B1 · Intermediate Chapter 29

Passive Voice Construction

4 Total Rules
1 min
Rules in This Chapter Quick Practice

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Master the art of focusing on the action rather than the actor in Turkish.

  • Identify the specific passive suffixes -in and -il.
  • Construct grammatically correct passive sentences.
  • Express who performed an action using 'tarafından'.
Shift your focus: Master the Turkish passive voice!

What You'll Learn

Transforming active sentences to passive. Focus on the action rather than the actor.

Learning Objectives

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

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: Transform active sentences into passive in various tenses.

Tips & Tricks (3)

💡

Check the stem

Always look at the last letter of the verb stem.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Passive Voice Suffixes (-in/-il)
💡

The 'L' Rule

If the verb ends in 'L', don't use '-il'. Use '-in'. It's easier to say 'bilindi' than 'bilildi'.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Passive Sentence Construction
💡

Formal vs. Informal

If you are speaking with friends, avoid 'tarafından'. Just use the active voice. It sounds much more natural.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Agentive Passive (Tarafından)

Key Vocabulary (6)

yapılmak to be done tarafından by (someone) görülmek to be seen yazılmak to be written bulunmak to be found gönderilmek to be sent

Real-World Preview

newspaper

News Report

Review Summary

  • Verb + -il / -in
  • Object + Passive Verb
  • [Subject] + tarafından + [Passive Verb]
  • Passive Verb + Tense Suffix

Common Mistakes

You cannot have an active subject when using a passive verb. The object must become the subject.

Wrong: O, kapıyı açıldı.
Correct: Kapı açıldı.

You must use the postposition 'tarafından' to introduce the agent of the passive action.

Wrong: Bu kitap Ahmet yazıldı.
Correct: Bu kitap Ahmet tarafından yazıldı.

The passive subject should be in the nominative case, not the accusative case.

Wrong: Odayı temizlendi.
Correct: Oda temizlendi.

Next Steps

You've done an amazing job navigating the passive voice! Keep practicing, and it will become second nature.

Read a news article and highlight all passive verbs.

Continue to: Reflexive and Reciprocal Verbs

Quick Practice (10)

Choose the correct form.

Karar ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: alındı
Passive past.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Passive Voice Suffixes (-in/-il)

Correct the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Kitap okudu.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Kitap okundu
Should be passive.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Passive Voice Suffixes (-in/-il)

Fill in the blank.

Soru ___ mı?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: soruldu
Passive question.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Passive Voice Suffixes (-in/-il)

Choose the correct form.

Kitap ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: okundu
Passive past.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Passive in Different Tenses

Correct the mistake in the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Mektup Ali ile yazıldı.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Mektup Ali tarafından yazıldı.
The agent in a passive sentence is introduced with 'tarafından'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Passive Sentence Construction

Fill in the blank.

Kapı ___ (aç-).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: açıldı
Passive past tense.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Passive Voice Suffixes (-in/-il)

Which sentence is correct for 'The car was washed by me'?

Choose the best translation:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: b
Pronouns need possessive 'benim' and the verb must be passive 'yıkandı'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Agentive Passive (Tarafından)

Correct the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Yemek yapıldıdı.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: yapıldı
Remove extra suffix.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Passive in Different Tenses

Choose the correct passive form of 'yapmak' (to do).

Ödevler dün ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: yapıldı
'Yap-' ends in a consonant (not L), so it takes '-ıl'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Passive Sentence Construction

Fill in the blank with 'tarafından' and the correct passive verb form of 'yapmak'.

Bu pasta annem ___ ___ .

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a
We need the passive 'yapıldı' to match 'tarafından'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Agentive Passive (Tarafından)

Score: /10

Common Questions (6)

It's a way to focus on the object of an action.
Use -il for consonants, -in for vowels and 'l'.
Use -in if the verb ends in 'L' or a vowel (just -n). Use -il for all other consonants.
Yes! Gidilir means 'one goes' or 'it is possible to go'. This is an impersonal passive.
Yes, you can say Fare kedi tarafından yakalandı (The mouse was caught by the cat).
It's grammatically correct but sounds a bit 'robotic' or overly formal. Usually, people just use active sentences.
Next Chapter
Reflexive and Reciprocal Verbs
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