Lesson 15: Passive Voice — Present, Imperfect, and Future
Passive voice endings for all conjugations in present, imperfect, and future indicative; agent vs. means constructions; and a preview of the perfect passive.
Overview
In the passive voice, the grammatical subject receives the action rather than performing it. Latin expresses the passive by changing the verb endings. The subject is acted upon; if the performer of the action is mentioned, it appears in the ablative (with a/ab for a person, without a preposition for an instrument).
1. What Passive Means
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| Puer puellam amat. (The boy loves the girl.) | Puella ā puerō amātur. (The girl is loved by the boy.) |
| Magister discipulōs laudat. | Discipulī ā magistrō laudantur. |
| Mīles hostem interfēcit. | Hostis ā mīlite interfectus est. |
The direct object of an active verb becomes the subject of the passive verb. The former subject becomes the ablative of agent.
2. Present Passive Endings
Replace the active personal endings with these passive endings:
| Person | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| 1 sg. | -ō / -m | -or |
| 2 sg. | -s | -ris (or -re) |
| 3 sg. | -t | -tur |
| 1 pl. | -mus | -mur |
| 2 pl. | -tis | -minī |
| 3 pl. | -nt | -ntur |
3. Present Passive — All Four Conjugations
| 1st (amō) | 2nd (moneō) | 3rd (dūcō) | 3rd-io (capiō) | 4th (audiō) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | amor | moneor | dūcor | capior | audior |
| 2sg | amāris | monēris | dūceris | caperis | audīris |
| 3sg | amātur | monētur | dūcitur | capitur | audītur |
| 1pl | amāmur | monēmur | dūcimur | capimur | audīmur |
| 2pl | amāminī | monēminī | dūciminī | capiminī | audīminī |
| 3pl | amantur | monentur | dūcuntur | capiuntur | audiuntur |
4. Imperfect Passive
The imperfect passive inserts -bā- between the stem and the passive ending, exactly as in the active but with passive endings:
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | amābar | monēbar | dūcēbar | audiēbar |
| 2sg | amābāris | monēbāris | dūcēbāris | audiēbāris |
| 3sg | amābātur | monēbātur | dūcēbātur | audiēbātur |
| 1pl | amābāmur | monēbāmur | dūcēbāmur | audiēbāmur |
| 2pl | amābāminī | monēbāminī | dūcēbāminī | audiēbāminī |
| 3pl | amābantur | monēbantur | dūcēbantur | audiēbantur |
5. Future Passive
1st and 2nd conjugations use -bi-/-bō- + passive endings; 3rd and 4th use -a-/-ē- + passive endings:
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1sg | amābor | monēbor | dūcar | audiar |
| 2sg | amāberis | monēberis | dūcēris | audiēris |
| 3sg | amābitur | monēbitur | dūcētur | audiētur |
| 1pl | amābimur | monēbimur | dūcēmur | audiēmur |
| 2pl | amābiminī | monēbiminī | dūcēminī | audiēminī |
| 3pl | amābuntur | monēbuntur | dūcentur | audientur |
6. Ablative of Agent vs. Ablative of Means
Two different ablative constructions describe what or who performs the action in a passive sentence:
| Construction | Used for | Preposition | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ablative of agent | A person performing the action | a / ab | ā puellā amātur (he is loved by the girl) |
| Ablative of means | An inanimate instrument or means | none | gladiō occīsus est (he was killed by/with a sword) |
Never use a/ab with an inanimate object in Latin. Conversely, always use a/ab before a person in a passive construction.
Examples:
- Mīles ā duce laudātur. — The soldier is praised by the leader (agent: person).
- Mīles hastā vulnerātur. — The soldier is wounded by/with a spear (means: inanimate weapon).
- Urbs ab exercitū capitur. — The city is taken by the army (agent: collective of persons).
7. Preview: Perfect Passive
The perfect passive is not formed by a single word but by a compound: the perfect passive participle (PPP, 4th principal part) + a form of esse.
amātus/a/um est — he/she/it was loved (perfect passive) lectus/a/um est — he/she/it was read
The PPP agrees with the subject in gender, number, and case. This will be covered fully in Lesson 16.
Key Vocabulary
| Latin | English |
|---|---|
| amō, amāre, amāvī, amātum | to love |
| moneō, monēre, monuī, monitum | to warn, advise |
| dūcō, dūcere, dūxī, ductum | to lead |
| capiō, capere, cēpī, captum | to take, capture |
| audiō, audīre, audīvī, audītum | to hear |
| laudō, laudāre | to praise |
| interficiō, interficere | to kill |
| vulnerō, vulnerāre | to wound |
| mittō, mittere, mīsī, missum | to send |
| a / ab (+ abl.) | by (agent) |
Example Sentences
- Puella ā magistrō laudātur. — The girl is praised by the teacher.
- Servī ab dominō monēbantur. — The slaves were being warned by the master.
- Oppidum ā mīlitibus capiētur. — The town will be taken by the soldiers.
- Littera gladiō scrībitur. — The letter is written with a sword (odd example, but grammatically illustrative of means).
- Multae litterae ad Rōmam mittuntur. — Many letters are sent to Rome.
- Hostēs ā nostrīs vincēbantur. — The enemies were being defeated by our men.
- Voces puerōrum in villā audiuntur. — The voices of the boys are heard in the house.
- Rēx ab omnibus amābātur. — The king was loved by everyone.
- Cibus ā servis portātur. — Food is carried by the slaves.
- Magnus labor discipulīs imperābitur. — Great work will be assigned to the students.
- Urbs antiqua dēlēbitur. — The ancient city will be destroyed.
- Equī hastā vulnerābantur. — The horses were being wounded by a spear.
Practice
A. Convert active to passive (keep the same tense):
- Magister discipulōs laudat. →
- Rōmānī Gallōs vincēbant. →
- Dux mīlitem mittet. →
B. Identify tense and voice:
- amābitur
- dūcēbāmur
- capiuntur
C. Translate:
- The city is being defended by brave soldiers.
- The children were being heard by the teacher.
- The message will be sent to Rome by the general.