Active, Passive, and Impersonal Style | Arabic (Modern Standard) Grammar

Voice manages perspective and responsibility. An active clause names an actor; an Arabic internal passive promotes the affected participant and leaves the actor unexpressed; an impersonal expression presents possibility, necessity, report, or institutional decision without giving one individual the subject position. All three belong to contemporary formal Modern Standard Arabic.

The question is not “Which voice sounds most official?” but “Who is responsible, and does the reader need that actor now?” Formal prose uses agentless wording for a reason—not as a screen behind which known agency disappears.

Compare one proposition in three designs

The same planned announcement can be packaged in three ways:

ستعلن اللجنة النتائج صباح الاثنين.

satuʿlinu l-lajnatu n-natāʾija ṣabāḥa l-ithnayn.

The committee will announce the results on Monday morning. (active: responsible actor foregrounded)

ستعلن النتائج صباح الاثنين.

satuʿlanu n-natāʾiju ṣabāḥa l-ithnayn.

The results will be announced on Monday morning. (passive: results and timing foregrounded)

تقرر إعلان النتائج صباح الاثنين.

taqarrara ʾiʿlānu n-natāʾiji ṣabāḥa l-ithnayn.

It was decided that the results would be announced on Monday morning. (impersonal institutional decision)

The active foregrounds the committee's duty. The passive keeps النتائج on topic. تقرر adds an authorized decision. These meanings are not interchangeable levels of formality.

💡

Rewrite a disputed sentence in all three designs. If the active version reveals information that the passive draft had hidden, decide explicitly whether the reader is entitled to that information.

Use active voice for responsibility and evidence ownership

Active voice is fully formal. It is especially valuable when an institution exercises authority, a researcher makes an analytical choice, or a source owns a claim. Naming the actor lets readers evaluate competence, conflict of interest, and avenues of appeal.

راجع خبيران مستقلان الحسابات، ثم نشر مجلس الإدارة ملخص ملاحظاتهما.

rājaʿa khabīrāni mustaqillāni l-ḥisābāt, thumma nashara majlisu l-ʾidārati mulakhkhaṣa mulāḥaẓātihimā.

Two independent experts reviewed the accounts, and the board then published a summary of their observations. (reviewer and publisher distinct)

نستبعد بيانات الأسبوع الأول لأنها غير مكتملة.

nastabʿidu bayānāti l-ʾusbūʿi l-ʾawwali li-ʾannahā ghayru muktamila(h).

We exclude the first week's data because they are incomplete. (academic: authors own the methodological decision)

First-person plural is not inherently informal. In research prose it can identify who selected, coded, or interpreted data. A passive may instead suit a compact methods description once the team is established.

Use the passive to maintain a topic or omit an irrelevant actor

Arabic forms the internal passive by changing the stem vowels: نشر nashara “he published” becomes نشر nushira “it was published” in unvocalized writing, with pronunciation and syntax distinguishing the voice. The promoted passive subject is nominative and controls gender and number according to Arabic agreement patterns.

نشر التقرير بعد انتهاء المراجعة، وأرسل إلى جميع الفروع في اليوم نفسه.

nushira t-taqrīru baʿda ntihāʾi l-murājaʿa(h), wa-ʾursila ʾilā jamīʿi l-furūʿi fī l-yawmi nafsih.

The report was published after the review ended and was sent to all branches on the same day. (report maintained as topic)

تفحص بطاقات الهوية عند المدخل الرئيس.

tufḥaṣu biṭāqātu l-huwiyyati ʿinda l-madkhali r-raʾīs.

Identification cards are checked at the main entrance. (general procedure; individual checker irrelevant)

Nonhuman plural بطاقات takes a feminine-singular verb in neutral verb-first order. The agent is institutionally established by the checkpoint; naming a different employee on every shift would distract from the rule.

A passive with من قبل can name an agent, but it often produces a heavier version of an active clause. Keep it when the affected topic must remain first or when contrastive agent focus requires it.

روجع التقرير من قبل لجنة خارجية لا من قبل الإدارة نفسها.

rūjiʿa t-taqrīru min qibali lajnatin khārijiyyatin lā min qibali l-ʾidārati nafsihā.

The report was reviewed by an external committee, not by the administration itself. (passive retained for contrastive agent information)

Without that contrast, راجعت لجنة خارجية التقرير is lighter and equally formal. For morphology and agreement in journalistic and administrative passives, see Passive Voice in Journalism and Administration.

Impersonal constructions distribute responsibility differently

Arabic does not need an English dummy it. Expressions such as يمكن “it is possible,” ينبغي “one should,” من الضروري “it is necessary,” يرجى “it is requested,” and يقال “it is said” build impersonal meaning directly. Each assigns responsibility in a different way.

Frame	Typical function	Responsibility effect
يمكن + verbal noun / أن	possibility or permission	does not name a decider unless context does
ينبغي أن	normative recommendation	presents a standard rather than a personal wish
من الضروري أن	strong necessity	foregrounds grounds or conditions
يرجى + verbal noun	institutional request	speaks from an office or procedure
يقال إن	unattributed report	maximally backgrounds the source

يمكن تقديم الاعتراض إلكترونيا خلال عشرة أيام.

yumkinu taqdīmu l-iʿtirāḍi ʾiliktrūniyyan khilāla ʿasharati ʾayyām.

An objection may be submitted electronically within ten days. (impersonal statement of possibility/procedure)

ينبغي أن توثق اللجنة أسباب رفض كل طلب.

yanbaghī ʾan tuwaththiqa l-lajnatu ʾasbāba rafḍi kulli ṭalab.

The committee should document the reasons for rejecting each application. (norm plus responsible actor)

Impersonal framing need not eliminate agency: ينبغي states a norm while its complement names اللجنة. If compliance is disputed, identify who established or enforces that norm.

Evidential distance is not evidential neutrality

Agent suppression is especially consequential when the “action” is a claim. يقال إن withholds the source; بحسب التقرير names a documentary basis; ذكر المتحدث attributes words to a person; تظهر بياناتنا makes the authors responsible for an evidential interpretation. These do not merely vary style.

يقال إن المشروع تجاوز ميزانيته، لكن الجهة المشرفة لم تنشر الحسابات.

yuqālu ʾinna l-mashrūʿa tajāwaza mīzāniyyatah, lākinna l-jihata l-mushrifata lam tanshuri l-ḥisābāt.

It is said that the project exceeded its budget, but the supervising body has not published the accounts. (unverified report explicitly labeled)

بحسب محضر المجلس، تجاوز المشروع ميزانيته بنسبة ثمانية في المئة.

bi-ḥasabi maḥḍari l-majlis, tajāwaza l-mashrūʿu mīzāniyyatahu bi-nisbati thamāniyatin fī l-miʾa(h).

According to the council minutes, the project exceeded its budget by eight percent. (documentary source named)

The second sentence changes the evidential basis, not simply the register. Anonymous reporting should not launder rumor into institutional fact. See Attribution and Evidential Distance.

💡

In every claim sentence, label three roles mentally: source of information, grammatical subject, and author of the present text. They may be three different parties.

Institutional tone without institutional fog

تم + verbal noun, جرى + verbal noun, and تقرر are genuine contemporary resources. تم foregrounds completion, جرى presents occurrence or procedure, and تقرر presents an institutional decision. None should serve as a generic substitute for every finite verb.

تم اعتماد الميزانية، لكن المجلس أرجأ مناقشة خطة التوظيف.

tamma ʿtimādu l-mīzāniyya(h), lākinna l-majlisa ʾarjaʾa munāqashata khuṭṭati t-tawẓīf.

The budget was approved, but the council postponed discussion of the hiring plan. (completion formula followed by accountable active clause)

جرى فحص النظام في بيئة تجريبية قبل نقله إلى الخادم الرئيس.

jarā faḥṣu n-niẓāmi fī bīʾatin tajrībiyyatin qabla naqlihi ʾilā l-khādimi r-raʾīs.

The system was tested in a test environment before being moved to the main server. (procedural occurrence)

Time and mood remain real. Completed تم cannot itself locate an event in the future:

❌ تم نشر القائمة غدا بعد الاجتماع.

Incorrect time framing: tamma presents completion, which conflicts with locating the publication tomorrow.

✅ ستنشر القائمة غدا بعد الاجتماع.

satunsharu l-qāʾimatu ghadan baʿda l-ijtimāʿ.

The list will be published tomorrow after the meeting. (future passive)

Likewise, Arabic impersonal clauses do not take a dummy هو modeled on English it:

❌ يمكن هو أن نؤجل الجلسة.

Incorrect: huwa cannot function as dummy English ‘it’ after yumkinu.

✅ يمكن أن نؤجل الجلسة حتى تصل البيانات.

yumkinu ʾan nuʾajjila l-jalsata ḥattā taṣila l-bayānāt.

We can postpone the session until the data arrive.

A short institutional model

تلقت وحدة التدقيق ثلاث شكاوى بشأن النظام الجديد. وراجع فريق مستقل سجلات الدخول، فتبين أن بعض الطلبات لم تحفظ كاملة. لذلك تقرر تعليق التحديث مؤقتا، وستنشر الإدارة تقرير الفريق يوم الأحد. ويمكن للمستخدمين تقديم ملاحظاتهم عبر النموذج المرفق.

talaqqat waḥdatu t-tadqīqi thalātha shakāwā bi-shaʾni n-niẓāmi l-jadīd. wa-rājaʿa farīqun mustaqillun sijillāti d-dukhūl, fa-tabayyana ʾanna baʿḍa ṭ-ṭalabāti lam tuḥfaẓ kāmila(h). li-dhālika taqarrara taʿlīqu t-taḥdīthi muʾaqqatan, wa-satanshuru l-ʾidāratu taqrīra l-farīqi yawma l-ʾaḥad. wa-yumkinu li-l-mustakhdimīna taqdīmu mulāḥaẓātihim ʿabra n-namūdhaji l-murfaq.

The audit unit received three complaints about the new system. An independent team reviewed the access logs and found that some applications had not been saved completely. It was therefore decided to suspend the update temporarily, and the administration will publish the team's report on Sunday. Users may submit comments through the attached form. (mixed institutional model)

The model uses active clauses for review and publication, a passive for the affected applications, تقرر for the decision, and يمكن for a user option. Agency follows the communicative task.

Editing a passive chain

تم استلام البلاغ، وتمت مراجعته، وتم اتخاذ قرار بإحالته إلى الجهة المختصة، وسيتم القيام بإرسال الرد لاحقا.

tamma stilāmu l-balāgh, wa-tammat murājaʿatuh, wa-tamma ttikhādhu qarārin bi-ʾiḥālatihi ʾilā l-jihati l-mukhtaṣṣa(h), wa-sayatimmu l-qiyāmu bi-ʾirsāli r-raddi lāḥiqan.

The report was received and reviewed, a decision was made to refer it to the competent authority, and the response will be sent later. (grammatical but formula-heavy and temporally vague)

استلم مكتب الشكاوى البلاغ أمس وراجعه صباح اليوم. ثم أحاله المدير إلى وحدة التحقيق، وسترسل الوحدة ردا خلال خمسة أيام عمل.

istalama maktabu sh-shakāwā l-balāgha ʾamsa wa-rājaʿahu ṣabāḥa l-yawm. thumma ʾaḥālahu l-mudīru ʾilā waḥdati t-taḥqīq, wa-satursilu l-waḥdatu raddan khilāla khamsati ʾayyāmi ʿamal.

The complaints office received the report yesterday and reviewed it this morning. The director then referred it to the investigation unit, which will send a response within five working days. (actors and timetable restored)

The revision is more auditable: it identifies the office, director, receiving unit, sequence, and deadline—the information a complainant needs.

Common Mistakes

Blending a regional passive into unlabeled MSA

الطلب اتبعت من يومين ولسه ما اتراجعش.

iṭ-ṭalab itbaʿat min yōmēn wi-lissa ma-trājaʿsh.

The application was sent two days ago and still has not been reviewed. (Egyptian Arabic; valid regional grammar, not unmarked institutional MSA)

أرسل الطلب قبل يومين، ولم يراجع حتى الآن.

ursila ṭ-ṭalabu qabla yawmayn, wa-lam yurājaʿ ḥattā l-ʾān.

The application was sent two days ago and has not yet been reviewed. (institutional MSA)

Using inherited elevation instead of naming a responsible office

جرى الإيعاز لمن يلزم لاتخاذ المقتضى حسب الأصول المرعية.

jarā l-ʾīʿāzu li-man yalzamu li-ttikhādhi l-muqtaḍā ḥasaba l-ʾuṣūli l-marʿiyya(h).

Whomever it concerns was instructed to take the required action according to established procedures. (valid administrative formula, needlessly opaque without the office or action)

كلف المدير وحدة المشتريات بطلب ثلاثة عروض أسعار قبل الخميس.

kallafa l-mudīru waḥdata l-mushtarayāti bi-ṭalabi thalāthati ʿurūḍi ʾasʿārin qabla l-khamīs.

The director assigned the procurement unit to request three price quotations before Thursday. (authority, actor, action, and deadline explicit)

Copying an English institutional noun stack

تقرير لجنة مراجعة امتثال إجراءات حماية بيانات العملاء الجديد

taqrīru lajnati murājaʿati mtithāli ʾijrāʾāti ḥimāyati bayānāti l-ʿumalāʾi l-jadīd

an opaque chain: ‘new’ can describe either the report or the compliance arrangement

التقرير الجديد للجنة التي تراجع امتثال إجراءات حماية بيانات العملاء

at-taqrīru l-jadīdu li-l-lajnati llatī turājiʿu mtithāla ʾijrāʾāti ḥimāyati bayānāti l-ʿumalāʾ

the new report by the committee that reviews compliance with customer-data protection procedures (scope explicit)

Equating maximum case realization with official authority

تعتمد اللجنة القرار بعد مراجعة الوثائق.

taʿtamidu l-lajnatu l-qarāra baʿda murājaʿati l-wathāʾiqi.

The committee adopts the decision after reviewing the documents. (valid fully inflected continuous reading)

تعتمد اللجنة القرار النهائي بعد مراجعة جميع الوثائق.

taʿtamidu l-lajnatu l-qarāra n-nihāʾiyya baʿda murājaʿati jamīʿi l-wathāʾiq.

The committee adopts the final decision after reviewing all documents. (prepared delivery with a natural final pause)

Stacking passive formulas until accountability disappears

تم اكتشاف الخلل، وتم العمل على تحديد المسؤولية، وتم اتخاذ التدابير اللازمة.

tamma ktishāfu l-khalal, wa-tamma l-ʿamalu ʿalā taḥdīdi l-masʾūliyya(h), wa-tamma ttikhādhu t-tadābīri l-lāzima(h).

The fault was discovered, work was undertaken to determine responsibility, and the necessary measures were taken. (grammatical but non-auditable passive chain)

اكتشف فريق الأمن الخلل، وتحقق لجنة مستقلة الآن في سببه، وأوقفت الإدارة الخدمة المتأثرة مؤقتا.

iktashafa farīqu l-ʾamni l-khalal, wa-tuḥaqqiqu lajnatun mustaqillatun al-ʾāna fī sababih, wa-ʾawqafati l-ʾidāratu l-khidmata l-mutaʾaththirata muʾaqqatan.

The security team discovered the fault, an independent committee is now investigating its cause, and the administration temporarily suspended the affected service. (actors, current status, and measure explicit)

Key Takeaways

Active, passive, and impersonal clauses are all formal resources with different responsibility effects.
Name the actor when authority, expertise, causation, or accountability matters; use the passive when the affected topic or procedure genuinely matters more.
Treat يمكن، ينبغي، يرجى، يقال، تقرر as distinct meanings, not interchangeable ways to avoid a subject.
Attribution and evidential distance must identify who owns a claim and how it is supported.
Institutional tone is strongest when readers can recover actor, action, basis, time, and response route.

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