The Passive Voice for Beginners

Quick Answer: The passive voice puts the focus on the action or the thing affected, not the person who does it. Form it with be + past participle: "English is spoken here." "The bridge was built in 1973." Add by only when the doer is important: "The song was written by Sezen Aksu."

Key takeaways

• Form: be + past participle. Only be changes for tense: is made, was made, has been made, will be made.
• The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive one.
• Use the passive when the doer is unknown, obvious or unimportant, and in news, science and official notices.
• Add by + doer only when it is useful information: "written by Shakespeare", not "built by people".
• Verbs without an object (happen, arrive, die) have no passive: "It happened", never "It was happened".
• "I was born" is always passive in English.

What is the difference between active and passive voice?

Active	Passive
Someone cleans the office every day.	The office is cleaned every day.
The police arrested the thief.	The thief was arrested (by the police).
They will open a new school.	A new school will be opened.

To change an active sentence into the passive:

1. The object of the active sentence becomes the subject.
2. Use be in the same tense as the active verb.
3. Add the past participle of the main verb.
4. Add by + doer only if needed.

Example: "Leonardo painted the Mona Lisa." becomes "The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo."

How do you form the passive in each tense?

The main verb is always the past participle. Only be changes.

Tense	Active	Passive
Present simple	They make cars here.	Cars are made here.
Present continuous	They are building a hotel.	A hotel is being built.
Past simple	They built it in 1990.	It was built in 1990.
Past continuous	They were repairing the road.	The road was being repaired.
Present perfect	They have sold the house.	The house has been sold.
Future (will)	They will deliver it tomorrow.	It will be delivered tomorrow.
Going to	They are going to cancel the match.	The match is going to be canceled.
Modal	You must wear a helmet.	A helmet must be worn.

Many past participles are irregular: written, made, built, sold, given, taken, stolen. See our irregular verbs list to learn them.

Negatives and questions

Make negatives and questions with the be part, just like normal be sentences.

• The letter wasn't sent.
• Was the letter sent?
• Has the room been cleaned?
• Where were these photos taken?

When should you use the passive voice?

1. The doer is unknown.

• My phone was stolen last night. (I don't know who stole it.)

2. The doer is obvious or not important.

• The thief was arrested. (Obviously by the police.)
• Rice is grown in many Asian countries. (By farmers, obviously.)

3. The action or result is more important than the doer.

• The new bridge was opened yesterday.
• Two people were injured in the accident.

4. Formal, scientific and official writing.

• The samples were heated to 100 degrees.
• Passengers are requested to remain seated.
• Smoking is not permitted.

5. To avoid blame, or to be polite.

• Mistakes were made. (We don't say who made them.)
• Your order has been delayed.

When do you use by in a passive sentence?

Only include by + doer when it adds important or interesting information.

• Romeo and Juliet was written by Shakespeare. (useful information)
• The window was broken. (We don't need "by someone.")
• Wrong style: "The house was built by people in 1950." Just say: "The house was built in 1950."

Useful Passive Phrases

These are everywhere in daily English:

• I was born in Izmir.
• It is made of wood. It is made in China.
• The shop is closed on Sundays.
• English is spoken all over the world.
• You are invited to my party.
• It's called a "gözleme" in Turkish.

Note "I was born" is always passive. Wrong: "I born in 1995." Right: "I was born in 1995."

Which verbs cannot be passive?

Only verbs that take an object (transitive verbs) can be passive. Verbs like happen, arrive, die, sleep, come and go have no passive form.

• Wrong: The accident was happened at night.
• Right: The accident happened at night.
• Wrong: He was died in 1990.
• Right: He died in 1990.

What are the most common passive voice mistakes?

Mistake	Wrong	Right
Missing be	The car washed every week.	The car is washed every week.
Wrong participle	The letter was wrote.	The letter was written.
Passive with an intransitive verb	It was happened.	It happened.
Wrong tense of be	The house is built in 1920.	The house was built in 1920.
Being missing in continuous	The road is repairing.	The road is being repaired.

Also avoid overusing the passive. Too many passives make writing heavy, so in everyday writing prefer the active unless there is a reason. See our tips on improving your English writing.

A note for Turkish speakers

Turkish builds the passive with a suffix (yapıldı, it was made; konuşulur, it is spoken), and it can even make intransitive verbs passive ("Buraya oturulmaz"). English cannot: "oturulmaz" becomes an active or modal sentence such as "You can't sit here." Also, "Doğdum" looks active in Turkish but must be passive in English: "I was born."

Practice Quiz

Rewrite in the passive. Leave out by when it is not needed.

1. Someone stole my wallet.
2. They speak Portuguese in Brazil.
3. Somebody has eaten the cake.
4. They will announce the results tomorrow.
5. Agatha Christie wrote this book.
6. They are repairing the road.

Answers: 1. My wallet was stolen. 2. Portuguese is spoken in Brazil. 3. The cake has been eaten. 4. The results will be announced tomorrow. 5. This book was written by Agatha Christie. 6. The road is being repaired.

The passive is a key B1 skill. Practice it step by step in the LearnLingo B1 course with Sage the Turtle.

People Also Ask

How do you form the passive voice?

Use the verb be in the right tense plus the past participle of the main verb. For example: The car is washed, The car was washed, The car has been washed.

When should I use the passive voice?

Use it when the action is more important than who did it, when the doer is unknown or obvious, or in formal and scientific writing. For example: My bike was stolen.

Do I always need by in a passive sentence?

No. Most passive sentences do not include by. Only add by plus the doer when that information is new or important, as in The book was written by Orhan Pamuk.

Related Reading

• Past Simple Tense: Rules, Irregular Verbs and Examples
• Irregular Verbs List with Examples
• How to Improve Your English Writing
• All English Tenses: An Overview