A2 Passive & Reported Speech 6 min read آسان

Passive Voice Intro

The passive voice highlights results over actors by combining a fi with a gender-matching past participle.
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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

The passive voice shifts focus from the person doing the action to the object receiving it using 'a fi' + past participle.

  • Use 'a fi' (to be) + past participle: 'Cartea este citită' (The book is read).
  • The agent (doer) is introduced by 'de către': 'Cartea este citită de către elev'.
  • The past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject: 'Merele sunt mâncate'.
Object + a fi + Past Participle (+ de către + Agent)

مرور کلی

Ever felt like you wanted to talk about something without blaming anyone? Maybe the last slice of pizza disappeared. You do not want to point fingers at your roommate.
This is where the passive voice saves the day. In Romanian, the passive voice shifts the spotlight. It moves the focus from the person doing the action to the person or thing receiving it.
Instead of saying
I ate the cake,
you say
The cake was eaten.
It is a handy tool for being polite or professional. Think of it like a grammar traffic light. It tells the listener exactly where to look.
You will use it in news reports, formal emails, or when you simply do not know who did what. It is a bit like a magic trick where the actor disappears behind the curtain.

این گرامر چطور کار می‌کنه

In a normal active sentence, the subject is the hero. The hero does the work. For example, Mama face mâncarea (Mom makes the food).
In the passive voice, the food becomes the star. The sentence becomes Mâncarea este făcută de mamă (The food is made by mom). You are essentially flipping the sentence structure.
The object of the active sentence moves to the front. The original subject moves to the back or disappears entirely. It is a great way to sound more objective.
Yes, even native speakers use this to sound more serious at work. It feels a bit more formal than everyday chat. However, it is essential for reaching that next level in your Romanian journey.

الگوی ساخت

1
Building a passive sentence is like playing with Lego blocks. You need three specific pieces.
2
First, pick your subject. This is the thing receiving the action.
3
Second, conjugate the verb a fi (to be). You must match the tense of your original action. If it happened now, use este. If it happened yesterday, use a fost.
4
Third, add the past participle (participiu) of the main verb. This is the part that usually ends in -at, -it, -ut, or -it.
5
Crucial Rule: The participle is like an adjective. It must agree in gender and number with the new subject.
6
Masculine Singular: Cartea este citit (Wait, cartea is feminine! Let's fix that).
7
Feminine Singular: Cartea este citită.
8
Masculine Plural: Băieții sunt chemați.
9
Feminine Plural: Cărțile sunt citite.
10
If you want to mention who did it, use the preposition de or the more formal de către. It is like adding a by tag at the end of the sentence.

کی استفاده کنیم

Use the passive voice when the result is more important than the person. Imagine you are at a job interview. You want to highlight your achievements. You might say,
The project was completed on time.
This sounds very professional.
  • Use it when the doer is unknown. Portofelul a fost furat (The wallet was stolen). You do not know the thief, so the wallet is the focus.
  • Use it in formal instructions. Accesul este interzis (Access is forbidden). It sounds official and firm.
  • Use it to vary your writing. Repeating I did this and I did that gets boring quickly.
  • Use it when the actor is obvious. Hoțul a fost arestat (The thief was arrested). We know the police did it, so we do not need to say it.

کی استفاده نکنیم

Do not overdo it! If you use the passive voice for everything, you will sound like a robot.
  • Avoid it in casual conversations with friends. Saying
    The beer was drunk by me
    sounds weird at a party. Just say
    I drank the beer.
  • Do not use it if the active voice is clearer. Short, active sentences are usually punchier.
  • Be careful with verbs that do not take an object. You cannot make to sleep or to go passive.
    The bed was slept
    just does not work in Romanian or English.
  • Avoid it if you want to take clear responsibility. If you made a mistake, Am greșit (I made a mistake) is better than O greșeală a fost făcută (A mistake was made). The second one sounds like you are hiding something!

اشتباهات رایج

Agreement is the biggest trap for everyone. Even advanced learners forget to change the ending of the participle. If your subject is fetele (the girls), your participle must be plural and feminine: invitate.
  • Mistake: Fetele sunt invitat. (Wrong gender and number).
  • Correction: Fetele sunt invitate.
Another mistake is picking the wrong tense for a fi. If the action is finished, do not use the present tense.
  • Mistake: Casa este construită în 1900. (This sounds like it is still being built since 1900).
  • Correction: Casa a fost construită în 1900.
Finally, don't forget the preposition de. Without it, the sentence falls apart. It is the bridge between the action and the actor.

مقایسه با الگوهای مشابه

In Romanian, we have a cousin to the passive voice called the reflexive passive. This uses the word se. For example, Se vinde pâine (Bread is sold / One sells bread).
  • The a fi passive is more formal and specific. It often names the person doing the action.
  • The se passive is very common in daily life. It is used for general truths or anonymous actions.
Think of the a fi passive as a tuxedo. It is elegant and specific. Think of the se passive as a pair of comfortable jeans. You use it everywhere for general things. If you are writing a history book, use a fi. If you are looking at a sign in a shop window, you will likely see se.

سؤالات رایج

Q

Is the passive voice hard?

Not at all! It is just a formula: Subject + a fi + Participle.

Q

Does the participle always change?

Yes! It acts like an adjective. It must match the subject.

Q

Can I use de către instead of de?

Yes, de către is just more formal. Use it in essays or business letters.

Q

Is it used a lot in spoken Romanian?

Less than in English. Romanians prefer active sentences or the se construction. However, you still need it for formal situations. It is like knowing how to tie a tie. You don't do it every day, but it is vital for the big moments.

Meanings

The passive voice is used to emphasize the receiver of an action rather than the performer. It is common in formal reports, news, and objective descriptions.

1

Action focus

Highlighting the object affected by the verb.

“Scrisoarea este scrisă.”

“Pâinea este cumpărată.”

Passive Voice (Present Tense)

Person Singular Plural
1st Eu sunt ajutat(ă) Noi suntem ajutați(te)
2nd Tu ești ajutat(ă) Voi sunteți ajutați(te)
3rd El/Ea este ajutat(ă) Ei/Ele sunt ajutați(te)

Reference Table

Reference table for Passive Voice Intro
Subject Gender/Number Verb 'a fi' (Present) Participle (Ex: 'invitat') Example Meaning
Masculine Singular este invitat He is invited
Feminine Singular este invitată She is invited
Masculine Plural sunt invitați They (m) are invited
Feminine Plural sunt invitate They (f) are invited
Past (M.S.) a fost invitat He was invited
Future (F.S.) va fi invitată She will be invited

طیف رسمیت

رسمی
Raportul a fost scris de către echipă.

Raportul a fost scris de către echipă. (Professional)

خنثی
Raportul a fost scris de echipă.

Raportul a fost scris de echipă. (Professional)

غیر رسمی
Echipa a scris raportul.

Echipa a scris raportul. (Professional)

عامیانه
Echipa a terminat raportul.

Echipa a terminat raportul. (Professional)

When to use Passive Voice

Pasivul

Formal

  • Rapoarte Reports
  • Știri News

Unknown Actor

  • Furt Theft
  • Obiecte pierdute Lost objects

Active vs. Passive

Activ (Focus: Doer)
Ion scrie scrisoarea. Ion writes the letter.
Pasiv (Focus: Object)
Scrisoarea este scrisă. The letter is written.

How to Build a Passive Sentence

1

Is the subject receiving the action?

YES ↓
NO
Use Active Voice
2

Identify the tense. Is it Present?

YES ↓
NO
Use 'a fost' or 'va fi'
3

Add Participle. Does it match Gender/Number?

YES ↓
NO
Change participle ending!

Participle Agreement Guide

👨

Masculine

  • • Singular: -at/-it
  • • Plural: -ați/-iți
👩

Feminine

  • • Singular: -ată/-ită
  • • Plural: -ate/-ite
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Examples by Level

1

Cartea este citită.

The book is read.

2

Ușa este deschisă.

The door is opened.

3

Pâinea este cumpărată.

The bread is bought.

4

Apa este băută.

The water is drunk.

1

Proiectul este terminat de elev.

The project is finished by the student.

2

Casa este construită de ei.

The house is built by them.

3

Florile sunt udate de mine.

The flowers are watered by me.

4

Scrisoarea este trimisă de secretară.

The letter is sent by the secretary.

1

Decizia a fost luată de comitet.

The decision was taken by the committee.

2

Legea va fi votată mâine.

The law will be voted on tomorrow.

3

Toate documentele au fost verificate.

All documents have been checked.

4

Problema este rezolvată de experți.

The problem is solved by experts.

1

Se consideră că acest plan este eficient.

It is considered that this plan is efficient.

2

Aceste date au fost colectate riguros.

These data were collected rigorously.

3

Contractul a fost semnat de ambele părți.

The contract was signed by both parties.

4

Erorile au fost identificate rapid.

The errors were identified quickly.

1

S-a stabilit ca ședința să fie amânată.

It was established that the meeting be postponed.

2

Rezultatele au fost publicate în jurnalul oficial.

The results were published in the official journal.

3

Această metodă este preferată de specialiști.

This method is preferred by specialists.

4

Toate măsurile au fost implementate cu succes.

All measures were successfully implemented.

1

Se tinde spre o soluție mai echilibrată.

There is a tendency towards a more balanced solution.

2

Acest fenomen este perceput ca fiind periculos.

This phenomenon is perceived as being dangerous.

3

S-a recurs la măsuri extreme.

Extreme measures were resorted to.

4

Această interpretare este susținută de dovezi.

This interpretation is supported by evidence.

Easily Confused

Passive Voice Intro در مقابل Reflexive Passive

Both sound passive, but reflexive is for general truths.

Passive Voice Intro در مقابل Active Voice

Learners use passive when active is more natural.

Passive Voice Intro در مقابل Adjective usage

Participles look like adjectives.

اشتباهات رایج

✗

Cartea este citit.

✓

Cartea este citită.

Agreement error.
✗

Cartea este citită de autor.

✓

Cartea este citită de către autor.

Missing 'către' for clarity.
✗

Sunt citit cartea.

✓

Cartea este citită.

Wrong word order.
✗

Cartea este citit de mine.

✓

Cartea este citită de mine.

Agreement error.
✗

Merele sunt mâncat.

✓

Merele sunt mâncate.

Plural agreement error.
✗

Este făcut de el.

✓

Este făcut de către el.

Stylistic preference for 'de către'.
✗

Ei sunt ajutat.

✓

Ei sunt ajutați.

Masculine plural agreement.
✗

Se este făcut.

✓

Este făcut.

Mixing reflexive and passive.
✗

A fost terminat proiectul de către ei.

✓

Proiectul a fost terminat de către ei.

Passive voice prefers object first.
✗

Va fi făcută de către ea.

✓

Va fi făcută de către ea.

Correct, but check gender.
✗

S-a fost făcut.

✓

A fost făcut.

Double passive error.
✗

Este considerat ca fiind bun.

✓

Este considerat bun.

Redundancy.
✗

Este de făcut de către el.

✓

Este făcut de către el.

Incorrect construction.

Sentence Patterns

___ este ___ de către ___.

___ au fost ___ de către ___.

Este ___ ___ de către ___?

Nu este ___ ___ de către ___.

Real World Usage

Academic Writing constant

Rezultatele au fost analizate.

Job Interviews common

Proiectul a fost condus de mine.

News Reports very common

Legea a fost votată.

Texting occasional

Mesajul a fost trimis.

Food Delivery Apps common

Comanda a fost preluată.

Social Media common

Poza a fost postată.

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💡

The Adjective Trick

Treat the past participle exactly like an adjective. If the word it describes is feminine plural, the participle must be too. It’s like matching your socks to your outfit!
⚠️

Avoid Wordiness

In spoken Romanian, the passive can sound a bit stiff. If you're with friends, try the active voice first. Don't say 'The pizza was ordered by me' unless you're writing a formal report on pizza consumption.
🎯

The 'De Către' Secret

Use de către when the agent is a person or an organization to sound extra sophisticated. It’s the secret weapon for university essays.
💬

Reflexive over Passive

Romanians love the reflexive passive (se face). If you see a sign that says Se vinde, it means 'For sale'. It's often more natural than the a fi version for general announcements.

Smart Tips

Use passive to sound objective.

I finished the project. → Proiectul a fost finalizat.

Use passive to avoid guessing.

Someone broke the window. → Fereastra a fost spartă.

Put the object first.

The team solved the problem. → Problema a fost rezolvată de echipă.

Use passive to be neutral.

You made a mistake. → O greșeală a fost făcută.

تلفظ

ajutat (masc) vs. ajutată (fem)

Agreement

Ensure the final vowel of the participle matches the subject.

Declarative

Cartea este citită. ↘

Neutral statement.

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Remember: 'Be' + 'Done'. If you want to say who did it, add 'by' (de către).

Visual Association

Imagine a statue being built. You don't see the workers, just the statue growing. The statue is the subject.

Rhyme

Passive is the way to go, when the object is the star of the show.

Story

The cake was baked. The cake was eaten. The cake was enjoyed. By whom? By the hungry guest.

Word Web

a fide cătreparticipiusubiectobiectdiateză

چالش

Write 3 passive sentences about your daily routine in 5 minutes.

نکات فرهنگی

Passive voice is highly valued in academic papers to maintain objectivity.

Used to soften feedback or focus on tasks.

Standard for reporting events.

Derived from Latin passive voice constructions.

Conversation Starters

“

Ce a fost făcut astăzi la școală?

“

Cum este pregătită mâncarea?

“

A fost trimis emailul?

“

Cum sunt luate deciziile în echipa ta?

Journal Prompts

Describe a project you finished using passive voice.
Write a short report about a local event.
Explain how a product is made.
Discuss the importance of rules in society using passive voice.
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Test Yourself

Choose the correct form of the participle to match the subject.

Mașina ___ reparată de mecanic.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: este
Since 'mașina' is singular and feminine, we use 'este' for the present passive.
Complete the sentence with the correct participle ending.

Cărțile au fost ___ (citit) de toți elevii.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: citite
'Cărțile' is feminine plural, so the participle 'citit' must become 'citite'.
Select the correct past tense passive construction.

Mesajul ___ trimis acum o oră.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a fost
'Acum o oră' indicates the past, so we use 'a fost' (was).

Score: /3

تمرین‌های عملی

8 exercises
Complete the sentence.

Cartea ___ (fi) citită de elev.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: este
Correct auxiliary for present tense.
Choose the correct form. چند گزینه‌ای

Merele ___ mâncate.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: sunt
Plural agreement.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Casa este construit de arhitect.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Casa este construită de către arhitect.
Agreement and agent marker.
Change to passive. Sentence Transformation

Elevul scrie scrisoarea.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Scrisoarea este scrisă de către elev.
Correct passive structure.
Order the words. Sentence Building

de / este / cartea / citită / elev

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Cartea este citită de către elev.
Standard passive order.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Cine a făcut tortul? B: Tortul ___ de mama.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a fost făcut
Past tense passive.
Sort by gender. Grammar Sorting

Which is feminine?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Cartea este citită.
Feminine agreement.
Match active to passive. Match Pairs

Active: Mama gătește masa.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Masa este gătită de către mama.
Correct passive conversion.

Score: /8

سوالات متداول (8)

Use it when the action is more important than the person doing it, or when the person is unknown.

It is better to use 'de către' for clarity and formal style.

Yes, it must agree with the subject in gender and number.

Yes, use 'a fost' + participle.

It is less common in casual speech than in formal writing.

Reflexive is for general statements; passive is for specific actions.

Yes, use 'va fi' + participle.

You can omit the agent entirely: 'Cartea este citită'.

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In Other Languages

Spanish high

Ser + participio

Spanish uses 'por' for the agent, Romanian uses 'de către'.

French high

Être + participe passé

French uses 'par' for the agent.

German moderate

Werden + Partizip II

The auxiliary verb is different.

Japanese low

Verb-reru/rareru

Japanese is synthetic; Romanian is analytic.

Arabic low

Internal vowel change

Arabic does not use an auxiliary verb.

Chinese low

Bei construction

Chinese has no verb conjugation.

Previous
Impersonal 'se'
Next
Reflexive Verbs Recap

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