Understanding Passive Voice in English Tenses

Mastering Passive Voice in English

Present Simple

am/are/is + past participle

Spanish is spoken here.

Present Continuous

am/are/is being + past participle

Your questions are being answered.

Future (Will)

will be + past participle

It will be painted by next week.

Future (Going To)

am/are/is going to be + past participle

Terry is going to be made redundant next year.

Past Simple

was/were + past participle

We were invited to the party, but we didn't go.

Past Continuous

was/were being + past participle

The hotel room was being cleaned when we got back from shopping.

Present Perfect

have/has been + past participle

The President of America has been shot.

Past Perfect

had been + past participle

When he got home, he found that all of his money had been stolen.

Future Perfect

will have been + past participle

Our baby will have been born before Christmas.

Passive Voice Examples in Spanish and English

Present Simple

• Active Voice: John writes the letter.
• Passive Voice: The letter is written by John.

Present Continuous

• Active Voice: John is writing the letter.
• Passive Voice: The letter is being written by John.

Past Simple

• Active Voice: John wrote the letter.
• Passive Voice: The letter was written by John.

Past Continuous

• Active Voice: John was writing the letter.
• Passive Voice: The letter was being written by John.

Present Perfect

• Active Voice: John has written the letter.
• Passive Voice: The letter has been written by John.

Past Perfect

• Active Voice: John had written the letter.
• Passive Voice: The letter had been written by John.

Future (Will)

• Active Voice: John will write the letter.
• Passive Voice: The letter will be written by John.

Future (Going To)

• Active Voice: John is going to write the letter.
• Passive Voice: The letter is going to be written by John.

Rephrasing Examples

• I met someone in 2010. We are still friends. (We have been friends since 2010.)
• I bought a car two years ago. (I have had a car for two years.)
• Someone told her the secret. (She was told the secret.)
• I went to the zoo yesterday. I went to buy the tickets two days before. (I went to the zoo because I had bought the tickets.)
• Some people are going to repair Tom's car. (Tom is going to have his car repaired.)
• They have stolen his bike. (He has had his bike stolen.)
• That man is my neighbor. His son is a good friend of mine. (That man, whose son is a good friend of mine, is my neighbor.)
• They will clean our house. (We will have our house cleaned.)