Norwegian has two passives, and choosing between them is not a matter of taste — it tracks a real difference in meaning and register. The s-passive (just add -s to the verb: selges, forbys) states a general rule or standing instruction. The bli-passive (bli + past participle: ble solgt, blir bygd) reports a specific event and works in every tense. This page is the compact chooser; for the mechanics of each, see verbs/s-passive and verbs/bli-passive.
The core split in one sentence
Generic, rule-like, present/infinitive → s-passive. Specific event, any tense, spoken default → bli-passive.
Hold that next to two near-identical English sentences and the Norwegian forces a choice English never makes:
Øl selges ikke til mindreårige.
Beer is not sold to minors. (a standing rule)
Ølet ble solgt på under en time.
The beer was sold in under an hour. (a specific event)
Both are "is/was sold." But the first is a policy that holds in general — selges, s-passive — and the second is something that happened on one occasion — ble solgt, bli-passive.
When to use the s-passive
The s-passive belongs to timeless, generic statements: rules, regulations, signs, instructions, recipes, and procedures. It lives most comfortably in the present tense and the infinitive, and it carries a (formal) to neutral-written flavour.
Rules, regulations, signs
Røyking forbys i alle offentlige bygg.
Smoking is prohibited in all public buildings.
Billetter kjøpes ved inngangen.
Tickets are bought at the entrance.
Døra åpnes klokka ni og låses klokka fem.
The door is opened at nine and locked at five. (standing routine)
Recipes and instructions
Cookbooks and manuals are almost pure s-passive, because every step is a generic instruction valid each time you follow it.
Eggene piskes til de er stive, og sukkeret tilsettes gradvis.
The eggs are whipped until stiff, and the sugar is added gradually.
Retten serveres kald, gjerne med et glass hvitvin.
The dish is served cold, ideally with a glass of white wine.
Bland alt godt sammen, og la deigen hvile i en time. Deretter stekes den på 200 grader.
Mix everything well, and let the dough rest for an hour. Then it is baked at 200 degrees.
The infinitive after modals
After a modal (kan, må, skal, bør), the passive infinitive is usually the s-form: kan kjøpes, må leveres, skal ryddes. This is the natural place for the s-passive even in speech.
Billettene kan kjøpes på nett eller i kiosken.
The tickets can be bought online or at the kiosk.
Søknaden må leveres innen fredag.
The application must be submitted by Friday.
When to use the bli-passive
The bli-passive reports a specific event — something that happened, or will happen, to something on a particular occasion. It is the default in speech, it works in every tense, and it is the form you use when you want to name the agent with av.
Specific events, in any tense
Huset ble malt i fjor sommer.
The house was painted last summer.
Vinduet blir reparert i morgen.
The window is being repaired tomorrow.
Broa har blitt bygd på rekordtid.
The bridge has been built in record time.
Naming the agent with av
When you want to say who did it, use bli + participle + av. The s-passive resists an explicit agent; the bli-passive welcomes it.
Døra ble åpnet av vaktmesteren.
The door was opened by the caretaker.
Forslaget ble lagt fram av regjeringen.
The proposal was put forward by the government.
The critical rule: the past s-passive is archaic
Here is the trap that catches English speakers and Swedish-influenced learners. There is no living past-tense s-passive. Forms like selgtes or malades are (archaic) — you will meet them only in old legal texts and frozen idioms. To put a passive event in the past, you must switch to the bli-passive.
❌ Huset maltes i fjor.
Incorrect/archaic — the past s-passive is not used in modern Norwegian.
✅ Huset ble malt i fjor.
The house was painted last year.
The decision table
| Signal in the sentence | Passive to use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| General rule / regulation / sign | s-passive | Røyking forbys. |
| Recipe / instruction step | s-passive | Deigen stekes på 200 grader. |
| Habitual / standing routine, present | s-passive | Døra åpnes klokka ni. |
| Infinitive after a modal | s-passive (usually) | Kan kjøpes på nett. |
| A specific event, present | bli-passive | Huset blir malt nå. |
| Any past-tense passive | bli-passive | Huset ble malt. |
| Perfect / pluperfect / future | bli-passive | Har blitt bygd. |
| Agent named with av | bli-passive | Ble åpnet av ham. |
| Default in everyday speech | bli-passive | Bilen ble stjålet. |
A useful overlap: the present tense
The one place both passives genuinely compete is the present tense of a recurring or generic event. Avisen leveres hver morgen (s) and Avisen blir levert hver morgen (bli) both work. The s-form leans (formal) / written and more rule-like; the bli-form leans spoken and more event-like. When in doubt in speech, the bli-passive is the safer, more natural choice; in a written notice or instruction, the s-passive is crisper.
Avisen leveres hver morgen før klokka sju.
The paper is delivered every morning before seven. (notice/formal)
Avisen blir levert hver morgen — bortsett fra i dag.
The paper gets delivered every morning — except today. (spoken, this concrete case)
How this differs from English
English has one passive — be + participle — that covers everything: rules (beer is not sold to minors), events (the door was opened), every tense. So English gives you no cue about which Norwegian passive to pick; you have to read the meaning (generic vs. specific) and the register (written rule vs. spoken event) yourself. The good news is that the cue is consistent: ask whether you are stating a standing rule or reporting one event, and the choice falls out.
Common Mistakes
The errors below are the ones English speakers actually make, all stemming from the single English passive being split into two.
❌ Bilen stjeles i går kveld.
Incorrect — a specific past event cannot use the s-passive (and not the present anyway).
✅ Bilen ble stjålet i går kveld.
The car was stolen last night.
❌ Pakken ble levert hver dag klokka tre.
Awkward — a standing routine is generic, so the s-passive fits better.
✅ Pakken leveres hver dag klokka tre.
The parcel is delivered every day at three.
❌ Eggene blir pisket, så blir sukkeret tilsatt, så blir det stekt.
Unidiomatic for a recipe — instruction steps take the s-passive, not strings of bli.
✅ Eggene piskes, sukkeret tilsettes, og det stekes på 200 grader.
The eggs are whipped, the sugar is added, and it is baked at 200 degrees.
❌ Huset selges av naboen min i forrige uke.
Incorrect — a past event with an av-agent must be bli-passive.
✅ Huset ble solgt av naboen min i forrige uke.
The house was sold by my neighbour last week.
Key Takeaways
- s-passive (verb + -s): general rules, signs, recipes, instructions, the present/infinitive, (formal)/written. Øl selges ikke til mindreårige.
- bli-passive (bli + participle): specific events, every tense, the spoken default, and whenever you name the agent with av. Døra ble åpnet av vaktmesteren.
- The past s-passive is archaic — any passive in the past tense uses ble + participle.
- In the present, both can appear for recurring events; pick s for rule-like/written, bli for event-like/spoken.
- English's single passive gives no cue — decide by generic vs. specific meaning and written-rule vs. spoken-event register.
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Start learning Norwegian→Related Topics
- The s-PassiveB1 — How to form the synthetic -s passive (selges, åpnes, gjøres) and why Norwegian reserves it for rules, signs and the present tense.
- The bli-PassiveB1 — How to form the periphrastic bli + past participle passive (ble åpnet, blir valgt, har blitt bygd) and why it — not the s-passive — is the default for specific events.
- Formal and Bureaucratic NorwegianB2 — The noun-heavy, passive-heavy kansellistil of officialdom, the Danish/Latinate connectors that mark it, and the official klarspråk movement pushing agencies toward plain language.
- Why There Is No -ing FormA2 — Norwegian has no English-style -ing form: the simple present covers 'am reading', the infinitive covers the gerund-noun, and holde på å / drive og expresses an action in progress.