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How passive sentences are formed in different tenses using be + past participle.
Practice: build the sentences →The passive voice presents the receiver of an action as the subject of the sentence.
The passive is used when the action, its result, or the receiver is more important than the person who performs it.
The letter was sent yesterday.
Письмо было отправлено вчера.
Passive focuses on the receiver (the letter), not the sender.
This bridge was built in 1990.
Этот мост был построен в 1990 году.
The doer is unimportant or unknown.
English is spoken all over the world.
На английском говорят по всему миру.
General fact; agent is irrelevant.
The passive is formed with an appropriate form of be followed by the past participle of the main verb.
For example, The letter was sent. The form of be changes according to tense, aspect, person, and number.
The letter was sent.
Письмо было отправлено.
be (was) + past participle (sent).
The rooms are cleaned every day.
Комнаты убирают каждый день.
be (are) + past participle (cleaned).
The work has been completed.
Работа была завершена.
be (has been) + past participle (completed).
The Present Simple passive is formed with am, is, or are followed by the past participle.
For example, English is spoken here and The rooms are cleaned every day.
English is spoken here.
Здесь говорят по-английски.
is + past participle.
The rooms are cleaned every day.
Комнаты убирают каждый день.
are + past participle.
I am paid monthly.
Мне платят ежемесячно.
am + past participle.
The Past Simple passive is formed with was or were followed by the past participle.
For example, The building was destroyed in the fire and The documents were signed yesterday.
The building was destroyed in the fire.
Здание было разрушено в пожаре.
was + past participle.
The documents were signed yesterday.
Документы были подписаны вчера.
were + past participle.
The window was broken.
Окно было разбито.
was + past participle.
The Present Continuous passive is formed with am, is, or are + being + past participle.
For example, The road is being repaired and New houses are being built.
The road is being repaired.
Дорога ремонтируется.
is being + past participle.
New houses are being built.
Строятся новые дома.
are being + past participle.
The documents are being checked.
Документы проверяются.
are being + past participle.
The Past Continuous passive is formed with was or were + being + past participle.
For example, The car was being repaired when I arrived.
The car was being repaired when I arrived.
Машину ремонтировали, когда я пришёл.
was being + past participle.
The room was being cleaned when we got there.
Комнату убирали, когда мы туда пришли.
was being + past participle.
The files were being uploaded.
Файлы загружались.
were being + past participle.
The Present Perfect passive is formed with have or has + been + past participle.
For example, The work has been completed and Several changes have been made.
The work has been completed.
Работа была завершена.
has been + past participle.
Several changes have been made.
Было внесено несколько изменений.
have been + past participle.
The letter has been sent.
Письмо было отправлено.
has been + past participle.
The Past Perfect passive is formed with had + been + past participle.
For example, The room had been cleaned before the guests arrived.
The room had been cleaned before the guests arrived.
Комнату убрали до прихода гостей.
had been + past participle.
The documents had been signed before the meeting.
Документы были подписаны до встречи.
had been + past participle.
The house had been sold by then.
К тому времени дом был продан.
had been + past participle.
The Future Simple passive is formed with will + be + past participle.
For example, The results will be announced tomorrow.
The results will be announced tomorrow.
Результаты будут объявлены завтра.
will be + past participle.
The project will be completed next month.
Проект будет завершён в следующем месяце.
will be + past participle.
The new law will be implemented soon.
Новый закон будет введён вскоре.
will be + past participle.
Be going to can be followed by be and a past participle to express a planned or predicted passive event.
For example, The building is going to be demolished next year.
The building is going to be demolished next year.
Здание собираются снести в следующем году.
is going to be + past participle.
The documents are going to be checked.
Документы собираются проверить.
are going to be + past participle.
The new system is going to be introduced.
Новую систему собираются внедрить.
is going to be + past participle.
The Future Perfect passive is formed with will have been + past participle.
For example, The project will have been completed by Friday.
The project will have been completed by Friday.
Проект будет завершён к пятнице.
will have been + past participle.
The report will have been written by then.
Отчёт будет написан к тому времени.
will have been + past participle.
The decision will have been made by tomorrow.
Решение будет принято к завтрашнему дню.
will have been + past participle.
A modal passive is formed with modal + be + past participle.
For example, The form must be completed and The problem should be investigated.
The form must be completed.
Форма должна быть заполнена.
modal + be + past participle.
The problem should be investigated.
Проблема должна быть расследована.
modal + be + past participle.
The door can be opened from outside.
Дверь можно открыть снаружи.
modal + be + past participle.
A modal perfect passive is formed with modal + have been + past participle.
For example, The documents should have been sent earlier.
The documents should have been sent earlier.
Документы следовало отправить раньше.
modal + have been + past participle.
The work must have been finished by now.
Работа, должно быть, уже закончена.
modal + have been + past participle.
The letter might have been lost.
Письмо, возможно, было потеряно.
modal + have been + past participle.
Passive infinitives are formed with to be + past participle.
For example, The work needs to be completed and He wants to be informed.
The work needs to be completed.
Работу нужно завершить.
to be + past participle.
He wants to be informed.
Он хочет, чтобы его информировали.
to be + past participle.
The rules have to be followed.
Правила должны соблюдаться.
to be + past participle.
Perfect passive infinitives are formed with to have been + past participle.
For example, She is believed to have been informed earlier.
She is believed to have been informed earlier.
Считается, что её проинформировали ранее.
to have been + past participle.
The building is thought to have been built in 1900.
Считается, что здание было построено в 1900 году.
to have been + past participle.
He is said to have been promoted.
Говорят, что его повысили.
to have been + past participle.
The passive -ing form is formed with being + past participle.
For example, He dislikes being criticized and She left without being noticed.
He dislikes being criticized.
Он не любит, когда его критикуют.
being + past participle.
She left without being noticed.
Она ушла незамеченной.
being + past participle.
The car needs being washed.
Машину нужно помыть.
being + past participle (though "needs washing" is more common).
The perfect passive -ing form is formed with having been + past participle.
For example, Having been warned several times, he was eventually dismissed.
Having been warned several times, he was eventually dismissed.
После нескольких предупреждений его в конце концов уволили.
having been + past participle.
Having been invited, she decided to attend.
Будучи приглашённой, она решила прийти.
having been + past participle.
Having been repaired, the car worked perfectly.
После ремонта машина работала отлично.
having been + past participle.
Negative passive sentences place not after the auxiliary verb.
For example, The door was not locked and The documents have not been signed.
The door was not locked.
Дверь не была заперта.
not after be.
The documents have not been signed.
Документы не были подписаны.
not after have/has.
The results will not be published.
Результаты не будут опубликованы.
not after will.
Questions in the passive are formed by placing the appropriate auxiliary before the subject.
For example, Was the letter sent? Has the work been completed? and Will the results be published?
Was the letter sent?
Письмо было отправлено?
Auxiliary before subject.
Has the work been completed?
Работа была завершена?
Has before subject.
Will the results be published?
Результаты будут опубликованы?
Will before subject.
The object of an active sentence normally becomes the subject of the corresponding passive sentence.
For example, They built the house becomes The house was built.
They built the house.
Они построили дом.
Active: object = the house.
The house was built.
Дом был построен.
Passive: object becomes subject.
Someone stole my bike.
Кто-то украл мой велосипед.
Active.
My bike was stolen.
Мой велосипед украли.
Passive: agent unknown.
When an active sentence is changed into the passive, the tense and aspect are normally preserved through the appropriate form of be.
For example, They are repairing the road becomes The road is being repaired, while They repaired the road becomes The road was repaired.
They are repairing the road.
Они ремонтируют дорогу.
Active present continuous.
The road is being repaired.
Дорога ремонтируется.
Passive present continuous.
They repaired the road.
Они отремонтировали дорогу.
Active past simple.
The road was repaired.
Дорога была отремонтирована.
Passive past simple.
Ordinary intransitive verbs generally cannot form a passive because they do not have a direct object that can become the passive subject.
For example, arrive, sleep, and happen do not normally form ordinary passive constructions.
He arrived late.
Он прибыл поздно.
Intransitive: no passive.
She slept well.
Она хорошо спала.
Intransitive: no passive.
The accident happened yesterday.
Авария произошла вчера.
Intransitive: no passive.
Passive constructions can combine tense and aspect forms when the resulting construction is grammatically natural and useful.
Examples include has been completed, was being repaired, and will have been finished.
The work has been completed.
Работа была завершена.
Present perfect passive.
The car was being repaired.
Машина ремонтировалась.
Past continuous passive.
The project will have been finished.
Проект будет завершён.
Future perfect passive.
The passive is preferred when the receiver of the action, the process, or the result is more important than the agent.
It is especially common when the agent is unknown, obvious, irrelevant, or deliberately omitted.
The window was broken.
Окно было разбито.
Agent unknown.
Mistakes were made.
Были допущены ошибки.
Agent deliberately omitted.
The results will be announced tomorrow.
Результаты будут объявлены завтра.
Process/result more important.
Form passive constructions with the correct form of be and the past participle.
Common mistakes include using the infinitive instead of the participle, forgetting be, using the wrong tense of be, and confusing being with been.
The letter was send.
Письмо было отправлено.
Incorrect: use past participle "sent", not base form.
The work is complete.
Работа завершена.
Incorrect if passive intended: need "is completed" (or adjective "complete" but passive requires participle).
The documents have being signed.
Документы были подписаны.
Incorrect: use "been", not "being".
The car was repair yesterday.
Машину отремонтировали вчера.
Incorrect: use past participle "repaired".