B1 · Intermediate Chapter 34

Advanced Passive

4 Total Rules
48 examples
1 min
Rules in This Chapter Quick Practice

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Master the dynamic 'bli' passive to describe actions as they happen to you.

  • Identify when to use 'bli' instead of the s-passive.
  • Conjugate 'bli' accurately across past, present, and future tenses.
  • Construct complex passive sentences to focus on the action rather than the actor.
Focus on the action, not the actor.

What You'll Learn

Using 'bli'-passive for dynamic actions. This builds on the s-passive knowledge.

  • Bli-passive
    When the action matters more than the actor, use 'bli' plus the past participle.
  • Bli vs S-passive
    Bli is for 'happening right now' events; S is for 'how things are' or formal writing.
  • Passive in Tenses
    Shift focus from the 'doer' to the 'done-to' by adding an -s or using 'bli'.
  • Passive Construction
    Use '-s' for formal/general actions and 'bli' for specific events where the 'doer' is secondary.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: Describe a news event or a personal experience using the 'bli' passive effectively.

Key Examples (8)

1

Beslutet har blivit fattat av styrelsen.

The decision has been made by the board.

Bli-passive
2

Alla biljetter blev sålda på en timme.

All tickets were sold in one hour.

Bli-passive
3

Beslutet fattades igår.

The decision was made yesterday.

Bli vs S-passive
4

Vi blev överraskade av nyheten.

We were surprised by the news.

Bli vs S-passive
5

Beslutet fattades av styrelsen.

The decision was made by the board.

Passive in Tenses
6

Många böcker har skrivits om ämnet.

Many books have been written about the subject.

Passive in Tenses
7

Beslutet fattas av chefen.

The decision is made by the boss.

Passive Construction
8

Många tidningar läses på nätet.

Many newspapers are read online.

Passive Construction

Tips & Tricks (4)

💡

Check the tense

Ensure 'bli' is in the correct tense (blir, blev, har blivit).
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Bli-passive
🎯

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!
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Bli vs S-passive
💡

The 'Av' Rule

Whenever you want to say WHO did the action in a passive sentence, always use 'av'. Example: 'Boken lästes av barnet'.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Passive in Tenses
💡

The 'By' Rule

If you can add 'by zombies' (av zombies) after the verb and it still makes sense, it's a passive construction!
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Passive Construction

Key Vocabulary (5)

bli to become blev became (past) blivit have become stulen stolen ombyggd rebuilt/renovated

Real-World Preview

alert-triangle

Reporting a crime

Review Summary

  • bli + past participle
  • -s suffix vs bli-passive
  • blev/blir/har blivit + participle
  • Agent + av + [person]

Common Mistakes

After 'bli', you must use the past participle, not the infinitive or present tense.

Wrong: Huset blev målas.
Correct: Huset blev målat.

Ensure the participle agrees with the subject's gender/number.

Wrong: Boken blev läses av mig.
Correct: Boken blev läst av mig.

The subject should come first in a passive construction.

Wrong: Det blev stulen min väska.
Correct: Min väska blev stulen.

Next Steps

You have navigated the complexities of the Swedish passive voice with grace. Keep practicing and your fluency will soar!

Rewrite news headlines from active to passive.

Continue to: Reported Speech

Quick Practice (10)

Fill in the correct form.

Projektet har ___ avslutat.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: blivit
Perfect tense uses 'blivit'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Bli-passive

Choose the best formal passive for a report.

The decision was made.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Beslutet fattades.
The s-passive is the standard choice for formal reports.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Passive in Tenses

Which sentence describes a specific event that happened in the past?

A: Huset målades varje år. B: Huset blev målat igår.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: B
Bli-passive is used for specific, one-time events.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Passive Construction

Choose the correct participle.

Boken blir ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: läst
Boken is singular.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Bli-passive

Correct the mistake: 'Han är född i Stockholm.' (Hint: It's an event)

Find and fix the mistake:

Han ___ i Stockholm.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: föddes
Birth is treated as a past passive event in Swedish: 'föddes'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Passive Construction

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').

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Bli vs S-passive

Change the verb in brackets to the present s-passive.

Maten ___ (lagar) av kocken varje dag.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: lagas
The present passive of 'lagar' is 'lagas'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Passive in Tenses

Find the error: 'Huset byggdes från min far.'

Find and fix the mistake:

Huset byggdes från min far.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: från -> av
The agent in a passive sentence is introduced by 'av'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Passive in Tenses

Complete the sentence with the correct form of 'bli'.

I går ___ jag rånad på tunnelbanan.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: blev
The past tense of 'bli' is 'blev'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Passive in Tenses

Which verb is NOT passive, but deponent?

Identify the active verb ending in -s.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Hoppas
'Hoppas' is a deponent verb, meaning it is active despite the -s ending.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Passive in Tenses

Score: /10

Common Questions (6)

Use 'bli' for specific, dynamic actions. Use 's' for general or timeless statements.
No, only include 'av' if the agent is important to the meaning.
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.
The 's-passiv' is more formal and used for general facts or habits. The 'bli-passiv' is more common in speech and describes a specific event or change.
Yes, 'av' is used to introduce the agent (the person doing the action) in both s-passive and bli-passive sentences.
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