Italian has a second passive auxiliary alongside essere: the verb venire ("to come"). The two passives are not interchangeable. Where the essere passive can describe either a state or an action — la porta è chiusa could mean either "the door is closed (right now, as a state)" or "the door is closed (gets closed regularly)" — the venire passive unambiguously emphasizes the action.
This grammatical distinction is something Italian has and English lacks. It comes with one big constraint: the venire passive works only in simple tenses.
The basic pattern
Conjugate venire in the tense you need, then add the past participle of the verb. The participle agrees with the subject in gender and number, exactly as with the essere passive.
Le lettere vengono scritte ogni mattina.
The letters get written every morning.
Il giornale viene consegnato alle sette.
The newspaper gets delivered at seven.
I libri verranno pubblicati il mese prossimo.
The books will be published next month.
The agent (if specified) is introduced with da, just like the essere passive:
Il pacchetto viene aperto dal destinatario.
The package is opened by the addressee.
Le decisioni vengono prese dal consiglio.
The decisions are made by the board.
The action vs state distinction
Here is the core point. Compare these two sentences:
La porta è chiusa.
The door is closed. (state — the door is in a closed condition; could be ambiguous)
La porta viene chiusa alle 18:00.
The door is closed (gets closed) at 6 PM. (action — someone closes it daily)
The first sentence with essere is genuinely ambiguous in isolation. It could mean:
- "The door is closed" (right now — describing the current state)
- "The door is closed" (in general, as a passive of the action)
The second sentence with venire is unambiguous — it can only mean the action. Venire + participle removes the stative reading entirely. This is why it is the natural choice when you want to describe a recurring or ongoing process.
Le notizie venivano diffuse attraverso la radio durante la guerra.
The news was being spread via the radio during the war. (recurring process)
Le bollette vengono pagate online da tutti ormai.
Bills are paid online by everyone these days.
Where it shines: news, instructions, processes
The venire passive thrives in genres that describe processes, procedures, and recurring events:
News reporting
L'inchiesta verrà condotta dalla magistratura.
The inquiry will be conducted by the magistracy.
I risultati vengono pubblicati ogni venerdì.
The results are published every Friday.
Instructions and recipes
L'impasto viene lavorato per dieci minuti.
The dough is worked for ten minutes.
La pasta viene scolata e condita subito.
The pasta is drained and seasoned right away.
Workplace and bureaucratic processes
Le richieste vengono esaminate entro tre giorni.
Requests are reviewed within three days.
Il modulo viene compilato in duplice copia.
The form is filled out in duplicate.
The big constraint: simple tenses only
This is the one rule you must remember. The venire passive does not exist in compound tenses. There is no è venuto scritto. For the past, you must switch back to essere.
| Tense | Venire passive | Compound past equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| presente | viene scritta | — |
| imperfetto | veniva scritta | — |
| passato remoto | venne scritta | — |
| futuro semplice | verrà scritta | — |
| condizionale presente | verrebbe scritta | — |
| congiuntivo presente | venga scritta | — |
| congiuntivo imperfetto | venisse scritta | — |
| passato prossimo | (does not exist) | è stata scritta |
| trapassato prossimo | (does not exist) | era stata scritta |
| futuro anteriore | (does not exist) | sarà stata scritta |
La lettera viene scritta ogni settimana.
The letter gets written every week. (present, venire OK)
La lettera è stata scritta ieri.
The letter was written yesterday. (past — must use essere; *è venuta scritta does not exist)
This split feels arbitrary at first, but the logic is that venire itself, as an auxiliary, only carries its action-emphasizing flavor in simple tenses. In compound tenses, the focus naturally shifts toward the completed event, and essere is the appropriate auxiliary.
Sample paradigm: scrivere with venire
Here is scrivere in the passive with venire across the simple tenses. The subject is la lettera (feminine singular).
| Tense | Form |
|---|---|
| presente | viene scritta |
| imperfetto | veniva scritta |
| passato remoto | venne scritta |
| futuro semplice | verrà scritta |
| condizionale presente | verrebbe scritta |
| congiuntivo presente | venga scritta |
| congiuntivo imperfetto | venisse scritta |
Spero che la lettera venga scritta in tempo.
I hope the letter gets written in time.
Se la lettera venisse scritta oggi, arriverebbe domani.
If the letter were written today, it would arrive tomorrow.
Substituting with si-passivante
In many contexts where the venire passive works, the si-passivante is also possible — and often more colloquial:
Le lettere vengono scritte ogni mattina.
The letters get written every morning. (venire passive)
Le lettere si scrivono ogni mattina.
The letters get written every morning. (si-passivante, more colloquial)
The si-passivante feels more "everyday Italian"; the venire passive feels more "official register" — but both are common. Recipes typically use either or both, alternating for stylistic variation.
Cannot replace essere when describing states
The venire passive cannot describe a state. If you want to say "the museum is open" (a description of the museum's current condition), you cannot use venire — you need essere or aperto on its own.
Il museo è aperto dalle 9 alle 18.
The museum is open from 9 to 6. (state — essere)
Il museo viene aperto alle 9.
The museum gets opened at 9. (action — venire; describes the act of opening)
These mean different things. The first describes opening hours (a state of being open); the second describes the daily action of someone unlocking the doors.
Common mistakes
❌ La lettera è venuta scritta.
Incorrect — venire passive does not exist in compound tenses.
✅ La lettera è stata scritta.
Correct — for the past, switch to essere.
❌ Il pacco viene consegnato da ieri.
Incorrect — venire describes habitual/recurring action, not a state lasting since a point in time. With 'from yesterday' you want a different structure.
✅ Il pacco è stato consegnato ieri. / Il pacco viene consegnato ogni mattina.
Correct — either past event with essere, or habitual present with venire.
❌ Le decisioni vengono preso dal consiglio.
Incorrect — the participle must agree with feminine plural 'decisioni'.
✅ Le decisioni vengono prese dal consiglio.
Correct — feminine plural: prese.
❌ La porta viene chiusa adesso.
Awkward — venire suggests a recurring or general action; for 'right now' the simple essere passive or active sentence is more natural.
✅ Stanno chiudendo la porta. / La porta si sta chiudendo.
Better — active progressive or middle-voice si construction for action happening at this moment.
❌ Il museo viene aperto dalle 9 alle 18.
Incorrect for opening hours — this would describe the act of opening, not the state of being open.
✅ Il museo è aperto dalle 9 alle 18.
Correct — essere for the state of being open.
Key takeaways
The venire passive is Italian's tool for grammatically distinguishing action from state. La porta è chiusa could be a state ("the door is closed") or a passive action ("the door is closed by someone"); La porta viene chiusa can only be the action.
It works only in simple tenses. There is no è venuto scritto — for compound tenses, you must use the essere passive (è stato scritto).
Use it for: news, instructions, recipes, descriptions of recurring processes, and any context where you want to emphasize that something happens (rather than something exists in a state). In casual speech, the si-passivante (le lettere si scrivono) often plays a similar role with a more conversational feel.
For the foundational essere passive that handles every tense, see passive with essere. For passive voice strategies as a whole, see passive voice overview.
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Open the Italian course →Related Topics
- 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.
- 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.
- Participle Agreement RulesA2 — The three scenarios that govern how Italian past participles agree (or stay frozen) in compound tenses — with the preceding-clitic rule that trips up almost every learner.