𝔇𝔦𝔢 ℨ𝔲𝔨𝔲𝔫𝔣𝔱 𝔦𝔰𝔱 𝔇𝔢𝔲𝔱𝔰𝔠𝔥
𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔉𝔲𝔱𝔲𝔯𝔢 𝔦𝔰 𝔊𝔢𝔯𝔪𝔞𝔫
German Passive Voice in the Past Tense: A Clear Tutorial
What is Passive Voice? (Quick Recap)
In a passive sentence, the subject of the sentence is the receiver of the action, not the doer of the action.
- Active: The boy kicked the ball. (The boy does the kicking)
- Passive: The ball was kicked (by the boy). (The ball receives the kicking)
We use passive voice when:
- The doer of the action (the "agent") is unknown or unimportant.
- We want to focus on the action itself or the receiver of the action.
The Building Blocks of German Passive
Before we dive into the past tense, let's quickly review the core of German passive:
German passive voice is formed with the verb werden (to become/to get) + the Past Participle of the main verb.
Present Tense Passive:
- werden (conjugated) + Past Participle
- Example: Der Brief wird geschrieben. (The letter is being written.)
Now, let's put this into the past!
Method 1: Präteritum Passive (Simple Past Passive)
This form is used for actions that happened in the past, often in written narratives, formal contexts, or when telling a story. It's the most straightforward way to form past tense passive.
How to Conjugate "werden" in Präteritum:
| ich | wurde |
| du | wurdest |
| er/sie/es | wurde |
| wir | wurden |
| ihr | wurdet |
| sie/Sie | wurden |
Examples:
Active (Präteritum): Der Junge schrieb den Brief. (The boy wrote the letter.)
Passive (Präteritum): Der Brief wurde geschrieben. (The letter was written.)
Explanation: "Der Brief" is singular, so we use "wurde". "geschrieben" is the past participle of "schreiben".
Active (Präteritum): Man reparierte das Auto. (They repaired the car.)
Passive (Präteritum): Das Auto wurde repariert. (The car was repaired.)
Explanation: "Das Auto" is singular, so "wurde". "repariert" is the past participle of "reparieren".
Active (Präteritum): Die Kinder aßen alle Kekse. (The children ate all the cookies.)
Passive (Präteritum): Alle Kekse wurden gegessen. (All the cookies were eaten.)
Explanation: "Alle Kekse" is plural, so "wurden". "gegessen" is the past participle of "essen".
Active (Präteritum): Die Polizei verhaftete den Dieb. (The police arrested the thief.)
Passive (Präteritum): Der Dieb wurde verhaftet. (The thief was arrested.)
Method 2: Perfekt Passive (Present Perfect Passive)
This form is also used for actions that happened in the past, especially in spoken German or when the action has a connection to the present. It's a bit more complex than the Präteritum Passive because it uses three verbs!
Important Note: When "werden" is used to form the passive voice in the Perfekt tense, it changes from geworden (its normal past participle) to worden. This is a special rule for passive voice!
How to Conjugate "sein" in Present Tense:
| ich | bin |
| du | bist |
| er/sie/es | ist |
| wir | sind |
| ihr | seid |
| sie/Sie | sind |
Examples:
Active (Perfekt): Der Junge hat den Brief geschrieben. (The boy has written the letter.)
Passive (Perfekt): Der Brief ist geschrieben worden. (The letter has been written.)
Explanation: "Der Brief" is singular, so "ist". "geschrieben" is the past participle. "worden" is the special passive participle of "werden".
Active (Perfekt): Man hat das Auto repariert. (They have repaired the car.)
Passive (Perfekt): Das Auto ist repariert worden. (The car has been repaired.)
Explanation: "Das Auto" is singular, so "ist". "repariert" is the past participle. "worden".
Active (Perfekt): Die Kinder haben alle Kekse gegessen. (The children have eaten all the cookies.)
Passive (Perfekt): Alle Kekse sind gegessen worden. (All the cookies have been eaten.)
Explanation: "Alle Kekse" is plural, so "sind". "gegessen" is the past participle. "worden".
Active (Perfekt): Die Polizei hat den Dieb verhaftet. (The police have arrested the thief.)
Passive (Perfekt): Der Dieb ist verhaftet worden. (The thief has been arrested.)
Method 3: Plusquamperfekt Passive (Past Perfect Passive)
This tense is used to describe an action that happened before another action in the past. It's less common than Präteritum or Perfekt passive but good to know.
How to Conjugate "sein" in Präteritum:
| ich | war |
| du | warst |
| er/sie/es | war |
| wir | waren |
| ihr | wart |
| sie/Sie | waren |
Examples:
Active (Plusquamperfekt): Der Junge hatte den Brief geschrieben, bevor er ging. (The boy had written the letter before he left.)
Passive (Plusquamperfekt): Der Brief war geschrieben worden, bevor er abgeschickt wurde. (The letter had been written before it was sent.)
Explanation: "Der Brief" is singular, so "war". "geschrieben" + "worden".
Active (Plusquamperfekt): Man hatte das Auto repariert, als der Besitzer kam. (They had repaired the car when the owner came.)
Passive (Plusquamperfekt): Das Auto war repariert worden, als der Besitzer es abholte. (The car had been repaired when the owner picked it up.)
How to Introduce the "Doer" (Agent) in Passive Sentences
Sometimes, even in passive voice, you want to mention who performed the action. In German, you use prepositions for this:
-
von (+ Dative): Used for people or institutions that are the active agents.
- Der Brief wurde von dem Jungen geschrieben. (The letter was written by the boy.)
- Das Gesetz wurde von der Regierung verabschiedet. (The law was passed by the government.)
-
durch (+ Accusative): Used for inanimate objects, forces, or circumstances that cause something to happen.
- Das Haus wurde durch das Feuer zerstört. (The house was destroyed by the fire.)
- Der Unfall wurde durch einen Fehler verursacht. (The accident was caused by an error.)
Summary Table
| Tense | Formula | Example (English) | Example (German) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Präteritum | Subject + wurde/wurden + Past Part. | was/were built | wurde gebaut |
| Perfekt | Subject + ist/sind + Past Part. + worden | has/have been built | ist gebaut worden |
| Plusquamperfekt | Subject + war/waren + Past Part. + worden | had been built | war gebaut worden |
Key Takeaways for Non-German Speakers:
- Focus on "werden": The core of German passive is the verb "werden" (to become/get).
- Past Participle is Key: You must know the past participle of the main verb (e.g., schreiben -> geschrieben, essen -> gegessen, reparieren -> repariert).
- Präteritum Passive is Simplest: wurde/wurden + Past Participle is the easiest past passive to form.
- "worden" for Perfekt/Plusquamperfekt: Remember the special worden at the end of the sentence for Perfekt and Plusquamperfekt passive. It replaces geworden.
- Practice is Essential: Like any grammar concept, the more you see and use these structures, the more natural they will become.