B1 Passive & Reported Speech 6 min read Mittel

Bli vs S-passive

Bli is for 'happening right now' events; S is for 'how things are' or formal writing.
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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Swedish uses 'bli' for sudden actions and '-s' for formal facts, instructions, or long-term states.

  • Use 'bli' + past participle for dynamic events: 'Bilen blev stulen' (The car was stolen).
  • Add '-s' to the verb for formal instructions: 'Dörren stängs' (The door is closed/to be closed).
  • Use '-s' for general truths or news reports: 'Huset säljs' (The house is being sold).
🎬 Bli + Participle (Action) | 📄 Verb + s (Fact/Formal)

Overview

## The Two Faces of the Swedish Passive
In Swedish, the passive voice isn't just one thing. You have two main tools: the bli-passiv and the s-passiv. While they often translate to the same thing in English ('is done' or 'was done'), they carry different 'vibes'.
Think of the bli-passiv as a movie camera capturing an action. It's dynamic. It feels like something is happening right in front of you. If you say han blev vald (he was elected), you are focusing on the moment the votes were counted and the result changed.
On the other hand, the s-passiv is like a newspaper headline or a textbook. It's concise, formal, and often describes how things 'are' or 'should be'. If you see dörren öppnas on a sign, it's a general instruction or a description of a mechanism.
Understanding the difference is key to moving from 'correct' Swedish to 'natural' Swedish. Most learners over-rely on bli because it mirrors the English 'become/be' structure, but mastering the -s form is what makes you sound like a professional or a native reader.
## How to Build the Passive
Building these forms requires two different grammatical paths.
1. The Bli-passive:
This is a 'periphrastic' construction, meaning it uses an auxiliary verb.
Formula: bli (conjugated) + past participle (agrees with the subject).
  • Present: Huset blir målat (The house is being painted).
  • Past: Huset blev målat (The house was painted).
  • Perfect: Huset har blivit målat (The house has been painted).
*Note:* The participle must match the gender and number of the subject (målat/målad/målade).
2. The S-passive:
This is a 'synthetic' construction, meaning you change the verb itself.
Formula: Verb stem + tense marker + s.
  • Present: målas (is painted).
  • Past: målades (was painted).
  • Perfect: har målats (has been painted).
*Crucial Rule:* In the present tense, the -r of the active verb usually disappears before adding -s. For example, skriver becomes skrivs, and läser becomes läses.
## When to Use Which?
In real-world Swedish, the choice depends on context:
Texting and Daily Speech: You'll mostly hear bli. 'Jag blev försenad' (I was delayed) sounds much more natural in a text than 'Jag försenades'.
News and Media: Journalists love the s-passiv. It saves space and sounds objective. 'Tre personer skadades i olyckan' (Three people were injured in the accident).
Recipes and Manuals: This is the kingdom of the s-passiv. 'Mjölken hälls i kastrullen' (The milk is poured into the saucepan). Using blir hälld here would sound very strange, like the milk is undergoing a dramatic transformation.
Formal Letters: When writing to a government agency or a landlord, use the -s form to sound professional. 'Hyran betalas i förskott' (The rent is paid in advance).
## Watch Out for These Traps
The most common mistake for English speakers is using the s-passiv for everything because it looks 'easier'. However, using it in the wrong context can make you sound like a robot or a legal document.
Another trap is the Deponent Verbs. Some Swedish verbs end in -s but are NOT passive. For example, andas (breathe), hoppas (hope), and minnas (remember). You cannot use 'bli' with these. You don't 'bli hoppad', you just 'hoppas'.
Finally, don't forget the Reciprocal -s. Sometimes -s means 'each other'. Vi ses doesn't mean 'we are seen', it means 'we see each other'. Context is everything!
## Bli-passive vs. Vara-passive
Learners often confuse bli + participle with vara + participle.
Bli describes the process or the change.
Vara describes the result or the state.
Example:
  • Dörren blev målad kl. 10. (The act of painting happened at 10).
  • Dörren var målad när jag kom. (The door was already in a painted state when I arrived).
The s-passiv can sometimes cover both, but it leans towards the process in formal writing.
## CEFR-Level Explanations
A1: In Swedish, you can say 'something is done' in two ways. One way is using the word 'bli' (become). For example, 'Jag blir glad' means 'I become happy'.
In the passive, we say 'Bilen blir tvättad' (The car is being washed). It's like saying the car 'becomes' washed. Use this when you talk about things happening now.
A2: As you learn more verbs, you will see some end in '-s'. This is often the passive voice. 'Maten lagas' means 'The food is cooked'.
You use this '-s' form a lot in recipes or when you read signs. You also have the 'bli' form: 'Han blev biten' (He was bitten). Use 'bli' for sudden actions and '-s' for general facts or instructions.
B1: At the B1 level, you must distinguish between the dynamic 'bli-passive' and the formal 's-passive'. The 'bli-passive' emphasizes the event or change of state, making it ideal for storytelling and informal speech. The 's-passive' is the standard for written Swedish, news reporting, and formal instructions.
Remember that the 's-passive' present tense usually drops the '-r' from the active verb (e.g., 'stänger' -> 'stängs').
B2: B2 learners should master the stylistic nuances. The 's-passive' is often used for 'timeless' truths or recurring actions, whereas 'bli' is strictly for specific occurrences. You must also distinguish the passive '-s' from deponent verbs (e.g., 'lyckas', 'andas') and reciprocal verbs (e.g., 'träffas').
In formal writing, the 's-passive' is preferred to maintain an objective, impersonal tone, which is crucial for academic or professional contexts.
C1: Advanced mastery involves understanding the subtle pragmatic shifts. The 'bli-passive' can sometimes imply an external agent more strongly than the 's-passive'. Furthermore, certain idiomatic expressions only allow one form.
You should also be aware of the 'vara-passive' (stative) and how it interacts with the 's-passive' in describing completed states versus ongoing processes. Stylistic consistency in C1 writing requires a deliberate choice between these forms to control the narrative pace and focus.
C2: At a near-native level, the choice between 'bli-' and 's-passive' is often a matter of prosody, rhythm, and subtle emphasis on agency. You should recognize diachronic remnants where the '-s' form (originally a reflexive 'sik') has evolved into purely grammaticalized passive markers. Mastery includes navigating complex legal and technical registers where the 's-passive' is used to create a high degree of abstraction, and understanding how these forms interact with modal verbs in complex predicate structures.

Meanings

The passive voice shifts focus from who is doing the action to who/what is receiving it. Swedish uniquely offers two main ways to do this depending on style and nuance.

1

Dynamic Action (Bli-passive)

Used when emphasizing a change or a specific event that occurs at a specific moment.

“Han blev biten av en hund.”

“Fönstret blev krossat igår.”

2

Formal/Instructional (S-passive)

Used in recipes, manuals, news, and formal documents to describe processes or general rules.

“Löken hackas fint.”

“Biljetter köps i automaten.”

3

State/Result (S-passive)

Used to describe a permanent state or a recurring fact rather than a single event.

“Huset omges av skog.”

“Det sägs att han är rik.”

S-Passive vs. Bli-Passive Formation

Tense Active (Ex: Måla) S-Passive Bli-Passive
Present målar målas blir målad/t/e
Past målade målades blev målad/t/e
Perfect har målat har målats har blivit målad/t/e
Pluperfect hade målat hade målats hade blivit målad/t/e
Infinitive att måla att målas att bli målad/t/e
Future ska måla ska målas ska bli målad/t/e

Reference Table

Reference table for Bli vs S-passive
Form Structure Example
Bli-Passive (Pres) blir + participle Bilen blir reparerad.
Bli-Passive (Past) blev + participle Bilen blev reparerad.
S-Passive (Pres) verb stem + (e)s Bilen repareras.
S-Passive (Past) verb stem + ades/des Bilen reparerades.
Negative Bli blir inte + participle Han blir inte bjuden.
Negative S verb + s + inte Det sägs inte.
Question Bli Blir + subject + participle? Blir maten serverad?
Question S Verb-s + subject? Serveras maten nu?

Formalitätsspektrum

Formell
Bilen repareras.

Bilen repareras. (Automotive service)

Neutral
Bilen blir reparerad.

Bilen blir reparerad. (Automotive service)

Informell
De fixar bilen.

De fixar bilen. (Automotive service)

Umgangssprache
Bilen kirras.

Bilen kirras. (Automotive service)

The Passive Choice

Passive Voice

Bli-Passive

  • Action Focus on the event
  • Spoken Common in talk
  • Dynamic Change of state

S-Passive

  • Formal News & Reports
  • Written Books & Manuals
  • State General facts

Bli vs S-Passive Usage

Bli-Passive
Blev biten Was bitten (sudden)
Blir vald Is being elected
S-Passive
Hålls Is held (regularly)
Lagas Is cooked (instruction)

Which passive should I use?

1

Is it a formal text?

YES
Use S-passive
NO
Go to next
2

Is it a sudden action?

YES
Use Bli-passive
NO
Use S-passive for facts

Common S-Passive Contexts

📰

News

  • • Rapporteras
  • • Skadas
  • • Grips
🍳

Recipes

  • • Blandas
  • • Serveras
  • • Gräddas
🪧

Signs

  • • Stängs
  • • Öppnas
  • • Uthyres
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Beispiele nach Niveau

1

Bilen blir tvättad.

The car is being washed.

2

Jag blir bjuden på kaffe.

I am being treated to coffee.

3

Huset blir målat rött.

The house is being painted red.

4

Blir du arg?

Are you becoming angry? (Note: not passive, but the base 'bli' usage)

1

Maten lagas nu.

The food is being cooked now.

2

Boken läses av många.

The book is read by many.

3

Han blev stoppad av polisen.

He was stopped by the police.

4

Dörren stängs klockan 20.

The door is closed at 20:00.

1

Beslutet fattades igår.

The decision was made yesterday.

2

Vi blev överraskade av nyheten.

We were surprised by the news.

3

Här säljs bara ekologiska varor.

Only organic goods are sold here.

4

Patienten blev undersökt av en läkare.

The patient was examined by a doctor.

1

Frågan har diskuterats flitigt i media.

The issue has been discussed frequently in the media.

2

De blev nekade inträde på klubben.

They were denied entry to the club.

3

Instruktionerna bör följas noggrant.

The instructions should be followed carefully.

4

Han blev vald till ordförande.

He was elected chairman.

1

Det förutsätts att alla har läst materialet.

It is assumed that everyone has read the material.

2

Förslaget blev nedröstat med stor marginal.

The proposal was voted down by a large margin.

3

Vikten av utbildning kan inte understrykas nog.

The importance of education cannot be emphasized enough.

4

Han blev tagen på sängen av kritiken.

He was caught off guard by the criticism.

1

Domen avkunnades inför lyckta dörrar.

The verdict was pronounced behind closed doors.

2

Det har i debatten anförts att skatterna är för höga.

It has been argued in the debate that taxes are too high.

3

Bli-passiven tenderar att användas vid oförutsedda händelser.

The bli-passive tends to be used for unforeseen events.

4

Huset blev lågornas rov.

The house fell prey to the flames (was consumed).

Leicht verwechselbar

Bli vs S-passive vs. Deponent Verbs

Learners see the '-s' and think it's passive, but these verbs are active in meaning.

Bli vs S-passive vs. Reciprocal -s

The '-s' can mean 'each other' instead of being passive.

Bli vs S-passive vs. Vara vs Bli

Both can be used with a participle to translate 'is/was'.

Häufige Fehler

✗

Jag blir äta.

✓

Jag blir bjuden på mat.

You must use the past participle, not the infinitive, after 'bli'.
✗

Bilen blir tvätta.

✓

Bilen blir tvättad.

Participle must match the subject gender.
✗

Huset blir målade.

✓

Huset blir målat.

Huset is 'ett-word', so the participle ends in -t.
✗

Jag blir glad.

✓

Jag blir glad.

Note: This is correct, but learners think it's passive. It's just 'become' + adjective.
✗

Maten lagars.

✓

Maten lagas.

Drop the '-r' from the present tense before adding '-s'.
✗

Boken läsers.

✓

Boken läses.

Drop the '-r' and sometimes adjust the vowel for flow.
✗

Han blev hoppas.

✓

Han hoppades.

'Hoppas' is a deponent verb; it's already in -s form and doesn't use 'bli'.
✗

Jag blev andas.

✓

Jag andades.

'Andas' (breathe) is deponent and cannot be made passive with 'bli'.
✗

Huset säljs av mig igår.

✓

Huset såldes av mig igår.

Use the past tense '-des' for past events, not the present '-s'.
✗

Vi blev träffade.

✓

Vi träffades.

'Vi träffades' means 'we met each other'. 'Vi blev träffade' means 'we were hit (by a bullet/object)'.
✗

Det blev sagts att...

✓

Det sades att...

In formal reporting, the s-passive is much more appropriate than the bli-passive.
✗

Beslutet har blivit tagits.

✓

Beslutet har tagits / har blivit taget.

Don't mix the two forms. Use 'bli' + participle OR the s-form.
✗

Han blev luras.

✓

Han blev lurad / Han lurades.

Mixing 'bli' with an s-form verb is grammatically impossible.

Satzmuster

Jag blev ___ av ___.

Först ___s ___ och sedan ___s ___.

Det ___s att ___.

Beslutet ___des efter att frågan ___ts.

Real World Usage

News Headlines constant

Man greps för rån.

IKEA Instructions very common

Skruven dras åt medurs.

Texting friends common

Jag blev sen, förlåt!

Job Interviews occasional

Jag blev utsedd till årets anställd.

Restaurant Menus common

Serveras med färsk potatis.

Legal Contracts very common

Avtalet sägs upp med tre månaders varsel.

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🎯

The 'R' Rule

When forming the present s-passive, always delete the '-r' from the present tense first. 'Skriver' -> 'Skrivs'. If you keep the 'r', you'll sound like you're speaking an old dialect!
⚠️

Avoid 'Bli' in Recipes

Never use 'bli' in a recipe. Saying 'Löken blir hackad' sounds like a story about a onion's life. Use 'Löken hackas' for the instruction.
💡

Agent with 'av'

If you want to say WHO did the action in a passive sentence, use the preposition 'av' (by). Example: 'Boken skrevs av Astrid Lindgren'.
💬

Passive for Politeness

Swedes sometimes use the passive to avoid sounding accusatory. Instead of 'Du har gjort fel', one might say 'Ett fel har begåtts' (A mistake has been committed).

Smart Tips

Stick strictly to the s-passive. It makes the text flow better and sounds authoritative.

Löken blir stekt i smör. → Löken steks i smör.

Use the s-passive! The s-form doesn't change based on the subject's gender or number.

Husen blev målade (Wait, is it målat or målade?) → Husen målades.

Use 'bli'. It sounds more personal and engaging than the cold s-passive.

Jag rånades på semestern. → Jag blev rånad på semestern.

Check if there is an 'av' (by) phrase. If there is, it's almost certainly a passive.

Han minns av mig. (Wait, minns is deponent!) → Han ses av mig. (Passive)

Aussprache

/stɛŋs/

The silent 'r'

In the present s-passive, the 'r' of the active form is dropped. 'Kör' becomes 'körs', but 'stänger' becomes 'stängs'. The 's' is often sharp.

/blɛv måːlat/

Participle endings

In bli-passive, the 'd', 't', or 'de' at the end of the participle is often softened in fast speech.

Formal S-passive

Maten serveras! ↘

A factual announcement with falling intonation.

Einprägen

Eselsbrücke

Bli is for the 'Beginning' of an action; S is for the 'System' or 'State'.

Visuelle Assoziation

Imagine a movie camera (Bli) filming a car crash, versus a still photograph in a newspaper (S-passive) reporting the statistics of the crash.

Rhyme

When an action is new, 'bli' is for you. When a fact is on the page, '-s' takes the stage.

Story

A chef is being filmed for TV. While he is 'blir filmad' (action), the recipe 'skrivs' (is written) in a book. He 'blev överraskad' (was surprised) when the cake 'serverades' (was served) to the king.

Word Web

bliblevblivitmålasmåladesmålatspassivparticiple

Herausforderung

Look at three signs in a Swedish public space (or online) and identify if they use the S-passive. If they don't, try to rewrite them using it!

Kulturelle Hinweise

Official documents (from Skatteverket, etc.) almost exclusively use the s-passive to sound objective and impersonal.

News broadcasts use the s-passive to report crimes or events without focusing on the perpetrator immediately.

Swedes prefer 'bli' or active sentences ('De säger att...') over the s-passive, which can sound 'stiff' in a coffee shop.

The s-passive evolved from the Old Norse reflexive pronoun 'sik' (himself/herself/itself).

Gesprächseinstiege

“

Har du någonsin blivit lurad?

“

Hur lagas din favoriträtt?

“

Vilka lagar borde ändras i ditt land?

“

När blev du senast överraskad?

Tagebuch-Impulse

Beskriv en olycka du har sett eller hört om. Använd passiva former.
Skriv ett recept på en enkel maträtt.
Hur ser en vanlig dag ut på ditt jobb? (Använd passiv för att beskriva processer).
Diskutera fördelar och nackdelar med att bli känd.
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Test Yourself

Choose the correct passive form for a formal news report. Multiple Choice

Tjuven ___ av polisen igår kväll.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: greps
'Greps' is the past tense s-passive, perfect for a formal report about a past event.
Complete the sentence using the bli-passive (past tense).

Jag ___ (bita) av en hund när jag var liten.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: blev biten
'Blev' + the past participle 'biten' (matching 'jag').
Find the error in this present s-passive sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Här säljer-s glass hela sommaren.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: säljer-s
The '-r' must be dropped. The correct form is 'säljs'.
Change this active sentence to a formal s-passive: 'Vi stänger dörren klockan nio.' Sentence Transformation

Dörren ___ klockan nio.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: stängs
Present tense active 'stänger' becomes present s-passive 'stängs'.
Match the context to the most natural passive form. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 1-S-passive, 2-Bli-passive, 3-S-passive
Recipes and news use S-passive; personal stories use Bli-passive.
Is the following statement true or false? True False Rule

The verb 'andas' (to breathe) is a passive verb because it ends in -s.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
'Andas' is a deponent verb; it looks passive but has an active meaning.
What is the past s-passive form of 'måla'? Conjugation Drill

Huset ___ förra året.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: målades
The past tense of måla is målade; add -s to get målades.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Varför är du så glad? B: Jag ___ precis ___ till jobbet!

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: blev, antagen
Personal good news uses the bli-passive with participle agreement.

Score: /8

Ubungsaufgaben

8 exercises
Choose the correct passive form for a formal news report. Multiple Choice

Tjuven ___ av polisen igår kväll.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: greps
'Greps' is the past tense s-passive, perfect for a formal report about a past event.
Complete the sentence using the bli-passive (past tense).

Jag ___ (bita) av en hund när jag var liten.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: blev biten
'Blev' + the past participle 'biten' (matching 'jag').
Find the error in this present s-passive sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Här säljer-s glass hela sommaren.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: säljer-s
The '-r' must be dropped. The correct form is 'säljs'.
Change this active sentence to a formal s-passive: 'Vi stänger dörren klockan nio.' Sentence Transformation

Dörren ___ klockan nio.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: stängs
Present tense active 'stänger' becomes present s-passive 'stängs'.
Match the context to the most natural passive form. Match Pairs

1. Recipe, 2. Personal Story, 3. News Headline

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: 1-S-passive, 2-Bli-passive, 3-S-passive
Recipes and news use S-passive; personal stories use Bli-passive.
Is the following statement true or false? True False Rule

The verb 'andas' (to breathe) is a passive verb because it ends in -s.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
'Andas' is a deponent verb; it looks passive but has an active meaning.
What is the past s-passive form of 'måla'? Conjugation Drill

Huset ___ förra året.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: målades
The past tense of måla is målade; add -s to get målades.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Varför är du så glad? B: Jag ___ precis ___ till jobbet!

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: blev, antagen
Personal good news uses the bli-passive with participle agreement.

Score: /8

FAQ (8)

Technically yes, but you will sound very informal. In a job application or an essay, you should use the `-s` form to sound professional.

When you drop the `-r`, if the stem ends in a consonant, you often keep the vowel `-e-` for easier pronunciation. So `läs-e-r` becomes `läs-e-s`.

It's a stative passive (vara + participle). It describes your current state of being born. If you said 'Jag blev född', it would focus on the actual moment of birth.

These are verbs like `andas` (breathe) or `hoppas` (hope) that end in `-s` but are active. You can't use `bli` with them because they aren't passive.

Use the word `av`. For example: `Bilen kördes av min pappa` (The car was driven by my dad).

Yes, in the `bli-passive`. `Han blev sedd`, `Hon blev sedd`, `Barnet blev sett`, `De blev sedda`.

It's less common than `bli` in casual speech, but very common in formal announcements, like on a train: `Nästa station stannas vid...`.

No, just like in English, only transitive verbs (verbs that take an object) can be made passive.

Scaffolded Practice

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Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

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In Other Languages

English moderate

be + past participle

Swedish has a specific suffix (-s) that English lacks.

German high

werden / sein + Partizip II

German doesn't have a synthetic s-passive; it uses 'man' or reflexive structures instead.

French moderate

être + participe passé / voix pronominale

French uses a separate pronoun 'se' while Swedish attaches '-s' to the verb.

Spanish moderate

ser + participio / se pasivo

Spanish 'se' remains a separate word; Swedish '-s' is a suffix.

Japanese low

〜れる / 〜られる (reru/rareru)

Japanese passive often implies the subject is negatively affected.

Arabic none

Internal vowel change (Majhul)

Swedish uses suffixes or auxiliary verbs, not internal vowel shifts.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
Bli-passive
Next
Passive in Tenses

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