Simple explanation
What is the passive voice? In an active sentence, the subject performs the action: Someone cleans the office every day. In a passive sentence, the focus moves to the person or thing that receives the action: The office is cleaned every day. The passive is useful when the action or its result matters more than who performs it. When do we use the passive voice? We often use the passive when we do not know who performs an action, when the performer is obvious or unimportant, or when we want to focus on the result. For this reason, the passive is common in news reports, rules, processes, notices, descriptions, and everyday situations. How do we change an active sentence into a passive sentence? First, identify the object of the active sentence. Move that object into the subject position. Next, choose the correct form of be for the original tense and the new subject. Finally, change the main verb to its past participle. If the original subject is important, you can add it after by. The present simple passive Use am, is, or are + past participle for routines, general facts, rules, and processes in the present. The form of be agrees with the new subject: am with I, is with a singular subject, and are with plural subjects and you. The past simple passive Use was or were + past participle for completed actions and events in the past. Was is normally used with singular subjects, while were is used with plural subjects and you. The past tense is shown by was or were; the past participle itself does not change. Do we always need by? No. We usually leave out the performer when it is unknown, obvious, or unimportant. We use by + agent when knowing who or what performed the action adds useful information. Compare My bike was stolen with The picture was painted by my sister. In the second sentence, the performer is relevant.
Grammar formula
Present simple passive: affirmative
Subject + am/is/are + past participleThe rooms are cleaned every day.
Present simple passive: negative
Subject + am/is/are + not + past participleThe rooms are not cleaned on Sundays.
Present simple passive: question
Am/Is/Are + subject + past participle?Are the rooms cleaned every day?
Past simple passive: affirmative
Subject + was/were + past participleThe rooms were cleaned yesterday.
Past simple passive: negative
Subject + was/were + not + past participleThe rooms were not cleaned yesterday.
Past simple passive: question
Was/Were + subject + past participle?Were the rooms cleaned yesterday?
Passive with an agent
Subject + be + past participle + by + agentThe picture was painted by my sister.
Core rules
- 1
Present simple passive
Use subject + am/is/are + past participle. For example, The office is cleaned every day. With a plural subject, use are: The rooms are cleaned every day.
- 2
Past simple passive
Use subject + was/were + past participle. For example, The office was cleaned yesterday. With a plural subject, use were: The rooms were cleaned yesterday.
- 3
Negative passive sentences
Put not after the correct form of be: am not, is not, are not, was not, or were not. The main verb remains in the past participle form.
- 4
Passive questions
For yes/no questions, move the form of be before the subject: Is the office cleaned every day? Was the package delivered yesterday? Do not use do, does, or did to form these passive questions.
- 5
Use the past participle
The main verb in a passive construction must be a past participle. Regular verbs often end in -ed, such as cleaned and opened. Irregular verbs have forms that must be learned, such as made, written, built, sent, and stolen.
- 6
Use by only when the agent matters
Use by + agent when the person or thing that performs the action is important to the message: The novel was written by George Orwell. Leave the agent out when it adds no useful information.
Useful examples
English is spoken in many countries.
People speak English in many countries.
The speakers are not important, so the sentence focuses on English.
These computers are used by our students.
Our students use these computers.
The passive subject is plural, so are is used.
The office is cleaned every evening.
Someone cleans the office every evening.
Every evening shows that this is a regular present-time action.
Coffee is not served after 8 p.m.
They do not serve coffee after 8 p.m.
Not comes after is to make the present passive negative.
Are these products made in Germany?
Do they make these products in Germany?
Are moves before the subject to form a passive question.
My bike was stolen last night.
Someone stole my bike last night.
The person who stole the bike is unknown, so the passive is natural.
The bridge was built in 1995.
People built the bridge in 1995.
The event happened in the past, and bridge is singular, so was built is used.
The windows were broken during the storm.
Something broke the windows during the storm.
Windows is plural, so the past passive uses were.
The email was not sent yesterday.
Someone did not send the email yesterday.
Was not creates the negative past simple passive.
Was the meeting canceled this morning?
Did someone cancel the meeting this morning?
Was comes before the subject in a past passive question.
The documents were signed by the manager.
The manager signed the documents.
The agent is included because the identity of the person who signed them may be useful.
This room is used for online meetings.
People use this room for online meetings.
The purpose of the room is more important than the people using it.
Several flights were canceled because of the weather.
The airline canceled several flights because of the weather.
The sentence focuses on the affected flights and the result.
Is breakfast included in the price?
Does the price include breakfast?
Passive questions are common in practical situations such as hotels and bookings.
Common mistakes
- ❌ The room cleaned every day. ✅ The room is cleaned every day. A passive sentence needs a form of be before the past participle. Here, room is singular, so is cleaned is required.
- ❌ The letters is sent every morning. ✅ The letters are sent every morning. Letters is plural, so the correct form of be is are.
- ❌ The car was steal yesterday. ✅ The car was stolen yesterday. The main verb must be in the past participle form. The past participle of steal is stolen.
- ❌ The house is build in 1990. ✅ The house was built in 1990. The action happened in the past, so was is required, and the past participle of build is built.
- ❌ The emails were send yesterday. ✅ The emails were sent yesterday. After were, use the past participle. The past participle of send is sent.
- ❌ Was built the school last year? ✅ Was the school built last year? The correct order in a passive yes/no question is be + subject + past participle.
- ❌ The door didn't opened yesterday. ✅ The door wasn't opened yesterday. A negative past passive sentence uses was/were + not + past participle, not did not.
Learning tips
- When identifying a passive sentence, look for a form of be followed by a past participle, but also check the meaning of the sentence.
- Before changing an active sentence into the passive, find its object. That object normally becomes the subject of the passive sentence.
- Keep the original tense when changing from active to passive: present simple stays present simple, and past simple stays past simple.
- Learn common irregular past participles such as made, written, built, sent, bought, and stolen.
- Do not add by + agent automatically. Include it only when the performer is useful or important information.
- If you are unsure between is and was or between are and were, decide first whether the action is present or past, then check whether the subject is singular or plural.
Practise this topic
Interactive exercises for this topic are coming soon.
PlannedRelated grammar
Related dictionary words
Frequently asked questions
Do I always need to use by in a passive sentence?
No. Leave out by + agent when the performer is unknown, obvious, or unimportant. Include it only when knowing who or what performed the action adds useful information.
How do I know whether to use is or was in the passive?
First decide when the action happens. Use am/is/are for the present simple and was/were for the past simple. Then choose the form that agrees with the subject.
Why do we use the past participle after be in passive sentences?
The basic passive structure is be + past participle. The form of be shows the tense and agrees with the subject, while the past participle expresses the main action.
Can every English sentence be changed into the passive?
No. At B1 level, the most useful rule is that passive constructions normally come from verbs that can take an object. The object of the active sentence can then become the subject of the passive sentence.
Should I use did in a past simple passive question?
No. The verb be is already the auxiliary in a passive construction. Use Was/Were + subject + past participle, as in Was the package delivered? rather than Did the package delivered?
What is the difference between My bike was stolen and Someone stole my bike?
Both can describe the same event, but the focus is different. My bike was stolen focuses on the bike and what happened to it. Someone stole my bike puts more attention on the person who performed the action.