What Is the Passive Voice in English?

26 November 2025

English-learners

Oleksandra Kulish

Book expert

We cannot always or may not want to indicate who exactly performs the action — sometimes it is simply not important. In such cases, it is appropriate to use the passive voice, which in English is called passive voice. Here is an explanation of what it is, how the passive voice is formed in English, and situations in which it is used.

Passive Construction Formula: Explanation

To form the passive voice, the following formula is used:

Subject + to be + V3 (Past Participle)

Here:

Subject — the subject of the sentence;
to be — auxiliary verb, which changes depending on the tense;
V3 (Past Participle) — the third form of the verb, indicating a completed action.

For example:

Active voice: The chef cooks the meal.
Passive voice: The meal is cooked by the chef.

As we can see, in the passive voice attention shifts from who prepares the dish to the dish itself and the fact of its preparation.

Rules of Passive Voice in English: How the form "to be" changes in different tenses

In this section, we present the passive voice formulas for each of the different tenses of English. Let's see how the passive is constructed in grammar with examples.

Sentence type	Active voice	Passive voice	Comment
Present Simple	The teacher explains the lesson.	The lesson is explained by the teacher.	The focus shifts from the performer to the action.
Past Simple	The workers built a bridge.	A bridge was built by the workers.	The passive emphasizes the result, not the action.
Future Simple	They will complete the project next week.	The project will be completed next week.	In business language, the passive is often used for neutrality.
Present Perfect	She has written a report.	A report has been written by her.	The passive helps avoid specifying who exactly performed the action.
Past Perfect	They had delivered the packages.	The packages had been delivered.	The result of the action is more important than the performer.

Note: some tenses are missing in the table. This is because the passive voice in English is not used in the Present Perfect Continuous and Past Perfect Continuous.

Prepositions by and with in passive constructions

Although in the passive voice it is often not important who or what performed the action, this can be indicated using the prepositions by and with. After by we name the person or object who directly performed the action, and after with — the instrument, means, or method by which it occurred.

The painting was created by Picasso. — The painting was created by Picasso.

She was bitten by a dog. — She was bitten by a dog.

The cake was baked with a special oven. — The cake was baked using a special oven. Here the oven is the instrument.

The door was forced open with a screwdriver by the locksmith. — The locksmith forced the door open using a screwdriver. The screwdriver is the instrument, and the action was performed by the locksmith.

With passive verbs, the preposition of also occurs. It indicates the material from which the object is made.

The statue is made of marble. — The statue is made of marble.

The verb get in the passive voice

The verb to be in passive constructions can be replaced with to get. The variant with get is typical for less formal speech and emphasizes the action itself even more.

The window was broken. = The window got broken. — The window was broken.

At least 10 players will be injured. = At least 10 players will get injured. — At least 10 players will be injured.

Other forms of the passive voice: infinitive and -ing form

Passive forms also exist for the infinitive and gerund in English. An explanatory table for clarity:

Passive infinitive.

Active	Passive
Simple infinitive: (To) write	(To) be written
Perfect infinitive: (To) have written	(To) have been written

We need to be informed about the changes. — We need to be informed about the changes.

She claims to have been misled. — She claims to have been misled.

Passive gerund (-ing form).

Active	Passive
Simple gerund: Writing	Being written
Perfect gerund: Having written	Having been written

He enjoys being praised by his boss. — He enjoys being praised by his boss.

They mentioned having been warned earlier. — They mentioned having been warned earlier.

Modal verbs and passive voice in English

After modal verbs, the infinitive always follows. This can also be a passive infinitive.

The package might have been delivered already. — The package might have already been delivered.

The area can’t be entered without permission. — The area cannot be entered without permission.

Impersonal (impersonal passive) and personal (personal passive) passive constructions

With verbs like believe, expect, know, think, say and similar, two passive constructions are possible: impersonal and personal. In the impersonal construction, the sentence begins with it, followed by the passive verb and a that-clause.

Impersonal passive construction: It + verb in passive (is said, was believed, etc.) + that-clause. Examples:

It is known that the Earth revolves around the Sun. — It is known that the Earth revolves around the Sun.

It was thought that the meeting would be canceled. — It was thought that the meeting would be canceled.

It is reported that the fire started at midnight. — It is reported that the fire started at midnight.

In the personal construction, the subject stands in its place, followed by the passive verb and the to-infinitive.

Personal passive construction: Subject + verb in passive + to infinitive. Examples:

The Earth is known to revolve around the Sun. — It is known that the Earth revolves around the Sun.

The meeting was thought to be canceled. — It was thought that the meeting would be canceled.

The fire is reported to have started at midnight. — It is reported that the fire started at midnight.

Which verbs cannot be used in the passive voice: explanation

English verbs are divided into transitive (always require a direct object) and intransitive (can occur without one).

She wrote a letter. — She wrote a letter. (write — transitive, object: a letter).

The child cried. — The child cried. (cry — intransitive, no object).

A phrase without an object is incomplete for a transitive verb: ✗ She wrote. For an intransitive verb, an object is impossible: ✗ The child cried a tear. In the passive, the former object becomes the subject, so intransitive verbs do not form a passive — only active voice.

Active: We watched the movie. — We watched the movie.

Passive: The movie was watched. — The movie was watched.

When it is necessary to use the passive voice in English

The passive is appropriate in the following situations:

1. Unknown, unimportant, or irrelevant who performed the action.

The laptop was repaired yesterday. — The laptop was repaired yesterday.

Two hospitals are being constructed in the city. — Two hospitals are being built in the city.

That is why the passive often appears in police reports: «The bank was robbed at noon» — the perpetrator has not yet been found.

2. We do not want to indicate the responsible person (bureaucracy, politics, business).

Rules will be enforced. — The rules will be enforced.

Mistakes were made. — Mistakes were made.

In business: «Your account will be suspended» instead of «We will suspend your account».

3. Talking about well-known facts or norms.

Laws must be obeyed. — Laws must be obeyed.

Trash should be recycled. — Trash should be recycled.

4. In scientific texts (for objectivity).

The sample was heated to 100°C. — The sample was heated to 100°C.

Researchers often use the passive to make the text more objective and separate experimental results from personal opinions. Some guides to scientific style allow limited use of the active voice. For example: «We analyzed the samples» instead of «The samples were analyzed», but first-person conclusions are still considered undesirable.

Example: «We think the virus mutates quickly» — sounds subjective.

Alternative without passive: «The evidence shows that the virus mutates quickly». Active voice, but subjectivity disappears.

If you want to confidently use the passive and other grammatical constructions in speech, choose textbooks from Dinternal Education — structured materials with a clear program and practical exercises that explain any material accessibly. Start learning today!