Hindi Passive Voice: Past Participle (Was Done)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
To form the passive voice in Hindi, use the past participle of the main verb + the conjugated form of 'jana' (to go).
- Use the past participle of the verb (e.g., 'kiya').
- Add the appropriate form of 'jana' (e.g., 'gaya').
- Ensure the participle agrees with the object in gender and number.
Overview
The Hindi passive voice, particularly when formed with the past participle and the auxiliary verb jānā (जाना), serves as a fundamental grammatical structure to shift focus within a sentence. Unlike English, where the passive voice is frequently used to merely de-emphasize the agent, Hindi employs this construction for more specific linguistic functions, often conveying nuances of completed action, involuntary action, or a shift in responsibility.
At the B1 level, understanding this passive form is crucial because it facilitates communication in a wider range of contexts, from formal announcements to expressing personal inability. It allows you to describe actions where the doer is unknown, irrelevant, or intentionally omitted, thereby focusing entirely on the action itself or the object that undergoes the action. This structure is not just a stylistic choice; it reflects a distinct way of perceiving and communicating events in Hindi.
Mastering this passive voice moves you beyond basic active constructions, enabling more natural and idiomatic expression. It’s essential for comprehending news, official reports, and nuanced everyday conversations where direct agency is often less emphasized than in English. This rule, therefore, is a cornerstone for advancing your communicative competence and analytical understanding of Hindi grammar.
Conjugation Table
| Gender/Number of Object | Passive Form (Verb Stem + Past Participle of karnā + jānā in Past Tense) |
Transliteration | English Translation | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| :------------------------ | :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :---------------- | :-------------------- | ||
| Masculine Singular | किया गया | kiyā gayā |
was done | ||
| Masculine Plural | किए गए | kiye gaye |
were done | ||
| Feminine Singular | की गई | kī gaī |
was done | ||
| Feminine Plural | की गईं | kī gaīñ |
were done | ||
| Gender/Number of Object | Passive Form (Verb Stem + Past Participle of likhnā + jānā in Past Tense) |
Transliteration | English Translation | ||
| :------------------------ | :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :------------------ | :-------------------- | ||
| Masculine Singular | लिखा गया | likhā gayā |
was written | ||
| Masculine Plural | लिखे गए | likhe gaye |
were written | ||
| Feminine Singular | लिखी गई | likhī gaī |
was written | ||
| Feminine Plural | लिखी गईं | likhī gaīñ |
were written |
How This Grammar Works
jānā functions by promoting the object of an active sentence to the grammatical subject of the passive sentence. This transformation inherently shifts the grammatical and semantic focus. In an active construction like अध्यापक ने पाठ पढ़ाया (adhyāpak ne pāṭh paṛhāyā – 'The teacher taught the lesson'), the agent (adhyāpak) is prominent.पाठ पढ़ाया गया (pāṭh paṛhāyā gayā – 'The lesson was taught'), the lesson (pāṭh) becomes the central element.jānā (जाना) in this construction loses its literal meaning of "to go." Instead, it assumes the function of a grammatical marker for the passive voice, conveying a sense of "to be" or "to become" when an action is performed upon something. It signifies that the action is undergone by the subject rather than actively performed by it.से (se). This signifies a detachment from direct agency. For instance, मेरे द्वारा यह काम किया गया (mere dvārā yah kām kiyā gayā – 'This work was done by me').द्वारा (dvārā) is more formal than से (se) for agents and is often seen in official or written contexts. The primary goal is to highlight the action or its outcome, not the actor.Formation Pattern
jānā (जाना). This process transforms an active transitive verb into its passive equivalent, where the original object becomes the new grammatical subject.
-nā (-ना) ending from the infinitive form. For example, karnā (करना – to do) yields kar (कर), likhnā (लिखना – to write) yields likh (लिख), dekhnā (देखना – to see) yields dekh (देख).
-ā, -ī, -e) to the verb stem. This ending must agree in gender and number with the grammatical subject of the passive sentence (which was the object of the active sentence). For instance, kar + ā becomes kiyā (किया); dekh + ī becomes dekhī (देखी).
kiyā (किया) – M.Sg.
kiye (किए) – M.Pl.
kī (की) – F.Sg./Pl.
karnā (करना) becoming kiyā (किया), denā (देना) becoming diyā (दिया), and lenā (लेना) becoming liyā (लिया). These must be memorized.
jānā (जाना): Add the auxiliary verb jānā, conjugated in the appropriate tense and agreeing in gender and number with the grammatical subject. For the "was done" passive, jānā will be in its simple past tense form (gayā, gaye, gaī, gaīñ).
Object (now grammatical subject) + [Agent (optional, with से/dvārā)] + Verb Stem + Past Participle ending (matching subject) + jānā (conjugated in past tense, matching subject).
सरकार ने नई योजना शुरू की। (sarkār ne naī yojanā shurū kī. – 'The government started a new scheme.')
नई योजना शुरू की गई। (naī yojanā shurū kī gaī. – 'A new scheme was started.')
yojanā (scheme) is feminine singular, so kī gaī is used.
फ़िल्में देखी गईं। (filmeñ dekhī gaīñ. – 'Films were watched.')
filmeñ (films) is feminine plural, hence dekhī gaīñ.
आज रात सोया नहीं गया। (āj rāt soyā nahīñ gayā. – 'I couldn't sleep tonight.' / 'Sleeping was not done tonight.')
soyā gayā is always masculine singular by default because there is no direct object.
When To Use It
- Expressing Inability (The
seconstruction): This is one of the most common and idiomatic uses, particularly in informal spoken Hindi. When you want to convey that you cannot do something, often due to circumstances, physical limitations, or a lack of desire at that moment, the passive withse(से) andjānā(जाना) is preferred oversaknā(सकना). मुझसे यह काम नहीं किया गया।(mujhse yah kām nahīñ kiyā gayā.– 'This work could not be done by me.' / 'I couldn't do this work.')बच्चों से शांति से बैठा नहीं गया।(bachchoñ se shānti se baiṭhā nahīñ gayā.– 'The children couldn't sit quietly.')
- When the Agent is Unknown or Unimportant: Just like in English, if the doer of the action is irrelevant, unknown, or obvious from context, the passive voice allows you to focus on the action or the recipient.
चोर पकड़ा गया।(chor pakaṛā gayā.– 'The thief was caught.') (We don't know or care who caught him.)मेरा फ़ोन खो गया।(merā fon kho gayā.– 'My phone was lost.') (The focus is on the phone's state, not on who lost it.)
- Official Announcements, News, and Formal Contexts: The passive voice lends an air of objectivity and formality, making it suitable for written reports, news headlines, and public declarations where personal agency is often de-emphasized for broader impact.
नया पुल बनाया गया।(nayā pul banāyā gayā.– 'A new bridge was constructed.')परीक्षा परिणाम घोषित किया गया।(parīkṣā pariṇām ghoṣit kiyā gayā.– 'Exam results were declared.')
- General Truths or Universal Statements: When describing actions that happen generally or as a matter of course, without reference to a specific agent.
भारत में हिंदी बोली जाती है।(bhārat meñ hindī bolī jātī hai.– 'Hindi is spoken in India.') (This is a generic statement, not attributing the action to any single person.)यहाँ रोज़ सफाई की जाती है।(yahāñ roz safāī kī jātī hai.– 'Cleaning is done here daily.')
- Social Media and Casual Updates (when the focus is on the outcome): In modern communication, it’s common to use the passive to quickly update about a completed action, emphasizing the state change rather than who caused it.
पोस्ट अपलोड हो गई!(posṭ aplōḍ ho gaī!) – 'The post has been uploaded!' (Literally, 'The post became uploaded.')फ़ोटो भेज दी गई।(foṭo bhej dī gaī.) – 'The photo was sent.'
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect Agreement: This is perhaps the most common error. Remember that the past participle of the main verb and the auxiliary
jānāmust agree in gender and number with the grammatical subject (the object of the original active sentence). Do not make them agree with the agent (the person doing the action) if an agent is mentioned. - Incorrect:
मुझसे किताब लिखा गया।(mujhse kitāb likhā gayā.) – Here,kitāb(book) is feminine singular, butlikhā gayāis masculine singular. - Correct:
मुझसे किताब लिखी गई।(mujhse kitāb likhī gaī.) – 'A book was written by me.' / 'I wrote a book.'
- Using
ne(ने) with the Passive Voice: The postpositionnemarks the agent in perfective tenses for transitive verbs. However, in the passive voice, the agent (if mentioned) is marked byse(से) ordvārā(द्वारा). Never usenein a passive construction. - Incorrect:
राम ने खाना खाया गया।(rām ne khānā khāyā gayā.) – This is grammatically illogical. - Correct:
राम द्वारा खाना खाया गया।(rām dvārā khānā khāyā gayā.) orराम से खाना खाया गया।(rām se khānā khāyā gayā.) – 'Food was eaten by Ram.'
- Forgetting
jānā(जाना) or Conjugating it Incorrectly: The auxiliaryjānāis indispensable for forming this passive voice. Omitting it changes the meaning significantly, often reverting to a simple past tense active construction. Ensurejānāis conjugated correctly for the required tense (e.g.,gayāfor simple past,jāegāfor future). - Incorrect:
काम किया।(kām kiyā.) – 'Did work.' (Active past) - Correct:
काम किया गया।(kām kiyā gayā.) – 'Work was done.' (Passive past)
- Trying to Form Passive with Intransitive Verbs (with explicit object agreement): While intransitive verbs can form impersonal passives (always masculine singular
gayā), they cannot form passives where an object becomes the grammatical subject, as they inherently lack a direct object. - Incorrect:
लड़की से हँसी गई।(laṛkī se hañsī gaī.) – 'The girl was laughed.' (Grammatically nonsensical) - Correct (impersonal passive, if meaning 'laughing was done by the girl'):
लड़की से हँसा गया।(laṛkī se hañsā gayā.) – 'Laughing was done by the girl.' (Though more natural to sayलड़की हँसी– 'The girl laughed.') - Correct (impersonal passive for inability):
मुझसे अब चला नहीं जाता।(mujhse ab chalā nahīñ jātā.) – 'I can't walk anymore.'
- Overuse of the Passive: Unlike English, where the passive voice is very versatile, Hindi reserves this
jānāpassive for specific situations (inability, formality, unknown agent). Overusing it can sound unnatural or overly formal in casual contexts. Opt for active voice unless one of the specific conditions for passive applies.
Contrast With Similar Patterns
- Simple Past Tense (Active Voice, Perfective Aspect):
- This form focuses squarely on the agent performing a completed action. The verb agrees with the object, but the agent is marked by
ne(ने) if transitive, or the verb agrees with the subject if intransitive. - Active:
उसने किताब पढ़ी।(usne kitāb paṛhī.) – 'He read the book.' (Focus on 'he', the doer) - Passive:
किताब पढ़ी गई।(kitāb paṛhī gaī.) – 'The book was read.' (Focus on 'the book', the action done to it)
jānā is the key differentiator here. Without jānā, it is an active perfective construction.- Passive Voice: Actions without Doers (Verb Stem +
jānāin Present/Future): - This pattern, covered in a related rule (
Verb + जाना), is generally used for continuous, habitual, or future actions where the agent is absent or generalized. It's often for general truths or involuntary actions. - General Truth Passive:
यहाँ खाना खाया जाता है।(yahāñ khānā khāyā jātā hai.) – 'Food is eaten here.' (Habitual, general) - Past Participle Passive:
यहाँ खाना खाया गया।(yahāñ khānā khāyā gayā.) – 'Food was eaten here.' (Specific, completed past action)
jānā. Jātā hai vs. gayā. This rule specifically addresses past completed actions that were done.- Ability/Inability with
saknā(सकना – can/to be able to): saknādescribes inherent or general ability/skill. The focus is on the subject's capacity.- Ability (Active):
मैं यह काम कर सकता हूँ।(maiñ yah kām kar saktā hūñ.) – 'I can do this work.' (Focus on my ability) - Inability (Active):
मैं यह काम नहीं कर सकता हूँ।(maiñ yah kām nahīñ kar saktā hūñ.) – 'I cannot do this work.' - Inability (Passive
seconstruction):मुझसे यह काम नहीं किया गया।(mujhse yah kām nahīñ kiyā gayā.) – 'This work couldn't be done by me.' (Focus on circumstantial inability, action not being able to happen through me)
se passive with jānā suggests that the action itself is not doable for you, often implying an external constraint or an involuntary reaction, rather than a lack of personal skill or permission. saknā is about "can I perform the action?" while the se passive is about "can the action happen through me/be completed by me?".- Causative Verbs:
- Causative verbs indicate that the subject causes someone else to do an action. They involve an extra agent.
- Causative Active:
मैंने राम से काम करवाया।(maiñne rām se kām karvāyā.) – 'I had Ram do the work.' - Passive (of the base verb):
काम किया गया।(kām kiyā gayā.) – 'Work was done.'
Real Conversations
Beyond grammatical rules, understanding how Hindi passive voice with the past participle functions in authentic communication is vital. Native speakers employ this structure with specific intentions, reflecting cultural nuances and practical communicative needs. You’ll hear and use this construction in varied everyday scenarios, moving beyond textbook examples.
- Acknowledging Involuntary Actions or Accidents: This is a very common and culturally significant use. Instead of directly stating "I broke it," which might sound like an admission of guilt, speakers often use the se passive to imply an accident or an action that happened beyond their control.
- मुझसे प्लेट टूट गई। (mujhse pleṭ ṭūṭ gaī.) – 'The plate broke by me.' (Implying: 'I accidentally broke the plate.') This is far more common than मैंने प्लेट तोड़ी (maiñne pleṭ toṛī) in such situations.
- उससे दरवाज़ा खुला रह गया। (usse darvāzā khulā rah gayā.) – 'The door was left open by him.' (Implying: 'He accidentally left the door open.')
- Reporting News or Events Formally: In news broadcasts, official announcements, or formal discussions, the passive voice allows for objective reporting without assigning blame or credit to a specific individual.
- कल रात दो गाड़ियाँ चोरी हो गईं। (kal rāt do gāṛiyāñ chorī ho gaīñ.) – 'Two cars were stolen last night.' (Focus on the event, not the thief.)
- नये नियम लागू किए गए हैं। (naye niyam lāgū kiye gaye haiñ.) – 'New rules have been implemented.' (Often seen in government circulars or official websites).
- Explaining Something Undesirable that Happened: When a negative event has occurred and the specific agent is unknown or irrelevant, the passive helps frame the discussion around the incident itself.
- मेरा पर्स कहीं खो गया था। (merā pars kahīñ kho gayā thā.) – 'My wallet had gotten lost somewhere.' (The focus is the lost wallet, not who might have lost it or if it was stolen.)
- फ़ाइल ग़लती से डिलीट हो गई। (fāil galtī se ḍilīṭ ho gaī.) – 'The file was deleted by mistake.' (A common office lament, highlighting the error over the person).
- Social Media Updates or Quick Status Reports: In digital communication, efficiency often means focusing on the outcome. The passive voice is often used informally for this purpose.
- पोस्ट कर दी गई! (posṭ kar dī gaī!) – 'Posted!' (Concise update on an action completion).
- पेमेंट हो गया है। (pemenṭ ho gayā hai.) – 'Payment has been made.' (Confirming an action, often online.)
- Expressing Frustration or Difficulty with a Task: The inability passive (se) is frequently used to articulate that a task is proving difficult for one, without directly stating a personal failing. It’s a softer way of expressing difficulty.
- मुझसे यह सवाल हल नहीं हो रहा था। (mujhse yah savāl hal nahīñ ho rahā thā.) – 'I wasn't able to solve this question.' (More natural than मैं यह सवाल हल नहीं कर पा रहा था। if the difficulty feels external or overwhelming).
Progressive Practice
Mastering the passive voice with jānā requires systematic practice that builds from recognition to active production. Focus on internalizing the patterns and nuances through varied exercises.
- Identify Passive Sentences: Start by actively listening and reading for sentences ending with verb forms like kiyā gayā, kī gaī, likhā gayā, etc. In news articles, formal documents, or even movie subtitles, underline these and identify the grammatical subject and whether an agent is present.
- Example Task: In a short Hindi news report, find all sentences where jānā is used in the past passive, and identify what was done.
- Transform Active to Passive: Take simple active sentences and convert them into passive constructions. This will drill the agreement rules for gender and number with the new grammatical subject and the correct usage of se (से) or dvārā (द्वारा) for the agent.
- Active: उसने पत्र लिखा। (usne patr likhā. – 'He wrote the letter.')
- Your turn: Convert this to passive. (Answer: पत्र लिखा गया। / patr likhā gayā.) or (उसके द्वारा पत्र लिखा गया। / uske dvārā patr likhā gayā.)
- Active: मैंने खाना बनाया। (maiñne khānā banāyā. – 'I cooked food.')
- Your turn: Convert this to passive. (Answer: खाना बनाया गया। / khānā banāyā gayā.) or (मुझसे खाना बनाया गया। / mujhse khānā banāyā gayā.)
- Practice the 'Inability' Passive: Specifically focus on scenarios where you want to express inability due to circumstances rather than lack of skill. Use मुझसे... नहीं गया (mujhse... nahīñ gayā) or मुझसे... नहीं जाता (mujhse... nahīñ jātā).
- Scenario: You tried to lift a heavy box but couldn't. How would you say, "The box wasn't lifted by me"?
- Your turn: (Answer: मुझसे बक्सा उठाया नहीं गया। / mujhse baksā uṭhāyā nahīñ gayā.)
- Contextual Role-Playing/Writing: Create short dialogues or paragraphs based on common situations where the passive voice is natural: reporting an accident, describing a task that couldn't be completed, or making a formal announcement. This pushes you to use the grammar spontaneously.
- Prompt: Write a short paragraph describing what happened at a local event yesterday, ensuring you use at least two passive sentences where the agent is unknown. (e.g., कार्यक्रम आयोजित किया गया। कई लोगों द्वारा देखा गया।)
- Review Irregular Past Participles: Dedicate time to memorize common irregular past participles like karnā (करना) → kiyā (किया), denā (देना) → diyā (दिया), lenā (लेना) → liyā (लिया). These will appear frequently.
Quick FAQ
- Q: Does
jānā(जाना) always mean 'to go' in this construction? - A: No. While
jānāliterally means 'to go,' when used as an auxiliary verb in the passive voice, it becomes a grammatical marker. It essentially means 'to be' or 'to become,' indicating that the action is performed upon the grammatical subject, or that the subject undergoes a change of state due to the action. It loses its independent meaning of physical movement.
- Q: Can this passive construction be used in tenses other than the past?
- A: Absolutely. While this rule focuses on the past passive ("was done"), the auxiliary verb
jānācan be conjugated into any tense or mood. For example: - Future Passive:
काम किया जाएगा।(kām kiyā jāegā.– 'Work will be done.') - Present Habitual Passive:
काम किया जाता है।(kām kiyā jātā hai.– 'Work is done.') - Present Progressive Passive:
काम किया जा रहा है।(kām kiyā jā rahā hai.– 'Work is being done.')
jānā carries the tense and aspect.- Q: Is the passive voice always more formal in Hindi?
- A: Not necessarily. While it certainly lends formality in contexts like news and official reports, the
se(से) passive construction for expressing inability (मुझसे चला नहीं गया।) is very common and natural in casual, everyday conversation. The level of formality depends heavily on the specific nuance being conveyed.
- Q: What happens if there is no direct object in the active sentence (i.e., with an intransitive verb)?
- A: If an intransitive verb is used in a passive construction (often for inability or impersonal statements), the grammatical subject defaults to masculine singular. The verb and
jānāwill both be in the masculine singular form, for example,सोया गया(soyā gayā– 'sleeping was done' / 'was slept'). मुझसे हँसा नहीं गया।(mujhse hañsā nahīñ gayā.) – 'I couldn't laugh.' (Literally, 'Laughter was not done by me.')यहाँ बैठा नहीं जाता।(yahāñ baiṭhā nahīñ jātā.) – 'One cannot sit here.'
- Q: Why is the 'inability' passive (
se+jānā) preferred oversaknā(सकना) in many situations? - A: The
sepassive for inability often conveys a sense of involuntary action or a circumstantial constraint.saknātypically expresses inherent ability, permission, or a conscious decision. When you sayमुझसे यह नहीं हुआ(mujhse yah nahīñ huā– 'This didn't happen by me' / 'I couldn't do this'), it softens the impact, implying the task was genuinely beyond your immediate capacity or happened inadvertently, rather than a direct failure of skill. It’s a common way to express frustration or an accidental outcome in a less direct manner.
- Q: Do I need to learn completely new verb forms for the passive voice?
- A: No, you primarily use the past participle form of the main verb, which you've likely already encountered when learning perfect tenses. The main new element is the auxiliary
jānāand understanding its role in indicating passivity and its agreement rules. So, it's more about re-contextualizing existing knowledge than learning entirely new paradigms for every verb.
- Q: When is
dvārā(द्वारा) used instead ofse(से) to mark the agent? - A:
dvārā(द्वारा) is generally more formal and less common in spoken Hindi thanse(से). It's primarily used in written, official, or very formal contexts when the agent absolutely needs to be specified in a passive construction.seis versatile and used for both agents and instrumental roles, including the common 'inability' passive.
Passive Voice Formation
| Object Gender | Object Number | Verb Participle | Auxiliary (jana) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Masculine
|
Singular
|
Kiya
|
Gaya
|
|
Masculine
|
Plural
|
Kiye
|
Gaye
|
|
Feminine
|
Singular
|
Ki
|
Gayi
|
|
Feminine
|
Plural
|
Ki
|
Gayi
|
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
Describing an action where the agent is unknown or irrelevant.
“खाना बनाया गया।”
“पत्र लिखा गया।”
Formal/Official
Used in news or formal reports.
“कानून पारित किया गया।”
“मीटिंग आयोजित की गई।”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Obj + Participle + gaya
|
Kaam kiya gaya
|
|
Negative
|
Obj + nahin + Participle + gaya
|
Kaam nahin kiya gaya
|
|
Interrogative
|
Kya + Obj + Participle + gaya?
|
Kya kaam kiya gaya?
|
|
Plural
|
Objs + Participle + gaye
|
Kaam kiye gaye
|
Formality Spectrum
कार्य पूरा किया गया। (Workplace)
काम पूरा किया गया। (Workplace)
काम हो गया। (Workplace)
काम निपट गया। (Workplace)
Passive Voice Components
Components
- Object Receiver
- Participle Verb form
- Jana Auxiliary
Examples by Level
Kaam kiya gaya.
Work was done.
Khana banaya gaya.
Food was made.
Patra likha gaya.
The letter was written.
Niyam badla gaya.
The rule was changed.
Prastav swikar kiya gaya.
The proposal was accepted.
Sabhi vikalpon par vichar kiya gaya.
All options were considered.
Easily Confused
Learners often add 'ne' to passive sentences.
Confusing 'was done' with 'happened'.
Using present tense 'hai' instead of 'gaya'.
Common Mistakes
Main ne kiya gaya
Kaam kiya gaya
Kaam kiya tha
Kaam kiya gaya
Kaam kiye gaya
Kaam kiya gaya
Kaam gaya kiya
Kaam kiya gaya
Chai banaya gaya
Chai banayi gayi
Patra likhe gaya
Patra likha gaya
Sab kaam kiya gaye
Sab kaam kiye gaye
Mujhse kaam kiya gaya
Kaam kiya gaya
Galti kiya gaya
Galti ki gayi
Kaam ho gaya
Kaam kiya gaya
Uske dwara kaam kiya gaya tha
Kaam kiya gaya
Sab kuch kiya gaya tha
Sab kuch kiya gaya
Yeh kaam usne kiya gaya
Yeh kaam kiya gaya
Kaam ko kiya gaya
Kaam kiya gaya
Sentence Patterns
___ kiya gaya.
___ banayi gayi.
Kya ___ kiya gaya?
___ nahin kiya gaya.
Real World Usage
Niyam badla gaya.
Project pura kiya gaya.
Sabzi banayi gayi.
Button dabaya gaya.
Photo upload ki gayi.
Dosh siddh kiya gaya.
Check Gender
No 'Ne'
Use for Objectivity
Formal Tone
Smart Tips
Use passive to sound objective.
Use passive to shift focus.
Use passive.
Use passive.
Pronunciation
Gaya
Pronounce as 'ga-ya' with a soft 'g'.
Falling
Kaam kiya gaya ↘
Statement of fact.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Think of 'Gaya' as the 'Go-away' agent—it takes the doer away!
Visual Association
Imagine a letter sitting on a desk by itself; no one is holding it, it was just 'written'.
Rhyme
When the doer is out of sight, use 'gaya' to make it right.
Story
The chef left. The food was made. The table was set. Everything was done by the invisible hands of the passive voice.
Word Web
Challenge
Describe three things in your room using the passive voice in 5 minutes.
Cultural Notes
Used in government documents and news.
Often replaced by 'ho gaya' (it happened).
Used to create distance.
Derived from Sanskrit passive structures.
Conversation Starters
Kya kaam pura kiya gaya?
Kya khana banaya gaya?
Kya niyam badla gaya hai?
Kya prastav par vichar kiya gaya?
Journal Prompts
Common Mistakes
Test Yourself
Kaam ___ gaya.
Chai ___ gayi.
Find and fix the mistake:
Usne kaam kiya gaya.
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
The letter was written.
Answer starts with: Pat...
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Niyam / badla / gaya
Kaam / Galti
Score: /8
Practice Exercises
8 exercisesKaam ___ gaya.
Chai ___ gayi.
Find and fix the mistake:
Usne kaam kiya gaya.
gaya / kiya / kaam
The letter was written.
Chai / Patra
Niyam / badla / gaya
Kaam / Galti
Score: /8
Practice Bank
10 exercisesApple ___ gayā.
The message was sent.
pakaṛā / Chōr / gayā
Match these:
Choose the plural feminine passive:
Mujh ne ye kām nahīñ kiyā jātā.
Bill diyā ___।
Formal passive phrase:
Using the passive inability form:
Gāṛī chalāyā gayā.
Score: /10
FAQ (8)
No, never. 'Ne' is only for active transitive past tense.
It's the standard auxiliary for the passive voice in Hindi.
Yes, it is very common in formal and written Hindi.
Add 'nahin' before the participle.
Yes, 'gaya' becomes 'gaye' for masculine plural.
Yes, but 'ho gaya' is more common in casual speech.
You can use a dummy subject or just the passive.
No, this is specifically for the past passive.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Se hizo
Spanish uses a reflexive pronoun; Hindi uses an auxiliary verb.
A été fait
French uses 'to be'; Hindi uses 'to go'.
Wurde gemacht
German is a Germanic language; Hindi is Indo-Aryan.
Sareta
Suffix vs auxiliary verb.
Majhul
Internal verb change vs external auxiliary.
Bei
Marker vs auxiliary verb.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
Continue With
Hindi Passive Voice (Getting Things Done)
Overview In Hindi, the passive voice is not merely a stylistic choice; it represents a fundamental linguistic constructi...
Hindi Passive Voice: Using 'to go' (जाना)
Overview The Hindi passive voice, particularly its formation using the auxiliary verb `जाना` (jaana), fundamentally shif...
Formal Passive Voice: It's Being Done (Karmavachya)
Overview The **Karmavachya** (`कर्मवाच्य`), or formal passive voice, is a fundamental construct for C1-level Hindi learn...
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