Passive Voice - Building the Passive Voice
The majority of transitive verbs can be used in the
passive voice. A transitive verb is a verb which governs one or more
objects. For example, in the sentence below, the verb ausfüllen
requires an accusative object, which is das
Formular.
dürfen, können, mögen, müssen, sollen, wollen
This includes the modal-like verbs, namely those who do not belong to the above group but do not require an infinitive clause with the additional verb. For example:
hören, lassen, sehen
ähneln, bekommen, besitzen, entfallen, enthalten, entsprechen, erhalten, erstaunen, freuen, gefallen, gehören, gelingen, gelten, haben, kosten, missraten, schmecken, schmerzen, verwundern
sich waschen, sich beeilen, sich schämen
However, they can be used in the passive voice when used as a demand or command. For example:
Hier wird sich nicht hingesetzt.
Sitting is not allowed here.
Jetzt wird sie gewaschen!
Wash yourselves now!
While valid, this is uncommon.
Die Frau hat das
Formular ausgefüllt.
When
this sentence is expressed in the passive voice, several things happen.
- First, the direct object of the verb (e.g. das Formular) in the active voice becomes the subject in the passive voice. In other words, the accusative object changes to a nominative subject.
- Next, the main verb (ausfüllen) becomes its passive equivalent. This basically means that the main verb is converted into its past participle and werden (or sein for Zustandspassiv) is added as an auxiliary verb. werden is, of course, conjugated appropriately by tense, mood, etc., and the main verb always remains as its past participle, irrespective of conjugation changes.
- Finally, the subject of the verb in the active voice (die Frau) is indicated through a preposition or often left out altogether.
Das Formular
wurde (von der Frau) ausgefüllt.
Verbs that govern a Dative, Genitive, or Prepositional Object
Only the
accusative object of a verb can become the nominative subject in a
passive sentence. This means that a dative, genitive, or
prepositional object can never become the nominative
subject. Instead, the object remains as it was.
For example, the
verb helfen
governs
a dative object. An example with it in the active
sentence would be:
Der Mann hat dem Kollegen
geholfen.
The man helped the colleague.
The man helped the colleague.
When converted to
the passive voice, dem
Kollegen
does not change case:
Dem Kollegen wurde (vom Mann)
geholfen.
The colleague was helped (by the man).
The colleague was helped (by the man).
This applies equally
to verbs with genitive and prepositional objects.
Active | Passive |
Sie gedachten der Toten. They remembered the dead. |
Der Toten wurde gedacht. The dead were remembered. |
Sie sprechen kaum über das Thema. They are barely talking about this topic. |
Über das Thema wird kaum gesprochen. This topic is barely being talked about. |
The Impersonal “Es”
Take this sentence:
Ihnen wurde geraten.
They were advised.
They were advised.
In this sentence, there is
no visible subject, yet werden,
the finite verb, has been conjugated in the third person singular.
It cannot have been influenced by
the dative object, because only the nominative subject determines the
conjugation of a verb. Instead, it is
due to the impersonal “Es”.
The impersonal “Es”
is a grammatical aid for
such sentences. It
does not refer to any
object and changes little or nothing about the meaning of a sentence by itself. Instead, by allowing us to make subjectless sentences, it enables us to use verbs without accusative objects.
The
impersonal “Es” can only be the first element in a clause. It cannot be placed elsewhere in a
clause. For example:
Es
wurde euch
gedankt.
You guys were thanked.
You guys were thanked.
As in the first sentence, the impersonal “Es” can be left out altogether if
another element takes its place. The impersonal “Es”
is, however, essentially being hidden by the other element and still
affects the conjugation of the verb, as you can see:
Euch
wurde gedankt.
You guys were thanked.
This construction can also be used with any type of verb, even "illegal" verbs, to denote a continuous activity. For example:
An dem Abend wurde viel gesungen.
There was a lot of singing that evening.
You guys were thanked.
This construction can also be used with any type of verb, even "illegal" verbs, to denote a continuous activity. For example:
An dem Abend wurde viel gesungen.
There was a lot of singing that evening.
Verbs with Two Objects (accusative, dative)
Some
verbs have two objects: an accusative object and a dative object. These
are usually in the accusative and dative case respectively. For
example, the verb geben:
Ich
habe ihr einen Apfel gegeben.
I gave her an apple.
I gave her an apple.
When
converting this to the passive voice, the accusative object becomes
the nominative subject and the dative object remains as it is. So:
Der Apfel ist
ihr gegeben worden.
The apple has been given to her.
The apple has been given to her.
If
we want to place emphasis on whom the apple was given to, then we can
switch the subject and the dative object.
Ihr ist der
Apfel gegeben worden.
She has been given the apple.
The same idea applies to verbs with an additional genitive object or prepositional object.
She has been given the apple.
The same idea applies to verbs with an additional genitive object or prepositional object.
Verbs with Two Objects (accusative, accusative)
A
minority of verbs have both objects in the accusative case, for
example lehren
and abfragen.
When
using these verbs in the passive voice, the indirect object can be
written in either
the
nominative
or the
dative.
Both are valid.1
If
written in nominative,
then the indirect
object becomes the
subject.
If
written in dative,
then the direct object becomes the subject like normal. For
example:
Ich wurde
die deutsche Sprache gelehrt.
OR
Mir wurde
die deutsche Sprache gelehrt.
Er wurde
die Vokabeln abgefragt.
OR
Ihm wurden
die Vokabeln abgefragt.
If, however, one of the accusative objects is another clause, then the other accusative object must be in the accusative case. For example:
Ich bin gelehrt worden, wie man deutsche Wörter richtig ausspricht.
1 Duden: Das Wörterbuch der sprachlichen Zweifelsfälle, Band 9, Seite 708.
If, however, one of the accusative objects is another clause, then the other accusative object must be in the accusative case. For example:
Ich bin gelehrt worden, wie man deutsche Wörter richtig ausspricht.
1 Duden: Das Wörterbuch der sprachlichen Zweifelsfälle, Band 9, Seite 708.
“Illegal” Verbs
Some verbs do not have passive equivalents and thus cannot normally be used in the passive voice.Modal and modal-like verbs
Modal verbs themselves, namely:dürfen, können, mögen, müssen, sollen, wollen
This includes the modal-like verbs, namely those who do not belong to the above group but do not require an infinitive clause with the additional verb. For example:
hören, lassen, sehen
Certain transitive verbs
A minority of transitive verbs (specifically the Vorgangspassiv here). This group consists of verbs that do not indicate a process, such as verbs of possessing. Examples (non-exhaustive list):ähneln, bekommen, besitzen, entfallen, enthalten, entsprechen, erhalten, erstaunen, freuen, gefallen, gehören, gelingen, gelten, haben, kosten, missraten, schmecken, schmerzen, verwundern
Intransitive verbs
All verbs without objects, intransitive verbs, cannot normally be used. If, however, they indicate an activity, then they can be employed with the impersonal "Es" (see above). For example:
Ruhe, hier wird gearbeitet!
Quiet, people are working here!
Reflexive verbs
All reflexive verbs, such as:sich waschen, sich beeilen, sich schämen
However, they can be used in the passive voice when used as a demand or command. For example:
Hier wird sich nicht hingesetzt.
Sitting is not allowed here.
Jetzt wird sie gewaschen!
Wash yourselves now!
While valid, this is uncommon.
Further Content about Passive Voice
Passive Voice - Building the Passive Voice (current article)
Passive Voice - Prepositions (von, durch, mit)
Passive Voice - Stative Passive (Zustandspassiv)
Passive Voice - Zustandspassiv: Tenses and Moods
Passive Voice - Alternative Constructions
Passive Voice - Usages
Last Updated: 10 June 2018
Passive Voice - Prepositions (von, durch, mit)
Passive Voice - Stative Passive (Zustandspassiv)
Passive Voice - Zustandspassiv: Tenses and Moods
Passive Voice - Alternative Constructions
Passive Voice - Usages
Comments
Post a Comment