Passiv: the passive voice
The Passiv is an important topic at the intermediate level because it lets you express things more objectively and describe processes more clearly. This lesson helps you understand when to use the passive, how to form it, and how to tell the two main types of passive apart.
What is the Passiv?
In a passive sentence, the focus is not on the person performing the action but on the action itself or its result. So the Passiv is usually used when the doer isn't important, isn't clear, or doesn't need to be mentioned.
When to use Aktiv, and when to use Passiv?
- Use Aktiv when you want to emphasize who is performing the action.
- Use Passiv when you want to emphasize what is happening or has happened to a thing or phenomenon.
- The Passiv is very common in process descriptions, announcements, academic writing, and situations that call for objectivity.
The 2 most important types of passive
| Type | Structure | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Vorgangspassiv | werden + Partizip II | emphasizes the process / action taking place |
| Zustandspassiv | sein + Partizip II | emphasizes the state / result after the action |
Ein Auto wird repariert.
A car is being repaired. The focus is on the process of repairing.
Ein Auto ist repariert.
A car has been repaired. The focus is on the state after the action.
The 3 steps to change from active to passive
- Move the direct object of the active sentence up to become the subject of the passive sentence.
- Change the main verb to Partizip II.
- Add werden if you're talking about a process, or sein if you're talking about a state.
- If you want to keep the agent, you usually use von + Dativ or durch + Akkusativ.
If the active sentence has no direct object, or no specific object can be raised to subject position, German sometimes uses es as a dummy subject to form a general passive sentence.
| Tense | Structure |
|---|---|
| Präsens | werden + Partizip II |
| Präteritum | wurden + Partizip II |
| Perfekt | sein + Partizip II + worden |
| Plusquamperfekt | waren + Partizip II + worden |
| Futur I | werden + Partizip II + werden |
Passiv with Modalverben
The original lesson also mentions the Vorgangspassiv used with modal verbs, for example Ein Buch muss geschrieben werden. Here the modal verb carries the main role in terms of nuance, while werden + Partizip II does the job of forming the passive.
Mẹo học nhanh
Always ask yourself: am I emphasizing the process or the state? If it's the process, you usually use werden. If it's the result or the state after the action, you usually use sein.