Passive Voice - Zustandspassiv: Tenses and Moods

The Zustandspassiv can be constructed in all six tenses of the Indicative mood and all eight tenses of the Subjunctive mood. Its Present construction in the Imperative mood is also preferred over the form used in the Vorgangspassiv. This list attempts to be exhaustive. To see which forms are commonly used, click here.

Note: English uses to be to form both its version of the Vorgangspassiv and the Zustandspassiv (or stative and dynamic passive). This means that context is often required to understand which is being used and, similar to German, some forms are rarely, if ever, used. The English translations provided below are therefore more of a guide than an exact translation.

Indicative

The Indicative (der Indikativ) mood is essentially the default mood. When someone is not giving a command (Imperative) or trying to indicate that something is not necessarily fact (Subjunctive), then they are using the Indicative mood.
Present

  Das Fenster ist geschlossen.
  The window is closed.

[sein in Present] + [past participle]
Simple Past

  Das Fenster war geschlossen.
  The window was closed.

[sein in Simple Past] + [past participle]
Future

  Das Fenster wird geschlossen sein.
  The window will be closed.

[werden for future] + [past participle] + sein
Present Perfect

  Das Fenster ist geschlossen gewesen.
  The window was closed.

[sein in Present] + [past participle] + gewesen
Past Perfect

  Das Fenster war geschlossen gewesen.
  The window had been closed.

[sein in Simple Past] + [past participle] + gewesen
Future Perfect

  Das Fenster wird geschlossen gewesen sein.
  The window will have been closed.

[werden for future] + [past participle] + gewesen + sein

Subjunctive

The Subjunctive (der Konjunktiv) mood is typically split into two forms, Konjunktiv I and Konjunktiv II. The former is primarily used for reporting indirect speech, while the latter is for conveying unreal or hypothetical conditions or scenarios.

Konjunktiv I

Present

  Das Fenster sei geschlossen.
  (They said,) The window would be closed.

[sein in Konj I] + [past participle]
Past

  Das Fenster sei geschlossen gewesen
  (They said,) The window would have been closed.

 [sein in Konj I] + [past participle] + gewesen
Future

  Das Fenster werde geschlossen sein.
  (They said,) The window would be closed.

[werden in Konj I] + [past participle] + sein
Future Perfect

  Das Fenster werde geschlossen gewesen sein.
  (They said,) The window would have been closed.

[werden in Konj I] + [past participle] + gewesen + sein

Konjunktiv II

Present

  Das Fenster wäre geschlossen.
  The window would be closed.

[sein in Konj II] + [past participle]
Past

  Das Fenster wäre geschlossen gewesen
  The window would have been closed.

[sein in Konj II] + [past participle] + gewesen
Future

  Das Fenster würde geschlossen sein.
  The window would be closed.
[werden in Konj II] + [past participle] + sein
Future Perfect

  Das Fenster würde geschlossen gewesen sein.
  The window would have been closed.

[werden in Konj II] + [past participle] + gewesen + sein

Imperative

The Imperative (der Imperativ) mood expresses a command or request.

The Present form is not typically used, but it is not uncommon to see it in older literature or media set in such times.

The Past form is used extremely rare, if at all.
Present

  Sei gegrüßt.
  Greetings. (Or: (You shall) Be greeted.)

[sein in Imperative] + [past participle]
Simple Past

  Sei gegrüßt gewesen.
  (You shall) Have been greeted.

[sein in Imperative] + [past participle] + gewesen

Further Content about Passive Voice


Last Updated: 8 April 2018

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