I was told sth. by sb.是被动语态。

有些动词可以有两个宾语，在用于被动结构时，可以把主动结构中的一个宾语变为主语，另一宾语仍然保留在谓语后面。通常变为主语的是间接宾语。

His mother gave him a present for his birthday. 可改为 He was given a present by his mother for his birthday.

注意：这种情况多适用于“动作向某人直接发出”的句式，即：间接宾语移到直接宾语后加“to”，例如：

He lent me a dictionary. = He lent a dictionary to me.

→ I was lent a dictionary (by him).      → A dictionary was lent to me (by him).

若“动作向某人间接发出”或“动作为某人所发出”，即：间接宾语移到直接宾语后加“for”，那么，较多用直接宾语作为被动语态的主语。例如：

Father bought me a bike. = Father bought a bike for me.

→ A bike was bought for me (by Father).