Compound passive forms combine esti with a passive adjectival participle: estas kontrolata, estis kontrolita, estos kontrolota. The clause promotes the affected participant to subject position and leaves the agent unstated or adds it with de. The finite form of esti locates the reference point; -at-, -it-, or -ot- presents the passive action as ongoing, completed, or still ahead.
The nine central combinations
The three finite tenses of esti combine regularly with the three passive time relations:
| Reference point | Ongoing -at- | Completed/result -it- | Prospective -ot- |
|---|---|---|---|
| present | estas kontrolata | estas kontrolita | estas kontrolota |
| past | estis kontrolata | estis kontrolita | estis kontrolota |
| future | estos kontrolata | estos kontrolita | estos kontrolota |
These are not nine unrelated tenses to memorize. Estis always supplies a past viewpoint; the participle then says whether the checking is viewed in progress, complete, or not yet begun from that point.
Je la deka la sistemo estis ankoraŭ testata.
At ten the system was still being tested.
Je la deka la sistemo estis jam testita.
At ten the system had already been tested.
Je la deka la sistemo estis ĝuste testota.
At ten the system was just about to be tested.
This minimal contrast keeps both the affected subject and the past reference time constant.
-AT- for an action in progress or repeated
-At- presents the subject while an action is being carried out or repeatedly affects it.
La ĉefa strato estas riparata, do la busoj uzas alian vojon.
The main street is being repaired, so the buses are using another route.
La ekipaĵo estas kontrolata ĉiumatene antaŭ la malfermo.
The equipment is checked every morning before opening.
Ĉu la paciento estis observata dum la tuta nokto?
Was the patient monitored throughout the night?
Ĉu la pakaĵoj estas jam kontrolitaj? — Ne, ili ankoraŭ estas kontrolataj.
Have the packages already been checked? — No, they are still being checked.
The repeated reading in estas kontrolata ĉiumatene is as regular as the progressive reading in estas riparata. -At- does not guarantee that the action reaches completion.
-IT- for completion and result
-It- presents the action as completed or its result as holding. It often indicates an event earlier than the reference point, but strict anteriority is not automatic.
La fenestro estas rompita, sed neniu scias, kiu rompis ĝin.
The window is broken, but nobody knows who broke it.
Kiam ni alvenis, la vojo estis jam blokita de falinta arbo.
When we arrived, the road had already been blocked by a fallen tree.
La pordo estis fermita je la oka, kaj tuj poste komenciĝis la kunveno.
The door was closed at eight, and immediately afterward the meeting began.
In the second example, jam makes anteriority explicit. In the third, estis fermita je la oka can report completion at eight. Ordinary standard Esperanto therefore treats -it- primarily as completion/result, while context supplies finer chronology.
-OT- for an anticipated passive event
-Ot- presents the subject before an action that is planned, expected, or imminent.
La nova regularo estas publikigota venontsemajne.
The new regulations are going to be published next week.
La konstruaĵo estis malkonstruota, sed la urbo poste protektis ĝin.
The building was going to be demolished, but the city later protected it.
Post unu monato la ponto estos ankoraŭ inspektota de sendependa fakulo.
After one month the bridge will still be awaiting inspection by an independent specialist.
The cancellation in the second sentence proves that -ot- does not guarantee fulfillment. It describes a prospect relative to the time marked by esti.
How the passive changes clause roles
Compare an active clause with its passive counterpart:
La teknika teamo kontrolas la servilon ĉiun horon.
The technical team checks the server every hour.
La servilo estas kontrolata ĉiun horon de la teknika teamo.
The server is checked every hour by the technical team.
In the passive, la servilo becomes the nominative subject; it is no longer la servilon. The former subject can appear in a de phrase, but is often omitted when unknown, obvious, or unimportant. See agents with de.
The participle is an adjective and agrees with the new subject:
La raportoj estis verkitaj kaj kontrolitaj de du malsamaj teamoj.
The reports were written and checked by two different teams.
Plural raportoj requires verkitaj, kontrolitaj. Passive meaning does not create accusative marking.
The wider analytic system
The passive also occurs after infinitive esti, conditional estus, and volitive estu:
La kandidatoj devas esti informitaj antaŭ vendredo.
The candidates must be informed before Friday.
La eraro estus rimarkita pli frue, se ni havus aŭtomatan kontrolon.
The error would have been noticed earlier if we had automatic checking.
La fenestroj estu fermitaj antaŭ ol vi foriros.
Let the windows be closed before you leave.
These forms are part of the same regular system, though infinitives and volitives are treated in detail under passive infinitives and volitives.
When a simple active is clearer
A passive is useful when the affected entity is the discourse topic or the agent is unknown or deliberately backgrounded. If the agent is both known and important, active wording is often shorter.
La komisiono aprobis la proponon hieraŭ.
The committee approved the proposal yesterday.
This is usually clearer than La propono estis aprobita hieraŭ de la komisiono unless the proposal, rather than the committee, is already the topic. More elaborate layers such as estos estinta aprobita are possible in principle but rarely the best first choice; see avoiding heavy passive chains.
Foundational norm and accepted usage
Esti + passive participle is the foundational passive construction. Contemporary Esperanto uses all three passive suffixes, though frequencies differ: -at- and -it- carry most everyday work, while -ot- appears when a prospective passive state matters. The historical atismo/itismo debate concerns interpretations of -at- and -it-. A 1967 Akademio decision supported itismo; a 1989 resolution again supported it and explicitly rejected atismo. Standard usage therefore maintains the ongoing/repeated versus completed/result contrast and clarifies chronology lexically when needed.
Common Mistakes
Leaving the promoted subject in the accusative
❌ La raporton estis aprobita hieraŭ.
Incorrect — the affected participant is now the passive subject.
✅ La raporto estis aprobita hieraŭ.
The report was approved yesterday.
Forgetting participle agreement
❌ La dokumentoj estas subskribita.
Incorrect — the adjectival participle must agree with the plural subject.
✅ La dokumentoj estas subskribitaj.
The documents are signed.
Using -it- for an ongoing process
❌ La ponto estas riparita nun, do atendu prokrastojn.
Wrong for a repair currently in progress — riparita presents completion/result.
✅ La ponto estas riparata nun, do atendu prokrastojn.
The bridge is being repaired now, so expect delays.
Using -at- for a completed result
❌ Kiam ni alvenis, la pordo estis jam fermata.
Wrong for an already completed closure — fermata presents the process.
✅ Kiam ni alvenis, la pordo estis jam fermita.
When we arrived, the door had already been closed.
Marking the agent with per
❌ La problemo estis solvita per Ana.
Incorrect — per marks an instrument or means, not the personal agent here.
✅ La problemo estis solvita de Ana.
The problem was solved by Ana.
Key Takeaways
Compound passives use esti + -at/-it/-ot-a. The finite form locates the viewpoint; the participle distinguishes process/repetition, completion/result, and prospect. The affected participant becomes a nominative subject, the participle agrees with it, and an agent may follow de. Use the passive for patient-centered information structure, not merely because English happens to use one.
Related Topics
- The Esti-PassiveB1 — Form the standard Esperanto passive with esti plus an agreeing passive participle, while keeping tense and event phase separate.
- Choosing -AT- versus -IT-B2 — Choose -at- for an unfolding or repeated passive action and -it- for completion or its result, independently of the reference tense.
- Compound Active TensesB1 — Combine esti with active participles to express ongoing, completed, or prospective action relative to a chosen reference point.
- Relative Time in ParticiplesC2 — Interpret participial time relative to the described situation, separating ongoing, completed, and prospective action from calendar tense.
- Agents with DeB2 — Use de to identify the semantic doer of a passive participle, while distinguishing agents from sources, instruments, and experiencers.
- Avoiding Heavy Passive ChainsC2 — Recognize grammatical passive layers, then recast them with active agents, oni, simpler timing, or separate clauses when clarity improves.