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The passive voice is a grammatical construction where the object of an action becomes the subject of the sentence. Instead of saying "The chef cooked the meal," we say "The meal was cooked (by the chef)." The passive voice is formed using be + past participle and can be used in virtually every English tense. This guide provides a complete reference for forming passive sentences in all tenses, with clear active-to-passive conversion examples.
Table of Contents
What Is the Passive Voice?
In an active sentence, the subject performs the action. In a passive sentence, the subject receives the action. The passive shifts the focus from the doer to the action or the receiver of the action.
Active: The cat (subject) caught the mouse (object).
Passive: The mouse (subject) was caught by the cat.
When to Use the Passive Voice
The passive is used when:
- The doer is unknown: "My car was stolen."
- The doer is obvious: "The criminal was arrested." (by police — obvious)
- The doer is unimportant: "The bridge was built in 1950."
- You want to emphasize the receiver: "The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci."
- In formal or academic writing: "The experiment was conducted over six months."
The Passive Formula
The passive is always formed with: form of "be" + past participle
The form of "be" changes according to the tense. The past participle stays the same.
Passive Voice in All Tenses
| Tense | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | She writes emails. | Emails are written (by her). |
| Present Continuous | She is writing an email. | An email is being written. |
| Past Simple | She wrote the email. | The email was written. |
| Past Continuous | She was writing an email. | An email was being written. |
| Present Perfect | She has written the email. | The email has been written. |
| Past Perfect | She had written the email. | The email had been written. |
| Future Simple | She will write the email. | The email will be written. |
| Future Perfect | She will have written it. | It will have been written. |
| Going to | She is going to write it. | It is going to be written. |
Present Simple Passive
am/is/are + past participle
English is spoken in many countries.
These cars are made in Germany.
The office is cleaned every evening.
Present Continuous Passive
am/is/are + being + past participle
The house is being painted right now.
New roads are being built in the city.
Past Simple Passive
was/were + past participle
America was discovered in 1492.
The windows were broken during the storm.
Past Continuous Passive
was/were + being + past participle
The car was being repaired when I arrived.
The patients were being examined by the doctor.
Present Perfect Passive
has/have + been + past participle
The report has been completed.
All tickets have been sold.
Past Perfect Passive
had + been + past participle
The work had been finished before the deadline.
The letter had been sent before I called.
Future Simple Passive
will + be + past participle
The project will be completed next month.
You will be notified by email.
Future Perfect Passive
will + have + been + past participle
By Friday, the report will have been submitted.
By next year, the building will have been demolished.
The "By" Agent
The "by" phrase identifies who or what performed the action. It is optional and often omitted when the agent is unknown, obvious, or unimportant.
The book was written by J.K. Rowling. (agent included — important)
My wallet was stolen. (agent omitted — unknown)
The suspect was arrested. (agent omitted — obviously police)
Passive with Modal Verbs
modal + be + past participle
| Modal | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| can | She can fix it. | It can be fixed. |
| could | He could see it. | It could be seen. |
| should | We should finish it. | It should be finished. |
| must | You must return it. | It must be returned. |
| may | They may cancel it. | It may be cancelled. |
| might | She might choose it. | It might be chosen. |
| have to | We have to do it. | It has to be done. |
The "Get" Passive
In informal English, get is sometimes used instead of be to form the passive, especially for unexpected or negative events.
He got fired from his job. (= was fired)
She got invited to the party. (= was invited)
My phone got stolen. (= was stolen)
They got married last summer. (= were married)
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake 1: Missing "Be"
❌ The house built in 2005. → ✅ The house was built in 2005.
Mistake 2: Using Active Form Instead of Past Participle
❌ English is speak here. → ✅ English is spoken here.
Mistake 3: Passive with Intransitive Verbs
❌ The accident was happened yesterday. → ✅ The accident happened yesterday.
Intransitive verbs (happen, arrive, die, sleep) cannot be made passive.
Practice Exercises
Convert to passive voice.
1. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
Answer: Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.
2. They are building a new hospital.
Answer: A new hospital is being built.
3. Someone has stolen my bike.
Answer: My bike has been stolen.
4. The company will launch the product next month.
Answer: The product will be launched next month.
5. You must complete the form.
Answer: The form must be completed.
6. They had cleaned the room before we arrived.
Answer: The room had been cleaned before we arrived.
7. People speak Portuguese in Brazil.
Answer: Portuguese is spoken in Brazil.
8. The mechanic was repairing the car.
Answer: The car was being repaired by the mechanic.
The passive voice is a powerful tool for shifting focus, creating variety in your writing, and communicating in formal contexts. By mastering the be + past participle formula across all tenses and understanding when passive is appropriate, you will add sophistication and flexibility to your English.
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