B1 Passive & Reported Speech 6 min read Fácil

Passive Voice Construction

The Romanian passive voice combines 'a fi' with a matching participle to emphasize the action's recipient over the doer.
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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

The passive voice shifts focus from the doer to the action or the receiver by using 'a fi' + past participle.

  • Use 'a fi' (to be) + past participle: 'Cartea este citită' (The book is read).
  • The agent is introduced with 'de către': 'Cartea este citită de către elev' (The book is read by the student).
  • Ensure the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject: 'Cărțile sunt citite'.
Subject + a fi + Past Participle (+ de către + Agent)

Overview

Ever felt like the hero of the story needs a break? Sometimes, the action matters more than the person doing it. That is where the passive voice steps in.
In Romanian, we call this diateza pasivă. It is a stylish way to flip your sentences around. Instead of saying
The chef cooked the meal,
you say
The meal was cooked.
It sounds professional.
It sounds sophisticated. It is perfect for when you want to be a bit mysterious about who did what. Think of it like a camera lens.
The active voice focuses on the person. The passive voice focuses on the result. You will see this everywhere in news reports and formal emails.
It is a key tool for your B1 Romanian journey. Let’s dive in and master this together.

How This Grammar Works

In a normal sentence, the subject does the work. We call this the active voice. In the passive voice, the subject just sits there.
It receives the action instead of performing it. Imagine a cat chasing a mouse. That is active.
Now imagine the mouse being chased by the cat. That is passive. The mouse is the subject now, but it is not doing the chasing.
In Romanian, we use the verb a fi as a helper. It works just like the English to be. Then, we add a special form of the main verb. This form is called the past participle or participiu.
The biggest secret? The participle acts like an adjective. It must change its ending to match the subject.
If the subject is feminine, the verb looks feminine. If it is plural, the verb becomes plural too. It is like a grammar mirror.

Formation Pattern

1
Building a passive sentence is like following a simple recipe. You only need three main ingredients.
2
Pick your subject. This is the thing receiving the action. Let’s use scrisoarea (the letter).
3
Conjugate the verb a fi. Match it to your subject and the time (tense). For is, use este.
4
Add the past participle of your main verb. Let’s use a scrie (to write). The participle is scris.
5
Make them match! Since scrisoarea is feminine and singular, scris becomes scrisă.
6
Optional: Add the doer using de către. This means by. Example: de către Maria.
7
Put it all together: Scrisoarea este scrisă de către Maria. (The letter is written by Maria). It works for any tense. If it happened yesterday, say a fost scrisă. If it happens tomorrow, say va fi scrisă. Just keep that a fi moving through the tenses while the participle stays matched to the subject.

When To Use It

Use the passive voice when the who is a mystery. Maybe someone ate your lunch in the office fridge. You say,
The lunch was eaten!
You do not know who the thief is.
Use it when the action is more important than the person. In a job interview, you might say,
This project was completed on time.
It sounds very professional and objective. It is also great for official rules.
Smoking is forbidden sounds more serious than
We do not allow smoking.
You will hear it in the news constantly.
A new bridge was built
sounds better than
Some workers built a bridge.
It helps you sound like a local who knows their stuff. Plus, it saves you from blaming people directly.
It is the ultimate polite grammar hack.

When Not To Use It

Do not overdo it. If you use it in every sentence, you will sound like a robot. Or a very boring textbook.
In casual chats with friends, stick to the active voice.
I bought a coffee
is better than
A coffee was bought by me.
That second one just sounds weird at a cafe. Also, avoid it if the sentence becomes too long and clunky.
Romanian loves clarity. If the passive version makes the sentence feel like a tongue twister, go back to basics. Do not use it with verbs that cannot take an object.
You cannot say
The bed was slept
in a natural way. Stick to verbs where something is clearly being done to someone or something. Keep it simple, keep it fresh.

Common Mistakes

Yes, even native speakers mess this up sometimes. The biggest trap is the ending of the participle. Many learners forget to change it. They say fetele sunt chemat instead of fetele sunt chemate. Remember: if the subject changes, the verb ending must change too. It is a package deal! Another mistake is using the wrong by. In English, we just say by. In Romanian, we use de or the more formal de către. Do not use prin for people; that is for means or methods. Also, watch out for the tense of a fi. If the action is over, do not use the present tense. Think of it like a grammar traffic light. Red means stop and check your endings before you move on.

Contrast With Similar Patterns

Romanian has another way to show passive-like actions. It is the reflexive passive using se. For example, Se vinde casă (House for sale).
This is much more common for general statements. You use a fi + participle when you want to be specific or formal. The a fi version is the True Passive. The se version is the Reflexive Passive. Use the a fi version when you want to mention who did the action with de către.
You cannot really do that with the se version. Think of a fi as the formal tuxedo of grammar. Use the se version as your comfortable everyday jeans.
Both have their place in your wardrobe.

Quick FAQ

Q

Does the participle always match the subject?

Yes, always! Gender and number must agree perfectly.

Q

Can I use this in the past tense?

Absolutely. Just change este to a fost or era.

Q

Is de către mandatory?

No, only use it if you want to say who did the action.

Q

Is it common in speaking?

It is less common than in writing, but still very useful for formal situations.

Meanings

The passive voice is used when the action is more important than the person performing it, or when the performer is unknown.

1

Focus on Object

Highlighting the receiver of the action.

“Mesajul a fost trimis.”

“Cina este pregătită.”

2

Unknown Agent

When the doer is irrelevant or unknown.

“Banii au fost furați.”

“Geamul a fost spart.”

Passive Voice with 'a fi'

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

Reference Table

Reference table for Passive Voice Construction
Subject (Gender/Number) Verb 'a fi' (Present) Past Participle (Agreement)
Băiatul (Masc. Sing.) este căutat (searched)
Fata (Fem. Sing.) este căutată (searched)
Băieții (Masc. Plur.) sunt căutați (searched)
Fetele (Fem. Plur.) sunt căutate (searched)
Documentul (Neut. Sing.) este trimis (sent)
Documentele (Neut. Plur.) sunt trimise (sent)

Espectro de formalidade

Formal
Raportul a fost finalizat.

Raportul a fost finalizat. (Work)

Neutro
Raportul a fost terminat.

Raportul a fost terminat. (Work)

Informal
Am terminat raportul.

Am terminat raportul. (Work)

Gíria
Gata cu raportul.

Gata cu raportul. (Work)

The Passive Voice Breakdown

Diateza Pasivă

Components

  • a fi to be
  • participiu past participle

Agreement

  • gen gender
  • număr number

Active vs. Passive

Active (Focus on Actor)
Ion citește cartea. Ion reads the book.
Passive (Focus on Object)
Cartea este citită. The book is read.

Building Your Sentence

1

Is the subject feminine?

YES ↓
NO
Use masculine participle ending (-at, -it, -ut, -s).
2

Is it plural?

YES ↓
NO
Use feminine singular ending (-ă).
3

Ready?

YES ↓
NO
Use feminine plural ending (-e).

Tense Transformations

⏰

Present

  • • Este chemat
  • • Sunt chemați
📜

Past

  • • A fost chemat
  • • Au fost chemați
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Examples by Level

1

Tortul este mâncat.

The cake is eaten.

2

Cartea este citită.

The book is read.

3

Ușa este deschisă.

The door is opened.

4

Apa este băută.

The water is drunk.

1

Casa a fost construită în 2000.

The house was built in 2000.

2

Scrisoarea a fost trimisă ieri.

The letter was sent yesterday.

3

Geamul a fost spart de copil.

The window was broken by the child.

4

Mâncarea a fost gătită de mama.

The food was cooked by mom.

1

Proiectul a fost finalizat de către echipă.

The project was finalized by the team.

2

Decizia a fost luată în ședință.

The decision was taken in the meeting.

3

Legea a fost aprobată de parlament.

The law was approved by parliament.

4

Problemele au fost rezolvate rapid.

The problems were solved quickly.

1

Rezultatele au fost analizate cu atenție.

The results were analyzed carefully.

2

Acest tablou a fost pictat de un artist local.

This painting was painted by a local artist.

3

Documentele au fost semnate de director.

The documents were signed by the director.

4

Erorile au fost identificate în sistem.

The errors were identified in the system.

1

Această teorie a fost contestată de mulți cercetători.

This theory was contested by many researchers.

2

Monumentul a fost restaurat de experți.

The monument was restored by experts.

3

Strategia a fost implementată cu succes.

The strategy was implemented successfully.

4

Candidatul a fost ales de majoritate.

The candidate was chosen by the majority.

1

Acest fenomen a fost observat în mai multe regiuni.

This phenomenon was observed in several regions.

2

Ipoteza a fost infirmată de noile date.

The hypothesis was refuted by the new data.

3

Acordul a fost semnat de ambele părți.

The agreement was signed by both parties.

4

Opera a fost tradusă în numeroase limbi.

The work was translated into numerous languages.

Easily Confused

Passive Voice Construction vs Reflexive Passive

Learners mix up 'Se vinde pâine' and 'Pâinea este vândută'.

Passive Voice Construction vs Active Voice

Learners overuse passive when active is clearer.

Passive Voice Construction vs Adjective vs Participle

Participles look like adjectives.

Erros comuns

✗

Cartea este scris.

✓

Cartea este scrisă.

Agreement error: 'Cartea' is feminine.
✗

Mărul este mâncat de Ion.

✓

Mărul este mâncat de către Ion.

Missing 'către' in formal writing.
✗

Ei sunt văzut.

✓

Ei sunt văzuți.

Plural agreement missing.
✗

Casa este construit.

✓

Casa este construită.

Gender mismatch.
✗

Se a fost făcut.

✓

A fost făcut.

Mixing reflexive and 'a fi' passive.
✗

Cartea este citit de mine.

✓

Cartea este citită de mine.

Agreement error.
✗

Ea a fost văzută de el.

✓

Ea a fost văzută de către el.

Stylistic preference for 'de către'.
✗

Proiectul este terminat de către noi.

✓

Proiectul a fost terminat de către noi.

Tense mismatch.
✗

Cărțile sunt citit de elevi.

✓

Cărțile sunt citite de elevi.

Plural agreement.
✗

El este fost văzut.

✓

El a fost văzut.

Incorrect auxiliary.
✗

Acest lucru este considerat ca fiind bun.

✓

Acest lucru este considerat bun.

Redundancy.
✗

Legea a fost votat de parlament.

✓

Legea a fost votată de parlament.

Agreement error.
✗

Ea a fost dat o carte.

✓

I s-a dat o carte.

Passive with dative.

Sentence Patterns

___ a fost ___ de către ___.

___ este ___.

___ va fi ___ mâine.

A fost ___ de către ___?

Real World Usage

News Report very common

Legea a fost votată ieri.

Work Email common

Proiectul a fost finalizat.

Academic Paper very common

Rezultatele au fost analizate.

Social Media occasional

Poza a fost ștearsă.

Food Delivery App common

Comanda a fost pregătită.

Job Interview common

Responsabilitățile au fost stabilite.

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💡

The Adjective Trick

Treat the participle exactly like an adjective. If the subject is a 'she', the verb needs a 'dress' (the -ă ending)!
⚠️

The 'By' Trap

Don't use 'prin' to mean 'by a person'. Use 'de' for friends and 'de către' for bosses or institutions.
🎯

News Anchor Mode

Want to sound like a Romanian news anchor? Start your sentences with the passive voice to sound authoritative.
💬

Polite Deflection

Romanians often use the passive to avoid blaming someone directly. 'Vaza a fost spartă' (The vase was broken) is much safer than accusing your cousin!

Smart Tips

Use the passive voice to sound more objective and professional.

Am terminat proiectul. → Proiectul a fost finalizat.

Use the passive voice to avoid guessing the agent.

Cineva a spart geamul. → Geamul a fost spart.

Focus on the steps, not the people.

Ion pune apa, apoi Ion fierbe apa. → Apa este pusă, apoi este fiartă.

Use the passive to avoid blaming someone directly.

Ai făcut o greșeală. → O greșeală a fost făcută.

Pronúncia

scris-ă / scri-te

Participle endings

Ensure the 'ă' or 'e' is clearly pronounced to show agreement.

Statement

Casa este vopsită. ↘

Falling intonation for declarative sentences.

Question

Este casa vopsită? ↗

Rising intonation for yes/no questions.

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Be the object, not the doer: 'A fi' is the key to the door.

Visual Association

Imagine a book floating in the air (the object) while a person stands in the background, blurred out. The book is the star of the show.

Rhyme

To make it passive, keep it clear, add 'a fi' and the participle here.

Story

The king (the doer) is hiding. The crown (the object) is placed on the table. The crown is seen by everyone. The crown is polished by the servant.

Word Web

a fide cătreparticiplesubiectacorddiateză

Desafio

Take 5 active sentences from your day and rewrite them in the passive voice.

Notas culturais

The passive voice is highly valued in formal documents and academic writing.

Locals often prefer the reflexive passive 'se' over the 'a fi' passive in daily speech.

Similar to standard, but often uses more direct active constructions in casual conversation.

The Romanian passive voice is derived from Latin, using the verb 'esse' (to be) and the past participle.

Conversation Starters

“

Ce a fost făcut astăzi la școală?

“

Cum a fost organizată petrecerea?

“

Crezi că legea va fi schimbată?

“

Cum sunt luate deciziile în compania ta?

Journal Prompts

Describe a project you finished recently using passive voice.
Write a short news report about a local event.
Explain how a product is made.
Discuss the impact of a new law.
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Test Yourself

Choose the correct form of the participle to match the subject 'Florile' (feminine plural).

Florile ___ udate de grădinar în fiecare dimineață.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: sunt udate
'Florile' is feminine plural, so we need 'sunt' and the ending '-e'.
Complete the sentence in the past tense (Perfect Compus).

Mesajul ___ trimis ieri de către director.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a fost
'Ieri' (yesterday) indicates the past tense, so 'a fost' is the correct choice.
Identify the correct formal 'by' preposition.

Proiectul a fost finalizat ___ echipa noastră.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: de către
'De către' is the standard way to introduce the agent in a passive sentence.

Score: /3

Exercicios praticos

8 exercises
Fill in the correct form of 'a fi'.

Cartea ___ citită de el.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: este
Present tense is needed.
Choose the correct participle agreement. Múltipla escolha

Cărțile sunt ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: citite
Plural feminine agreement.
Correct the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Casa a fost construit de Ion.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Casa a fost construită de către Ion.
Needs gender agreement and formal agent.
Change to passive. Sentence Transformation

Ion scrie scrisoarea.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Scrisoarea este scrisă de Ion.
Correct passive transformation.
Is this correct? True False Rule

Passive voice is used for intransitive verbs.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
Only transitive verbs can be passive.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Cine a făcut asta? B: ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: A fost făcut de mine.
Correct passive response.
Build a sentence. Sentence Building

proiectul / finalizat / de / a fost / echipă

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Proiectul a fost finalizat de către echipă.
Correct word order.
Match the tense. Match Pairs

Match: 'va fi scrisă'

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Future
Future tense of 'a fi'.

Score: /8

Perguntas frequentes (8)

Yes, but it's less common than in English. We often use the reflexive 'se' instead.

If it can take a direct object (e.g., 'to write' a book), it is transitive.

It explicitly marks the agent in formal writing to avoid ambiguity.

Mostly, yes. It creates distance between the speaker and the action.

Yes, 'va fi' + participle works perfectly.

You simply omit the 'de către' part.

The structure is similar, but the usage frequency is lower in Romanian.

No, it only changes for gender and number, not person.

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In Other Languages

Spanish high

ser + participio

Spanish uses the passive less than English, similar to Romanian.

French high

être + participe passé

French uses 'par' for the agent, while Romanian uses 'de către'.

German moderate

werden + Partizip II

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

Japanese low

-(r)areru

Japanese is synthetic; Romanian is analytic.

Arabic low

Internal vowel change

Arabic uses morphology; Romanian uses syntax.

Chinese low

被 (bèi)

Chinese uses a particle; Romanian uses an auxiliary verb.

Next
Passive vs Active

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