In Italian, as in English, we use the passive voice when we want to shift the focus of the action ( verbNo definition set for verbLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.) on to the object and away from the “doer/performer” (the agentNo definition set for agentLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.). This construction is especially useful when the “doer” of the action is unknown or irrelevant.
All verbs have an active form, but only transitive verbs (those that can have a direct objectNo definition set for direct objectLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.), have a passive voice. Here’s an example of an active versus a passive sentence in Italian:
La ragazza ha calciato la palla. The girl kicked the ball. | La palla è stata calciata (dalla ragazza). The ball was kicked (by the girl). |
In this post, we’ll talk first about what the passive voice is, then we’ll talk about how to form passive verbs and sentences in Italian. Did you know that there are different ways to express the passive voice in Italian? No?! Then, let’s dive in!
What is the passive voice in Italian?
In a few words, in Italian, as in English, the passive voice is a sentence structure that is different from an active (“normal”) sentence in three ways:
The object of the action becomes the subjectNo definition set for subjectLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
The agent (do-er) of the action becomes optional
Let’s consider this example of an active sentence:
agent / subjectundergoer / object
L’insegnante spiega le regole.
The instructor explains the rules.
L’insegnante(the instructor) is the subject of the sentence and is the agent (“performer”) of the action
Spiegare is a transitive verb (takes a direct object)
Le regole(the rules) is the direct object of the transitive verb and undergoes the action
In a passive sentence, though, we change the focus of the sentence from the “performer” to the “receiver” of the action, let’s see what happens:
undergoer / subjectagent
Le regole sono spiegate (dall’insegnante.)
The rules are explained (by the instructor.)
The “new” subject of the sentence, le regole(the rules), is acted upon and this is where the focus goes.
The performer of the action, “the agent,” (when mentioned) is introduced by the preposition da(by).
You can see this difference most clearly when you look at the sentences side-by-side:
L’insegnante spiega le regole.
The instructor explains the rules.
Le regole sono spiegate (dall’insegnante).
The rules are explained (by the instructor).
The passive is used when you want to focus on the object, or when the agent is not important, or if we don’t know who, or what, did something. For this reason the agent becomes optional in the passive, so keep in mind that there are sentences that simply don't have one.
La mia casa è stata costruita nel 2001.
My house was built in 2001.
→ I don't know who built it!
Remember that in Italian you can create a passive sentence ONLY if you have a transitive verb, so that the direct object becomes the “new” subject of the passive sentence.
In Italian, the passive voice is less frequent than in English, because the passive voice is less restrictive in English.
In English, you can make a direct object or an indirect object the subject of your passive sentence:
Active:
indirect objectdirect object
The teacher promised the children candy.
Passive (2 options):
indirect object → subjectdirect object
The children were promised candy.
direct object → subjectindirect object
Candy was promised to the children.
In Italian, though only the direct object can be made the subject of the passive sentence:
direct object → subjectindirect object
Le caramelle sono state promesse ai bambini.
Candy was promised to the children.
How to make the passive voice in Italian?
To make the passive voice use the auxiliaryNo definition set for auxiliaryLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. essere(to be) + past participle No definition set for past participle Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.of the verb, which agreesNo definition set for agreesLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) with the subjectNo definition set for subjectLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum..
Let’s look at an example:
subjectverbdirect object
The dog catches the ball.
Now let’s see how to make it passive.
Find the object = la palla → This object will now become the new subject.
What is the tense of the verb prende? → It’s in the present (indicative).
Add the form of essere in that tense (present) → è(is)
Add the past participle of prendere(to take), matching the gender and number of the new subject palla → presa(taken (f. sg)).
If you want to indicate the agent (cane(the dog)), use the preposition da(by): dal cane
And you have your passive voice!
subjectauxiliary verbpast participleagent
La palla è presa dal cane.
The ball is caught by the dog.
Use the articulated forms of the preposition (e.g. da + il = dal) when necessary.
The essere in a passive can be in any tense or mood, including compound ones!
Let’s look at a few examples for the indicative mood. For more examples, check out our chart of passive conjugations in Italian!
| Il cane prendeva la palla. The dog was catching the ball. | La palla era presa dal cane. The ball was being caught by the dog. → era= essere in the imperfetto |
| Il cane prenderà la palla. The dog will catch the ball. | La palla sarà presa dal cane. The ball will be caught by the dog. → sarà = essere in the futuro |
| Il cane ha preso la palla. The dog has caught the ball. | La palla è stata presa dal cane. The ball has been caught by the dog. → è stata = essere in the passato prossimo |
In the passive voice, the modal verbsNo definition set for modal verbsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. dovere(to have to), potere(to be able to), and volere(to want) go before the auxiliary essere and the past participle:
dovere / potere / volere
essere
L’uva doveva essere raccolta.
Il formaggio potrà essere servito.
Le mamme hanno voluto essere chiamate.
Mothers wanted to be called.
Passives with ‘andare’ and ‘venire’: How and when to use them?
The past participle in the passive voice may be introduced by andare(to go) or venire(to come) instead of essere(to be), but only in simple tenses like present, imperfect, future, etc. These verbs lend a slightly different meaning in the passive construction:
Andare often indicates an obligation:
La pasta va cotta al dente.
Pasta must be cooked al dente.
Venire often spikes up the formality, like in rules and laws:
La legge verrà pubblicata presto.
The law will soon be published.
Notice that when you use andare or venire to form the passive, the past participle still agrees with the subject of the sentence, just like if you were using essere as the auxiliary!
This was fascinating and intriguing, right? Well, the fun is not over yet!! Continue the adventure and check out this cool and unique way to use the passive voice in Italian, the famousItalian si passivante!
To sum up
In Italian, like in English, the passive voice is more common in writing than in speaking. Often it is used when we don’t need to mention an “agent/doer,” or if it’s irrelevant. So to wrap it all up, here are some of the key elements we covered:
The passive voice uses essere(to be) with the past participle.
The past participle MUST agree with the subject.
There are alternatives to the passive that are often used in Italian, like the si passivante, or the auxiliaries andare, and/or venire instead of essere.
Ready to practice the Italian passive voice? Let’s go!
Downloadable Resources
Elevate your language-learning journey to new heights with the following downloadable resources.
To embark on your next language adventure, join Mango on social!
