Active and passive voice in German
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Lesson outline
Hide- 1.What is the difference between active and passive?
- 2.The two different German passive voices
- 2.1.Processual passive in German (werden + past participle)
- 2.2.Stative passive in the German language (sein + past participle)
- 2.3.Examples of active and passive sentences
- 3.Exercises
- 3.1.Exercise of passive and active
- 3.2.Exercise of active and passive voice in German
What is the difference between active and passive?
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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The two different German passive voices
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.
1. Processual passive in German (werden + 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. |
2. Stative passive in the German language (sein + past participle)
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. |
Examples of active and passive sentences
| 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.
Exercises
Exercise of passive and active
The first sentence is an example.
simple past:
Der Saft wurde ausgetrunken. (werden, austrinken)
Die Zelte . (werden, aufbauen)
Ich , ob ich einen Bruder habe. (werden, fragen)
Der Fernseher schon lange nicht mehr . (werden, benutzen)
Das Auto von mir . (werden, einparken)
Die Zeitung heute noch nicht . (werden, bringen)
simple present tense:
Ich im Büro . (werden, brauchen)
Mir meine Spitzen . (werden, färben)
Er , ob er eine Schwester hat. (werden, fragen)
Die Straße wenig . (werden, befahren)
Das Kleid noch . (werden, nähen)
Exercise of active and passive voice in German
Solution
Ich laufe heute Abend in die Stadt.
active
Er wurde von einer Biene gestochen.
processual passvie
Der Tisch ist gesäubert.
stative passive
Er wurden gefragt.
processual passive
Laura und Martin unterhalten sich über die Schule.
active
Sie lächeln den ganzen Tag.
active
Die Milch wurde getrunken.
processual passive
Er hat das Armband hergestellt.
active
Sie ist verletzt.
stative passive
Die Tür ist geschlossen.
stative passive
Exercises
Exercise of passive and active
The first sentence is an example.
simple past:
Der Saft wurde ausgetrunken. (werden, austrinken)
Die Zelte . (werden, aufbauen)
Ich , ob ich einen Bruder habe. (werden, fragen)
Der Fernseher schon lange nicht mehr . (werden, benutzen)
Das Auto von mir . (werden, einparken)
Die Zeitung heute noch nicht . (werden, bringen)
simple present tense:
Ich im Büro . (werden, brauchen)
Mir meine Spitzen . (werden, färben)
Er , ob er eine Schwester hat. (werden, fragen)
Die Straße wenig . (werden, befahren)
Das Kleid noch . (werden, nähen)
Exercise of active and passive voice in German
Solution
Ich laufe heute Abend in die Stadt.
active
Er wurde von einer Biene gestochen.
processual passvie
Der Tisch ist gesäubert.
stative passive
Er wurden gefragt.
processual passive
Laura und Martin unterhalten sich über die Schule.
active
Sie lächeln den ganzen Tag.
active
Die Milch wurde getrunken.
processual passive
Er hat das Armband hergestellt.
active
Sie ist verletzt.
stative passive
Die Tür ist geschlossen.
stative passive
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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.
The lessons are focused on improving listening/comprehension skills as well as reading, writing, speaking and grammar.
If you want to know more about my methods, just book a trial lesson! It's free! I hope to see you soon!
M. V.
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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I have 3 years of teaching experience and a 120 hours of advanced practical TEFL and TESOL. I am a dedicated teacher who cares about her students. I am an amazing listener, attentive, and very passionate. I enjoy traveling, for it allows me to meet new people of different cultures and backgrounds. Teaching has always been a passion of mine, for I get to make an impact in people's lives as much as they make an impact in mine. I cannot wait to make your English learning journey enjoyable and impactful.
A. S.
Paradise is a southafrican teacher with particular experience with younger students. She has a lot of fun learning materials that ensure an interactive lesson and seems to have great confidence in front of the camera.
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
Paradise N.
My name is Christina and I provide German & 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!
A. K.
Today, I had a vocabulary boost. It's my third class and I'm happy with the teacher and the teaching method.
Christina F.
Hi! Welcome to my page! I'm Milton a certified English teacher with experience as an instructor in different fields.
I'm passionate about language learning and as a multilingual speaker I'm aware of the challenges related to learning a second language.
My teaching method is based on the Communicative language teaching approach, which is student centered and focused on the functional aspects of the language. In this approach the student is encouraged to use English since day one, no matter what his level is!
I'm able to help the student to improve his vocabulary, his grammar knowledge and pronunciation.Given my work experience in different fields, I'm confident that I can help the student with business English and preparing fo job interviews as well.
I will use both original and published materials and I will adapt them to the student's level, goals and interests. The lessons will be prepared ahead and I'll give the student some homework to do between the sessions if he wishes.
V. F.
Milton is a very friendly teacher. He makes his lesson interesting for his students and helps them learn the language with customized lesson materials.
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
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