In a passive construction, the agent is the entity that performs the action — the doer, even though it appears in the prepositional slot rather than the subject slot. La Divina Commedia è stata scritta da Dante — The Divine Comedy was written by Dante. Da is Italian's marker for the passive agent, and this is the cleanest 1:1 mapping between the two languages: English by (agent) → Italian da. No exceptions, no surprises.
The complication is everything around it. Italian distinguishes the agent (da Dante — by Dante) from the instrument (con la penna — with a pen), the material (di legno — out of wood), and the cause (per amore — for love). English squashes several of these together with with and by; Italian keeps them apart. This page covers the full passive-agent system — when da is the right preposition, how it interacts with essere, venire, and andare passives, and the contrasts with the prepositions that do related but different jobs.
1. The basic pattern
The structure of an Italian passive sentence with an expressed agent:
subject + essere/venire + past participle + da + agent
The participle agrees with the subject in gender and number — exactly as in any essere construction.
La lettera è stata scritta da Marco.
The letter was written by Marco. (lettera fem. sing. → scritta)
I libri sono stati letti da molti studenti.
The books were read by many students. (libri masc. pl. → letti)
Le porte sono state chiuse dal portiere.
The doors were closed by the doorman. (porte fem. pl. → chiuse, dal = da + il)
Il quadro fu dipinto da Caravaggio nel 1601.
The painting was painted by Caravaggio in 1601. (passato remoto, formal narrative)
Sono stato visto da tutti, non posso negare di essere passato.
I was seen by everyone — I can't deny I came by.
The agent slot can be a person (da Dante, da Marco), a group (da molti studenti, dal pubblico), an institution (dal governo, dalla polizia), or even an abstract force (dalla paura, dal vento). What matters is that the entity performs the action.
2. Essere passive: the default
The most common passive construction uses essere + past participle. It is the standard, neutral way to form a passive in any tense.
| Tense | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| presente | Marco scrive la lettera. | La lettera è scritta da Marco. |
| passato prossimo | Marco ha scritto la lettera. | La lettera è stata scritta da Marco. |
| imperfetto | Marco scriveva la lettera. | La lettera era scritta da Marco. |
| futuro | Marco scriverà la lettera. | La lettera sarà scritta da Marco. |
| condizionale | Marco scriverebbe la lettera. | La lettera sarebbe scritta da Marco. |
Il film è diretto da Fellini, una delle sue opere più famose.
The film is directed by Fellini — one of his most famous works.
La musica è stata composta da Ennio Morricone.
The music was composed by Ennio Morricone.
L'opera sarà eseguita dall'orchestra di Milano la prossima primavera.
The work will be performed by the Milan orchestra next spring.
The participle agreement is critical: la lettera è scritta (fem. sing. scritta), i libri sono scritti (masc. pl. scritti), le canzoni sono cantate (fem. pl. cantate).
3. Venire passive: action focus
Italian has a second passive auxiliary, venire, which can replace essere in simple tenses (present, imperfetto, future, conditional). It cannot be used in compound tenses. The semantic difference is subtle: venire foregrounds the action as it unfolds, while essere can be ambiguous between action and resulting state.
La porta viene chiusa da Marco.
The door is being closed by Marco. (action in progress)
La porta è chiusa.
The door is closed. (could be state — door is in a closed state — or passive — was closed)
Il romanzo viene tradotto da Maria in inglese.
The novel is being translated by Maria into English. (active translation, in progress)
Le idee verranno valutate dal comitato il mese prossimo.
The ideas will be evaluated by the committee next month. (futuro)
In compound tenses, only essere is allowed:
Il romanzo è stato tradotto da Maria.
The novel was translated by Maria. (passato prossimo, only essere)
The choice between essere and venire in simple tenses is partly stylistic. Venire is preferred when the action itself is the focus — typically in news writing, technical descriptions, and explanations of procedures. Essere is the more neutral default.
4. Andare passive: obligation
Italian has a third passive auxiliary, andare, which adds a modal nuance of obligation — "must be done" or "is to be done." It is more restricted than venire but very common in formal writing and instructions.
Il libro andrà letto da tutti gli studenti del corso.
The book is to be read by all students in the course. (must be read)
Le regole vanno rispettate da tutti, senza eccezioni.
The rules must be respected by everyone, no exceptions.
Il modulo va compilato in stampatello e firmato dal richiedente.
The form must be filled out in block letters and signed by the applicant.
The andare passive is restricted to verbs whose meaning admits an obligation reading (leggere, fare, pagare, restituire, rispettare, firmare, compilare — yes; vedere, sentire, ricordare — usually no). It also can't be used in compound tenses with this meaning.
A second use of andare + past participle expresses loss / disappearance: I documenti sono andati persi nell'incendio (the documents were lost in the fire). This is not an agent passive in the same sense — there is no da-phrase — but it shares the auxiliary.
5. The full agent system across the three auxiliaries
A consolidated picture:
| Auxiliary | Tenses | Nuance | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| essere | all tenses | neutral default; can be ambiguous between action and state in simple tenses | La porta è stata chiusa da Marco. |
| venire | simple tenses only | action focus, dynamic; common in news / procedure writing | La porta viene chiusa da Marco. |
| andare | simple tenses only | obligation: "must be done" | Le regole vanno rispettate da tutti. |
In all three, the agent is marked with da. The auxiliary changes the aspect or modality, but the preposition is invariant.
6. Da (agent) vs. con (instrument)
The first key contrast: the agent does the action; the instrument is what they use. Da marks the agent, con marks the instrument.
La lettera è stata scritta da Marco con la penna stilografica.
The letter was written by Marco with the fountain pen. (da Marco — agent; con la penna — instrument)
Il pane è stato tagliato dal cuoco con un coltello affilatissimo.
The bread was cut by the chef with a very sharp knife. (dal cuoco — agent; con un coltello — instrument)
Il dipinto è stato restaurato dagli esperti con tecniche moderne.
The painting was restored by the experts with modern techniques. (dagli esperti — agent; con tecniche moderne — instrument)
English collapses both into "with" or "by" depending on context, which trips learners up in both directions. The Italian rule is rigid: a person or sentient entity that performs the action takes da; a tool used to perform the action takes con.
A useful test: ask "who or what is doing the action?" That gets da. Ask "what is being used to do the action?" That gets con.
7. Da (agent) vs. di (material)
The second contrast: the material an object is made of takes di, not da.
Il tavolo è fatto di legno massello.
The table is made of solid wood. (di legno — material)
Le scarpe sono fatte di cuoio italiano.
The shoes are made of Italian leather. (di cuoio — material)
Il libro è stato scritto da un autore famoso, ma è stampato su carta riciclata.
The book was written by a famous author, but it's printed on recycled paper. (da un autore — agent; carta — separate noun)
The fatto da / fatto di contrast is a classic learner confusion: fatto da X means "made by X" (X is the maker); fatto di X means "made of X" (X is the material). Both are correct Italian; they mean different things.
La sedia è stata fatta da un artigiano locale.
The chair was made by a local craftsman. (da un artigiano — agent / maker)
La sedia è fatta di legno e di metallo.
The chair is made of wood and metal. (di legno — material)
The two can coexist: La sedia è stata fatta da un artigiano locale di legno italiano — "The chair was made by a local craftsman from Italian wood." Both da and di play their respective roles.
8. Da (agent) vs. per (cause / motivation)
The third contrast: causes and motivations take per, not da. This trips up English speakers because English uses "by" for some causes (killed by hunger) and "for" for others (for love).
È morto per cause naturali.
He died of natural causes. (per — cause)
Lo fa per amore, non per soldi.
He does it for love, not for money. (per — motivation)
L'edificio è stato distrutto dal terremoto.
The building was destroyed by the earthquake. (dal — agent / direct cause acting on it)
L'edificio è stato chiuso per motivi di sicurezza.
The building was closed for safety reasons. (per — abstract reason)
The boundary between da and per in cause-like contexts is subtle. The rule of thumb: a direct, active agent (an earthquake, a person, a force acting on the object) takes da; an abstract reason or motivation takes per. Distrutto dal terremoto (destroyed by the earthquake — the earthquake is acting), chiuso per motivi di sicurezza (closed for safety reasons — the reasons are not acting, they motivate the closure).
9. Da for source of emotion (related but distinct)
A semi-passive use: da can mark the source of an emotional or physical reaction — what causes you to tremble, cry, or laugh.
Tremavo dal freddo aspettando l'autobus.
I was shivering from the cold waiting for the bus. (dal freddo — source)
È morto dalle risate al film di Benigni.
He died laughing at the Benigni film. (dalle risate)
Stavo per piangere dalla rabbia.
I was about to cry from anger.
This use is not a passive agent in the strict sense — there's no participle, no auxiliary — but it shares the spatial intuition: da points to the source of the reaction. Compare with di + cause, which is more abstract: morire di fame (die of hunger), morire di freddo (die of cold), piangere di gioia (cry from joy). Both are correct; da tends to feel more direct and immediate, di more categorical.
10. Si passivante: the agentless alternative
Italian has a second way to form a passive: with the impersonal si + active verb in 3rd person. This construction is agentless by design — there is no slot for da + agent.
Si vendono libri usati.
Used books are sold. / We sell used books. (no agent expressed)
In questo bar si parla solo italiano.
Only Italian is spoken in this bar.
Si dice che la trattoria sia ottima.
It's said that the trattoria is excellent.
Le decisioni si prendono in fretta in questa azienda.
Decisions are made quickly at this company.
If you want to express the agent of a si-passive, you switch to the essere-passive with da:
Le decisioni vengono prese in fretta dal direttore.
Decisions are made quickly by the director. (with agent — switch to da)
The si passivante is preferred when the agent is generic, irrelevant, or unknown ("books are sold" — by whom doesn't matter). The essere-passive with da is required when the agent matters.
11. Why the da / con split exists
Italian inherited the agent / instrument split from Latin, where the passive agent was marked with the preposition a / ab + ablative (scriptus a Cicerone — written by Cicero), and the instrument was marked with the bare ablative with no preposition (scriptus calamo — written with a reed pen). When the case system collapsed, Italian needed prepositions for both, and chose da (the descendant of Latin de ab) for agents and con (Latin cum) for instruments.
The result is a system where the role of the noun in the action is encoded by the preposition. This is one of the cleaner inheritances from Latin: where English flattens the distinction with "by" and "with," Italian keeps the roles distinct.
12. The full preposition / role matrix
A consolidated view of how Italian assigns prepositions to non-subject participants in a passive sentence:
| Role | Preposition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Agent (who does it) | da | scritto da Dante |
| Instrument (with what) | con | scritto con la penna |
| Material (made of) | di | fatto di legno |
| Reason / motivation | per | chiuso per riparazioni |
| Direct cause (force acting) | da | distrutto dal terremoto |
| Abstract cause (categorical) | di | morire di fame |
| Recipient / beneficiary | per | scritto per i bambini |
| Source of emotion | da | tremare dal freddo |
This grid covers the entire space of "who, with what, why, for whom, of what" relationships in passive sentences. Once you can pick the right preposition for any given role, you have the system.
13. Common mistakes
These are the errors English speakers consistently make.
❌ La lettera è scritta con Marco.
Incorrect — Marco is the agent (who wrote it), not the instrument. The right preposition is 'da': scritta da Marco.
✅ La lettera è scritta da Marco.
The letter is written by Marco.
❌ Il tavolo è fatto da legno.
Incorrect — wood is the material, not the agent. The right preposition is 'di': fatto di legno.
✅ Il tavolo è fatto di legno.
The table is made of wood.
❌ La porta è stata aperta per Marco.
Incorrect for the agent meaning — 'per Marco' means 'for Marco's benefit' (recipient), not 'by Marco'. Use 'da Marco' for the agent.
✅ La porta è stata aperta da Marco.
The door was opened by Marco.
❌ Il film è diretto con Fellini.
Incorrect — Fellini is the director (agent), not the instrument. Use 'da Fellini'.
✅ Il film è diretto da Fellini.
The film is directed by Fellini.
❌ Il libro è stata scritto da Dante.
Incorrect agreement — 'libro' is masculine singular, so the participle should be 'scritto', not 'scritta'. The auxiliary should also be 'è stato', not 'è stata'.
✅ Il libro è stato scritto da Dante.
The book was written by Dante.
❌ Il modulo deve essere riempito da i candidati.
Incorrect — 'da + i' must contract to 'dai'. The right form is 'dai candidati'.
✅ Il modulo deve essere riempito dai candidati.
The form must be filled out by the candidates.
14. Key takeaways
The Italian passive-agent system has a few core rules and one big payoff:
- Agent → da. Always. Scritto da Dante, costruito dagli operai, visto da tutti.
- Instrument → con. Scritto con la penna, tagliato con il coltello.
- Material → di. Fatto di legno, costruito di pietra.
- Cause / motivation → per. Chiuso per riparazioni, fatto per amore.
- Direct cause acting on the object → da. Distrutto dal terremoto, colpito dalla pioggia.
- Three auxiliaries for the passive: essere (default, all tenses), venire (action focus, simple tenses), andare (obligation, simple tenses).
- Si passivante is the agentless alternative — si vendono libri, no da-slot available.
The payoff is that Italian forces you to clarify, in every passive sentence, which role each noun is playing — agent, instrument, material, cause, or recipient. English can be ambiguous; Italian cannot. Once you internalize the four-way preposition split, you read and write Italian passives with surgical precision.
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Open the Italian course →Related Topics
- Expressing the Agent with DaB1 — Italian uses da — and only da — to introduce who did the action in a passive sentence. Why this preposition matters, when to omit the agent, and why naming the doer often signals you should switch to active voice.
- The Preposition Da: OverviewA1 — Italian's most multifunctional preposition — origin, time-since, passive agent, 'at someone's place', purpose, and 'as / like'. Da has the widest semantic range of any Italian preposition.
- Passive Voice: OverviewB1 — An overview of Italian passive constructions — essere + participle, venire + participle, andare + participle, and the si-passivante alternative — and why Italian uses passive voice less than English.
- Si Passivante: The Passive SiB1 — The construction behind 'si vendono libri' and every Italian shop window. How a tiny clitic creates a passive without an auxiliary — and why the verb agrees with what looks like the object.
- Da for Time DurationA2 — The signature Italian construction: present tense + da + duration for actions that started in the past and continue into the present. Studio italiano da tre anni — I've been studying Italian for three years.
- The Preposition Di: OverviewA1 — Di is Italian's most versatile preposition — possession, material, origin, topic, partitive, comparison, time, cause, authorship, and the connector between certain verbs and infinitives. The full inventory of uses, the contractions del / della / dei / degli / delle, and the elision di → d' before vowels.