Passive Voice Formation (-ıl/-il/-ul/-ül)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use the -ıl/-il/-ul/-ül suffix to turn an active verb into a passive one where the action happens to the subject.
- If the verb ends in a consonant, add -ıl, -il, -ul, or -ül based on vowel harmony (e.g., yaz -> yazıl).
- If the verb ends in a vowel, just add -n (e.g., de -> de-n).
- If the verb ends in 'l', add -ın, -in, -un, or -ün (e.g., sil -> silin).
Passive Voice Formation Table
| Verb Root | Suffix | Passive Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
|
yaz
|
-ıl
|
yazıl
|
to be written
|
|
gör
|
-ül
|
görül
|
to be seen
|
|
al
|
-ın
|
alın
|
to be bought
|
|
de
|
-n
|
den
|
to be said
|
|
sil
|
-in
|
silin
|
to be erased
|
|
vur
|
-ul
|
vurul
|
to be hit
|
Meanings
The passive voice is used when the focus is on the action or the object receiving the action, rather than the person performing it.
General Passive
Action performed by an unknown or irrelevant agent.
“Məktub yazıldı.”
“Pəncərə sındırıldı.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Root + Suffix + Tense
|
yazıldı
|
|
Negative
|
Root + Neg + Suffix + Tense
|
yazılmadı
|
|
Question
|
Root + Suffix + Tense + Question
|
yazıldımı?
|
|
Past
|
Root + Suffix + -dı
|
yazıldı
|
|
Present
|
Root + Suffix + -ır
|
yazılır
|
|
Future
|
Root + Suffix + -acaq
|
yazılacaq
|
طيف الرسمية
İş görüldü. (Work completion)
İş görüldü. (Work completion)
İş görüldü. (Work completion)
İş bitdi. (Work completion)
Passive Voice Logic
Suffixes
- -ıl/-il/-ul/-ül Consonants
- -n Vowels
- -ın/-in/-un/-ün L-ending
أمثلة حسب المستوى
Kitab yazıldı.
The book was written.
Qapı açıldı.
The door was opened.
Yemək yeyildi.
The food was eaten.
Pəncərə bağlandı.
The window was closed.
Məktub göndərildi.
The letter was sent.
Otaq təmizləndi.
The room was cleaned.
Bilet alındı.
The ticket was bought.
Tapşırıq yerinə yetirilmədi.
The task was not completed.
Qərar qəbul edildi.
The decision was made.
Layihə təsdiqləndi.
The project was approved.
Qanun dəyişdirildi.
The law was changed.
Məlumat yayımlandı.
The information was published.
Məsələ müzakirə olunacaq.
The issue will be discussed.
Sənədlər təqdim edildi.
The documents were submitted.
Bina inşa edildi.
The building was constructed.
Səhv düzəldildi.
The error was corrected.
Tədqiqat aparıldı.
The research was conducted.
Nəticələr təhlil edildi.
The results were analyzed.
Müqavilə imzalandı.
The contract was signed.
Tədbir təxirə salındı.
The event was postponed.
Mədəni irs qorunur.
Cultural heritage is protected.
İqtisadiyyat inkişaf etdirildi.
The economy was developed.
Mübahisə həll edildi.
The dispute was resolved.
Əsər tərcümə edildi.
The work was translated.
سهل الخلط
Both use -n or -ıl suffixes.
Both modify verb roots.
Learners often use active when passive is more appropriate.
أخطاء شائعة
yaz-n
yaz-ıl
al-ıl
al-ın
yazıl-ma-dı
yaz-ıl-ma-dı
de-il
de-n
gör-in
gör-ül
sil-il
sil-in
açıl-ma-dı
aç-ıl-ma-dı
yazıl-dı-ma
yaz-ıl-ma-dı
görül-di
gör-ül-dü
al-ıl-dı
al-ın-dı
yazıl-ın-dı
yaz-ıl-dı
de-il-di
de-n-di
sil-il-di
sil-in-di
أنماط الجُمل
___ ___ edildi.
___ ___ olunmadı.
___ ___ ediləcək.
___ ___ edildi mi?
Real World Usage
Qərar qəbul edildi.
Sənədlər göndərildi.
Şəkil çəkildi.
Bilet alındı.
Sifariş qəbul edildi.
Mesaj oxundu.
Check the last letter
Don't over-passive
Vowel Harmony
Politeness
Smart Tips
Use the passive voice to keep your sentence focused.
Use passive to sound objective.
Use passive to list steps.
Use passive to soften the blow.
النطق
Suffix stress
The stress usually moves to the syllable before the passive suffix.
Declarative
Kitab yazıldı. ↘
Falling intonation for statements.
احفظها
وسيلة تذكّر
Think of the 'L' as a 'L-adder' that lifts the object to the front of the sentence.
ربط بصري
Imagine a book floating in the air, writing itself. The suffix -ıl is the magic spell.
Rhyme
Vowel ends in N, consonant gets the L, passive voice is easy, do it well!
Story
Ali wrote a letter. The letter was written by Ali. Now, the letter is the star of the show. It doesn't matter who wrote it, the letter is what we care about.
Word Web
تحدٍّ
Look around your room and name 3 things that 'were done' (e.g., the door was closed, the light was turned on).
ملاحظات ثقافية
Passive voice is often used to avoid direct blame in social situations.
The passive suffix in Azerbaijani is derived from Proto-Turkic roots that evolved to express voice.
بدايات محادثة
Bu gün nə edildi?
Otaq təmizləndimi?
Sənədlər göndərildimi?
Qərar qəbul edildimi?
مواضيع للكتابة اليومية
أخطاء شائعة
Test Yourself
Məktub ___.
Bilet ___.
Find and fix the mistake:
Qapı aç-in-dı.
O, kitabı oxudu.
Vowel-ending verbs take -n.
A: İş bitdimi? B: Bəli, ___.
yazıldı / məktub / dünən
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Score: /8
تمارين تطبيقية
8 exercisesMəktub ___.
Bilet ___.
Find and fix the mistake:
Qapı aç-in-dı.
O, kitabı oxudu.
Vowel-ending verbs take -n.
A: İş bitdimi? B: Bəli, ___.
yazıldı / məktub / dünən
yaz -> ?, al -> ?, de -> ?
Score: /8
الأسئلة الشائعة (8)
It's a way to focus on the action or object, not the doer.
Add -ıl/-il/-ul/-ül to consonants, -n to vowels, -ın/-in/-un/-ün to 'l'.
When the doer is unknown or unimportant.
Yes, very common in news and formal writing.
Check vowel harmony and suffix rules.
Reflexive is for actions on oneself; passive is for actions on objects.
The rules for 'l' and vowel-ending verbs are strict.
Yes, once the passive stem is formed, you can conjugate it.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Passiv (werden + Partizip II)
Azerbaijani is synthetic (suffix-based), German is analytic (auxiliary-based).
Passif (être + participe passé)
Azerbaijani is synthetic; French is analytic.
Pasiva (ser + participio)
Azerbaijani is synthetic; Spanish is analytic.
Ukemi (-(r)eru)
Japanese suffixes are added to the stem; Azerbaijani suffixes are added to the root.
Majhul (Internal vowel change)
Arabic uses internal inflection; Azerbaijani uses suffixation.
Bei-structure
Chinese is isolating; Azerbaijani is agglutinative.
