What is the passive?
In German you can form sentences in the active or the passive. In the active the person acting is important. In the passive the action takes centre stage.
The passive is useful when the person is unknown, when the person is unimportant, or when you want to write formally and neutrally.
In German there are two types: the Vorgangspassiv and the Zustandspassiv.
You will encounter the passive mainly in news articles, official texts and instructions.
Vorgangspassiv: the ongoing action
The Vorgangspassiv describes an action as a process. It is formed with werden + Partizip II.
werden (conjugated) + Partizip II
In different tenses
The Vorgangspassiv exists in all tenses. You will encounter the present, simple past and the perfect most often.
With von + dative
If you still want to name the person acting, you use von + dative.
Zustandspassiv: the result
The Zustandspassiv does not describe an event but the result of an action. It is formed with sein + Partizip II.
sein (conjugated) + Partizip II
Memory aid: process → werden. State → sein. "Die Tür wird geschlossen." (it is happening now) → "Die Tür ist geschlossen." (now it is shut)
Transforming active → passive
When transforming, the accusative object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.
If the person acting is unimportant or unknown, you simply leave them out.
Exercises
Test your knowledge of the passive with three exercise parts.
Vorgangspassiv or Zustandspassiv?
Which type of passive is it?
Active or passive?
Is the sentence in the active or the passive?
Turn active into passive
Rewrite the active sentence in the passive (present, without „von"). The accusative object becomes the subject.