The passive: all tenses & forms

The passive is always built the same way: some form of be + the past participle. Present simple and past simple passive (is made, was built) are the two forms most learners meet first — but the same pattern extends to most other tenses, and to modal verbs too. Once the be + past participle idea feels natural, the rest is really just matching the right form of be to the tense you already know.

Quick shortcut: the tense or modal changes only the be part — the past participle never changes. Continuous tenses add being: is being built. Perfect tenses add been: has been built. Simple modal passives use the base form be: must be built. Perfect modal passives use have been: could have been broken.

The full picture

Here's how the same idea — someone builds/built/will build the house — looks in the passive across the main tenses:

Tense	Active	Passive
Present simple	They build* houses here.*	Houses are built* here.*
Present continuous	They are building* a house.*	A house is being built.
Present perfect	They have built* the house.*	The house has been built.
Past simple	They built* the house.*	The house was built.
Past continuous	They were building* the house.*	The house was being built.
Past perfect	They had built* the house before we arrived.*	The house had been built* before we arrived.*
Future (will)	They will build* a house.*	A house will be built.
Future perfect	They will have built* the house by June.*	The house will have been built* by June.*
Going to	They are going to build* a house.*	A house is going to be built.
Modal	They must build* it safely.*	It must be built* safely.*

The present simple and past simple rows are covered in full in The passive: present & past — this article focuses on the rest of the table above. (A few passive forms — perfect continuous ones like has been being repaired, or future continuous ones like will be being repaired — technically exist but sound so awkward that speakers almost always rephrase instead. They're left out here on purpose.)

Continuous tenses: present and past

Present continuous passive: am / is / are + being + past participle. Used for an action in progress now or around the present period, with the focus on the thing it's happening to.

The road is being repaired this week.
Our order is being prepared.
These issues are being investigated.

Past continuous passive: was / were + being + past participle. Used for an action that was in progress at a specific point in the past.

The house was being painted when the storm hit.
New rules were being discussed at the time.

✅ is being built (present continuous passive) is a different sentence from ✅ is built (present simple passive) — the being signals an action in progress now or over a temporary current period, not a general fact or repeated routine: ❌ This bridge is being built every year doesn't make sense, because "every year" needs the simple form: ✅ This bridge is inspected every year.

Perfect tenses: present and past

Present perfect passive: have / has + been + past participle. Used for a completed action with a present result or relevance, just like the active present perfect.

The report has been finished.
All the documents have been signed.
Has the package been delivered yet?

Past perfect passive: had + been + past participle. Used for an action completed before another point in the past.

The guests had already been seated when the band arrived.
The building had been demolished before anyone could stop it.

Notice the pattern: have/has/had/will have + been + past participle. The perfect auxiliary (have, has, had) takes the past participle of be, which is been — and been is followed by the main verb's own past participle (built, signed, delivered).

Future: will, future perfect, and going to

Future simple passive: will + be + past participle.

The results will be announced tomorrow.
A decision will be made by Friday.

Future perfect passive: will have + been + past participle — for an action that will be completed before a specific point in the future.

The renovation will have been finished by the time you visit.
All the seats will have been sold before doors open.

"Going to" passive: am / is / are going to + be + past participle — for a planned or predicted future action, the passive version of future forms with going to.

The old cinema is going to be demolished next year.
New safety rules are going to be introduced.

Modal verbs such as can, could, must, should, may, might, will, and would form the passive the same way as the active — the modal stays first, but instead of the base verb, it's followed by be + past participle:

Active	Passive
You must submit the form by Friday.	The form must be submitted by Friday.
Someone can see the mountains from here.	The mountains can be seen from here.
They should fix the bug soon.	The bug should be fixed soon.
We might change the schedule.	The schedule might be changed.

For talking about a modal possibility or obligation in the past, use modal + have been + past participle:

The window could have been broken by the wind. (a possible past explanation — see modals of deduction for the present-tense version of this pattern)
The report should have been finished yesterday. (an obligation that wasn't met)
The mistake must have been noticed by someone.

✅ must be checked (a present/future obligation) is different from ✅ must have been checked (a deduction about the past) — swapping them changes the meaning entirely: ❌ The parcel must have been delivered tomorrow mixes a past-deduction form with a future time word, which doesn't work.

Common mistakes

❌ Houses are build here. → ✅ Houses are built here. (past participle, not the base form)
❌ The road is repairing this week. → ✅ The road is being repaired this week. (continuous passive needs being, not just -ing)
❌ The documents have signed already. → ✅ The documents have been signed already. (present perfect passive needs been, not just the past participle alone)
❌ It must been fixed by tomorrow. → ✅ It must be fixed by tomorrow. (after a modal, use be, not been, for a present/future obligation)
❌ The window must be broken by the wind last night. → ✅ The window must have been broken by the wind last night. (a past deduction needs have been, not just be)
❌ The results will announced tomorrow. → ✅ The results will be announced tomorrow. (the passive still needs be after will — will alone isn't a complete passive verb phrase)

Quick check

Choose the correct passive form:

Right now, the kitchen ____ (renovate). (present continuous passive)
By 6 p.m., all the food ____ (eat). (future perfect passive)
When the new road ____ (add), the bridge ____ (already / build). (past simple + past perfect passive)
The results ____ (should / announce) by Friday.
That noise we can hear right now ____ (must / cause) by the wind — it's really strong tonight.

Show answers

The kitchen is being renovated.
By 6 p.m., all the food will have been eaten.
When the new road was added, the bridge had already been built.
The results should be announced by Friday.
That noise we can hear right now must be caused by the wind — a present cause for something happening right now, so it's must be, not must have been (that would describe a past event instead).

Key takeaways

Every passive form is built on be + past participle — the tense or modal only changes the be part.
Continuous passives add being: is being built, was being built.
Perfect passives add been: has been built, had been built, will have been built.
Future passive uses will or going to: will be built, is going to be built.
Modals are followed by be + past participle for present/future meaning (must be fixed), and by have been + past participle for a past meaning (must have been fixed).
The past participle itself never changes — only the auxiliary and modal forms around it do.