The passive voice in German highlights the action or result rather than the doer, and it appears in two main forms: the Vorgangspassiv (process passive) and the Zustandspassiv (state passive).
Vorgangspassiv
The Vorgangspassiv uses werden + past participle to show an ongoing or completed action, and it can include an agent introduced by von or durch.
| German Sentence | English Sentence | |
|---|---|---|
| Das Haus wird gebaut. | The house is being built. | |
| Der Brief wird von ihr geschrieben. | The letter is being written by her. |
Zustandspassiv
The Zustandspassiv uses sein + past participle to express a resulting state after an action, and it typically does not mention an agent.
| German Sentence | English Sentence | |
|---|---|---|
| Die Tür ist geschlossen. | The door is closed. | |
| Die Fenster sind geputzt. | The windows are cleaned. |
Passiv mit werden
Use werden + past participle for actions that happen, especially when you want to mention the agent or focus on the process; it works in all tenses.
| German Sentence | English Sentence | |
|---|---|---|
| Der Bericht wird morgen abgegeben. | The report will be handed in tomorrow. | |
| Die Aufgaben werden von den Schülern erledigt. | The tasks are done by the students. |
Passiv mit sein
Use sein + past participle to describe a state or condition resulting from an action; it highlights the outcome rather than the activity.
| German Sentence | English Sentence | |
|---|---|---|
| Das Paket ist geliefert. | The package is delivered. | |
| Der Rasen ist gemäht. | The lawn is mowed. |
Passiv mit werden und von/durch
When you want to specify who performs the action, use werden + past participle and add the agent with von or durch; this makes the doer clear.
| German Sentence | English Sentence | |
|---|---|---|
| Das Bild wird von einem Künstler gemalt. | The picture is being painted by an artist. | |
| Der Bericht wird durch das Team erstellt. | The report is being prepared by the team. |
Passiv mit werden in verschiedenen Zeiten
The passive with werden can appear in all tenses to show time relationships: use wurde for past, wird for present/future, and ist... worden for perfect passive.
| German Sentence (Tense) | English Sentence | |
|---|---|---|
| Der Vertrag wurde unterschrieben. | The contract was signed. | |
| Der Vertrag wird unterschrieben. | The contract is being signed. | |
| Der Vertrag ist unterschrieben worden. | The contract has been signed. |
Passiv mit werden und Modalverben
When a modal verb appears, place the past participle at the end and keep werden in the infinitive; the modal shapes the meaning of necessity, possibility, or permission in the passive.
| German Sentence | English Sentence | |
|---|---|---|
| Das Paket muss geliefert werden. | The package must be delivered. | |
| Die Arbeit kann gemacht werden. | The work can be done. |
Alternative Formen: Passiv mit man und unpersönlich
Instead of the passive, German often uses man + active verb or impersonal constructions with es wird to express general actions without focusing on the agent.
| German Sentence | English Sentence | |
|---|---|---|
| Man repariert die Straßen. | They / People repair the streets. | |
| Es werden neue Regeln eingeführt. | New rules are being introduced. |
Zusammenfassung
Use werden + past participle for the process passive Vorgangspassiv, sein + past participle for the state passive Zustandspassiv, add agents with von or durch when needed, and remember that modals affect the position of werden; for general actions, consider man or impersonal forms.
Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025