The passive voice (страдательный залог)

The passive voice

Turning active into passive: Студе́нты чита́ют кни́гу → Кни́га чита́ется студе́нтами.

⚡Key points

Кни́га чита́ется студе́нтами→the object becomes the subject, the agent goes to the instrumental
НСВ → -ся→imperfective verb → passive in -ся (process): дом стро́ится
СВ → short participle→perfective verb → short participle (result): дом постро́ен
Agent in the instrumental→рабо́чими, а́втором, студе́нтами — the one acting
Written style→the passive is used mainly in written / official / scientific texts

Active and passive: two ways of saying the same thing

The same situation can be said in the active voice (highlighting the doer) or the passive voice (highlighting what undergoes the action). Студе́нты чита́ют кни́гу (active) ↔ Кни́га чита́ется студе́нтами (passive).

What changes: active → passive

Active subject (nominative)
Студе́нты →
becomes the agent in the instrumental: студе́нтами
Active object (accusative)
кни́гу →
becomes the subject in the nominative: кни́га
Verb
чита́ют →
НСВ → чита́ется (-ся) ; СВ → прочитана (short participle)

Two passive constructions

The choice depends on the verb’s aspect: an imperfective (process) gives a passive in -ся; a perfective (result) gives a short passive participle (seen in lesson 4).

Imperfective vs perfective

Imperfective (НСВ) — process
Дом стро́ится рабо́чими.
The house is being built by the workers.
Perfective (СВ) — result
Дом постро́ен рабо́чими.
The house has been built by the workers.

💡⚠️ The agent always goes in the instrumental

In both constructions, the one doing the action (the agent) goes in the instrumental, without a preposition: дом стро́ится рабо́чими; рома́н написан а́втором.
написано Аней (by Ania)
постро́ен рабо́чими (by the workers)

The -ся passive (imperfective verbs)

You add -ся to the imperfective verb, in the 3rd person, agreeing with the new subject. It expresses a process or a general truth.

Using the -ся passive

1

Ongoing process

Э́тот вопро́с обсуждается на собрании. (This question is being discussed at the meeting.)

Здесь продаю́тся биле́ты. (Tickets are sold here.)

2

General truth / habit

Кни́ги печатаются в типографии. (Books are printed at the printing house.)

The passive with a short participle (perfective verbs)

You use the short form of the passive past participle (прочитан, постро́ен, откры́т), with “to be” implied in the present, or был / будет in the past / future. It expresses a result.

Using the short participle

1

Completed result (present)

Магази́н закры́т. (The shop is closed.)

Письмо́ уже отправлено. (The letter is already sent.)

2

Past / future with был / будет

Э́тот дом был постро́ен в 1985 году. (This house was built in 1985.)

💡⚠️ When to use the passive

The passive is used mainly when the agent is unknown or secondary, and in written, scientific or official style. The -ся passive mostly applies to things (дом стро́ится). For people, the impersonal active is usually preferred (меня́ лю́бят = I am loved / they love me).
Дом стро́ится. (thing → -ся passive)
Меня́ лю́бят. (person → impersonal active)

Dialogue: a factory visit

ГостьА что здесь произво́дится?
Дире́кторЗдесь собира́ются автомоби́ли. Заво́д был постро́ен де́сять лет назад.
ГостьА где продаётся проду́кция?
Дире́кторМаши́ны продаю́тся по всей стране́, многое экспортируется.

Visitor: And what is produced here? — Director: Cars are assembled here. The factory was built ten years ago. — Visitor: And where is the output sold? — Director: The cars are sold across the country, and much of it is exported.