B1 Passive & Reported Speech 1 min read 보통

Passive in Formal Contexts

Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Use the passive voice to focus on the action rather than the person performing it, essential for professional Romanian writing.

  • Use 'a fi' + past participle: 'Cartea este scrisă de el.' (The book is written by him.)
  • Ensure the participle agrees in gender and number with the subject: 'Scrisă' (feminine).
  • Avoid the agent ('de cine') if the focus is purely on the result: 'Decizia a fost luată.' (The decision was taken.)
Subject + a fi + Past Participle (+ de + Agent)

Meanings

The passive voice shifts the focus from the subject performing the action to the object receiving it. It is widely used in formal reports, news, and academic writing.

1

Formal Reporting

Used to describe events without naming the specific person responsible.

“Proiectul a fost aprobat.”

“Legea a fost votată.”

Passive Voice Formation (Verb: a scrie - to write)

Tense Auxiliary (a fi) Participle Example
Present este scris(ă) Cartea este scrisă.
Past a fost scris(ă) Cartea a fost scrisă.
Future va fi scris(ă) Cartea va fi scrisă.
Imperfect era scris(ă) Cartea era scrisă.
Conditional ar fi scris(ă) Cartea ar fi scrisă.

Reference Table

Reference table for Passive in Formal Contexts
Form Structure Example
Affirmative Subj + a fi + Participle Raportul este terminat.
Negative Subj + nu + a fi + Participle Raportul nu este terminat.
Question A fi + Subj + Participle? Este raportul terminat?
Agentive Subj + a fi + Participle + de + Agent Raportul este terminat de Ion.
Plural Subj (pl) + a fi (pl) + Participle (pl) Rapoartele sunt terminate.
Future Subj + va fi + Participle Raportul va fi terminat.

격식 수준 스펙트럼

격식체
Raportul a fost finalizat.

Raportul a fost finalizat. (Work environment)

중립
Raportul e gata.

Raportul e gata. (Work environment)

비격식체
Am terminat raportul.

Am terminat raportul. (Work environment)

속어
Raportul e gata, boss.

Raportul e gata, boss. (Work environment)

Passive Voice Components

Passive Voice

Auxiliary

  • a fi to be

Main Verb

  • Participiu Past Participle

Agreement

  • Gen/Număr Gender/Number

수준별 예문

1

Cartea este citită.

The book is read.

2

Masa este pregătită.

The table is prepared.

3

Ușa este deschisă.

The door is opened.

4

Apa este băută.

The water is drunk.

1

Raportul a fost scris de el.

The report was written by him.

2

Casa a fost vândută.

The house was sold.

3

Cadoul a fost primit.

The gift was received.

4

Problema a fost rezolvată.

The problem was solved.

1

Decizia a fost luată în cadrul ședinței.

The decision was taken during the meeting.

2

Proiectul va fi finalizat luna viitoare.

The project will be finished next month.

3

Legile au fost modificate recent.

The laws were modified recently.

4

E-mailul a fost trimis către toți angajații.

The email was sent to all employees.

1

Aceste măsuri au fost implementate pentru a asigura siguranța.

These measures were implemented to ensure safety.

2

Rezultatele au fost analizate de către experți.

The results were analyzed by experts.

3

Contractul a fost semnat sub presiune.

The contract was signed under pressure.

4

O nouă strategie a fost propusă de consiliu.

A new strategy was proposed by the council.

1

Ipoteza a fost infirmată de datele recente.

The hypothesis was refuted by recent data.

2

Această eroare a fost cauzată de o neînțelegere tehnică.

This error was caused by a technical misunderstanding.

3

Documentele au fost arhivate conform procedurilor.

The documents were archived according to procedures.

4

Această abordare a fost criticată pentru lipsa de transparență.

This approach was criticized for lack of transparency.

1

Această interpretare a textului a fost susținută de criticii literari.

This interpretation of the text was supported by literary critics.

2

Mecanismele au fost recalibrate pentru a optimiza performanța.

The mechanisms were recalibrated to optimize performance.

3

Această decizie a fost contestată în instanță.

This decision was contested in court.

4

Sistemul a fost proiectat pentru a fi rezistent la șocuri.

The system was designed to be shock-resistant.

혼동하기 쉬운

Passive in Formal Contexts Reflexive Passive ('se')

Learners confuse 'a fi' passive with 'se' passive.

Passive in Formal Contexts Active Voice

Learners use active voice when passive is required for formality.

Passive in Formal Contexts Past Tense

Learners forget the auxiliary 'a fi'.

자주 하는 실수

Cartea este scris.

Cartea este scrisă.

Agreement error: 'Cartea' is feminine.

El este citit cartea.

Cartea este citită de el.

Incorrect word order.

Masa este pregătit.

Masa este pregătită.

Agreement error.

Ușa este deschis.

Ușa este deschisă.

Agreement error.

Raportul a fost scrisă.

Raportul a fost scris.

Agreement error: 'Raportul' is masculine.

Casa a fost vândut.

Casa a fost vândută.

Agreement error.

Cadourile a fost primit.

Cadourile au fost primite.

Plural agreement error.

Decizia a fost luat.

Decizia a fost luată.

Agreement error.

Proiectul va fi finalizată.

Proiectul va fi finalizat.

Agreement error.

Legile au fost modificat.

Legile au fost modificate.

Agreement error.

Ipoteza a fost infirmat.

Ipoteza a fost infirmată.

Agreement error.

Eroarea a fost cauzat.

Eroarea a fost cauzată.

Agreement error.

Documentele a fost arhivat.

Documentele au fost arhivate.

Agreement error.

Abordarea a fost criticat.

Abordarea a fost criticată.

Agreement error.

문장 패턴

___ a fost ___ de către ___.

___ va fi ___ săptămâna viitoare.

___ sunt ___ în fiecare zi.

___ a fost ___ pentru siguranță.

Real World Usage

Corporate Email very common

Raportul a fost atașat.

News Broadcast constant

Legea a fost votată.

Academic Paper constant

Rezultatele au fost obținute.

Legal Document very common

Contractul a fost semnat.

Job Interview occasional

Echipa a fost condusă de mine.

Technical Manual common

Butonul trebuie să fie apăsat.

💡

Agreement is key

Always check the subject's gender and number before writing the participle.
⚠️

Don't overdo it

Too much passive voice makes your writing sound like a robot.
🎯

Use for objectivity

When you want to sound neutral, use the passive voice.
💬

Formal vs Informal

Use passive in formal settings, active in casual ones.

Smart Tips

Use the passive voice to sound more objective.

Eu am făcut raportul. Raportul a fost făcut.

Use the passive voice to avoid naming the person.

Ion a greșit. O greșeală a fost făcută.

Use the passive voice for each step.

Apoi pui apa. Apoi apa este pusă.

Use the passive voice for results.

Am găsit rezultatele. Rezultatele au fost găsite.

발음

scris-ă, terminat-ă

Participle endings

Ensure the final vowel is clear (ă, e, i).

Formal statement

Raportul a fost finalizat. ↘

Falling intonation for certainty.

암기하기

기억법

Be + Done = Passive Fun. Remember: 'A fi' is the key, the participle must agree!

시각적 연상

Imagine a factory conveyor belt. The object (Subject) sits on the belt, and the 'a fi' verb is the machine that stamps the 'Participle' label on it.

Rhyme

To make it passive, keep it clear: use 'a fi' and the participle, my dear.

Story

The king (subject) is lazy. He doesn't do the work. The work (participle) is done by the servants (agent). The king just sits there and 'is' (a fi).

Word Web

a fiparticipiuacordagentsubiectpasiv

챌린지

Write 5 sentences about your daily routine using the passive voice (e.g., 'The coffee is made by me').

문화 노트

Passive voice is highly valued in emails to avoid sounding too direct or aggressive.

The passive voice is the standard for research papers.

Passive voice is used to shift responsibility away from the official.

The Romanian passive voice evolved from Latin, using the verb 'esse' (to be) + the past participle.

대화 시작하기

Cum a fost organizat evenimentul?

A fost finalizat proiectul?

Cum a fost luată această decizie?

A fost rezolvată problema tehnică?

일기 주제

Describe a project you completed at work using the passive voice.
Write a formal email about a meeting that was rescheduled.
Explain how a local law was passed in your country.
Discuss a scientific discovery using passive constructions.

Test Yourself

Fill in the blank with the correct passive form.

Cartea ___ (scrie) de autor.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: este scrisă
Agreement with feminine 'Cartea'.
Find the error. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Raportul a fost scrisă de el.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: scrisă
Should be 'scris' because 'Raportul' is masculine.
Choose the correct sentence. 객관식

Which sentence is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Decizia a fost luată.
Correct agreement.
Transform to passive. Sentence Transformation

Ion a terminat proiectul. -> Proiectul ___ de Ion.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a fost terminat
Correct tense and agreement.
Is this rule true? True False Rule

The passive voice is used for casual conversation.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
Passive voice is for formal contexts.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: A fost trimis e-mailul? B: Da, ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a fost trimis
Agreement with masculine 'e-mailul'.
Build a sentence. Sentence Building

Order: (fost / a / scrisă / scrisoarea)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Scrisoarea a fost scrisă.
Correct word order.
Sort by gender. Grammar Sorting

Which participle is feminine?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: scrisă
Ends in 'ă'.

Score: /8

연습 문제

8 exercises
Fill in the blank with the correct passive form.

Cartea ___ (scrie) de autor.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: este scrisă
Agreement with feminine 'Cartea'.
Find the error. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Raportul a fost scrisă de el.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: scrisă
Should be 'scris' because 'Raportul' is masculine.
Choose the correct sentence. 객관식

Which sentence is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Decizia a fost luată.
Correct agreement.
Transform to passive. Sentence Transformation

Ion a terminat proiectul. -> Proiectul ___ de Ion.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a fost terminat
Correct tense and agreement.
Is this rule true? True False Rule

The passive voice is used for casual conversation.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
Passive voice is for formal contexts.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: A fost trimis e-mailul? B: Da, ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a fost trimis
Agreement with masculine 'e-mailul'.
Build a sentence. Sentence Building

Order: (fost / a / scrisă / scrisoarea)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Scrisoarea a fost scrisă.
Correct word order.
Sort by gender. Grammar Sorting

Which participle is feminine?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: scrisă
Ends in 'ă'.

Score: /8

자주 묻는 질문 (8)

To focus on the action, not the person.

Yes, it is standard for formal writing.

Add 'nu' before 'a fi'.

Yes, conjugate 'a fi'.

Just omit the 'de' part.

Very similar structure.

Avoid it, it sounds too stiff.

Gender/number agreement.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

In Other Languages

Spanish high

Ser + participio

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

French high

Être + participe passé

French uses 'par' for the agent.

German moderate

Werden + Partizip II

German uses 'werden' for passive, Romanian uses 'a fi'.

Japanese low

Verb-reru/rareru

Japanese uses suffixes; Romanian uses auxiliary verbs.

Arabic low

Internal vowel change

Arabic uses morphological change; Romanian uses syntax.

Chinese low

Bei construction

Chinese uses a particle; Romanian uses auxiliary verbs.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Was this helpful?
아직 댓글이 없습니다. 첫 번째로 생각을 공유하세요!