Italian has not one passive construction but four. Each does something subtly different: essere + participle is the all-purpose passive, venire + participle adds dynamism and points to the action itself, andare + participle expresses obligation, and si passivante offers an impersonal short form. English packs all of these into a single "be + participle" construction, which is why English speakers struggle to choose among them in Italian.
This page is the master reference. It compares the four constructions side by side, explains when to pick each one, and links to the dedicated page for the details. Use it when you need a decision and when you want to see the system as a whole.
The four constructions at a glance
| Construction | Auxiliary | Meaning | Tenses | Agent allowed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| essere-passive | essere | Neutral passive | All | Yes (with da) |
| venire-passive | venire | Dynamic, action-focused | Simple only | Yes (with da) |
| andare-passive | andare | Obligation ("must be") | Simple only | No |
| si passivante | (none — clitic si) | Impersonal passive | All | No |
A worked comparison: the same idea, four ways
Suppose you want to convey something about a door being closed. Each construction shapes the meaning differently.
| Sentence | What it really says |
|---|---|
| La porta è chiusa. | The door is closed. (state — could be a result) |
| La porta viene chiusa alle otto. | The door gets closed at eight. (action — happens regularly) |
| La porta va chiusa alle otto. | The door must be closed at eight. (rule — what should happen) |
| Si chiude la porta alle otto. | The door is closed at eight. / One closes the door at eight. (impersonal) |
La porta è chiusa.
The door is closed. (state — describes a current condition)
La porta viene chiusa alle otto.
The door gets closed at eight. (dynamic — focuses on the action)
La porta va chiusa alle otto.
The door must be closed at eight. (obligation — a rule)
Si chiude la porta alle otto.
One closes the door at eight. (impersonal — no specific subject)
Decision guide: which passive should I use?
Walk down this list. The first match wins.
- Do I want to express obligation ("must be done")? → andare-passive (simple tenses only).
- Is this a generic or impersonal statement, with no specific agent in mind? → si passivante.
- Do I need a compound tense (past, future perfect, etc.)? → essere-passive is your only option among the active passives. (Si passivante also works in compound tenses with essere as auxiliary.)
- Do I want to emphasize the action as it unfolds, in a simple tense? → venire-passive.
- Do I need to specify an agent ("by X")? → essere-passive or venire-passive (both accept da
- agent).
- Is the focus on a state or result rather than the action? → essere-passive.
| If you want to... | Use |
|---|---|
| State a fact, describe a state, use any tense | essere |
| Highlight the action in a simple tense | venire |
| Express obligation ("must/should be") | andare |
| Make an impersonal statement, often in signs | si passivante |
Construction 1: essere-passive (the default)
The all-purpose passive. Built with essere + past participle, it works in every tense, with or without an agent. It is the closest equivalent to English "be + participle."
Il libro è stato scritto nel 1979.
The book was written in 1979.
La casa fu costruita da mio nonno.
The house was built by my grandfather.
I compiti saranno corretti domani.
The homework will be corrected tomorrow.
When in doubt, use this one. For the full treatment, see essere-passive.
Construction 2: venire-passive (action-focused)
Venire + participle is restricted to simple tenses (presente, imperfetto, futuro semplice, etc.). It cannot be used in compound tenses. Its meaning emphasizes the action itself rather than the resulting state.
The contrast with essere is sharpest in the present tense:
| Sentence | Reading |
|---|---|
| La porta è chiusa. | The door is (in a state of being) closed. |
| La porta viene chiusa. | The door is (being actively) closed. |
Le riunioni vengono organizzate dal direttore.
The meetings are organized by the director. (focus on the recurring action)
In Italia gli stipendi vengono pagati a fine mese.
In Italy salaries are paid at the end of the month. (factual, descriptive)
For the full treatment, see venire-passive.
Construction 3: andare-passive (obligation)
Andare + participle expresses obligation — what must or should be done. It is restricted to simple tenses (the same restriction as venire-passive, for the same reason). It cannot include an agent.
This is the construction of recipes, signs, manuals, and formal advice.
La pasta va cotta per dieci minuti.
The pasta must be cooked for ten minutes.
Questi documenti vanno firmati entro venerdì.
These documents must be signed by Friday.
Il problema andrebbe affrontato subito.
The problem should be addressed immediately. (condizionale — softer)
For the full treatment, see andare-passive.
Construction 4: si passivante (impersonal)
Si + transitive verb + object, with the verb agreeing with the object (now functionally a subject). This construction has no auxiliary in simple tenses, and the verb agrees with what was the object.
Si vende il pane qui.
Bread is sold here. (singular)
Si vendono libri usati.
Used books are sold. (plural)
Si parla italiano.
Italian is spoken.
In compound tenses, the auxiliary is always essere and the participle agrees:
Si è venduta la casa il mese scorso.
The house was sold last month.
Si sono vendute molte case quest'anno.
Many houses were sold this year.
For the full treatment, see si passivante.
How agents fit in: only two of the four allow them
Of the four constructions, only essere-passive and venire-passive accept an agent phrase introduced by da. The other two are inherently impersonal and refuse agents.
| Construction | Agent example |
|---|---|
| essere | Il libro è stato scritto da Calvino. |
| venire | I libri vengono spediti dal magazzino. |
| andare | (no agent — switch to active with dovere) |
| si passivante | (no agent — switch to active voice) |
For details, see expressing the agent with da.
Tense table: what you can do, where
This is the most useful single table for choosing among the constructions. Each cell shows whether the construction is permitted in that tense.
| Tense | essere | venire | andare | si passivante |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| presente | è chiuso | viene chiuso | va chiuso | si chiude |
| imperfetto | era chiuso | veniva chiuso | andava chiuso | si chiudeva |
| passato remoto | fu chiuso | venne chiuso | andò chiuso (rare) | si chiuse |
| futuro | sarà chiuso | verrà chiuso | andrà chiuso | si chiuderà |
| condizionale | sarebbe chiuso | verrebbe chiuso | andrebbe chiuso | si chiuderebbe |
| passato prossimo | è stato chiuso | (impossible) | (impossible) | si è chiuso |
| trapassato | era stato chiuso | (impossible) | (impossible) | si era chiuso |
| futuro anteriore | sarà stato chiuso | (impossible) | (impossible) | si sarà chiuso |
The pattern: venire and andare passives have no compound forms because their compound forms revert to the verbs of motion they look like (è venuto, è andato). Essere and si-passivante work in every tense.
A side-by-side worked example
Consider an English sentence: "The package is delivered every morning." Each construction gives a slightly different version.
Il pacco è consegnato ogni mattina.
The package is delivered every morning. (essere — neutral, possibly emphasizing state)
Il pacco viene consegnato ogni mattina.
The package gets delivered every morning. (venire — emphasizes the recurring action)
Il pacco va consegnato ogni mattina.
The package must be delivered every morning. (andare — instruction or rule)
Si consegna il pacco ogni mattina.
The package is delivered every morning. (si — impersonal, generic)
A native speaker, given context, would not pick at random. A descriptive observation calls for viene. A delivery contract clause calls for va. A bureaucratic notice calls for si. A neutral fact calls for è.
Common mistakes
❌ Il libro è venuto scritto da Calvino.
Incorrect — venire-passive does not exist in compound tenses.
✅ Il libro è stato scritto da Calvino.
Correct — for compound tenses, use essere-passive.
❌ La porta è andata chiusa ieri sera.
Incorrect — andare-passive has no compound form. This parses as 'the door went closed' (motion verb), which is nonsense.
✅ La porta avrebbe dovuto essere chiusa ieri sera.
Correct — for past obligation, use the dovere + essere + participle construction.
❌ Si vende libri qui.
Incorrect — si-passivante must agree with the object: libri is plural, so vendono.
✅ Si vendono libri qui.
Correct — plural agreement with the plural 'object.'
❌ La porta va chiusa da Marco.
Incorrect — andare-passive cannot include an agent phrase.
✅ Marco deve chiudere la porta.
Correct — for an obligation involving a specific agent, use active voice with dovere.
❌ Il libro è stato scritto di Calvino.
Incorrect — agent is introduced by da, never di.
✅ Il libro è stato scritto da Calvino.
Correct — da is the only Italian preposition for the agent.
Key takeaways
Italian has four passive constructions, and they are not interchangeable. Each carries its own nuance, has its own tense restrictions, and its own rule about agents.
Three things to internalize:
- Each construction has a meaning, not just a form. Essere is neutral, venire is dynamic, andare is normative, si is impersonal. Pick the one whose nuance matches what you want to say.
- Tense restrictions are real. Venire and andare passives exist only in simple tenses. Compound tenses force you to essere-passive (or to si-passivante with essere as auxiliary).
- Only essere and venire allow agents. If you need to name the doer, those are your only options. Otherwise — and most of the time in Italian — leave the agent out, or switch to active voice.
Once you can navigate the four constructions fluently, your Italian writing immediately gains the precision and register-sensitivity of a native speaker. For the dedicated treatment of each construction, follow the links to the individual pages.
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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.
- Passive with Andare (Passive of Obligation)B1 — How andare + past participle creates a concise passive that doesn't just describe — it commands. The grammar of recipes, instructions, and 'this needs to be done.'
- 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.
- 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.