The Passive — Vorgangspassiv vs. Zustandspassiv
B2Two passives, one choice: werden for the process, sein for the state. Plus passives with modals and the elegant escape hatches Germans use instead (man, sich lassen, -bar).
The process passive (Vorgangspassiv)
Germans build the passive with werden plus Partizip II. While the English passive answers 'by whom?', German often just doesn't care — the Vorgangspassiv puts the spotlight on the action itself, the doer can stay off stage entirely. The tense travels on werden, the participle never moves from the end.
| Tense | Passive | English |
|---|---|---|
| Präsens | Das Haus wird gebaut. | The house is being built. |
| Präteritum | Das Haus wurde gebaut. | The house was being built. |
| Perfekt | Das Haus ist gebaut worden. | The house has been built. |
Beispiele — examples in context
In Berlin werden jedes Jahr tausende neuer Wohnungen gebaut.
Thousands of new apartments are built in Berlin every year.
Der Vertrag wurde gestern von der Geschäftsführung unterzeichnet.
The contract was signed by the management yesterday.
The state passive (Zustandspassiv)
Swap werden for sein and the passive stops being a movie and becomes a photograph. The Vorgangspassiv describes the building happening; the Zustandspassiv describes the finished building standing there. Germans love this distinction, so train your ear to hear werden vs. sein at the sentence's heart.
| Form | German | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Prozess | Die Tür wird geöffnet. | The door is being opened (action in progress). |
| Zustand | Die Tür ist geöffnet. | The door is open (resulting state). |
| Prozess | Das Geschäft ist geschlossen worden. | The shop has been closed (someone closed it). |
| Zustand | Das Geschäft ist geschlossen. | The shop is closed (state you encounter). |
Beispiele — examples in context
Die Straße ist gesperrt, weil die Brücke repariert wird.
The road is blocked because the bridge is being repaired.
Das Problem ist gelöst.
The problem is solved.
Passive with modal verbs
Now Germans stack a modal on top of the passive, and the word order gets architectural: modal in position two, subject in the middle, Partizip II plus werden both crammed to the end. It looks alarming written down, but it is completely regular — and you will need it for rules, obligations and announcements.
Beispiele — examples in context
Der Antrag muss bis Freitag eingereicht werden.
The application has to be submitted by Friday.
Hier darf nicht geparkt werden.
Parking is not allowed here.
Das Medikament sollte nicht mit Alkohol eingenommen werden.
The medication should not be taken with alcohol.
Escape hatches: man, sich lassen, -bar
Germans have three elegant ways to dodge the passive entirely, and fluent writers use them constantly. Man puts an anonymous 'one' to work, sich lassen turns 'can be done' into reflexive style, and the suffix -bar glues 'can be done' onto a verb like a detachable shelf.
| Construction | German | English |
|---|---|---|
| Passiv | Das Problem kann gelöst werden. | The problem can be solved. |
| man | Man kann das Problem lösen. | One can solve the problem. |
| sich lassen | Das Problem lässt sich lösen. | The problem can be solved (literally: lets itself be solved). |
| -bar | Das Problem ist lösbar. | The problem is solvable. |
Beispiele — examples in context
Diese Aufgabe lässt sich online erledigen.
This task can be done online.
Seine Handschrift ist kaum lesbar.
His handwriting is barely legible.