2.33 The passive in all tenses — and the state passive — Epoché
What you will be able to do Use the passive in every tense and mood: the future wird entlassen werden , with modal verbs in the past musste getan werden , and in the subjunctive wäre erschossen worden , hätte vermieden werden können . Build passive verb groups correctly at the end of subordinate clauses: …, dass er bestohlen worden war ; …, was getan werden muss . Tell the three uses of werden apart: become , the future, and the passive. Use the state passive in the past, die Tür war geschlossen , and recognise the passive with bekommen : Er bekam die Bücher geschenkt. Sentences from this lesson, before the explanation. Read the German aloud; all of them come back below. German English Unsere Mission wurde abgebrochen. [1] Our mission was aborted. Früher oder später wird man die Geiseln freilassen. [2] Sooner or later, the hostages will be released. Hätte dies vermieden werden können? [3] Could this have been avoided? Die besten Plätze waren alle schon besetzt. [4] All the best seats were already taken. Alle Plätze sind besetzt. [5] All the seats are occupied. Prerequisites : 2.32 — you need the basic passive from 2.19 Grammar , the subjunctive from 2.23 Grammar and 2.24 Grammar , the future with werden from 3.12 Verbs , and word order in subordinate clauses from 2.12 Grammar . In 2.19 Grammar you learned the passive in its everyday forms: wird gebaut , wurde gebaut , ist gebaut worden . Real texts, especially in the press, in law and in history, use many more: a future passive in a forecast, a modal passive in the past in a report, a subjunctive passive in a speculation about what might have happened. These forms look long and frightening, but they are built from three pieces that almost always keep the same order (one exception is explained below): the participle of the main verb, a form of werden , and, if there is one, a modal verb or the auxiliary. This lesson shows the whole system, so that no passive in a German text will surprise you again. The patterns Form Main clause Subordinate clause English future Er wird entlassen werden. …, dass er entlassen werden wird. he will be dismissed modal, present Es muss getan werden. …, was getan werden muss. it must be done modal, past Es musste getan werden. …, was getan werden musste. it had to be done pluperfect Er war bestohlen worden. …, dass er bestohlen worden war. he had been robbed subjunctive II, present Ich würde geliebt werden. …, dass ich geliebt werden würde. I would be loved subjunctive II, past Ich wäre erschossen worden. …, dass ich erschossen worden wäre. I would have been shot subjunctive II, past, modal Das hätte vermieden werden können. …, dass das hätte vermieden werden können. that could have been avoided In a subordinate clause the verb group runs from left to right: the participle first, then werden or worden , then the modal or the auxiliary. Read it backwards and you get the English order. worden , without ge- , appears only in the perfect forms of the passive, always with sein : the perfect, the pluperfect, the past subjunctive ( wäre … worden ) and the future perfect ( wird … worden sein ). The one exception to the order is the modal in the perfect or past subjunctive: hätte jumps to the front of the group, dass das hätte vermieden werden können , as you saw with the double infinitive in 2.24 Grammar . In the present subjunctive II, the shorter form without werden is also common: Ich würde geliebt , dass ich geliebt würde . In real sentences The future and modal passive. German English Die Geiseln werden freigelassen werden. [6] The hostages will be released. Etwas musste getan werden. [7] Something had to be done. Der Käse musste weggeworfen werden. [8] The cheese had to be thrown away. Die Mission musste abgebrochen werden. [9] The mission had to be aborted. Die Regel sollte überarbeitet werden. [10] The rule should be revised. The subjunctive passive : what would have happened, or could have been prevented. German English Ich wäre erschossen worden. [11] I would have been shot. Er wäre um ein Haar überfahren worden. [12] He narrowly escaped being run over. Das hätte vermieden werden können. [13] That could've been prevented. Ich hätte verletzt werden können! [14] I could have been injured. In subordinate clauses : the whole verb group at the end. German English Das ist ein Fluss, der nie erforscht worden ist. [15] It's a river that has never been explored. Er erkannte schnell, dass er bestohlen worden war. [16] He soon realised that he had been robbed. Es ist klar, was getan werden muss. [17] It is clear what must be done. Freundschaft ist eine Pflanze, die oft gegossen werden muss. [18] Friendship is a plant which must be often watered. Ich besichtigte das Haus, in dem Shakespeare geboren worden war. [19] I visited the house in which Shakespeare was born. Three kinds of werden : become ; the future of become ; the future passive. German English Er wurde rot. [20] He turned red. Es wird kalt werden. [21] It will become cold. Er wird gefeuert werden. [22] He's going to be sacked. The state passive in the past, and the passive with bekommen . German English Die Tür war geschlossen. [23] The door was closed. Alle Plätze waren besetzt. [24] Every seat was full. Alle Geschäfte waren geschlossen. [25] All the stores were closed. Er bekam die Bücher geschenkt. [26] He was given the books as gifts. How English does it English stacks auxiliaries in front; German stacks them at the end. English builds would have been shot from left to right: modal, perfect, passive, verb. German builds the same meaning from right to left in a subordinate clause: erschossen worden wäre , verb, passive, perfect. If you read a German verb group backwards, you get the English order: wäre would have , worden been , erschossen shot . One verb, three jobs. English uses three different words where German uses werden : become , will and be in the passive. To tell them apart, look at what werden combines with. With an adjective or noun, it means be