Use the passive when the action or the result is more important than the person who did it. It's common when you don't know who did something, when it's obvious, or when it simply doesn't matter. You'll see it all the time in news, at work and on signs.
The pattern
The office is cleaned every night.
My bike was stolen last week.
01How to form it
The passive is be + past participle. Only the form of be changes: am/is/are for the present, was/were for the past. Negatives and questions work the same way as with be.
| Form | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| Present | They clean the office every night. | The office is cleaned every night. |
| Past | Someone stole my bike. | My bike was stolen. |
| Negative | They didn't invite me. | I wasn't invited. |
| Question | Did they deliver the package? | Was the package delivered? |
02When Americans use it
Use the passive when the doer is unknown (My car was broken into), obvious (He was arrested), or not important (Breakfast is served from 7 to 10). It's also common for describing processes and facts.
- Spanish is spoken at the front desk.
- The Golden Gate Bridge was completed in 1937.
- Credit cards are accepted at all locations.
03Adding by + the doer
If you want to say who did the action, add by + person/thing. Only do this when that information is new or interesting. "The report was written by Sam" works because Sam matters. "The report was written by someone" adds nothing.
- This song was written by a sixteen-year-old.
- All new employees are trained by the HR team.
04The get passive in American speech
In everyday conversation, Americans often use get + past participle instead of be, especially for things that happen to people, often unexpectedly: got fired, got hired, got stuck, got paid, got invited. It's informal but completely natural.
- My cousin got promoted last month.
- We got stuck in traffic for an hour.
05Common mistakes
The bridge was build in 1937.
The bridge was built in 1937.
The passive needs the past participle: built, not build.
My wallet stolen yesterday.
My wallet was stolen yesterday.
Don't forget be: was/were for the past passive.
The accident was happened on Monday.
The accident happened on Monday.
Happen has no object, so it can't be passive.
The windows are clean every week.
The windows are cleaned every week.
Without -ed, clean is an adjective, not a passive verb.