What are the different kinds of passive sentences in German?

There are two forms of passive sentences in the German language: the Zustandspassiv, passively describing a fixed condition, and the Vorgangspassiv, passively describing an ongoing process.

The Zustandpassiv is formed by a Personalform of sein and the respective Partizip II. The use of the Zustandspassiv however is usually only sensible within the Präsens and the Präteritum, since the formation of a Zustandspassiv-sentence in all other tenses can be very elaborate.
Examples:
Das Tor ist geschlossen.
Er war angekommen.

The Vorgangspassiv is formed by a Personalform of werden or sein and the respective Partizip II.
Examples:
Präsens - Der Ball wird geworfen.
Präteritum - Der Hund wurde gestreichelt.
Futur I - Das Buch wird gelesen werden.
Futur II - Der Schrank wird gekauft worden sein.
Perfekt - Sie ist bestraft worden.
Plusquamperfekt - Der Mantel war angezogen worden.

EP
Answered by Erik P. German tutor

2069 Views

See similar German GCSE tutors

Related German GCSE answers

All answers ▸

What is the difference between 'wann', 'wenn' and 'als', don't they all mean 'when'?


Conjugate the following verbs: haben, sein, werden.


How do I remember which words take être instead of avoir in the past tense?


Translate into German: My friends and I like to help old people. We have no time now because we get a lot of homework. Last week I went shopping for my grandmother when she was ill and she gave me some money. I will use it for my holiday


We're here to help

contact us iconContact usWhatsapp logoMessage us on Whatsapptelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences