The Present Passive Voice
The passive voice is used when the focus of a sentence is on the receiver of an action rather than the doer. It is especially useful when describing industrial processes, manufacturing, or general procedures where the person performing the action is unknown or unimportant.
To form the present passive voice in Dutch, use the present tense of worden as your auxiliary verb, paired with a past participle.
| Subject | Form of worden |
|---|
| ik | word |
| jij / u | wordt |
| hij / zij / het | wordt |
| wij / jullie / zij | worden |
Just like in other compound tenses, the auxiliary verb (worden) takes the second position in a main clause, and the past participle is sent to the very end.
Passive Subordinate Clauses
Remember that in a subordinate clause (such as one starting with omdat), all verbs are pushed to the end. In a passive subordinate clause, the conjugated form of worden and the past participle will sit together at the end of the sentence.
Questions in the Passive Voice
In a question, the auxiliary verb moves to the front of the sentence (or directly after a question word), but the past participle remains firmly at the end of the clause.
Combining Passive Actions
When describing a sequence of steps happening to the exact same subject, you do not need to repeat the subject or the auxiliary verb worden. You can simply link the past participles together.