I. Theory
The passive voice is used when an action is highlighted rather than the individual doing the action. Therefore it can be used when it is unclear who is doing the action or when such information isn’t necessary. For example, in English, we see the passive voice in the following sentence: “The forms are being filed” in comparison to the active voice: “The office worker filed the forms.”| Über die Situation wurde nichts gesagt. Nothing was being said about the situation. Den Polizisten wurde gratuliert. The police officers were (being) congratulated. Der Antrag wird bearbeitet. The request is being processed. |
As seen in the examples above, the verb werden is used to convey an action that is/was in the process of being completed.
II. Tenses
Just like in English, the passive voice can be used in the past, present, and future. In German this is done by using the corresponding forms of werden.| Das Gebäude wird zurzeit gebaut. (present) The building is currently being built. Das Gebäude wurde im letzten Jahr gebaut. (simple past) The building was (being) built last year. Das Gebäude ist nach dem Krieg gebaut worden. (perfect) The building was built after the war. Das Gebäude war im Mittelalter gebaut worden. (past perfect) The building had been built during the Middle Ages. Das Gebäude wird im Zentrum der Stadt gebaut werden. (future) The building will be built in the center of the city. |
III. Passive Voice with Modal Verbs
Modal verbs can also be used in passive voice sentences. In these instances, the verb werden will remain as an infinitive.| Kann die Tür aufgemacht werden? Can the door be opened? Das musste aber schnell gemacht werden. That had to be done quickly. Das Projekt sollte gestern erledigt werden. The project should have been finished yesterday. |