The passive voice puts the focus on what receives the action, not on who does it: “The house was built by my grandfather” instead of “My grandfather built the house.” Italian has a passive too, and actually more than one. Here’s how to form it and when Italians really use it.
In short
- Essere + past participle (+ da): La casa è stata costruita da mio nonno.
- The participle agrees with the subject: la casa è costruita, i ponti sono costruiti.
- Venire + past participle works in simple tenses: La cena viene servita alle otto.
- Si passivante: Qui si vendono biglietti. (Tickets are sold here.)
- Andare + past participle = must be done: Va fatto subito.
What is the passive voice?
| English | Italian | |
|---|---|---|
| Active (focus on who does it) | Serena teaches the class. | Serena insegna la lezione. |
| Passive (focus on what receives it) | The class is taught by Serena. | La lezione è insegnata da Serena. |
Important rule: you can only make a passive with transitive verbs, verbs that take a direct object. Mangiare la pizza can become passive (la pizza è mangiata), dormire can’t.
How to form the passive with essere
Essere (in the tense you need) + past participle + da (by), if you want to say who did it. The participle agrees with the subject in gender and number.
| Active | Passive | English |
|---|---|---|
| Anna ha preparato i biscotti. | I biscotti sono stati preparati da Anna. | The cookies were made by Anna. |
| Marco ha cucinato la lasagna. | La lasagna è stata cucinata da Marco. | The lasagna was made by Marco. |
| I romani hanno costruito questo ponte. | Questo ponte è stato costruito dai romani. | This bridge was built by the Romans. |
| Il tornado ha distrutto la casa. | La casa è stata distrutta dal tornado. | The house was destroyed by the tornado. |
Notice dai, dal: da combines with the article like any articulated preposition.
The passive in different tenses
| Tense | Passive | English |
|---|---|---|
| Present | La lettera è scritta. | The letter is written. |
| Passato prossimo | La lettera è stata scritta. | The letter was / has been written. |
| Imperfetto | La lettera era scritta a mano. | The letter was written by hand. |
| Future | La lettera sarà scritta domani. | The letter will be written tomorrow. |
The passive with venire
In simple tenses (present, imperfetto, future), you can use venire instead of essere. It’s very common, and it makes clear that you’re describing an action, not a state:
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| La cena viene servita alle otto. | Dinner is served at eight. |
| Le lezioni vengono registrate. | The lessons are recorded. |
| Il pane veniva fatto in casa. | The bread used to be made at home. |
The si passivante: si vendono biglietti
When you don’t know or don’t care who does the action, Italians often use si + verb in the third person. The verb agrees with the noun: singular si vende, plural si vendono.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Qui si vendono biglietti. | Tickets are sold here. |
| In Italia si beve molto caffè. | A lot of coffee is drunk in Italy. |
| Come si dice “window” in italiano? | How do you say “window” in Italian? |
Careful: Si mangia bene qui (You eat well here) has no object, so it’s the impersonal si, not the passive. The two look alike, and in practice you use them the same way.
Andare + past participle: it must be done
With andare + past participle, the passive expresses a necessity, without saying who has to do it:
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Va fatto subito. | It must be done right away. |
| Il progetto va finito entro domani. | The project must be finished by tomorrow. |
| Le verdure vanno lavate bene. | Vegetables must be washed well. |
When do Italians use the passive?
- In the news and formal writing: Il ponte è stato inaugurato ieri.
- When the person doing the action is unknown or unimportant: La mia bici è stata rubata!
- In instructions and signs: Si prega di non fumare. Va consegnato entro lunedì.
In everyday conversation, Italians often prefer the active voice or the si form.
Practice
Frequently asked questions
How do you form the passive in Italian?
Use essere + past participle (+ da for “by”): la casa è stata costruita da mio nonno. The participle agrees with the subject.
What is the difference between essere and venire in the passive?
Both work in simple tenses: la cena è servita / viene servita alle otto. Venire stresses the action. In compound tenses, only essere is used: è stata servita.
What is the si passivante?
It’s a passive formed with si + verb in the third person: si vendono biglietti (tickets are sold). The verb agrees with the noun.
What does “va fatto” mean?
It means “it must be done.” Andare + past participle expresses necessity: le verdure vanno lavate (vegetables must be washed).
Practice with my stories
Want to see the passive and the si form in real Italian? My intermediate stories use them naturally, with a vocabulary list in every chapter:
Cioccolato, Amore e Torino
Level B1+
Marie’s journey continues in Turin, between love, creativity and chocolate.
Dive deeper: direct object pronouns · the passato prossimo · Italian verb conjugation
