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.

Answered by Erik P. German tutor

2033 Views

See similar German GCSE tutors

Related German GCSE answers

All answers ▸

Which rule do you have to keep in mind if you want to form a sentence in German?


Beschreiben Sie ihre Schule


Separable verbs present tense: Rearrange these sentences so that they are in the correct order. Then translate them into English.


How do you use the conditional tense in German?


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