Choose -at- when you present a passive action from inside its duration or as a repeated pattern; choose -it- when you present its completion or resulting state. The contrast concerns the event's phase relative to a reference point—not whether the whole sentence is grammatically present or past.
The Core Minimal Pair
La domo estas konstruata.
The house is being built.
La domo estas konstruita.
The house is built/has been built.
Both sentences contain present estas. Konstruata places us inside the construction process; konstruita presents construction as complete or the finished house as its result.
| Question to ask | Choose | Useful test expressions |
|---|---|---|
| Is the action unfolding or recurring? | -at- | iom post iom, plu kaj plu, ree kaj ree |
| Is completion or its result central? | -it- | jam, tute, definitive |
These expressions are diagnostics, not words that must actually appear. If “little by little” preserves the intended view, -at- is likely. If “completely/already” preserves it, -it- is likely.
La malnova teatro estas iom post iom renovigata.
The old theater is gradually being renovated.
La malnova teatro estas jam tute renovigita.
The old theater has already been completely renovated.
The Finite Verb Sets Time; the Participle Sets Phase
Changing estas to estis or estos moves the reference point without changing the meaning of -at- and -it-.
| Reference time | Process/repetition with -AT- | Completion/result with -IT- |
|---|---|---|
| now | estas tradukata | estas tradukita |
| past point | estis tradukata | estis tradukita |
| future point | estos tradukata | estos tradukita |
Kiam mi telefonis, la kontrakto ankoraŭ estis tradukata.
When I called, the contract was still being translated.
Kiam mi telefonis, la kontrakto jam estis tradukita.
When I called, the contract had already been translated.
The adverbs make the intended phase unmistakable. Without them, context would usually still favor process for tradukata and completion for tradukita.
Morgaŭ posttagmeze la proponoj estos diskutataj en la komitato.
Tomorrow afternoon the proposals will be under discussion in the committee.
Ĝis morgaŭ vespere la proponoj estos diskutitaj kaj la decido estos publikigita.
By tomorrow evening the proposals will have been discussed and the decision will have been published.
Future estos does not require -ot-. Estos diskutataj means the discussion will be ongoing or recurring at that future time; estos diskutitaj means it will be complete by then. -Ot- would instead present the proposals as still awaiting discussion.
Accomplishments versus Activities
Lexical meaning influences what speakers naturally want to highlight. An accomplishment such as konstrui domon, verki raporton, or kuiri supon has a recognizable endpoint. Both views are easy:
La kuirejo estas pentrata de loka metiisto.
The kitchen is being painted by a local craftsperson.
La kuirejo estas pentrita per hela, lavebla farbo.
The kitchen is painted with light, washable paint.
The de phrase names the agent of the process. The per phrase names the material or means associated with the finished result. See agents with de for that distinction.
An atelic activity has no built-in endpoint. With ami, admiri, serĉi, or observi, -at- often fits an ongoing or characteristic relationship:
La aktorino estas admirata de la publiko en multaj landoj.
The actress is admired by audiences in many countries.
La perdita infano estis serĉata dum la tuta nokto.
The missing child was searched for throughout the night.
An -it- form remains possible when context creates a bounded, completed event: La ekspozicio estis admirita de mil vizitantoj dum la unua semajno counts completed encounters with the exhibition. The suffix does not mechanically follow the dictionary verb; it follows the event as construed in context.
Repetition Can Be Viewed Two Ways
Repeated action normally favors -at- when repetition itself is the point. A precise number can package each occurrence as complete and favor -it-.
La konto estis plurfoje kontrolata dum la enketo.
The account was checked repeatedly during the investigation.
La konto estis kontrolita tri fojojn antaŭ la pago.
The account was checked three times before payment.
This is a viewpoint contrast, not an iron law. A writer could choose kontrolata tri fojojn to foreground the repeated checking process, or plurfoje kontrolita to present several checks as completed. Adverbs and wider context jointly guide interpretation.
Result and Ongoing Process Can Coexist
A resultant state does not imply that every related process has stopped. The completed portion and the larger activity may have different scopes.
Ok ĉapitroj jam estas verkitaj, sed la romano ankoraŭ estas verkata.
Eight chapters have already been written, but the novel is still being written.
There is no contradiction: eight chapters have reached completion, while work on the whole novel continues. Similarly, a road may be malfermita por busoj but still riparata nokte. Always identify exactly which entity and which event the participle describes.
Certain verbs naturally blur event and state. Okupata can mean continually kept busy; okupita can describe the resulting occupied state. Kovrata highlights covering as a process or recurring condition, while kovrita highlights the achieved coverage. Accepted interpretation varies with context, but the foundational opposition remains duration/repetition versus completion/result.
The Contrast after IĜI
Because participles are adjectives, they can also follow independent iĝi “become.” Here iĝi marks entry into a state; the participle still contributes its own phase.
Post la reorganizo, la raporto iĝis kontrolata de alia teamo.
After the reorganization, the report came to be checked by another team.
Post du pliaj tagoj, la raporto fine iĝis tute kontrolita.
After two more days, the report finally became fully checked.
The first establishes a new ongoing arrangement; the second reaches a completed result. These forms are grammatical but more marked than ordinary estis/estas kontrolata and estis/estas kontrolita. Often a direct verb is clearer: Alia teamo ekkontrolis la raporton; La teamo fine kontrolis la tutan raporton. The participial opposition itself does not disappear after iĝi.
Standard Norm and the Atist Reinterpretation
The Fundamento illustrates -at- as an action in progress and -it- as an action already accomplished. Official Akademio decisions reaffirmed this completion-based system, commonly called itismo. It is the neutral production norm taught here.
A historical reform position called atismo instead treats -at- primarily as simultaneous with the finite verb and -it- as earlier. Under that analysis someone might choose estis naskata merely because the birth occurs at the past time. Standard Esperanto uses estis naskita: birth is treated as a completed event, even though it can coincide with the time denoted by estis.
Ŝi estis naskita en 1995.
She was born in 1995.
Atist usage is attested, but it is nonstandard and can reverse distinctions expected by most readers. Learners should use the process-versus-completion norm. This does not eliminate genuine gray areas: different speakers may construe the same real-world event as an unfolding activity or as a completed occurrence.
When Another Construction Is Clearer
The passive forces the learner to choose an aspectual participle. If that distinction is irrelevant, an active clause with oni can be simpler.
— Ĉu la halo estis ornamata aŭ jam ornamita kiam vi alvenis? — Oni ankoraŭ ornamis ĝin.
— Was the hall being decorated or already decorated when you arrived? — They were still decorating it.
The answer resolves an ambiguous description without building another passive. An -iĝ- verb can also foreground the affected participant's change: La pordo fermiĝis “The door closed.” It does not, however, accept an agent phrase and cannot replace every passive.
Common Mistakes
Choosing -IT- merely because English shows a past participle
❌ La vojo estas riparita nun, do veturu laŭ la alia strato.
Incorrect for an ongoing repair — <em>riparita</em> presents completion.
✅ La vojo estas riparata nun, do veturu laŭ la alia strato.
The road is being repaired now, so take the other street.
Treating -AT- as present tense
❌ Hieraŭ la ponto estis riparita, kiam mi preterveturis.
Incorrect for the intended ongoing process.
✅ Hieraŭ la ponto estis riparata, kiam mi preterveturis.
Yesterday the bridge was being repaired when I drove past.
Using -AT- for a completed biographical event
❌ Li estis naskata en 2003.
Nonstandard for ‘he was born’; this describes an ongoing birth process.
✅ Li estis naskita en 2003.
He was born in 2003.
Assuming -IT- always excludes a larger ongoing process
❌ La unuaj paĝoj ne povas esti verkitaj, ĉar la libro ankoraŭ estas verkata.
Incorrect reasoning — a completed part can coexist with an ongoing whole.
✅ La unuaj paĝoj estas verkitaj, sed la libro ankoraŭ estas verkata.
The first pages have been written, but the book is still being written.
Ignoring bounded repetition
❌ La alarmo estis sonigata ekzakte unu fojon kaj poste silentiĝis.
Incorrect for the intended single completed activation.
✅ La alarmo estis sonigita ekzakte unu fojon kaj poste eksilentis.
The alarm was sounded exactly once and then went silent.
Quick Decision Path
- Identify the reference point from estas, estis, estos, or iĝis.
- If the passive action is unfolding or recurring at that point, choose -at-.
- If it has reached completion or its result is central, choose -it-.
- Use context and lexical aspect to decide how the event is being viewed.
- If the distinction adds needless weight, rewrite with an active clause or a suitable -iĝ- verb.
Key Takeaways
- -At- presents duration or repetition; -it- presents completion or a resulting state.
- The finite verb supplies the reference time, so both participles occur with estas, estis, estos, and iĝis.
- Lexical aspect influences the natural choice but never replaces the speaker's intended viewpoint.
- Standard Esperanto uses the completion analysis, including estis naskita for “was born”; the atist reinterpretation is nonstandard.
- When the passive distinction is not useful, an active clause or an appropriate -iĝ- verb is often clearer.
Related Topics
- Passive Present Participle -AT-B2 — Use -at- for an affected participant while an action is in progress or regularly repeated.
- Passive Past Participle -IT-C1 — Use -it- for an affected participant once an action is complete or its resulting state is relevant.
- The Esti-PassiveB1 — Form the standard Esperanto passive with esti plus an agreeing passive participle, while keeping tense and event phase separate.
- Relative Time in ParticiplesC2 — Interpret participial time relative to the described situation, separating ongoing, completed, and prospective action from calendar tense.
- Participles and Aspectual InterpretationC1 — Interpret Esperanto participles through action phase, completion, repetition, result, and lexical aspect rather than English tense labels.
- Compound Passive TensesB2 — Combine esti with passive participles to present an affected subject during, after, or before an action.