B1 Danish GrammarPassive Voice
Form passive constructions in Danish using -s endings and blive + past participle for different contexts.
1S-Passive
Add -s to the verb stem for general truths, rules, and repeated actions.
S-Passive Formation
| Active | Passive | English |
|---|---|---|
| spiser | spises | is eaten |
| taler | tales | is spoken |
| sælger | sælges | is sold |
| bruger | bruges | is used |
Examples
Biler sælges her.
Cars are sold here.
general statement
Dansk tales i Danmark.
Danish is spoken in Denmark.
general truth
Døren åbnes klokken ni.
The door is opened at nine.
regular action
Pengene sendes i morgen.
The money is sent tomorrow.
planned action
2Blive-Passive
Use 'blive' + past participle for single events and actions with clear agents.
Blive-Passive Formation
| Tense | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present | bliver + past part. | bliver spist |
| Past | blev + past part. | blev spist |
| Perfect | er blevet + past part. | er blevet spist |
Examples
Huset bliver malet i morgen.
The house is being painted tomorrow.
specific event
Brevet blev sendt i går.
The letter was sent yesterday.
past event
Maden er blevet spist.
The food has been eaten.
perfect tense
Han blev ramt af en bil.
He was hit by a car.
with agent (af)
3S-Passive vs Blive-Passive
S-passive for habits/rules, blive-passive for specific events and processes.
Choosing the Right Form
| Context | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| General rule | s-passive | Her ryges ikke |
| Specific event | blive | Vinduet blev knust |
| Process | blive | Huset bliver bygget |
| Instruction | s-passive | Serveres koldt |
Examples
Her tales dansk. (general)
Danish is spoken here.
s-passive for general
Dansk bliver talt mere og mere. (trend)
Danish is being spoken more and more.
blive for process
Butikken åbnes kl. 10. (schedule)
The shop opens at 10.
s-passive for schedule
Butikken blev åbnet af borgmesteren.
The shop was opened by the mayor.
blive with agent
4Agent with Af
Use 'af' to introduce the agent (doer) in passive constructions.
Agent Construction
| Active | Passive with agent |
|---|---|
| Picasso malede billedet | Billedet blev malet af Picasso |
| Alle elsker ham | Han elskes af alle |
| Chefen fyrede ham | Han blev fyret af chefen |
Examples
Bogen blev skrevet af en dansk forfatter.
The book was written by a Danish author.
af introduces agent
Maden tilberedes af kokken.
The food is prepared by the chef.
s-passive with agent
Beslutningen blev taget af bestyrelsen.
The decision was made by the board.
formal context
Hun blev set af mange mennesker.
She was seen by many people.
multiple agents