Passive Voice in Russian

Passive Voice in Russian

The Passive Voice in Russian is used to indicate that the subject of the sentence is the recipient of an action, rather than the doer. It answers the question «What is done to the subject?» rather than «What does the subject do?» The passive voice is frequently used in formal writing, instructions, and descriptions.


1. Forms of the Passive Voice

There are two main ways to construct the passive voice in Russian:

a) Using Passive Participles

Passive constructions often involve participles, which indicate that the action is being performed on the subject.

  • Present Passive Participles: Rarely used in modern Russian.
  • Past Passive Participles: Commonly used, formed from the verb root.

b) Using Reflexive Verbs

Many passive constructions in Russian use reflexive verbs, which are formed by adding the reflexive particle -ся to the verb.


2. Passive Voice with Participles

Passive voice with participles is formed by combining a form of the verb «быть» (to be) with a passive participle. The participle agrees in gender, number, and case with the subject.

Formation of Past Passive Participles

  1. Start with the base form of a verb.
  2. For perfective verbs, add endings like -нный, -тый, or -енный.
    • Example: писать (to write)написанный (written).

Examples

  • Книга написана писателем.
    (The book was written by the author.)
  • Дом построен в 1990 году.
    (The house was built in 1990.)

Present Passive Participles

Less common in speech, these are mostly used in technical or scientific contexts.


3. Passive Voice with Reflexive Verbs

In many cases, Russian uses reflexive verbs to express the passive voice. Reflexive verbs are formed by adding -ся to the verb and are widely used in modern Russian.

Examples

  • Книга читается легко.
    (The book is easy to read.)
  • Эти дома строятся быстро.
    (These houses are being built quickly.)

Comparison: Reflexive vs. Participle

  • Книга была написана автором. (Participle-based)
    (The book was written by the author.)
  • Книга пишется автором. (Reflexive)
    (The book is being written by the author.)

4. Indicators of the Doer in Passive Voice

The doer of the action in a passive sentence is introduced by the preposition «кем» (instrumental case) for people or «чем» (instrumental case) for objects.

Examples

  • Картина нарисована художником.
    (The painting was painted by the artist.)
  • Машина была остановлена полицией.
    (The car was stopped by the police.)

5. Passive Voice in Different Tenses

TenseParticiple ExampleReflexive Example
PresentRarely usedДом строится. (The house is being built.)
PastДом был построен. (The house was built.)Дом строился. (The house was being built.)
FutureДом будет построен. (The house will be built.)Дом будет строиться. (The house will be built.)

6. Active vs. Passive Voice

Active Voice

  • Строители строят дом.
    (The builders are building the house.)

Passive Voice

  • Дом строится строителями. (Reflexive)
    (The house is being built by the builders.)
  • Дом построен строителями. (Participle-based)
    (The house was built by the builders.)

7. Common Uses of the Passive Voice

  1. Formal Writing: Instructions, news articles, or official documents.
    Example: Документ был подписан вчера. (The document was signed yesterday.)
  2. Descriptions: When focusing on the subject rather than the doer.
    Example: Письмо уже отправлено. (The letter has already been sent.)
  3. Impersonal Statements: Expressing generalizations.
    Example: Здесь говорят по-русски. (Russian is spoken here.)

8. Practice Exercise

Fill in the blanks with the correct passive form:

  1. Эти книги (читать) студентами каждый день.
    (These books are read by students every day.)
    Answer: читаются
  2. Дом (построить) в прошлом году.
    (The house was built last year.)
    Answer: был построен
  3. Письмо (отправить) вчера.
    (The letter was sent yesterday.)
    Answer: отправлено

Summary Table: Passive Voice Construction

MethodExampleTranslation
Reflexive Verbs (-ся)Здание строится.The building is being built.
Participles (with «быть»)Здание было построено.The building was built.
Indicating the DoerКнига написана автором.The book was written by the author.

By mastering the passive voice, you’ll enhance your ability to describe actions and events in a variety of contexts, from formal writing to everyday conversation.


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