Lesson 5: Passive Voice

Learn to form and use the Esperanto passive voice with esti + participles, agent phrases with de, and the impersonal oni construction.

esperantob1lesson

Overview

The passive voice allows a speaker to shift focus from the performer of an action to the recipient of that action — from "Maria wrote the letter" to "The letter was written." This shift is essential in formal writing, academic and scientific texts, news reporting, and any context where the agent (the doer) is unknown, unimportant, or deliberately withheld. Esperanto forms the passive voice in a precise, transparent way using the verb esti (to be) combined with passive participles, giving speakers fine control over whether the action is ongoing, completed, or habitual.

Esperanto also offers an elegant alternative to the passive through the pronoun oni (one, people, they/you in general), which allows speakers to express impersonal actions without a specific subject — very useful in everyday spoken Esperanto where full passive constructions might feel overly formal. Understanding both constructions and knowing when to choose each one is a key mark of B1 fluency.

Learning Objectives

  • Form the full range of passive constructions using esti + -at-/-it-/-ot- participles
  • Express the agent in a passive sentence correctly using the preposition de
  • Use the impersonal pronoun oni as an alternative to the passive
  • Choose appropriately between active, passive, and oni constructions in context

Vocabulary

Esperanto English Notes
pasiva passive (grammatical)
aktiva active (grammatical)
ago action
aganto agent, doer
ricevanto recipient
skribi to write
publikigi to publish
konstrui to build
sendi to send
trovi to find
perdi to lose
vendi to sell
aĉeti to buy
prezenti to present
diskuti to discuss
finprenita taken up/adopted
akcepti to accept
aprovi to approve
organizi to organize
inviti to invite
de by (agent in passive) preposition
oni one, people (impersonal) pronoun
laŭdire reportedly, it is said that
estas dirite it is said passive construct

Grammar Focus

1. The Passive with esti + -at- (Ongoing/Habitual)

The present passive continuous uses the present passive participle -at- added to the verb root, combined with the appropriate tense of esti:

La letero estas skribata. — The letter is being written. (right now) La domo estas konstruata. — The house is being built. La raporto estis diskutata. — The report was being discussed. La projekto estos reviziata. — The project will be being reviewed.

The -at- participle emphasizes that the action is in progress at the reference time — an ongoing process.

2. The Passive with esti + -it- (Completed State)

The past passive uses the passive past participle -it-, indicating a completed action. The resulting state is the focus:

La letero estas skribita. — The letter is written. (completed — it's in a written state now) La domo estis konstruita. — The house was built. (it was in a built state) La problemo estos solvita. — The problem will be solved (will be in a solved state). La libro estas tradukita en dudek lingvojn. — The book has been translated into twenty languages.

Contrast:

La letero estas skribata — The letter is being written (currently in progress) La letero estas skribita — The letter is written (it's done, it exists as a written document)

Common mistake: Using estas skribita to mean "is being written." Use estas skribata for ongoing action.

3. Tense Combinations in the Passive

The tense of esti sets the time frame, while the participle (-at- or -it-) sets the completion status:

Construction Meaning
estas skribata is being written (now, ongoing)
estis skribata was being written (then, ongoing)
estos skribata will be being written (future, ongoing)
estas skribita is written / has been written (now, complete)
estis skribita was written / had been written (then, complete)
estos skribita will have been written (future, complete)
estos skribota is about to be written

4. The Agent Phrase with de

To express who or what performed the action, use the preposition de (by):

La letero estis skribita de Maria. — The letter was written by Maria. La domo estas konstruata de fama arkitekto. — The house is being built by a famous architect. La kanzono estis kantata de la tuta horo. — The song was sung by the entire audience. La libro estis verkita de anonima aŭtoro. — The book was written by an anonymous author.

Note: de here means "by" (agent), which is the same preposition that means "from" and "of" in other contexts. Context usually makes the meaning clear.

5. The Impersonal oni Construction

Oni is an indefinite personal pronoun meaning "one, people, they, you" in a general, non-specific sense. It is often a more natural alternative to the passive, particularly in spoken Esperanto:

Oni diras ke la prezidanto rezignos. — They say / It is said that the president will resign. Oni faras tiun ĉi tiamaniere. — One does it this way. / That's how it's done. Oni vendas bongustajn kukojn tie. — Good cakes are sold there. Oni konstruas novan stacidomon. — A new station is being built.

Compare passive vs. oni:

La pordo estas fermata. — The door is being closed. (focus on the door) Oni fermas la pordon. — Someone/People are closing the door. (more natural in speech)

Oni is used when:

  • The agent is genuinely unknown or unimportant
  • You want a natural, spoken feel
  • You want to give general advice or describe customs

6. When to Choose Passive vs. Active vs. oni

Situation Best construction Example
Formal writing, reports Passive (esti + -it-/-at-) La decido estis prenita.
Speaking naturally oni + active verb Oni prenis la decidon.
Agent is important Active voice La komitato prenis la decidon.
Emphasize completed result esti + -ita La raporto estas finita.
Emphasize ongoing process esti + -ata La raporto estas skribata.

Dialogue

A news reporter (Vera) interviews a local official (Petro) about a new community center.

Vera: Sinjoro Petro, ĉu la nova komunuma centro jam estas konstruata? Petro: Jes, la fundamentoj jam estas metitaj, kaj la ĉefaj muroj estas konstruataj en ĉi tiu momento. Vera: Kiam ĝi estos finita? Petro: Laŭ la plano, la konstruo estos finita ĝis decembro. Vera: Kiu entrepreno estis elektita por la projekto? Petro: La kontrakto estis donita al la entrepreno "Konstrufirmo Nova" post publika konkurso. Vera: Ĉu la komunumo estis konsultita pri la dezajno? Petro: Jes, antaŭ ĉio oni organizis publikan kunsidon. Multaj ideoj estis proponitaj de la loĝantoj. Vera: Oni diras ke la projekto kostas tre multe. Petro: Oni parolas pri tio, sed la preciza sumo estos anoncita oficiale baldaŭ. Vera: Dankon pro la informoj. Oni atendas la malfermemon kun granda intereso. Petro: Ĉiuj estas invitataj al la malfermofesto!

Practice

Exercise 1: Form the Passive

Transform each active sentence into a passive sentence using the appropriate participle.

  1. Maria skribas la leteron. → La letero ___ ___.
  2. La komitato diskutis la problemon. → La problemo ___ ___ ___ la komitato.
  3. Ili konstruos novan lernejon. → Nova lernejo ___ ___.
  4. La ĉefo aprovis la planon. → La plano ___ ___ ___ la ĉefo.

Answers:

  1. La letero estas skribata (de Maria).
  2. La problemo estis diskutata de la komitato.
  3. Nova lernejo estos konstruata / estos konstruita.
  4. La plano estis aprobita de la ĉefo.

Exercise 2: Passive or oni?

Rewrite each passive sentence as an oni sentence, or vice versa.

  1. Oni diras ke la prezidanto estos reelektita.
  2. La libro estas vendita en multaj landoj.
  3. Oni organizis grandan feston hieraŭ.
  4. La malnova ponto estis riparita.

Answers:

  1. Estas dirite ke la prezidanto estos reelektita.
  2. Oni vendas la libron en multaj landoj.
  3. Granda festo estis organizita hieraŭ.
  4. Oni riparis la malnovan ponton.

Exercise 3: Translate

  1. The problem was solved by the new director.
  2. A new school is being built near the park.
  3. It is said that the concert will be cancelled.
  4. The report has already been sent.
  5. The invitations are about to be printed.

Answers:

  1. La problemo estis solvita de la nova direktoro.
  2. Nova lernejo estas konstruata apud la parko.
  3. Oni diras ke la koncerto estos nuligita. / Estas dirite ke...
  4. La raporto jam estas sendita.
  5. La invitoj estas sendotaj / presotaj.

Cultural Note

Esperanto's passive voice has been the subject of ongoing stylistic debate within the community. The influential grammar reference PMEG (Plena Manlibro de Esperanta Gramatiko) notes that while the passive is grammatically well-formed, many experienced Esperantists prefer active constructions or oni in speech and informal writing, reserving the full passive for formal registers. This mirrors a similar tendency in German and other languages. Reading Esperanto newspapers like Monato or La Ondo de Esperanto will show you passive constructions used naturally in journalism — a good way to calibrate your sense of when they feel appropriate. Authors like Cathy Schulze and Claude Piron have written extensively about keeping Esperanto natural and non-literal, and both advise against over-using the passive in contexts where oni or an active construction would sound more fluent.