Introduction: Shifting Focus

The Passive Voice (Lijdende Vorm) is used when the focus of the sentence is on the action or the object that receives the action, rather than on the person or thing performing the action (the agent). In the passive voice, the subject of the sentence is the one undergoing the action.

• Active Voice: De man bouwt het huis. (The man builds the house.) - Focus on the agent (de man).
• Passive Voice: Het huis wordt gebouwd (door de man). (The house is being built (by the man).) - Focus on the object/action (het huis).

The agent (door de man) is often omitted in passive sentences if it's unknown, unimportant, or obvious.

Formation of the Passive Voice

The passive voice in Dutch is formed using an auxiliary verb (worden or zijn) and the past participle of the main verb.

1. Passive Present Tense

Used for actions happening now or general truths in the passive.

Structure: Subject (Receiver of Action) + worden (conjugated) + (Rest) + Past Participle

Conjugation of worden (Present Tense): ik word, jij wordt, u wordt, hij/zij/het wordt, wij worden, jullie worden, zij worden

Examples:

• Het boek wordt gelezen. (The book is being read.)
• De brieven worden geschreven. (The letters are being written.)
• Er wordt hier Nederlands gesproken. (Dutch is spoken here.) - Using impersonal er
• De maaltijd wordt door de kok bereid. (The meal is prepared by the chef.) - Agent mentioned with door

2. Passive Past Tenses

a) Passive Perfect Tense (Voltooid Tegenwoordige Tijd Passief)

Used for completed actions in the passive, focusing on the result.

Structure: Subject + zijn (conjugated - present tense) + (Rest) + Past Participle + geworden (optional, often omitted) (Correction: Uses zijn + past participle)

Structure: Subject + zijn (conjugated - present tense) + (Rest) + Past Participle

(Note: The formation uses zijn, NOT worden. The completion of the passive action results in a state described by zijn + participle.)

Examples:

• Het huis is gebouwd. (The house has been built / is built.)
• De brief is geschreven. (The letter has been written / is written.)
• De ramen zijn schoongemaakt. (The windows have been cleaned / are cleaned.)
• De beslissing is gisteren genomen. (The decision was taken yesterday.) - Even with past time reference, if it's a completed action viewed from the present, this form is common.

b) Passive Simple Past / Imperfect Tense (Onvoltooid Verleden Tijd Passief)

Used for ongoing or repeated passive actions in the past, or description in the past.

Structure: Subject + worden (conjugated - simple past) + (Rest) + Past Participle

Conjugation of worden (Simple Past - O.V.T.): ik werd, jij werd, u werd, hij/zij/het werd, wij werden, jullie werden, zij werden

Examples:

• Het huis werd gebouwd toen ik hier kwam wonen. (The house was being built when I came to live here.)
• De brieven werden elke dag bezorgd. (The letters were delivered every day.)
• Er werd veel gedanst op het feest. (There was a lot of dancing at the party.)

Word Order in Subordinate Clauses

In subordinate clauses, the auxiliary verb (wordt/worden, is/zijn, werd/werden) moves to the end, following the past participle.

• Ik zie dat het huis gebouwd wordt. (Present Passive)
• Hij zegt dat de brief geschreven is. (Perfect Passive)
• Zij wist niet dat de brieven elke dag bezorgd werden. (Simple Past Passive)

When to Use the Passive Voice

• When the agent (who performs the action) is unknown: Mijn fiets is gestolen. (My bike has been stolen.)
• When the agent is obvious or unimportant: De weg wordt gerepareerd. (The road is being repaired.)
• When the focus is on the action or the result: Het nieuwe museum is geopend. (The new museum has been opened.)
• In formal or scientific writing to maintain objectivity: De resultaten werden geanalyseerd. (The results were analyzed.)

Using door to Mention the Agent

If you want to mention the agent (the performer of the action) in a passive sentence, use the preposition door.

• Het boek wordt door veel studenten gelezen. (The book is read by many students.)
• Het huis is door een beroemde architect ontworpen. (The house was designed by a famous architect.)

The passive voice shifts focus from the performer to the receiver of an action. Learn the key structures:

• Present Passive: worden (present) + Past Participle
• Perfect Passive: zijn (present) + Past Participle
• Simple Past Passive: worden (simple past - werd/werden) + Past Participle

Remember that the agent can be added using door, but is often omitted.