The Passive Voice in Italian 

The passive form in Italian (or English) is used when we want to focus on the object of the action, rather than the agent who carries out the action. For example:

• Serena teaches the class [active form, focus on the agent = Serena]
• The class is taught by Serena [passive form, focus on the object = la classe]

Passive forms can only be used with transitive verbs (verbs that take a direct object). In fact, every transitive verb can be used in both active and passive constructions, as in this example:

• Mio nonno ha costruito questa casa [active form]
• Questa casa è stata costruita da mio nonno [passive form]

How to Make the Passive Voice 

To form the passive form in Italian, use the verb “essere” (conjugated in the corresponding tense of the active voice), followed by the past participle of the main verb, and the preposition “da” (which introduces the agent carrying out the action).

Let’s see the difference between passive and active voices in italian in a few examples

Active forms 

1. Anna prepara i biscotti – Anna bakes cookies  
2. Marco cucina la lasagna – Marco makes the lasagna 
3. I bambini fanno il puzzle – The children do the puzzle 
4. I romani hanno costruito questo ponte – The Romans built this bridge 

Passive forms

1. I biscotti sono cucinati da Anna – The cookies are baked by Anna 
2. La lasagna è cucinata da marco – The lasagna is made by Marco 
3. Il puzzle è fatto dai bambini – The puzzle is done by the children 
4. Questo ponte è stato costruito dai romani – This bridge was build by the Romans