The Passive Voice
Cours · anglais (2 Bac, Maroc), chapitre 4 · Maroc, 2e année du Bac · le début du chapitre, la suite sur Adloun
In the active voice, the subject does the action: The teacher corrects the exams. In the passive voice, the subject receives the action: The exams are corrected. This unit reviews how to form the passive, when to use it, and how to transform active sentences into passive ones.
4.1 The General Form: be + past participle
The passive is built with the verb be (in the right tense) + the past participle (the third form: done, made, written). Active: subject + verb + object → Passive: object becomes the subject + be + past participle (+ by + agent).
- Active: Somebody cleans the room every day.
- Passive: The room is cleaned every day.
Only transitive verbs (verbs that take an object) can be made passive. A verb like arrive or sleep has no object, so it has no passive form.
4.2 The Passive in Different Tenses
To put a sentence in the passive, you keep the same tense by changing the form of be; the past participle never changes.
| Tense | Active | Passive (be + past participle) |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | They make cars. | Cars are made. |
| Past Simple | They built the bridge. | The bridge was built. |
| Present Perfect | They have sent the letter. | The letter has been sent. |
| Future (will) | They will sign the contract. | The contract will be signed. |
| Present Continuous | They are repairing the road. | The road is being repaired. |
- This dish is prepared with fresh fish. (present simple)
- The museum was opened in 1990. (past simple)
- Many trees have been planted this year. (present perfect)
- The results will be announced tomorrow. (future)
4.3 The Modal Passive
After a modal verb (can, must, should, may, might), the passive is formed with modal + be + past participle.
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