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German - Passive Voice

The passive voice in German, known as das Passiv, works very similarly to the English passive, but it is formed with a different helping verb. It's used when the focus of the sentence is on the action itself, not on the person or thing performing the action.

The Core Concept - Active vs. Passive

First, let's be clear on the difference.

  • Active Voice: The subject does the action. This is the normal sentence structure.

    • Der Mann repariert das Auto. (The man repairs the car.)
    • Subject: Der Mann | Verb: repariert | Object: das Auto

  • Passive Voice: The subject receives the action. The focus shifts to the car and the act of repairing.

    • Das Auto wird repariert. (The car is being repaired.)
    • New Subject: Das Auto | Passive Verb: wird repariert

The object of the active sentence (das Auto) becomes the subject of the passive sentence.

How to Form the Passive Voice (werden-Passive)

This is the most common and true form of the passive in German. It describes an action or a process.

Formula: [Conjugated form of the verb werden] + [Past Participle of the main verb]

The tense of the sentence (present, past, future) is shown by the conjugation of werden. The past participle at the end of the sentence never changes.

Let's see how this works across the main tenses.

1. Present Tense Passive (is being ...-ed)

  • werden in Present Tense + Past Participle
  • Das Auto wird repariert. (The car is being repaired.)
  • Die Briefe werden geschrieben. (The letters are being written.)

2. Simple Past Tense Passive (was ...-ed)

  • werden in Präteritum (wurde) + Past Participle
  • Das Auto wurde repariert. (The car was repaired.)
  • Die Briefe wurden geschrieben. (The letters were written.)

3. Present Perfect Tense Passive (has been ...-ed) This one looks a bit strange. The past participle of werden is worden (not geworden) in the passive voice.

  • sein in Present Tense + Past Participle + worden
  • Das Auto ist repariert worden. (The car has been repaired.)
  • Die Briefe sind geschrieben worden. (The letters have been written.)

4. Future Tense Passive (will be ...-ed)

  • werden in Future Tense (werden ... werden) + Past Participle
  • Das Auto wird repariert werden. (The car will be repaired.)

Including the "Agent" (the person who did the action)

If you want to mention who performed the action, you use one of two prepositions:

  • von + Dative: for people, companies, or specific agents.
    • Das Auto wird von dem Mechaniker repariert. (The car is being repaired by the mechanic.)
  • durch + Accusative: for the instrument or means by which something is done.
    • Das Fenster wurde durch einen Stein zerstört. (The window was destroyed by a stone.)

A Common Imposter - The "State" Passive (sein-Passive)

This is a structure that looks like the passive but is technically different. It is formed with the verb sein (to be) instead of werden.

The sein-passive does not describe an action in progress. It describes the resulting state or condition after an action has been completed.

Formula: [Conjugated form of the verb sein] + [Past Participle]

Compare the werden-Passive and the sein-Passive:

  • werden-Passive (Action/Process):

    • Das Fenster wird geöffnet. (The window is being opened.)
    • This describes the act of opening. You can imagine someone actively opening it right now.

  • sein-Passive (Resulting State):

    • Das Fenster ist geöffnet. (The window is open.)
    • This describes the condition of the window after the action is finished. It's not being opened anymore; it's simply in an open state.

Another Example:

  • Die Tür wird um 20 Uhr geschlossen. (The door is closed at 8 p.m.) - This is the event, the action of closing.
  • Die Tür ist jetzt geschlossen. (The door is now closed.) - This is the resulting state.

Alternatives to the Passive Voice

In everyday German, especially in speech, the passive voice can sound a bit formal or clunky. Speakers often prefer active constructions that have a passive meaning.

  • Using man: The indefinite pronoun man (one/they/you) is the most common way to avoid the passive.

    • Passive: Hier wird Deutsch gesprochen. (German is spoken here.)
    • Active with man: *Man spricht hier Deutsch.* (One speaks German here.)

  • Reflexive Verbs:

    • Das Problem lässt sich leicht lösen. (The problem can