A2 · Grundkenntnisse Kapitel 32

Passive Voice: When the Subject Receives

6 Gesamtregeln
1 Min.
Regeln in diesem Kapitel Schnelle Übung

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Master the art of shifting focus from the doer to the action itself in Armenian.

  • Identify passive structures in daily conversation.
  • Construct sentences where the subject receives the action.
  • Express impersonal ideas for professional or formal contexts.
Focus on the action, not the actor!

Was du lernen wirst

Learn to form and use the passive voice, shifting focus to the action's recipient. This chapter covers its formation with the auxiliary 'to be' and its use across tenses.

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 structures.
  2. 2
    By the end you will be able to: Use the passive voice to describe news or formal events.

Tipps & Tricks (4)

💡

The 'V' Spotter

When reading, if you see a 'վ' before the ending of a verb you recognize, it's almost certainly passive.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Introduction to Passive Voice: Being Done
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Focus on the suffix

Always look for the 'v'!
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Forming the Passive: The Auxiliary 'to be' + Participle
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Think 'From the side'

If you forget the word, remember that 'koghm' means side. You are saying the action came 'from the side of' someone.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Agent in Passive Sentences: By Whom
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The 'Who' Test

If you don't know who did the action, or you want to hide them, use the -վ- form!
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: When to Use the Passive Voice: Focus on Action

Wichtige Vokabeln (5)

կատարվել to be done/to be performed գործողություն action ենթակա subject (grammar) լրացում complement/agent հասարակական public/impersonal

Real-World Preview

palette

The Art Gallery Opening

Review Summary

  • Object + to be + Participle
  • Subject + to be + Participle + Agent (by)
  • It is + Participle + that...

Häufige Fehler

Learners often keep the active structure when they want to emphasize the object. Use the passive form to shift focus.

Wrong: Գիրքը կարդաց նա: (Active instead of passive)
Richtig: Գիրքը կարդացվել է նրա կողմից: (The book was read by him.)

Don't forget the auxiliary 'to be' (է) in the passive construction.

Wrong: Այն կառուցել է ճարտարապետի կողմից: (Missing auxiliary)
Richtig: Այն կառուցվել է ճարտարապետի կողմից: (It was built by the architect.)

Use impersonal passive instead of generic 'people say' for a more formal tone.

Wrong: Մարդիկ ասում են, որ դա լավ է: (Active instead of impersonal)
Richtig: Ասվում է, որ դա լավ է: (It is said that it is good.)

Next Steps

Congratulations on finishing this level! You have mastered complex structures. Take a moment to celebrate your progress before moving to the next level of your Armenian journey.

Read a news article and rewrite three sentences in the passive voice.

Continue to: The Perfect Tense: Have Done

Schnelle Übung (10)

Fill in the missing postposition.

Այս տունը կառուցվել է իմ պապիկի _______:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: կողմից
'կողմից' is the correct word for 'by' in a passive sentence.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Agent in Passive Sentences: By Whom

Find the mistake in the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Գիրքը կարդվել է երեկ:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: կարդվել
The verb 'կարդալ' is an -al verb, so it must be 'կարդացվել'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Introduction to Passive Voice: Being Done

Fix the error.

Find and fix the mistake:

Նրանք ասվում է, որ նա գալիս է։

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Remove the subject.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Impersonal Passive Constructions

Which sentence means 'The door was opened'?

Choose the correct passive sentence:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Դուռը բացվեց:
'Բացվեց' is the past simple passive form.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Introduction to Passive Voice: Being Done

Turn the verb 'գրել' into the passive present form.

Նամակը ___ (գրել)։

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: գրվում է
The passive present of 'գրել' is 'գրվում է'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: When to Use the Passive Voice: Focus on Action

Correct the mistake: 'Դուռը բացել է' (The door was opened).

Find and fix the mistake:

Դուռը բացել է:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Both are correct depending on tense
Passive needs the -վ- suffix. 'Բացվում է' is present, 'Բացվել է' is perfect.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: When to Use the Passive Voice: Focus on Action

Fill in the blank.

___, որ գները կբարձրանան։

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
Passive form.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Impersonal Passive Constructions

Correct the error in the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Ճաշը պատրաստվեց մայրիկից կողմից:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: մայրիկի կողմից
The ablative '-its' is redundant and incorrect when followed by 'koghmits'; use the genitive '-i'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Agent in Passive Sentences: By Whom

Fill in the blank.

Գիրքը ___ է։ (write)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: գրվել
Passive participle.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Forming the Passive: The Auxiliary 'to be' + Participle

Fill in the correct passive form of 'գրել' (to write) in the present tense.

Նամակը հիմա ___ (is being written):

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: գրվում է
The present passive is formed by adding -վ- and the -ում է ending.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Passive with Different Tenses

Score: /10

Häufige Fragen (6)

No, only for transitive verbs (verbs that take an object). You can't make 'to sleep' or 'to go' passive in Armenian.
Use the word կողմից (koghmits) after the person. For example: Նամակը գրվեց Աննայի կողմից (The letter was written by Anna).
Yes, for most verbs.
Generally, no. It is specifically used for passive agents. In active sentences, the subject is already the doer, so կողմից is unnecessary.
It is more common in formal speech, but it's not strictly 'formal'. You can use it at home, though active voice is more natural there.
Most transitive verbs (verbs that take an object) can be made passive. Intransitive verbs like 'go' cannot.
Vorheriges Kapitel
Time Phrases & Calendar Expressions
Nächstes Kapitel
The Perfect Tense: Have Done
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