You already know the two Romanian passives in isolation — the se-passive and the a fi passive. This page is the workshop: given an English passive, how do you pick the most idiomatic Romanian rendering? The single most useful principle is that Romanian avoids the heavy a fi passive wherever it can, reaching instead for the lighter se-passive or an impersonal active. Your practical skill, then, is to default to the lightest option and only "upgrade" to a fi + participle when you specifically need to name an agent or stress a finished result. We'll build that reflex with worked conversions.
The toolbox, lightest to heaviest
Four ways to render a passive idea, roughly in order of how much Romanian likes them:
| Tool | When it's the best fit | Example |
|---|---|---|
| se-passive | agentless, general, habitual, instructions, signs | Aici se vorbește română. |
| impersonal active (se + verb) | "it is said/known/believed that…" | Se spune că va ploua. |
| active reordering | there's a natural doer you can just make the subject | Cineva mi-a furat bicicleta. |
| a fi + participle | agent named, or finished result stressed; formal | Romanul a fost scris de Eminescu. |
Tool 1: the se-passive (your default)
For anything general, habitual, instructional, or simply agentless, se is the idiomatic choice. English's be-passive maps onto it constantly, and learners under-use it because their native passive is be + participle.
Aici se vorbește română și maghiară.
Romanian and Hungarian are spoken here.
Biletele se cumpără online.
Tickets are bought online.
Ușa se închide automat.
The door is closed automatically / closes automatically.
Remember the se-passive agrees with its patient-subject in number: singular se cumpără biletul, plural se cumpără biletele (here the verb form is the same, but with other verbs it shows: se vinde casa / se vând casele).
Tool 2: the impersonal active — "it is said that…"
For English's "it is said / known / believed / thought that…," Romanian uses an impersonal se with the active verb, not a clunky a fi passive. This is one of the most common places English speakers reach for the wrong tool. See also the impersonal se.
Se spune că iarna va fi grea anul acesta.
It is said that the winter will be hard this year.
Se știe că fumatul dăunează sănătății.
It is known that smoking harms your health.
Se crede că prețurile vor crește.
It is believed that prices will rise.
There is no participle here at all — se spune, se știe, se crede are just the active verb with se. Translating "it is said that…" as este spus că… is grammatical but heavy and foreign-sounding; Romanian says se spune că….
Tool 3: just make the doer the subject (active reordering)
Often the cleanest fix for an English passive is to abandon the passive altogether. If there is a natural or vague doer, make it the subject of an active sentence — frequently with cineva ("someone") for an unknown agent.
Cineva mi-a furat bicicleta.
My bike was stolen. (lit. 'someone stole my bike' — the natural Romanian)
Mi-au tăiat curentul ieri.
My electricity was cut off yesterday. (lit. 'they cut my electricity' — vague 'they')
The "vague they" (mi-au tăiat, te caută cineva) is hugely idiomatic and a frequent better choice than any passive. English would say "I was told that…"; Romanian happily says Mi s-a spus că… or Mi-au spus că….
Tool 4: a fi + participle — when you genuinely need it
Reserve the heavy a fi passive for its two real jobs: (1) naming the agent, and (2) stressing a completed result in formal/written register.
Romanul „Ion” a fost scris de Liviu Rebreanu.
The novel 'Ion' was written by Liviu Rebreanu. (agent named)
Suspectul a fost reținut de poliție aseară.
The suspect was detained by the police last night. (journalistic, agent named)
Lucrarea este deja terminată.
The paper is already finished. (resultant state stressed)
If you remove the agent and the formality, each of these would more naturally become a se-form or an active in speech.
Drills: convert these English passives
Cover the Romanian and try each one. Then check the idiomatic answer and the reasoning.
1. Coffee is grown in Brazil. → general/agentless → se.
Cafeaua se cultivă în Brazilia.
Coffee is grown in Brazil.
2. The decision was made by the committee. → named agent, formal → a fi.
Decizia a fost luată de către comisie.
The decision was made by the committee.
3. It is believed that he left the country. → "it is believed that" → impersonal active.
Se crede că a părăsit țara.
It is believed that he left the country.
4. My phone was stolen on the bus. → unknown doer, speech → active reordering (or se).
Mi-au furat telefonul în autobuz. / Mi s-a furat telefonul în autobuz.
My phone was stolen on the bus.
5. Dinner is served at eight. → instructional/general → se.
Cina se servește la ora opt.
Dinner is served at eight.
6. The contract was signed yesterday by both parties. → named agent, specific event → a fi.
Contractul a fost semnat ieri de ambele părți.
The contract was signed yesterday by both parties.
7. This is done differently in Romania. → general practice → se.
În România, asta se face altfel.
In Romania, this is done differently.
Common Mistakes
❌ Română este vorbită aici.
Stiff — a general 'X is spoken here' wants the se-passive.
✅ Aici se vorbește română.
Romanian is spoken here.
❌ Este spus că va ploua.
Wrong — 'it is said that' is the impersonal active 'se spune că', not an a fi passive.
✅ Se spune că va ploua.
It is said that it will rain.
❌ Bicicleta mea a fost furată de cineva ieri (în vorbire casual).
Over-heavy for speech — Romanians just say someone stole it.
✅ Cineva mi-a furat bicicleta ieri. / Mi-au furat bicicleta ieri.
My bike was stolen yesterday.
❌ Cafeaua este cultivată în Brazilia (ca afirmație generală).
Stilted as a general fact — use the se-passive.
✅ Cafeaua se cultivă în Brazilia.
Coffee is grown in Brazil.
❌ Cina a fost servită la ora opt (ca regulă obișnuită).
Wrong register for a standing rule — that's the se-passive.
✅ Cina se servește la ora opt.
Dinner is served at eight.
Key Takeaways
- Romanian avoids the heavy a fi passive; the skill is choosing the lightest faithful rendering.
- Default to the se-passive for general, habitual, instructional, agentless statements (Aici se vorbește română).
- Use the impersonal active for "it is said/known/believed that…" (Se spune că…) — never este spus că.
- Often the most natural fix is to make a doer the subject of an active sentence (Cineva mi-a furat…, Mi-au tăiat…).
- Reserve a fi + participle for naming an agent or stressing a result, in formal/written register.
Now practice Romanian
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Romanian→Related Topics
- Choosing the Passive: se vs a fiB2 — A decision guide for Romanian's two passives — the se-passive for generic, agentless, habitual statements, and a fi + participle for a specific completed event with a nameable agent.
- The Impersonal se (one/you/they)B1 — How Romanian uses se for fully generic statements with no specific subject — the natural rendering of English 'one', 'you', 'they', and 'people'.
- The Passive with a fi + participleB2 — Romanian's periphrastic passive — a fi in any tense plus an agreeing participle, with an optional 'de (către)' agent — and the crucial fact that this participle agrees while the perfect-compus participle does not.
- The Agent Phrase (de, de către)B2 — How Romanian marks the 'by X' agent in a passive — de către in formal register, plain de colloquially and for non-human cause or instrument — and why the language usually prefers to drop the agent entirely with the se-passive.
- The a fi Passive Across TensesB2 — How to move the Romanian a fi passive through every tense and mood by conjugating only the auxiliary a fi — este/era/a fost/va fi/ar fi/să fie construit — while the participle stays put and agrees with the subject.