Advanced Morphology
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
The -s passive turns active verbs into passive ones by adding an 's' to the infinitive or present tense form.
- Add -s to the infinitive: att skriva (to write) becomes skrivas (to be written).
- Add -s to the present tense: skriver (writes) becomes skrivs (is written).
- The -s passive is used when the agent is unknown or irrelevant.
Meanings
The -s passive is a morphological construction used to describe actions where the subject is the recipient of the action or the agent is unknown.
True Passive
Action performed on the subject.
“Boken läses av många.”
“Dörren låstes igår.”
Deponent Verbs
Verbs that end in -s but have active meaning.
“Jag hoppas att det går bra.”
“Vi trivs här.”
Reciprocal
Action performed between two or more parties.
“Vi ses imorgon.”
“De kramas.”
Passive Formation
| Active | Passive | Tense |
|---|---|---|
| skriver | skrivs | Present |
| skrev | skrevs | Past |
| bygger | byggs | Present |
| byggde | byggdes | Past |
| läser | läses | Present |
| läste | lästes | Past |
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | Verb + s | Boken läses. |
| Negative | Verb + s + inte | Boken läses inte. |
| Question | Verb + s + subject? | Läses boken? |
| Past | Verb + des | Boken lästes. |
| Reciprocal | Verb + s | Vi ses. |
| Deponent | Verb + s | Jag trivs. |
Espectro de formalidad
Dörren låses. (General)
Dörren låses. (General)
Dörren låses. (General)
Dörren är låst. (General)
Passive Usage Map
Usage
- Formell Formal
- Objektiv Objective
Examples by Level
Här talas svenska.
Swedish is spoken here.
Vi ses imorgon.
We will see each other tomorrow.
Beslut fattas av styrelsen.
Decisions are made by the board.
Dörren låstes sent.
The door was locked late.
Det antas att vädret blir bättre.
It is assumed that the weather will improve.
Många frågor ställs under mötet.
Many questions are asked during the meeting.
Förslaget godkändes enhälligt.
The proposal was approved unanimously.
Det påstås att han är expert.
It is claimed that he is an expert.
Härmed förklaras mötet öppnat.
The meeting is hereby declared open.
Det må så vara.
That may well be so.
Easily Confused
Both use -s.
They look passive.
Both are passive.
Errores comunes
Boken läser
Boken läses
Vi sesar
Vi ses
Det blir läses
Det läses
Han trivas
Han trivs
Sentence Patterns
___ läses av många.
Vi ___ imorgon.
Här ___ svenska.
Beslutet ___ igår.
Real World Usage
Beslut fattas idag.
Resultaten presenteras.
Här rökas ej.
Vi ses!
Projektet leddes av mig.
Knappen trycks in.
Check for agents
Deponent verbs
Formal writing
Reciprocal usage
Smart Tips
Use the -s passive to remain objective.
Use 'ses' for 'see you'.
Look for the -s to understand the rule.
Use -s for the action, not the person.
Pronunciación
S-suffix
The 's' is pronounced as a sharp /s/ sound.
Falling
Boken läses ↘
Statement of fact
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Add an S to the end to make the action the friend.
Visual Association
Imagine a book writing itself with a magical 'S' floating above it.
Rhyme
When the doer is gone, add an S and carry on.
Story
The king (active) left the room. The throne (passive) was sat upon. The throne 'satt-s' (sat-s) in the room.
Word Web
Desafío
Write 5 sentences about your day using only the passive voice.
Notas culturales
The -s passive is the gold standard for academic writing.
Used extensively in laws.
Used in signs.
Derived from the reflexive pronoun 'sik' (self).
Conversation Starters
Hur ses projektet?
Var ses vi?
Vad läses just nu?
Hur byggs ett hus?
Journal Prompts
Test Yourself
Boken ___ (läsa) av alla.
Find and fix the mistake:
Vi sesar imorgon.
Which is passive?
De bygger huset.
The -s passive is used for the future.
A: När ___ vi? B: Imorgon.
huset / byggs / nu
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Score: /8
Ejercicios de practica
8 exercisesBoken ___ (läsa) av alla.
Find and fix the mistake:
Vi sesar imorgon.
Which is passive?
De bygger huset.
The -s passive is used for the future.
A: När ___ vi? B: Imorgon.
huset / byggs / nu
Match the passive.
Score: /8
Preguntas frecuentes (8)
No, it's mostly for formal or specific contexts.
No, it's a deponent verb.
Because of the -s suffix.
Passive is on verbs, possessive on nouns.
Yes, especially in reciprocal forms.
It's rare; use 'bli' instead.
It changes the focus to the object.
Yes, many deponent verbs.
In Other Languages
Se + verb
Swedish uses a suffix; Spanish uses a particle.
Se + verb
Swedish -s is more restricted to passive.
werden + Partizip II
Swedish is synthetic; German is analytic.
Passive suffix -reru
Japanese suffix is much longer.
Internal vowel change
Swedish adds a suffix.
bei + agent
Swedish does not require an agent.
