𝔇𝔦𝔢 ℨ𝔲𝔨𝔲𝔫𝔣𝔱 𝔦𝔰𝔱 𝔇𝔢𝔲𝔱𝔰𝔠𝔥
𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔉𝔲𝔱𝔲𝔯𝔢 𝔦𝔰 𝔊𝔢𝔯𝔪𝔞𝔫
Okay, let's break down the German Passive Voice in the Future Tense step-by-step. Don't worry, it might look a bit complex at first glance because of the two "werden" verbs, but we'll make it super clear!
German Passive Voice in the Future Tense: A Clear Tutorial
What is Passive Voice?
In simple terms, the Passive Voice is when the subject of the sentence receives the action, rather than performing it.
- Active: He kicks the ball. (He does the kicking)
- Passive: The ball is kicked (by him). (The ball receives the kicking)
What is Future Tense?
The Future Tense is used to talk about actions that will happen later.
- English: He will kick the ball.
- German: Er wird den Ball treten. (He will the ball kick.)
Combining Them: Passive Voice in the Future Tense
Now, let's put them together. We want to say that something will be done.
- English: The ball will be kicked.
In German, this requires two key components:
- werden (conjugated for the future tense): This acts as the "will" part.
- Partizip II (Past Participle): This is the main action verb (e.g., "kicked," "written," "built").
- werden (infinitive at the end): This acts as the "be" part of the passive voice.
Yes, you read that right: two "werden" verbs! Let's see how it works.
The Formula
The basic structure for German Passive Voice in the Future Tense is:
Let's break down each part:
- Subject: The thing or person receiving the action.
-
werden (conjugated): This is the first "werden." It's conjugated according to the subject and indicates the future tense.
- ich werde
- du wirst
- er/sie/es wird
- wir werden
- ihr werdet
- sie/Sie werden
- ... (Rest of the sentence): Any other words like time, place, or other objects.
- Partizip II (Past Participle): This is the main verb of the action, usually ending in -t or -en (e.g., gemacht, geschrieben, gekauft).
- werden (infinitive): This is the second "werden." It always stays in its infinitive form (werden) and always goes at the very end of the sentence. This is what makes the sentence passive.
Step-by-Step Conversion with Examples
Let's start with an active sentence in the present tense, then move it to future active, and finally to future passive.
Example 1: The Letter
Active Present:
- English: He writes the letter.
- German: Er schreibt den Brief.
- (Subject: Er, Verb: schreibt, Object: den Brief)
Active Future:
- English: He will write the letter.
- German: Er wird den Brief schreiben.
- (Subject: Er, werden conjugated: wird, Object: den Brief, Infinitive: schreiben)
Passive Future:
- English: The letter will be written (by him).
- German: Der Brief wird (von ihm) geschrieben werden.
- Breakdown:
- Subject: Der Brief (The letter – it's receiving the action)
- werden (conjugated): wird (because "Der Brief" is singular, like "er/es")
- Partizip II: geschrieben (from "schreiben" - to write)
- werden (infinitive): werden (always at the end for passive)
Example 2: The House
Active Present:
- English: They build the house.
- German: Sie bauen das Haus.
Active Future:
- English: They will build the house.
- German: Sie werden das Haus bauen.
Passive Future:
- English: The house will be built (by them).
- German: Das Haus wird (von ihnen) gebaut werden.
- Breakdown:
- Subject: Das Haus (The house)
- werden (conjugated): wird (because "Das Haus" is singular, like "es")
- Partizip II: gebaut (from "bauen" - to build)
- werden (infinitive): werden
Example 3: The Problem (with a modal verb)
This one is a bit more advanced, but good to see. If you have a modal verb (like können, müssen, sollen), it replaces the first werden for the future aspect.
Active Present (with modal):
- English: He must solve the problem.
- German: Er muss das Problem lösen.
Passive Future (with modal):
- English: The problem must be solved.
- German: Das Problem muss gelöst werden.
- Breakdown:
- Subject: Das Problem
- Modal Verb: muss (conjugated for "Das Problem")
- Partizip II: gelöst (from "lösen" - to solve)
- werden (infinitive): werden (still at the end for passive)
- Note: We don't use the future werden here because the modal verb muss already expresses the necessity. The "future" is implied by the necessity itself.
More Examples for Practice
| English Active Future | German Active Future | English Passive Future | German Passive Future |
|---|---|---|---|
| The chef will cook the dinner. | Der Koch wird das Abendessen kochen. | The dinner will be cooked. | Das Abendessen wird gekocht werden. |
| The students will read the book. | Die Studenten werden das Buch lesen. | The book will be read. | Das Buch wird gelesen werden. |
| The company will open a new store next year. | Die Firma wird nächstes Jahr ein neues Geschäft öffnen. | A new store will be opened next year. | Ein neues Geschäft wird nächstes Jahr geöffnet werden. |
| Someone will clean the room later. | Jemand wird das Zimmer später putzen. | The room will be cleaned later. | Das Zimmer wird später geputzt werden. |
| The police will investigate the crime. | Die Polizei wird das Verbrechen untersuchen. | The crime will be investigated. | Das Verbrechen wird untersucht werden. |
| We will celebrate the victory. | Wir werden den Sieg feiern. | The victory will be celebrated. | Der Sieg wird gefeiert werden. |
| You (formal) will sign the contract tomorrow. | Sie werden den Vertrag morgen unterschreiben. | The contract will be signed tomorrow. | Der Vertrag wird morgen unterschrieben werden. |
Key Takeaways for Non-German Speakers:
- Two werden verbs: This is the most crucial part.
- The first werden is conjugated and tells you it's future tense.
- The second werden (always infinitive) is at the very end and tells you it's passive voice.
- The Subject Changes: In passive, the thing receiving the action becomes the subject.
- Partizip II (Past Participle): This is the core action verb and sits before the final werden.
- von + Dative: If you want to mention who is doing the action in passive, use von + the dative case (e.g., von ihm, von der Firma). This is optional.
It takes a bit of practice, but once you get the rhythm of the two werden verbs and the Partizip II, you will have mastered one of the most complex-looking tenses in German!