B1 · Intermédiaire Chapitre 40

Actions Done to Us: The Passive Voice (Basic)

4 Règles totales
1 min
Règles dans ce chapitre Pratique rapide

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Shift the spotlight from the person doing the action to the action itself.

  • Construct basic passive sentences using 'hoya' (to be/become).
  • Identify the 'agent' or doer using the word 'dwara' (by).
  • Master the 'jawa' (to go) passive for expressing potentiality.
Focus on the result, not just the actor.

Ce que tu vas apprendre

Understand the basic structure and use of the passive voice in Bengali. This allows you to focus on the action's recipient rather than the performer.

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 basic passive forms using 'kora hoy'.
  2. 2
    By the end you will be able to specify who performed an action in a passive sentence using 'dwara'.
  3. 3
    By the end you will be able to use 'jawa' constructions to describe what can or cannot be done.

Conseils et astuces (4)

🎯

Drop the Agent

To sound like a native, don't say 'by me' or 'by him'. Just say the action was done. The context usually makes the doer clear.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Basic Passive Voice Formation (করা হয়েছে - kora hoyeche)
🎯

The Genitive Rule

Always check if you've added -r or -er. If you say 'Ami dwara', it sounds like 'I by', which is a major giveaway that you're a beginner.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Agent in Passive Sentences (দ্বারা - dwara)
🎯

Drop the Agent

To sound like a native, avoid saying 'by me' or 'by him'. Just say 'It was done'. The context usually makes the doer clear.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Uses of the Passive Voice
🎯

The 'Can' Shortcut

Whenever you want to say 'can be [verb]ed', just use the verbal noun + 'jay'. It's the fastest way to sound natural.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Passive with 'Jawa' (যাওয়া - jaowa)

Vocabulaire clé (7)

করা to do / to make চিঠি letter দ্বারা by / through খবর news দেখা to see / to look শোনা to hear / to listen তৈরি ready / made

Real-World Preview

newspaper

Reading the News

mountain

A Scenic View

Review Summary

  • Verbal Noun (-a/-owa) + hoya (conjugated)
  • Noun/Pronoun (Genitive) + দ্বারা (dwara)
  • Verbal Noun + যাওয়া (conjugated)

Erreurs courantes

You cannot use the nominative 'Ami' (I) as an agent. You must use the genitive + dwara (Amar dwara).

Wrong: আমি চিঠি লেখা হয়েছে (Ami chithi lekha hoyeche)
Correct: আমার দ্বারা চিঠিটি লেখা হয়েছে (Amar dwara chithi-ti lekha hoyeche)

Using 'jawa' (jay) implies potentiality ('can be done'). Use 'hoya' (hoy) for a standard passive action.

Wrong: কাজটি করা যায় (Kaj-ti kora jay) - meaning 'the work is done'
Correct: কাজটি করা হয় (Kaj-ti kora hoy)

Make sure to use the full verbal noun phrase. 'Kora' alone just means 'done'; you often need the specific action noun before it.

Wrong: ভাত করা হয় (Bhat kora hoy)
Correct: ভাত রান্না করা হয় (Bhat ranna kora hoy)

Next Steps

You've just unlocked a major level of Bengali fluency. Using the passive voice correctly makes your Bengali sound sophisticated and professional. Keep practicing!

Read a Bengali news headline and try to find a passive verb.

Describe three things in your room using 'dekha jay' (can be seen).

Continue to: Telling Others' Words: Reported Speech

Pratique rapide (10)

Correct the mistake: 'Ami dekha jay.'

Find and fix the mistake:

আমি দেখা যায়।

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: আমাকে দেখা যায়
If the person is the object, use the objective marker '-ke'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Passive with 'Jawa' (যাওয়া - jaowa)

Fill in the blank with the correct form of 'করা হয়েছে'.

চিঠিটি গতকাল ___।

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
The sentence requires the present perfect passive 'পাঠানো হয়েছে' (has been sent).

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Basic Passive Voice Formation (করা হয়েছে - kora hoyeche)

Correct the error in this sentence: 'তুমি দ্বারা এই সমস্যা সমাধান হবে না।'

Find and fix the mistake:

তুমি দ্বারা এই সমস্যা সমাধান হবে না।

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: b
'তুমি' must change to 'তোমার' before 'দ্বারা'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Agent in Passive Sentences (দ্বারা - dwara)

Which sentence is grammatically correct?

Identify the correct passive sentence:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: b
Nouns must be in the genitive case (রহিমের) before 'দ্বারা'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Agent in Passive Sentences (দ্বারা - dwara)

Correct the mistake in this sentence: 'আমি জানানো হয়েছে।'

Find and fix the mistake:

আমি জানানো হয়েছে।

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: আমাকে জানানো হয়েছে
The recipient of the information needs the '-ke' marker.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Uses of the Passive Voice

Choose the correct passive form for: 'The work can be done.'

কাজটি ___ ___।

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: করা যায়
'Kora jay' expresses the possibility/ability in the present tense.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Passive with 'Jawa' (যাওয়া - jaowa)

Correct the mistake in this sentence: 'আমি কাজটি করা হয়েছে।'

Find and fix the mistake:

আমি কাজটি করা হয়েছে।

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
In a passive sentence, the agent 'আমি' should be removed or changed to a possessive form, but removing it is most natural.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Basic Passive Voice Formation (করা হয়েছে - kora hoyeche)

Fill in the blank with the correct form of the agent.

এই চিঠিটি ___ (আমি) দ্বারা লেখা হয়েছে।

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: c
The genitive form of 'আমি' is 'আমার'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Agent in Passive Sentences (দ্বারা - dwara)

Fill in the blank with the correct form of 'hoya'.

চিঠিটা গতকাল পাঠানো ___।

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: হয়েছিল
'Yesterday' (gotokal) requires the past tense 'hoyechilo'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Uses of the Passive Voice

Choose the correct passive form for 'The work is done'.

কাজটি ___।

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: করা হয়
'Kora hoy' is the standard present passive.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Uses of the Passive Voice

Score: /10

Questions fréquentes (6)

Yes, but it usually means they have been 'selected' or 'informed'. For example, 'তাকে ডাকা হয়েছে' (He has been called).
'হয়েছে' is Present Perfect (has been), while 'হলো' is Simple Past (was). Use 'হয়েছে' for recent actions with current results.
Usually, for transport, we use 'করে' (kore) or 'দিয়ে' (diye). 'বাসে করে' is more natural than 'বাসের দ্বারা'.
It is used in formal speech (speeches, presentations), but in casual conversation, people prefer active voice.
Most transitive verbs (verbs that take an object) can be made passive. Intransitive verbs like 'go' or 'sleep' usually use the impersonal construction instead.
No, it is often omitted. Only use it if you really need to specify who did the action and want to sound very formal.
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Connecting Sentences: Relative Clauses (Who, Which, That)
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Telling Others' Words: Reported Speech
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