How to form the passive
The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive one. Be shows the tense, and the main verb is always the past participle (V3): made, written, built. Irregular participles are in the irregular verbs table.
| Voice | Sentence |
|---|---|
| Active | Millions of people watch this show. |
| Passive | This show is watched by millions of people. |
| Tense | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | am / is / are + V3 | Coffee is grown in Brazil. |
| Present Continuous | am / is / are being + V3 | The road is being repaired. |
| Present Perfect | have / has been + V3 | My bike has been stolen. |
| Past Simple | was / were + V3 | The letter was sent yesterday. |
| Past Continuous | was / were being + V3 | The car was being washed. |
| Past Perfect | had been + V3 | The tickets had been sold out. |
| Future Simple | will be + V3 | The results will be announced tomorrow. |
| Future Perfect | will have been + V3 | It will have been finished by May. |
| Modal verbs | can / must / should + be + V3 | This must be done today. |
| be going to | am / is / are going to be + V3 | A new school is going to be built. |
Perfect Continuous passives are hardly ever used: instead of has been being built people say has been under construction or use the active.
Passive negatives and questions
Not goes after the first auxiliary; in questions the first auxiliary moves to the front. No do / did in the passive.
| Tense | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | It isn’t made here. | Is it made here? |
| Past Simple | They weren’t invited. | Were they invited? |
| Present Perfect | It hasn’t been sold. | Has it been sold? |
| Future Simple | You won’t be asked. | Will I be asked? |
When was this house built?
When to use the passive
We don’t know who did it
My phone was stolen.
It doesn’t matter or it’s obvious
The museum is closed on Mondays.
He was arrested last night.
obviously by the police
News, science and formal writing
The water is heated to 100 °C.
Smoking is not allowed.
Focus on the thing or the result
The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci.
Passive patterns worth knowing
A few passive patterns are very common in everyday English and worth learning as phrases.
English is spoken all over the world.
I was born in Odesa.
The work is done.
It is said that he is a millionaire.
Common mistakes
What learners of English often say. On the left — the mistake, on the right — the correct version.
Wrong:
The house built in 1990.Right: The house was built in 1990.
No passive without be.
Wrong:
The letter was wrote yesterday.Right: The letter was written yesterday.
The passive uses V3, not V2.
Wrong:
I was born at 1995.Right: I was born in 1995.
Years take in.
Wrong:
This book was written from Orwell.Right: This book was written by Orwell.
The agent takes by.
Wrong:
Did the window broken?Right: Was the window broken?
Passive questions use be, not did.
Wrong:
It must done today.Right: It must be done today.
Modal + be + V3.
Check yourself
Quiz: Passive voice
12 questions with an explanation after every answer. Free, no sign-up.
is made · was built · has been sold