In an active sentence, the subject does the action: Maria wrote the letter. In a passive sentence, the subject receives the action: The letter was written by Maria. The person or thing that receives the action becomes the main topic.
The passive is useful in lots of everyday situations — when you don't know who did something, when it doesn't matter, or when the result is more important than the doer.
Quick form: subject + am / is / are (present) or was / were (past) + past participle → English is spoken here. The window was broken.
The passive is only possible with transitive verbs — verbs that take an object in the active sentence (speak English, break the window, check the locks). Verbs like arrive, happen, and sleep have no object, so they have no passive.
Why use the passive?
There are three common reasons to use the passive:
- The agent is unknown: My phone was stolen last night. (you don't know who took it)
- The agent is obvious or unimportant: She was born in 1998. English is taught in schools worldwide.
- The result or action matters more than the doer: The bridge is inspected every year. This song was recorded in one take.
In formal writing — news reports, academic texts, instructions — the passive is especially common, because the focus is on what happened, not on who made it happen.
Present simple passive
Am / is / are + past participle
The present passive describes regular states, routines, and facts — the same situations the present simple handles, but with the focus on the thing receiving the action.
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| Farmers grow coffee in Brazil. | Coffee is grown in Brazil. |
| Someone checks the locks every night. | The locks are checked every night. |
| The team uses this software. | This software is used by the team. |
The choice of am / is / are follows the subject of the passive sentence:
| Subject | Auxiliary | Past participle | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | am | invited | I am invited to the party. |
| he / she / it | is | checked | It is checked daily. |
| we / you / they | are | made | These shoes are made in Italy. |
Past simple passive
Was / were + past participle
The past passive describes completed actions in the past where the focus is on what happened to the subject.
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| Someone built this bridge in 1920. | This bridge was built in 1920. |
| They cancelled the concert. | The concert was cancelled. |
| Workers made the first cars by hand. | The first cars were made by hand. |
Was goes with I, he, she, it; were goes with we, you, they — the same split as in Past simple: was / were.
| Subject | Auxiliary | Past participle | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| I / he / she / it | was | built | It was built in 1920. |
| we / you / they | were | cancelled | The concerts were cancelled. |
Past participles
The past participle is the third form of the verb — the same form used in the present perfect with have.
Regular verbs form the past participle by adding -ed — exactly the same as the past simple, with the same spelling rules (double final consonant after a short vowel: stop → stopped; drop silent -e: close → closed). See Past simple: regular verbs for the full guide.
| Base form | Past simple | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
| invite | invited | invited |
| close | closed | closed |
| paint | painted | painted |
Irregular verbs have a separate past participle form (the third column of the irregular verb table). Some match the past simple; others don't:
| Base form | Past simple | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
| break | broke | broken |
| write | wrote | written |
| make | made | made |
| know | knew | known |
| steal | stole | stolen |
For a full list of common irregular verbs, see Past simple: irregular verbs.
Adding the agent (by + …)
When you want to say who did the action, add by + the agent at the end:
- The report was written by the director.
- This painting is admired by millions of visitors.
- The decision was made by the committee.
The by-phrase is optional — you only include it when the agent is relevant or interesting. When the agent is unknown or unimportant, leave it out.
Negatives
Not goes after am / is / are / was / were:
| Tense | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present | am / is / are + not + past participle | It is not used any more. / It isn't used. |
| Past | was / were + not + past participle | The window wasn't broken. / They were not invited. |
Common contractions: isn't, aren't, wasn't, weren't. Note: am not has no standard statement contraction — ✅ I am not invited or I'm not invited, but ❌ I amn't invited.
Questions
In questions, am / is / are / was / were comes before the subject:
| Tense | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present | Am / Is / Are + subject + past participle? | Is this product sold online? Am I included? |
| Past | Was / Were + subject + past participle? | Was the parcel delivered? |
Short answers match the auxiliary: Yes, it is / No, it isn't; Yes, it was / No, it wasn't.
For information questions, the wh-word comes first:
- Where is this coffee grown?
- When was the palace built?
- Who was the symphony composed by? (formal: By whom was it composed?)
Common mistakes
- ❌ The window was break. → ✅ The window was broken. (use the past participle, not the base form or past simple)
- ❌ Coffee is grew in Brazil. → ✅ Coffee is grown in Brazil. (irregular past participle: grow → grown)
- ❌ The letters was delivered. → ✅ The letters were delivered. (letters is plural → were)
- ❌ The form signed by the manager. → ✅ The form was signed by the manager. (passive needs the auxiliary was/were — signed alone is not a complete verb phrase)
- ❌ The film was directed very well by. → ✅ The film was directed very well (no dangling by without an agent, or add one: by the director)
- ❌ They were inviting to the party. → ✅ They were invited to the party. (passive needs the past participle, not the -ing form)
Quick check
Active or passive? Fill in the correct form.
- This museum ____ (open) in 1887. (past passive)
- Thousands of people ____ (visit) this museum every year. (present active)
- The original paintings ____ (restore) last year. (past passive)
- By whom ____ the Mona Lisa ____ (paint)? (past passive question)
Show answers
- This museum was opened in 1887.
- Thousands of people visit this museum every year.
- The original paintings were restored last year.
- By whom was the Mona Lisa painted? (or more naturally: Who was the Mona Lisa painted by?)
Key takeaways
- The passive shifts focus from the doer to the action or result: The letter was written focuses on the letter, not the writer.
- Present simple passive: subject + am / is / are + past participle → It is made here.
- Past simple passive: subject + was / were + past participle → It was built in 1920.
- The past participle of regular verbs is the same as the past simple (closed, painted). Irregular verbs have their own third form (broken, written, made).
- Use was with I / he / she / it and were with we / you / they.
- Add by + agent when the agent matters; leave it out when it's unknown or unimportant.
- Negatives: isn't used, wasn't built, weren't invited.
- Questions: move the auxiliary to the front → Was it built here? Is it used often?