The Passive Voice

2nd Year Bac · Unit 5 · Grammar

Learn to shift the focus from who did something to what was done — across every tense the exam tests.

Active vs. passive

In the active voice, the subject performs the action: “Teachers respect hard-working students.” In the passive voice, the focus shifts to the person or thing receiving the action: “Hard-working students are respected by teachers.” Same meaning, different focus.

المبني للمعلوم مقابل المبني للمجهول
في المبني للمعلوم (Active)، الفاعل هو من يقوم بالفعل. في المبني للمجهول (Passive)، ينتقل التركيز إلى من أو ما يتلقى الفعل. المعنى نفسه، لكن التركيز مختلف — وهذا مفيد جدًا عندما لا نعرف الفاعل أو عندما يكون غير مهم.

The formula

Formula

object (of the active sentence) + to be (in the same tense) + past participle + (by + agent, if needed).

Example

Active: Some associations help rural women start small businesses.
Passive: Rural women are helped by some associations to start small businesses.

The passive across every tense

This is the part the exam tests most: knowing how “to be” changes with the tense. Study each row carefully.

Present

Simple: is/are + past participle · Continuous: is/are being + past participle · Perfect: has/have been + past participle

Past

Simple: was/were + past participle · Continuous: was/were being + past participle · Perfect: had been + past participle

Future

Simple: will be + past participle · Perfect: will have been + past participle · “Going to”: is/are going to be + past participle

💡 Memory trick

Whatever tense “to be” was in the active sentence, keep it in the passive — just add the past participle after it. The tense never changes, only the structure.

See it across tenses

Active

Teachers respect hard-working students.

The council is building a new women’s centre.

The committee has approved the new policy.

The organisation will launch the campaign next year.

Passive

Hard-working students are respected by teachers.

A new women’s centre is being built by the council.

The new policy has been approved by the committee.

The campaign will be launched next year.

When to use the passive — and when to skip 'by'

The passive is especially useful when the doer is unknown, unimportant, or obvious — which is why it’s common in news, reports, and formal writing.

Examples

The new law was passed last year. (we don’t need to say by whom)
Girls’ access to education has been improved significantly. (the focus is on the improvement, not who did it)

Rule of thumb

Only add “by + agent” when the doer is important or genuinely new information. If it’s obvious, unknown, or unimportant, leave it out.

Common mistakes to avoid

⚠️ Watch out

❌ The report was wrote by the committee. → ✅ The report was written by the committee. (use the past participle, not the past simple form)

❌ The house build last year. → ✅ The house was built last year. (never forget “to be”)

❌ The letter has sent yesterday. → ✅ The letter was sent yesterday. (match the correct tense — “yesterday” needs past simple, not present perfect)

✏️

Your turn — choose the correct passive form

1. The Moroccans ___ couscous every Friday. Couscous ___ every Friday.
2. A new school ___ in our neighbourhood right now.
3. The report ___ by the committee last week.
4. All lessons ___ by the end of this week.
5. Dinner ___ before her husband arrived.
6. Choose the correct passive sentence.
7. Rural women ___ by several associations to start small businesses.
8. When should you add “by + agent”?
9. Choose the correct sentence.
10. Which tense pattern is correct for future perfect passive?
11. Girls’ access to education ___ significantly in recent years.
12. Choose the correct sentence.

✏️ Sentence transformation ✍️

Rewrite each active sentence in the passive voice:

Teachers respect hard-working students.
The government is building a new women’s centre.
Several associations have supported rural women’s projects.
The committee will announce the results next week.
People still hold negative stereotypes about certain groups.

Watch: The Passive Voice Explained

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The Passive Voice — 2 Bac Grammar