B1 · Mittelstufe Kapitel 38

The Passive Voice: When the Subject Receives

6 Gesamtregeln
1 Min.
Regeln in diesem Kapitel Schnelle Übung

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Shift the focus from the performer to the action's recipient with the Bulgarian passive voice.

  • Construct passive sentences using 'съм' and reflexive particles.
  • Identify when to shift focus away from the doer.
  • Form impersonal structures for general statements.
Master the art of the action, not the actor.

Was du lernen wirst

Learn to form and use the passive voice to emphasize the action's recipient rather than the performer. This chapter expands your sentence structure options.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: Transform active sentences into passive Bulgarian structures.
  2. 2
    By the end you will be able to: Determine the appropriate context for using impersonal passive forms.

Tipps & Tricks (4)

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The 'Result' Test

If you can add the word 'already' (вече) to the sentence and it makes sense, you should probably use the 'съм' passive.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Passive Voice with 'Съм' + Past Participle
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Check the subject

If the subject is a person, it's probably not passive. If it's an object, it's likely passive.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Passive Voice with Reflexive 'Се'
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The 'Who' Question

If you want to ask 'By whom?', always start with 'От кого...'. For example: 'От кого е написана тази книга?'
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Agent in Passive Sentences (От кого/какво)
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Check the gender

Always check if your subject is masculine, feminine, or neuter before choosing the participle ending.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Passive Voice in Different Tenses (Simple)

Wichtige Vokabeln (5)

изграден built/constructed от by (agent) разрешен permitted/allowed резултат result използва се is used

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Review Summary

  • съм + participle
  • verb + се
  • от + noun
  • съм (tense) + participle
  • verb (3rd pers. sg.) + се

Häufige Fehler

You must ensure the participle agrees with the gender and number of the subject.

Wrong: Книгата е написа от Иван.
Richtig: Книгата е написана от Иван.

Often students confuse reflexive actions with impersonal ones; ensure the context supports the lack of a specific subject.

Wrong: Тук се пуши много.
Richtig: Тук се пуши много (context dependent).

Ensure the auxiliary 'съм' is in the correct tense, but the participle remains consistent.

Wrong: Сградата беше изгражда от фирмата.
Richtig: Сградата беше изградена от фирмата.

Next Steps

You have mastered a key tool for professional writing. Keep practicing, and your Bulgarian will sound more polished every day!

Scan a Bulgarian news article and highlight all passive constructions.

Continue to: Complex Sentences: Subordinate Clauses

Schnelle Übung (10)

Choose the correct preposition to identify the agent.

Писмото беше изпратено ___ директора.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: от
We use 'от' to indicate the person (the director) who performed the action in a passive sentence.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Agent in Passive Sentences (От кого/какво)

Correct the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Аз се чете книга.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Книгата се чете.
No personal pronouns in passive.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Passive Voice with Reflexive 'Се'

Fill in the blank.

Тук ___ говори български.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: се
Passive marker is 'се'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Passive Voice with Reflexive 'Се'

Fill in the correct form of 'съм'.

Книгата ___ прочетена.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: е
Singular feminine subject requires 'е'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Passive Voice in Different Tenses (Simple)

Choose the correct participle.

Писмото е ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: написано
Neuter subject requires neuter participle.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Passive Voice in Different Tenses (Simple)

Choose the correct form.

Вчера ___ до късно.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: се танцуваше
Past tense required.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Impersonal Passive Constructions

Choose the correct participle for: 'Книгата е ___.' (The book is written.)

Книгата е ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: написана
'Книга' is feminine, so the participle must end in -а.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Passive Voice with 'Съм' + Past Participle

Correct the mistake: 'Обядът е приготвена.'

Find and fix the mistake:

Обядът е приготвена.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Обядът е приготвен.
'Обяд' is masculine, so the participle should be 'приготвен'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Passive Voice with 'Съм' + Past Participle

Find and fix the mistake in the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Обядът беше приготвен със баба ми.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Обядът беше приготвен от баба ми.
The mistake was using 'със' (with) instead of 'от' (by) for a person.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Agent in Passive Sentences (От кого/какво)

Correct the mistake.

Find and fix the mistake:

Прозорецът е счупи.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: счупен
Needs participle.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: When to Use the Passive Voice

Score: /10

Häufige Fragen (6)

Only transitive verbs (verbs that take a direct object) can be used in the passive voice. You can't say 'I was slept'.
Most verbs use -н. Verbs that end in -на or have certain roots (like бия, пия, мия) use -т. You just have to memorize the common -т ones!
Most transitive verbs can be used in the reflexive passive, but some intransitive verbs cannot.
Because it uses the same particle 'се' as reflexive verbs.
It is grammatically possible but often sounds clunky. It's much better to use the 'съм + participle' construction if you want to name the agent.
No, 'от' is a very busy preposition! It also means 'from', 'since', and 'of'. You know it means 'by' when it follows a passive participle.
Vorheriges Kapitel
The Renarrative Mood: Reporting Others' Words
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Complex Sentences: Subordinate Clauses
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