The Latin present passive indicative presents the subject as undergoing an action or process: epistula scrībitur “a letter is being written” or “a letter is written.” Unlike English, which uses “am/is/are” plus a participle, Latin normally expresses the present passive in one inflected word. The ending of scrībitur simultaneously marks third-person singular and passive voice.
These forms belong to the present system. Build them from the verb’s present-system identity—the first two principal parts and its conjugation—not from the perfect or supine stem. Then interpret the Latin present according to context: it may describe an action happening now, a regular practice, a general truth, or, in narrative, a vivid historical present.
The passive personal endings
The present-system passive endings are -r, -ris (also -re), -tur, -mur, -minī, -ntur. Their exact attachment depends on the conjugation.
| Person | Passive ending | Basic sense |
|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | -r | I am ...ed |
| 2nd singular | -ris / -re | you are ...ed |
| 3rd singular | -tur | he/she/it is ...ed |
| 1st plural | -mur | we are ...ed |
| 2nd plural | -minī | you all are ...ed |
| 3rd plural | -ntur | they are ...ed |
The second-person singular variant in -re is genuinely Classical, not an error: laudāre can mean “you are praised.” It can look identical to the present active infinitive “to praise” and, in some contexts, the singular passive imperative “be praised.” Syntax and clause structure resolve the ambiguity. Beginners may find -ris easier to recognize, but both variants are neutral Classical usage.
Paradigms across the five present patterns
| Person | 1st laudō | 2nd moneō | 3rd regō | 3rd-iō capiō | 4th audiō |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | laudor | moneor | regor | capior | audior |
| 2nd singular | laudāris | monēris | regeris | caperis | audīris |
| 3rd singular | laudātur | monētur | regitur | capitur | audītur |
| 1st plural | laudāmur | monēmur | regimur | capimur | audīmur |
| 2nd plural | laudāminī | monēminī | regiminī | capiminī | audīminī |
| 3rd plural | laudantur | monentur | reguntur | capiuntur | audiuntur |
The first and second conjugations preserve ā and ē in most forms. The third conjugation has e in the second singular but i before most other endings and u in the third plural. Third-iō and fourth conjugation share -iuntur in the third plural, but the infinitives capere and audīre identify their classes.
In scholā carmina recitantur et ā discipulīs discuntur.
At school poems are recited and learned by the students.
Nōmen tuum ad portam audītur.
Your name is being heard at the gate.
Cotīdiē ā magistrō monēmur.
Every day we are advised by the teacher.
The first example shows third-person plural recitantur and discuntur from different conjugations. Audītur is fourth conjugation; monēmur is first-person plural second conjugation.
Present time has several readings
Latin does not grammatically oppose English “is written” and “is being written.” A present passive can be progressive, habitual, or general.
Epistula nunc scrībitur; paulum exspectā.
The letter is being written now; wait a little.
Portae ad sōlis occāsum clauduntur.
The gates are closed at sunset.
Aurō multae rēs emuntur, sed amīcitia nōn emitur.
Many things are bought with gold, but friendship is not bought.
Nunc favors an action in progress. The sunset sentence describes a customary procedure. The final sentence states a general claim. The Latin forms themselves are all present passive indicatives.
In (literary) or vivid historical narrative, the present can recount past events as if unfolding before the reader: dux capitur, mīlitēs fugiunt “the commander is captured; the soldiers flee.” This historical present is a discourse technique, not a separate paradigm.
Subject, agent, and means
An active accusative object becomes the nominative subject of the corresponding personal passive.
Faber statuam facit.
The craftsperson makes a statue.
Statua ā fabrō fit.
A statue is made by the craftsperson.
The passive subject statua is nominative. A personal agent normally uses ā or ab plus the ablative: ā fabrō. An inanimate means or instrument normally uses the ablative alone.
Nōmen in cerā stilō scrībitur.
The name is written in wax with a stylus.
Stilō is the instrument, not a personal agent, so it has no ā/ab. Compare Ablative of Agent and Ablative of Means and Instrument.
Parse before translating
For discipulī ā magistrā vocantur, work through visible facts:
- -ntur marks third-person plural passive.
- voca- identifies first-conjugation vocō, vocāre.
- Nominative plural discipulī is the subject receiving the calling.
- Ā magistrā is the personal agent.
- Present context decides between “are called” and “are being called.”
Discipulī ā magistrā vocantur.
The students are being called by the teacher.
This Latin-first method prevents an English speaker from treating discipulī as actors merely because the noun comes first.
Lexical limits and apparent exceptions
Not every verb forms an ordinary personal passive. A transitive verb can generally promote its accusative object: magister puerum vocat → puer vocātur. An intransitive verb has no such object. Latin can instead use an impersonal third-person singular passive: pugnātur “there is fighting,” curritur “people run / there is running.” This usage is especially common in concise (formal) and historical prose.
In viā curritur, in campō pugnātur.
There is running in the road; there is fighting in the field.
Deponent verbs are the major lexical warning. Loquor looks like a first-person singular present passive but means “I speak,” active in sense. Its dictionary principal parts mark it as deponent. Do not reinterpret every -r form as a true passive without identifying the verb.
The verb faciō has present passive fīō, fīs, fit, fīmus, fītis, fīunt, not forms built mechanically as facior and facitur. This is an irregular lexical relationship treated on The Passive of faciō: fīō. Poetry may exploit alternative -re forms or unusual word order, but it does not create a different set of productive endings.
Common Mistakes
1. Using a form of sum plus a participle for the present passive
❌ Epistula scrīpta est nunc.
Wrong for ‘the letter is being written now’ — scrīpta est is perfect/resultative, not present progressive passive.
✅ Epistula nunc scrībitur.
The letter is being written now.
2. Leaving the old object accusative
❌ Hunc librum in scholā legitur.
Incorrect — the receiver remains accusative instead of becoming the nominative passive subject.
✅ Hic liber in scholā legitur.
This book is read at school.
3. Treating third-conjugation forms like first-conjugation forms
❌ Urbēs regantur ā cōnsulibus.
Wrong for present indicative ‘the cities are ruled’ — regantur is present subjunctive.
✅ Urbēs reguntur ā cōnsulibus.
The cities are ruled by the consuls.
4. Adding ā/ab before an instrument
❌ Litterae ā stilō scrībuntur.
Incorrect for an ordinary instrument — ā stilō would personify the stylus as an agent.
✅ Litterae stilō scrībuntur.
The letters are written with a stylus.
5. Giving a deponent a passive translation
❌ Ab amīcō loquor.
Incorrect for ‘I am speaking with a friend’ — loquor is deponent, not a passive with an agent.
✅ Cum amīcō loquor.
I am speaking with a friend.
Key Takeaways
The present passive indicative uses the present system plus -r, -ris/-re, -tur, -mur, -minī, and -ntur. Its nominative subject receives the action; a personal agent normally takes ā/ab plus ablative, while an instrument takes the ablative alone. Translate its present value from context, and check the dictionary for deponents and irregular fīō before assigning passive meaning.
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