In any passive sentence, you may want to specify who carried out the action. English uses the preposition by: "the book was written by Calvino." Italian has exactly one preposition for this job: da. Not di, not per — only da.
This page covers everything about the agent phrase in Italian passives: which constructions allow it, which forbid it, how to contract da with definite articles, and why Italian writers often omit the agent (or skip the passive entirely) where English writers would name it.
The basic pattern
Place da + agent after the verb. The agent can be a person, an institution, or any noun.
Il libro è stato scritto da Calvino.
The book was written by Calvino.
La Tour Eiffel fu costruita da Eiffel nel 1889.
The Eiffel Tower was built by Eiffel in 1889.
Il pacco è stato consegnato dal postino.
The package was delivered by the postman.
La cena è preparata da mio nonno.
Dinner is prepared by my grandfather.
L'edificio fu progettato da un architetto americano.
The building was designed by an American architect.
Which passives accept an agent
Italian has multiple passive constructions, and they do not all permit an agent phrase. Knowing which is which saves you from writing ungrammatical sentences.
| Construction | Agent allowed? | Example |
|---|---|---|
| essere-passive | Yes | Il libro è stato scritto da Calvino. |
| venire-passive | Yes | Il libro viene scritto da Calvino. |
| andare-passive | No | (impossible — see below) |
| si-passivante | No | (impossible — see below) |
The two "auxiliary + participle" passives (essere and venire) take agents freely. The two "impersonal" passives (andare and si-passivante) refuse them — their whole communicative point is to leave the agent unspecified.
Da contracts with the article
When the agent is preceded by a definite article, da contracts with it, just like every other preposition in Italian.
| da + | Contraction | Example |
|---|---|---|
| il | dal | dal postino |
| lo | dallo | dallo scienziato |
| l' | dall' | dall'autore |
| la | dalla | dalla maestra |
| i | dai | dai bambini |
| gli | dagli | dagli studenti |
| le | dalle | dalle ragazze |
Il quadro è stato dipinto dal famoso pittore.
The painting was painted by the famous painter.
La cena è stata cucinata dalla zia.
Dinner was cooked by the aunt.
I compiti sono stati corretti dagli insegnanti.
The homework was corrected by the teachers.
La proposta è stata accettata dall'azienda.
The proposal was accepted by the company.
Why "da" and not "di"
This is the single biggest source of confusion for learners coming from Spanish, French, or any background where they have seen di mean "of." In Italian, di is for possession and origin; da is for agency.
| Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Il libro di Calvino | The book of (= belonging to / written by) Calvino |
| Il libro è stato scritto da Calvino. | The book was written by Calvino. |
| Una poesia di Leopardi | A poem by Leopardi (possessive — attribution) |
| Una poesia scritta da Leopardi | A poem written by Leopardi (agent — passive) |
The difference: di signals attribution as a noun-modifier ("Calvino's book"), while da signals agency in a verbal construction. They are not interchangeable.
❌ Il libro è stato scritto di Calvino.
Incorrect — di marks possession or attribution, not agency in a passive.
✅ Il libro è stato scritto da Calvino.
Correct — da is the only preposition that introduces an agent.
Per is also wrong
English speakers sometimes calque "by" with per because in some contexts per translates as "for" or "by means of." For agents, this is wrong. Per introduces purpose, beneficiary, or means — not the doer of an action.
❌ La torta è stata fatta per mia nonna.
Ambiguous — this means 'the cake was made FOR my grandmother' (beneficiary), not by her.
✅ La torta è stata fatta da mia nonna.
Correct — da identifies the agent who made the cake.
The first sentence is grammatical but says something completely different from the intended meaning. This is a common transfer error from English.
When to omit the agent
In Italian — far more than in English — passive sentences often have no agent at all. There are several reasons writers leave it out:
- The agent is unknown ("the file was deleted")
- The agent is generic or uninteresting ("photographs are not allowed")
- The focus is entirely on the affected entity ("the bridge was destroyed")
- Naming the agent would be redundant (everyone knows who did it)
Il portafoglio è stato rubato in metropolitana.
The wallet was stolen on the subway. (agent unknown)
Le finestre vengono pulite ogni mese.
The windows are cleaned every month. (agent generic — some cleaning service)
Il ponte fu distrutto durante la guerra.
The bridge was destroyed during the war. (focus on the bridge, not the agent)
When you would name an agent, consider switching to active voice
Italian has a strong stylistic preference for active voice when the agent is present. If you find yourself writing X è stato fatto da Y, ask whether Y ha fatto X would sound better. In most everyday contexts it would.
| Passive with agent | Active alternative | Which is better? |
|---|---|---|
| Il libro è stato scritto da Calvino. | Calvino ha scritto il libro. | Both are fine; passive emphasizes the book. |
| La cena è stata preparata da mia madre. | Mia madre ha preparato la cena. | Active is more natural in conversation. |
| Il problema è stato risolto da Marco. | Marco ha risolto il problema. | Active wins — passive sounds bureaucratic. |
The passive shines when you want to foreground the patient — the affected entity — and treat the agent as background. In Italian, that often means leaving the agent unnamed entirely. If you need to name the agent, the passive's main advantage disappears, and the active sentence usually reads better.
Si-passivante: agent forbidden
The si-passivante construction (si vendono libri) is incompatible with an agent phrase. There is no way to add da + agent to a si-passive sentence. If you need to name the doer, you must abandon si-passivante.
❌ Si vendono libri da uno studente.
Incorrect — si-passivante does not accept an agent.
✅ Uno studente vende libri.
Correct — switch to active voice.
✅ I libri vengono venduti da uno studente.
Correct — venire-passive accepts the agent.
For more on si-passivante, see si passivante.
A worked example: rewriting an English passage
Consider this English text: "The novel was written by Calvino in 1979. It was praised by critics and was translated into thirty languages. The first edition was illustrated by the author himself."
Italian translation, using da for every "by":
Il romanzo è stato scritto da Calvino nel 1979.
The novel was written by Calvino in 1979.
Fu lodato dai critici e tradotto in trenta lingue.
It was praised by critics and translated into thirty languages.
La prima edizione è stata illustrata dall'autore stesso.
The first edition was illustrated by the author himself.
Notice the contractions: dai critici, dall'autore. And notice that an Italian writer might well rewrite the second sentence in active voice — I critici lo lodarono — for a more natural rhythm.
Common mistakes
❌ Il libro è stato scritto di Calvino.
Incorrect — di marks attribution, not agency. This sentence parses as ungrammatical.
✅ Il libro è stato scritto da Calvino.
Correct — da is the only preposition for the agent.
❌ La cena è stata cucinata per mia nonna.
Incorrect — per means 'for' (beneficiary), giving the wrong meaning.
✅ La cena è stata cucinata da mia nonna.
Correct — da introduces the cook, not the recipient.
❌ Il pacco è stato consegnato da il postino.
Incorrect — da must contract with il into dal.
✅ Il pacco è stato consegnato dal postino.
Correct — dal postino, with the contracted preposition.
❌ Si vendono libri da uno studente.
Incorrect — si-passivante cannot take an agent.
✅ Uno studente vende libri.
Correct — switch to active voice when an agent is needed.
❌ La porta va chiusa da Marco.
Incorrect — andare-passive cannot include an agent phrase.
✅ Marco deve chiudere la porta.
Correct — switch to active with dovere when the agent matters.
Key takeaways
In Italian passive constructions, the agent is introduced by exactly one preposition: da. Not di, not per — only da. And it must contract with the definite article: dal, dalla, dagli, etc.
Three points to remember:
- Da is the only agent preposition. Di marks possession, per marks purpose. Mixing them up changes the meaning.
- Only essere-passive and venire-passive accept agents. Andare-passive and si-passivante are inherently agent-less; if you need to name the agent, switch to active voice.
- Italian often omits the agent entirely. When the agent is unknown, generic, or background information, leave it out — and consider whether an active sentence might read more naturally if the agent really matters.
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Open the Italian course →Related Topics
- Passive with EssereB1 — The all-purpose Italian passive: essere + past participle, with the participle agreeing with the subject. Works in every tense and mood, including the tongue-twisting 'è stata scritta' double-essere compound.
- 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.
- Passive Voice: Complete ReferenceB1 — All four Italian passive constructions side by side — essere, venire, andare, and si-passivante. When to use each, what they really mean, and how to choose between them.