Passive Voice: Present and Past Simple
The passive is be plus the past participle, and the object of an active sentence becomes the subject. Present simple uses am, is or are (English is spoken here); past simple uses was or were (The bridge was built in 1930). Add by only when the doer matters.
Level: B1. Sometimes what matters is the thing an action happens to, not the person who does it. The passive voice lets you put that thing first: Coffee is grown in Brazil. The letter was sent yesterday.
The rule
In an active sentence the subject does the action: Workers built the bridge. In a passive sentence the subject receives the action: The bridge was built. The object of the active verb (the bridge) moves to the front and becomes the subject.
A past participle is the third form of a verb — for regular verbs it is the -ed form (clean → cleaned), and for irregular verbs it has its own spelling (build → built, write → written, make → made).
The passive is always a form of be + the past participle. The verb be does two jobs: it shows the tense and it agrees with the new subject.
- Present simple passive: am / is / are + past participle — English is spoken here. These cars are made in Japan.
- Past simple passive: was / were + past participle — The house was built in 1900. The letters were sent last week.
If you want to say who or what does the action, add it at the end with by: The novel was written by a teenager. But in most passive sentences the doer is left out, because it is unknown, obvious, or simply not the point.
Forms: active to passive
| Tense | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| present simple | They clean the office daily. | The office is cleaned daily. |
| present simple (plural) | People speak English here. | English is spoken here. |
| present simple (plural subj.) | They make these cars in Japan. | These cars are made in Japan. |
| past simple | Someone built the bridge in 1930. | The bridge was built in 1930. |
| past simple (plural) | They sent the letters last week. | The letters were sent last week. |
| with agent | Shakespeare wrote this play. | This play was written by Shakespeare. |
The form of be depends on the tense and on whether the new subject is singular or plural:
| New subject | Present | Past |
|---|---|---|
| singular (the book) | is + participle | was + participle |
| plural (the books) | are + participle | were + participle |
| I | am + participle | was + participle |
| you / we / they | are + participle | were + participle |
Example sentences
- English is spoken all over the world.present simple passive, singular subject.
- These shoes are made in Italy.plural subject takes 'are'.
- The office is cleaned every evening.doer left out — not important.
- Rice is grown in many countries.a general fact in the passive.
- The museum is closed on Mondays.'closed' as a past participle.
- My car was repaired yesterday.past simple passive, singular.
- The bridge was built in 1930.irregular participle: built.
- The letters were sent last week.plural subject takes 'were'.
- The window was broken during the storm.irregular participle: broken.
- Dinner was cooked by my brother.the agent matters, so 'by' is added.
- This novel was written by a famous author.'by + agent' gives the writer.
- The paintings were stolen from the gallery.doer unknown — passive is natural.
- Tea is served at four o'clock.a routine with an unstated doer.
- The results are announced every June.regular routine, plural-looking but 'results' is the subject.
- The road was closed because of the flood.past passive, reason added.
- The report is written in English.state described with the passive.
- The children were taken to the zoo.irregular participle: taken.
- The problem was solved in minutes.focus on the action, not the solver.
Common mistakes
- ❌ The bridge was build in 1930. → ✅ The bridge was built in 1930. The passive needs the past participle (built), not the base verb.
- ❌ English is speak here. → ✅ English is spoken here. Use the participle spoken, not the base speak.
- ❌ These cars is made in Japan. → ✅ These cars are made in Japan. Be must agree: a plural subject takes are / were.
- ❌ The letter was sent it yesterday. → ✅ The letter was sent yesterday. Do not keep the old object; it is now the subject.
- ❌ The house is built last year. → ✅ The house was built last year. A finished past time needs the past was, not the present is.
- ❌ The novel was written from a teenager. → ✅ The novel was written by a teenager. The agent takes by, not from.
A short conversation
Noor: This building looks really old. Theo: It is — it was built over two hundred years ago. Noor: And is it still used? Theo: Yes, concerts are held here every summer, and the hall was restored a few years ago.
Usage notes
- Leaving out the agent. Most passives have no by-phrase. Add one only when the doer is new or surprising information: The song was written by a ten-year-old.
- Agreement, not meaning, decides be. Match be to the grammatical subject: The news is reported (news is singular), The data are collected (in formal use).
- State vs action. Some passives describe a resulting state (The shop is closed) rather than an event. Context tells you which; the form is the same.
- By vs with. The doer takes by (cut by the chef); the tool or material takes with (cut with a knife).
- Not every verb can be passive. Verbs with no object — arrive, happen, sleep — have no passive form: you cannot say was arrived.
Compared with…
- The full passive system. Present and past simple are the starting point. The same be + participle idea extends to continuous (is being cleaned), perfect (has been cleaned), future (will be cleaned) and modal passives (must be cleaned). See The Passive: All Forms.
- Causative have / get. A passive says the subject received an action (My car was repaired). The causative says you arranged for someone else to do it (I had my car repaired). Different structure, related idea. See Causative: Have and Get Something Done.
Quick recap before you practise.
Practice
Passive present and past practice
Try each one, then press Check. No sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere — it all runs in your browser.
Hint: past of 'be', singular
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was — A singular subject in the past takes 'was' + participle.
3 Put the words in order to make a passive sentence.
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These shoes are made in Italy — Plural subject + are + past participle + place.
4 Match each base verb to its past participle.
- build
- write
- take
- steal
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- build → built
- write → written
- take → taken
- steal → stolen
These are all irregular participles used in the passive.
Quiz
Passive present and past simple quiz
12 questions · pick an answer and you'll see straight away if it's right.
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be + past participle — The passive is always a form of be + the past participle.
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English is spoken here. — Present simple passive: is + spoken.
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are made — Plural subject 'cars' takes 'are' in the present.
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were sent — Plural subject + past 'were' + participle 'sent'.
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built — 'Build' is irregular: the participle is 'built'.
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'last year' needs the past: was built — A finished past time needs 'was', not the present 'is'.
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with 'by' — The agent is introduced with 'by': written by Shakespeare.
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was — Singular subject in the past: was + broken.
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when the doer is unknown or unimportant — Use it when the doer is unknown, obvious or unimportant, or to foreground the receiver.
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The letter was sent it yesterday. — The old object 'it' must be dropped — it is now the subject.
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This play was written by Shakespeare. — Past passive + agent: was + written + by Shakespeare.
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arrive — 'Arrive' has no object, so it cannot be made passive.
Recap cheat-sheet
| Tense | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| present simple | am / is / are + participle | English is spoken here |
| past simple | was / were + participle | the bridge was built |
| plural subject | are / were + participle | the cars are made |
| the doer (optional) | by + agent | written by Shakespeare |
Next
- Back to the English grammar section
- Next up: The Passive: All Forms
- New here? Start with Start Learning English Here
All English grammar topics
Every grammar point in order, from your first sentence to advanced structures. Pick one and go straight to it. New lessons go live every day, so topics marked Coming soon fill in over the next weeks.
Grammar path
A1 30 topics · 30 ready
- 01 Verb 'To Be' in the Present (am, is, are)
- 02 Subject Pronouns: I, You, He, She, It, We, They
- 03 Present Simple: Affirmative and the -s Ending
- 04 Present Simple: Negatives and Questions (do/does)
- 05 Articles: a / an and When to Use Each
- 06 The Definite Article 'The': When to Use It
- 07 Zero Article: When to Use No Article
- 08 Plural Nouns: Regular and Irregular Forms
- 09 This, That, These, Those (Demonstratives)
- 10 Possessive Adjectives: my, your, his, her
- 11 Possessive 's and s' (Showing Belonging)
- 12 There Is / There Are (Saying What Exists)
- 13 Have Got: Talking About Possession
- 14 Can and Can't for Ability
- 15 Present Continuous (am/is/are + -ing)
- 16 Imperatives: Giving Orders and Instructions
- 17 Adjectives: Position and Basic Use
- 18 Prepositions of Place: in, on, at
- 19 Prepositions of Time: in, on, at
- 20 Question Words: What, Where, When, Who, Why, How
- 21 How Much vs How Many
- 22 Countable and Uncountable Nouns
- 23 Some and Any: Which One to Use
- 24 Object Pronouns: me, you, him, her, us, them
- 25 Adverbs of Frequency and Their Position
- 26 Like, Love, Hate + -ing (Expressing Preferences)
- 27 Would Like: Polite Wants and Offers
- 28 Making Requests: Can, Could, May I
- 29 Past Simple of 'To Be' (was / were)
- 30 Let's and Shall We: Making Suggestions
A2 25 topics · 25 ready
- 31 Past Simple: Regular Verbs and -ed Spelling
- 32 Past Simple: Irregular Verbs (go, see, have)
- 33 Past Simple: Negatives and Questions (did)
- 34 Comparative Adjectives (bigger, more expensive)
- 35 Superlative Adjectives (the biggest, the most)
- 36 Going To: Plans and Predictions
- 37 Will: Predictions, Decisions and Offers
- 38 Present Continuous for Future Arrangements
- 39 Present Perfect for Experience (ever / never)
- 40 Present Perfect with just, already, yet
- 41 Present Perfect vs Past Simple
- 42 Have To and Don't Have To (Obligation)
- 43 Should and Shouldn't for Advice
- 44 Could: Past Ability and Polite Use
- 45 Much, Many, A Lot Of
- 46 A Few, A Little, Few, Little
- 47 Adverbs of Manner (quickly, well, hard)
- 48 Verb + -ing or Verb + to (Introduction)
- 49 Zero Conditional (Facts and Rules)
- 50 First Conditional (Real Future Possibility)
- 51 Prepositions of Movement (to, into, through)
- 52 Possessive Pronouns: mine, yours, hers
- 53 Past Continuous (was/were + -ing)
- 54 Too and Enough (Degree)
- 55 Order of Adjectives Before a Noun
B1 27 topics · 27 ready
- 56 Past Continuous vs Past Simple
- 57 Used To and Would for Past Habits
- 58 Present Perfect Continuous (have been -ing)
- 59 Present Perfect: Simple vs Continuous
- 60 Past Perfect (had + past participle)
- 61 Second Conditional (Unreal Present/Future)
- 62 Third Conditional (Unreal Past)
- 63 Reported Speech: Statements (Backshift)
- 64 Reported Questions
- 65 Reported Commands and Requests
- 66 Passive Voice: Present and Past Simple You are here
- 67 Must and Mustn't (Strong Obligation)
- 68 May, Might, Could for Possibility
- 69 Defining Relative Clauses (who, which, that)
- 70 Non-Defining Relative Clauses (with commas)
- 71 Gerunds and Infinitives: Full Verb Patterns
- 72 Verbs Where -ing vs to Changes Meaning
- 73 Future Continuous (will be -ing)
- 74 So and Such (Emphasis)
- 75 As...As Comparisons (equality)
- 76 Question Tags (isn't it? do you?)
- 77 Phrasal Verbs: Separable and Inseparable
- 78 Linking Words: because, so, although, but
- 79 Infinitive of Purpose (to / in order to)
- 80 Indirect Questions (Can you tell me...)
- 81 Make, Let, Allow, Help (Causatives Intro)
- 82 Be Used To and Get Used To (+ -ing)
B2 25 topics · 25 ready
- 83 Narrative Tenses for Storytelling
- 84 Past Perfect Continuous (had been -ing)
- 85 Mixed Conditionals
- 86 Wish and If Only (Regrets and Wishes)
- 87 Wish/If Only + would (Complaints)
- 88 Passive Voice: All Tenses and Modals
- 89 Reporting Passive (It is said that / is said to)
- 90 Causative: Have/Get Something Done
- 91 Reduced Relative Clauses (Participles)
- 92 Modals of Deduction: Present and Past
- 93 Needn't Have vs Didn't Need To
- 94 Future Perfect (will have done)
- 95 Participle Clauses (-ing / -ed / having done)
- 96 Advanced Comparatives (far/much + er, the more)
- 97 Conditional Alternatives: unless, as long as, provided
- 98 Advanced Determiners: each, every, either, neither
- 99 Intensifiers and Adverbs of Degree
- 100 Advanced Contrast: despite, in spite of, however
- 101 Advanced Linkers: therefore, moreover, consequently
- 102 Advanced Article Use (generalisations, names)
- 103 Verb + Preposition and Adjective + Preposition
- 104 Relative Clauses: whose, where, when, quantifier + whom
- 105 Subject-Verb Agreement: Tricky Cases
- 106 Emphatic Do (I do like it)
- 107 Would for Past Habits (Formal Narrative)
C1 18 topics · 18 ready
- 108 Inversion with Negative Adverbials
- 109 Inversion in Conditionals (Had I known)
- 110 Cleft Sentences (It was... / What I need is...)
- 111 Fronting and Emphasis (Word Order)
- 112 Subjunctive and Mandative (I suggest he be)
- 113 Ellipsis and Substitution (so, do, one)
- 114 Hedging and Cautious Language
- 115 Nominalisation (Academic Noun Style)
- 116 Advanced Discourse Markers (Spoken & Written)
- 117 Advanced Passive (passive + infinitive, get-passive)
- 118 Advanced Comparative Structures (no sooner...than)
- 119 Future in the Past (was going to / would)
- 120 Advanced Modals (may well, might as well, would rather)
- 121 Advanced Reported Speech (Reporting Verbs + Patterns)
- 122 Advanced and Idiomatic Phrasal Verbs
- 123 Collocation and Colligation (Natural Combinations)
- 124 Advanced Concession (much as, whatever, however + adj)
- 125 Absolute and Non-Finite Clauses (Formal)