Passive Voice (Passiv)¶
The passive voice is used to shift focus from the doer of an action to the action itself or the person/thing receiving it.
- Active: Der Mann repariert das Auto. (The man repairs the car. - Focus on the man.)
- Passive: Das Auto wird repariert. (The car is being repaired. - Focus on the car.)
German has two main types of passive, which are not interchangeable:
1. Process Passive (Vorgangspassiv): Describes the action or process. Uses the verb werden.
2. State Passive (Zustandspassiv): Describes the result or state after the action is complete. Uses the verb sein.
1. The Process Passive (Vorgangspassiv)¶
This is the most common passive form. It emphasizes the action in progress. It's formed with the auxiliary verb werden + the Past Participle (Partizip II).
Formula: werden (conjugated) + Partizip II
Tenses of the Process Passive¶
| Tense | Formation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present | wird + Partizip II |
Das Auto wird repariert. (The car is being repaired.) |
| Simple Past | wurde + Partizip II |
Das Auto wurde repariert. (The car was repaired.) |
| Present Perfect | ist + Partizip II + worden |
Das Auto ist repariert worden. (The car has been repaired.) |
| Future I | wird + Partizip II + werden |
Das Auto wird repariert werden. (The car will be repaired.) |
Note on the Perfect Tense: The past participle of werden is geworden. However, in the passive, it is shortened to worden.
2. The State Passive (Zustandspassiv)¶
This form is used much less often. It emphasizes the resulting state after an action has been completed. It's formed with the auxiliary verb sein + the Past Participle (Partizip II).
In this form, the Past Participle acts just like an adjective.
Formula: sein (conjugated) + Partizip II
| Tense | Formation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present | ist + Partizip II |
Das Auto ist repariert. (The car is repaired. - i.e., it is in a repaired state) |
| Simple Past | war + Partizip II |
Das Auto war repariert. (The car was repaired. - i.e., it was in a repaired state) |
3. Critical Comparison: Process vs. State¶
Choosing the wrong auxiliary (werden vs. sein) is the most common mistake.
Process Passive (werden) |
State Passive (sein) |
|---|---|
| Die Tür wird geöffnet. | Die Tür ist geöffnet. |
| (The door is being opened.) | (The door is open.) |
| Focus: The action of opening. | Focus: The result of being open. |
| Das Fenster ist repariert worden. | Das Fenster ist repariert. |
| (The window has been repaired.) | (The window is repaired.) |
| Focus: The repair event happened. | Focus: The window is in a fixed state now. |
4. The Agent (Adding the "Doer")¶
If you need to mention who or what performed the action, you use prepositions:
-
von+ Dative: Used for the main agent (person, organization).- Das Auto wird von dem Mechaniker repariert. (The car is repaired by the mechanic.)
-
durch+ Accusative: Used for the means or instrument (the tool, or a force of nature).- Das Fenster wurde durch den Sturm zerstört. (The window was destroyed by the storm.)
5. Passive with Modal Verbs¶
When using a modal verb, the modal is conjugated, and the passive is formed with Partizip II + werden (infinitive).
Formula: Modal (conjugated) + Partizip II + werden
- Active: Man muss das Auto reparieren. (One must repair the car.)
-
Passive: Das Auto muss repariert werden. (The car must be repaired.)
-
Active: Man kann die Tür öffnen. (One can open the door.)
- Passive: Die Tür kann geöffnet werden. (The door can be opened.)
6. Impersonal Passive (Unpersönliches Passiv)¶
This form is used with intransitive verbs (verbs that don't take a direct object) to say that an action is happening in general.
Formula: Es + wird (conjugated) + ...
- Es wird getanzt. (There is dancing / People are dancing.)
- Es wird hier viel gearbeitet. (A lot of work is done here / People work a lot here.)
If another element is in Position 1, the es is dropped:
* Hier wird viel gearbeitet.
7. Active Alternatives to Passive¶
In daily speech, Germans often prefer active constructions to avoid the passive.
-
man(one / they / you)- Passiv:
Das Auto wird repariert. - Aktiv:
Manrepariert das Auto.(One repairs the car.)
- Passiv:
-
sich lassen(can be...-ed)- Passiv:
Das Auto kann repariert werden. - Aktiv:
Das Auto **lässt sich** reparieren.(The car can be repaired / is repairable.)
- Passiv: