NB Don’t confuse the present passive(werden past participle, e.g. wird … geprüft) with the future active (werden infinitive, e.g. wird … prüfen).
NB Remember that you can’t rely on word order to tell you which is the subject of a German sentence! The following word order changes the emphasis but not the basic meaning of the sentences ‘The doctor heals the patient’/‘The patient is healed by the doctor’: Den Patienten (accusative object) heilt der Arzt (subject)/Vom Arzt wird der Patient (subject) geheilt.
7.5 The ‘subjectless’ passive
The werden-passive is often used without a subject to indicate that an activity of some kind is (or is not) taking place:
This construction can be used with any verb, transitive or intransitive, which expresses an activity of some kind. If no other element is placed before the finite verb, the pronoun es is inserted as a
‘dummy subject’:
7.6 The passive with dative objects
In German only the ACCUSATIVE OBJECTof a transitive verb can become the SUBJECTof the corre-sponding passive sentence:
104 Verbs: uses
tense active passive
perfect Die Firma hatden Angestellten Der Angestellte ist(von der Firma) entlassen
entlassen. worden.
The company has sackedthe employee. The employee has been sacked(by the company).
future Der Computerwirddas Buch Das Buch wird(vom Computer)verdrängt
verdrängen. werden.
The computer will replacethe book. The book will be replaced(by the computer).
Heutewurdemit den Bauarbeitenbegonnen. They started the building work today.
Hier darfnicht geraucht werden. Smoking is not allowed here.
Es wirdwiedergekämpft. The fighting has started up again.
Es wurdebei dem Fest kaumgetanzt. People hardly danced at the party.
Ichleseden Roman. ⇒ Der Roman wird gelesen.
I am reading the novel. The novel is being read.
Meine Schwesterschriebden Brief. ⇒ Der Briefwurde geschrieben.
My sister wrote the letter. The letter was written.
Verbs which govern the dative can be used in the passive, but the DATIVE OBJECTremains in the dative. The verb has no subject and is in the form of the third person singular:
With verbs which have dative and accusative objects, only the accusative object can be the sub-ject of the corresponding passive sentence. The dative obsub-ject always stays in the dative:
7.7 von or durch with the passive
The equivalent of English ‘by’ in passive sentences can be von or durch.
Vonis the most usual equivalent and indicates the agent (i.e. the ‘doer’) of the action. This is usually a person, but it can be a force of nature:
Durch indicates the means by which an action is carried out (usually a thing), or an inter-mediary (if a person):
7.8 The passive with sein
German has two passives: in addition to the usual passive formed with werden and a past partici-ple, there is a second type, formed with the auxiliary verb sein and a past participle. The sein-passive is more descriptive, and can be equivalent in meaning to an adjective, e.g. Die Tür ist geöffnet is equivalent to Die Tür ist offen.
The werden-PASSIVE expresses an action or a process and is normally equivalent to the English passive.
The sein-PASSIVE expresses a state resulting from an action which has/had already taken place.
7.8 The passive with sein 105
Die Stadtwurdedurch Bomben zerstört. The town was destroyed by bombs.
Die Pestwird durch einen Virus verursacht. The plague is caused by a virus.
Ichwurdedurch einen Boten benachrichtigt. I was informed by a messenger.
Siedankteihnen für ihre Hilfe. ⇒ Ihnenwurdefür ihre Hilfegedankt.
They thanked them for their help. They were thanked for their help.
Wirhelfenmeinem Vater. ⇒ Meinem Vaterwird geholfen.
We are helping my father. My father is being helped.
Erschenktemeiner Schwester den Hund. He gave my sister the dog (as a present).
Der Hund wurdemeiner Schwestergeschenkt. The dog was given to my sister.
Meiner Schwesterwurdeder Hund geschenkt. My sister was given the dog.
Die Stadtwurdevon dem Feind zerstört. The town was destroyed by the enemy.
Siewurdevon zwei Polizisten verhaftet. She was arrested by two policemen.
Die Stadtwurdevon einem Waldbrand bedroht. The town was endangered by a forest fire.
Erwurdevon der Lawine mitgerissen. He was swept away by an avalanche.
The following examples illustrate this difference between the werden- and the sein-passive:
The following points can help you to decide which passive to use:
The werden-passive often corresponds to an English progressive, especially in the present tense. This is because it reports an action in progress, e.g. Die Rose wird gepflanzt ‘The rose is being planted’.
As the sein-passive expresses a state resulting from a previous action it often corresponds to an English perfect or pluperfect. In this way Das Autoistrepariert means ‘The car has been repaired’.
Verbs which do not express some kind of tangible or visible result cannot be used in the sein-passive. Thus we can say Meine Hand ist verletzt because the injury is clear, but we cannot say
*Er ist bewundert for ‘He is admired’, because it is not tangible or visible. We can only say Erwirdbewundert.
In practice, the werden-passive is about four times more frequent in actual use than the sein-passive.
The equivalent of an English passive (formed with ‘be’) is usually not the passive formed with sein, but the passive formed withwerden.
106 Verbs: uses
Der Tischwird gedeckt. The table is being laid.
(someone is performing the action of laying the table) Der Tischist gedeckt. The table is laid.
(someone has already laid it) Die Ostereierwurden bemalt. The Easter eggs were (being) painted.
(someone was carrying out this action, or did it regularly) Die Ostereierwaren bemalt. The Easter eggs were painted.
(someone had painted them) Die Stadtwurde1944zerstört. The town was destroyed in 1944.
(the event took place in 1944) Die Stadtwar1944zerstört. The town was destroyed in 1944.
(someone had destroyed it by then)
„Heißt das etwa, dass Sie nicht angeschnallt waren?“
7.9 Alternatives to passive constructions
German has a wide range of other constructions which express a meaning like the werden-passive.
man is much more frequent than English ‘one’:
bekommen (get (given)) or in spoken German kriegen are used to make passive sentences from verbs with dative objects:
Reflexive verbs are often alternatives to passives:
Constructions with sich lassen add the idea of possibility:
Many phrasal verbs, especially with kommen, have a passive meaning:
sein with an infinitive with zu adds the idea of possibility or obligation:
7.9 Alternatives to passive constructions 107
Man sagt … Es wird gesagt …
People say … It is said …
Manhatte ihn davor gewarnt. Er war davor gewarnt worden.
People had warned him of that. He had been warned of that.
Er bekamdas Buch geschenkt. Ihm wurde das Buch geschenkt.
He was given the book (as a present).
Sie kriegtedas Geld ausgezahlt. Ihr wurde das Geld ausgezahlt.
She was given the money/The money was paid out to her.
Mein Verdacht hat sich bestätigt. Mein Verdacht wurde bestätigt.
My suspicion was confirmed.
Das Buchliest sichschnell. Das Buch kann schnell gelesen werden.
The book can be read quickly.
Das lässt sichleicht ändern. Das kann leicht geändert werden.
That can easily be changed.
Ein Ende lässt sichnicht absehen. Ein Ende kann nicht abgesehen werden.
An end is not in sight.
Die Verhandlungen kommen Die Verhandlungen werden heute abgeschlossen.
heutezum Abschluss. The negotiations will be concluded today.
Die Anträge sind im Rathaus Die Anträge können/sollen im Rathaus
abzuholen. abgeholt werden.
The application forms are to be The application forms can/should be collected from the collected from the Town Hall. Town Hall.
Adjectives in -bar express a passive possibility:
7.10 The subjunctive: general
In addition to tense (present tense, past tense, etc.) and voice (active or passive), verb forms can vary in terms of their MOOD. This indicates whether the speaker is expressing a fact, command, wish, etc.
In German, as in English, most verbs are in the INDICATIVE MOOD, and this is used for state-ments that are presented as fact (the tenses of the indicative were explained in 7.1–7.3).
The IMPERATIVEis used in both English and German to give commands, e.g. Warte! (familiar) or Warten Sie! (polite) (‘Wait!’) (the forms of the imperative are given in 6.3).
The SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD can signal that the speaker regards the statement as unreal, or as merely possible, rather than as fact, e.g. ‘If I knew he were at home, I would drop round’. The subjunctive is used more widely in German than in English. Most forms are more widespread in written than in spoken language.
By using the subjunctive mood, German speakers can characterize what they are saying as unreal, possible or not necessarily true.
The subjunctive is primarily used in CONDITIONALsentences (7.11) and in REPORTED SPEECH
(7.12).
The forms of the subjunctive in German fall into two groups, which are usually called SUBJUNCTIVE I
and SUBJUNCTIVE II, and these two groups have rather different uses:
As the tables in section 6.9 show, for most verbs (except sein) the only ending for subjunctive I which is clearly different from that for the indicative is the one for er/sie/es, and, in practice, this is the only form which is at all commonly used.
The past subjunctive and conditional forms are interchangeable in meaning in most con-texts, e.g. ich gäbe and ich würde geben can both mean ‘I would give’.
The one-word past subjunctive forms are used mainly for the most common verbs, espe-cially wäre, hätte and the modal auxiliaries.
108 Verbs: uses
Diese Muscheln sind nicht essbar. Diese Muscheln können nicht gegessen werden.
These mussels are not edible. These mussels cannot be eaten.
Das Argument ist nicht widerlegbar. Das Argument kann nicht widerlegt werden.
This argument is irrefutable. This argument cannot be refuted.
subjunctive I present subjunctive es gebe
perfect subjunctive es habe gegeben future subjunctive es werde geben
subjunctive II past subjunctive es gäbe
pluperfect subjunctive es hätte gegeben
conditional es würde geben
For other verbs, especially weak verbs, the CONDITIONALform with würde plus the infinitive is usually preferred, especially in spoken German.
7.11 Subjunctive II: conditional sentences
The main use of subjunctive II in German – in the spoken language as well as in writing – is to indicate unreal or hypothetical conditions, typically in conditional sentences with wenn (if):
In German, forms of subjunctive II are used in both the if-clause and the main clause.
Either the past subjunctive or the conditional form can be used in either clause, depending on the verb used (i.e. the ‘past subjunctive’ with common verbs, the ‘conditional’ with less common, or weak verbs, as explained above).
To express a hypothetical possibility in the past, the pluperfect subjunctive is used:
Generally, subjunctive II is used to show that the condition is unreal or hypothetical, though conditional sentences may take other forms, like those below.
Wenn can be omitted:
7.11 Subjunctive II: conditional sentences 109
Wenn ich Zeithätte,kämeich gern mit.
IfIhadtime Iwouldgladly accompanyyou.
Wenn wir Zeithätten,könntenwir einen Ausflugmachen.
Ifwehadtime we couldgoon an excursion.
Die Europäerwären erleichtert, wenn England wiederaustreten würde.
The Europeans would berelievedif England pulled out/were to pull outagain.
Wirwürdenes begrüßen, wenn Sie unsbesuchen könnten.
We wouldwelcomeit if you couldvisitus.
Wenn ich im Lotto gewinnen würde,würdeich eine Villa in Italienkaufen.
IfIwon/wereto winthe jackpot, Iwouldbuya villa in Italy.
Wenn wir schnellergefahren wären, If we had driven faster we would hättenwir die Fähreerreicht. have reached the ferry.
Wenn sie den Zugverpasst hätte, If she had missed the train she would hättesie uns sicherangerufen. certainly have called us.
Hätteich Zeit, (so)kämeich gernmit. If I had time, I’d love to come with you.
WäreRotkäppchen zu Hausegeblieben, If Little Red Riding Hood had stayed at home, (so)hätteder Wolf es nichtgefressen. the wolf would not have eaten her.
110 Verbs: uses
Bei dem Wetter wäreich zu Hausegeblieben. In that weather I would have stayed at home.
Ohne ihre Hilfe hätteich den Ring nichtgefunden. Without her help I wouldn’t have found the ring.
Ichwärelieber zu Hause geblieben. I would have preferred to stay at home.
Ichhättean deiner Stelle dasselbegetan. If I’d been you, I’d have done the same.