ser + Participle | Puedes esperar ser escuchado. |
More examples
Ella espera ser premiada por su dibujo.
She hopes to be awarded for her drawing.
Note the feminine agreement: 'premiada'.
No debes temer ser criticado.
You shouldn't fear being criticized.
'Temer' can take the infinitive directly or with 'de'.