Active and passive voice in German
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If a subject of a sentence acts upon an object, the sentence is written in the "normal" active form. The activity of the subject is expressed by the active form. Example: Sie kauft das Buch. - She buys the book.
An alternative to this sentence structure is the passive voice. The subject (in this case "das Buch") of the sentence receives an action. Example: Das Buch wird von ihr gekauft. - The book is bought by her.
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There are two different passive voices in the German language. The first one is built of werden + past participle. The second one is built of sein + past participle.
The processual passive is used to set the action itself priority. By whom the action was caused is unknown and not important. The passive voice can be formed for all tenses in the German language. But only werden changes according to the personal pronouns to form the tenses. The past participle remains the same.
tense | example |
---|---|
present | Das Buch wird gekauft. |
present perfect | Das Buch ist gekauft worden. |
simple past | Das Buch wurde gekauft. |
past perfect | Das Buch war gekauft worden. |
future | Das Buch wird gekauft werden. |
future perfect | Das Buch wird gekauft worden sein. |
The stative passive describes the condition after an action.
tense | example |
---|---|
present | Das Buch ist gekauft. |
present perfect | Das Buch ist gekauft gewesen. |
simple past | Das Buch war gekauft. |
past perfect | Das Buch war gekauft gewesen. |
future | Das Buch wird gekauft sein. |
future perfect | Das Buch wird gekauft gewesen sein. |
active | translation | passive | translation |
---|---|---|---|
Ich trinke Wasser. | I'm drinking water | Das Wasser wird von mir getrunken. | The water is being drunk by me |
Ich hob den Stuhl. | I picked up the chair | Der Stuhl wurde von mir gehoben. | The chair was picked up by me |
Er hat das Essen gekocht. | He cooked the food | Das Essen ist von ihm gekocht gewesen. | The food was cooked by him |
Er hatte das Essen gekocht. | He has cooked the food | Das Essen war von ihm gekocht worden. | The food has been cooked by him |
Ich werde den Stuhl heben. | I will pick up the chair | Der Stuhl wird von mir gehoben werden. | The chair will be picked up by me |
Ich werde den Stuhl gehoben haben. | I will have picked up the chair | Der Stuhl wird von mir gehoben worden sein. | The will have been picked up by me |
You have learned about the two different passive forms and when to use them. Apply your theoretical knowledge in our exercises of the passive voice.
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My name is Karolin and since the beginning of 2017, while I was still living in Chile, I've been giving online classes. I really enjoy my work and it gives me the privilage to get to know people from all around the world, which is amazing.
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Karolin has been an awesome teacher. She has been very flexible with our scheduling, while the lessons have been a great combination of being structured and fun. I would highly recommend Karolin to anyone looking to learn a new language or improve their language ability. Thanks again Karolin.
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Patrick is a Portuguese teacher who has experience with different groups. It has several learning materials that will help you meet different goals and practice speaking!
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Hello everyone and a big warm welcome to all the fellow language learners,
My name is Katerina, I’m a native Russian speaker and a foreign language teacher from St Petersburg, Russia. I’ve always been addicted to learning foreign languages, be it English, German, Spanish, Turkish or Arabic, so turning my passion into my job was just a matter of time. I have a Master’s degree in linguistics which taught me to understand the way the mechanism of a language works and thus to help my students see the logics behind the grammar rules. Being a constant language learner enables me to see the process from both sides and to predict the difficulties my students might face. The fact that I’m not a native speaker of English or German means I’ve been through exactly the same language-learning journey you’re about to take, and thanks to my personal experience as a student, I can make this road smooth for you.
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Katja is a great teacher! She really pushes her students to speak in as much German as they can and the materials she provides are perfectly suited for her students learning goals! I enjoy working with her very much and look forward to our weekly lessons! She has helped me learn many German phrases and vocabulary that I can use immediately.
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My name's Eleonora. I am from Ukraine. I am a qualified teacher and a Russian native speaker.
In 2007 I graduated from pedagogical university and since that time I work as a teacher. I love my job and always ready to share my knowledge with everyone.
If you want to improve your Russian, English or German or start learning them you will definitely like my lessons. My classes are developed for each student according to their level, interests and needs.
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Eleonora is very friendly and methodological teacher, perfectly adapting to students needs. I have enjoyed my every class learning.
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Hello,
my name is Veronika and I am a student in Florence at the academy of fine arts. I have been in Italy for three years and I really like the Italian language. In school i learned english and during journeys i used to speak a lot of english so i'm also able to teach in english.
I am from Germany so I am a German native speaker. I have already taught German to some of my friends and would love to teach my language to more people as well. At the beginning I would like to do grammar lessons and the most used words to deepen the basic knowledge of the language. Then I will continue to have conversations in German to increase vocabulary and to give confidence in dialogue and in any case in speaking the language in real scenarios. The most important thing by learning a new language is to learn it through hearing and speaking. Being difficult at first to formulate sentences will then become easier and easier and thus you arrive at a fluent and confident way to speak the new language.
For myself I learned Italian three years ago with this method so I also know what it is like to learn a language and I can help you with my teaching to learn German that way.
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greetings Veronika
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Veronika is a very good language teacher. She was on time and she gave me helpfull advices to improve my german speaking, during interesting conversations.
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He was well prepared and has good teaching skills. He recognised my weak points and spontaneously focus that areas. Overall I found him good as a teacher.
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My name is Christina and I provide fun German&and French language lesson for children and adult beginners or intermediate who want to strengthen their language skills, improve the grammar knowledge, enrich the vocabulary and get into the German culture! I can teach in English or French!
I had experince in teaching German, English and French to foreign people so I do have a lot of useful learning material I can provide you to make it easier!
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Christina is amazing. From our first lesson I could tell that she really cared and wanted to help me prepare for my exam. I look forward to every lesson! I can't recommend her enough, she is perfect!
Christina F.Thank you dear Luke
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My name is Christina and I provide fun German&and French language lesson for children and adult beginners or intermediate who want to strengthen their language skills, improve the grammar knowledge, enrich the vocabulary and get into the German culture! I can teach in English or French!
I had experince in teaching German, English and French to foreign people so I do have a lot of useful learning material I can provide you to make it easier!
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Ms Christina is a fantastic teacher !! She is patient, explains very well and has a lot of material to work with !!! I am sure that with Ms Christina we can learn or improve our German skills, because she has an excellent method !!
Christina F.Thank you dear Luisa
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I'm a Italian/German bilingual teacher form Florence!
I offer lessons for beginners as well as for advanced speakers. I carry out different kinds of lessons: I could help you for example to prepare for a test, for your trip to Italy or for more advanced needs.
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The lesson was perfectly geared to my needs. As my requirement for learning does not fit easily in any 'set course' or classroom situation, this individual approach, looking at what I need and then providing it, suits me very well indeed. I am very happy with the way in which the teaching / learning experience is going so far and would certainly recommend Niccoló.
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This teacher has experience, a great variety of learning materials for different objectives and speaks spanish fluently.
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Hello German learner! I am a dedicated teacher for DaF (German as a foreign language) studying and working in Germany. I have already gained teaching experience with different age groups and nationalities while teaching German in various language schools.
Currently, I'm doing my second studies in German, English, and Teaching at the University of Bonn. (I already got my Master's Degree in German and Literature). Besides, I teach in a local language school as well as tutor students online on Colanguage.
In my free time, I learn French and Dutch and hope to become a true polyglot one day :)
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I can help you learn general German, develop your communicational skills as well as prepare you for language tests (Goethe Zertifikat, Telc, etc).
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PS. IMPORTANT! Currently, I only work with adults aged 18 and over - so NO courses for children, sorry.
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Anush is a great teacher! Her advices and corrections are to the point and very helpful. My demands were high enough and sie could provide the necessary solutions and the necessary help , that I needed.
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Learning a foreign language is a beautiful and awe-inspiring journey which is not strange to me.
Growing in Europe and living in Canada has shaped my thinking abilities to see beyond the surface of individual’s potential to study. It remodeled my senses in a special way to be able to respond with tact and compassion to the needs of my students. In the same time it taught me the value of persistence and creativity. These abilities have helped me to master the art of teaching. Every student makes me a better friend, family member and a person.
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No two students are exactly alike. That's why I mostly use personalized learning method. It builds a learning experience that addresses the unique abilities of each student.
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Didi is a very friendly and experienced teacher. She makes her lesson very interesting and easy to follow. She loves teaching and supports her students during their learning path.
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Olá amigos! My name is Nathália, I'm Brazilian and I teach Portuguese as a second language. I had my graduation in French and I have experience as a foreign language tutor in Brazil, for adults and children. I would like to invite you to visit my classes, in which we will discuss your goals and the best way to achieve them. As a teacher, my goal is to make the student communicative and autonomous in the new language from the first lessons, working with methodological support and cultural immersion. All materials are produced and supplied by me and are easily adaptable to my students' needs.
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Nathalia's communication was perfect in setting up the lesson and she is very encouraging in introducing the topic. I immediately felt comfortable studying a topic for me which is almost completely new and am looking forward to doing so again. I would really recommend Nathalia.
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My name is Tim Grundl and I have been teaching languages professionally for over 15 years. By using modern methods and a personal approach, the lessons become sustainable and motivating. The fun of learning should not be neglected, because learning is only possible in a relaxed atmosphere.
Book a free trial lesson and form your own opinion.
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My husband has really enjoyed the lessons he's had with Tim. The material is rigorous and in-depth. Even after previous lessons, Tim has been able to push my husband and keep his confidence up.
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My name is Christina and I provide fun German&and French language lesson for children and adult beginners or intermediate who want to strengthen their language skills, improve the grammar knowledge, enrich the vocabulary and get into the German culture! I can teach in English or French!
I had experince in teaching German, English and French to foreign people so I do have a lot of useful learning material I can provide you to make it easier!
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Teacher also pleasant to professionals who knows how to suggest themes adapted to the interests of the child during lessons! I can only recommend Christina ...
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