Present subjunctive passive (be-shavad / be-shavand)

The Present Subjunctive Passive

When talking about official procedures, you often need to say that a form must be filled or a document should be submitted. To express the passive voice for actions that are required, desired, or uncertain, Farsi uses the Present Subjunctive Passive.

For simple verbs, form this by combining the past participle of the main verb (Past Stem + ه) with the present subjunctive of شدن (to become/to get). Since administrative tasks usually involve inanimate objects rather than people, you will primarily use the third-person singular (بشود) and third-person plural (بشوند).

However, administrative language relies heavily on compound verbs formed with کردن (to do). For these compound verbs, you do not need a past participle. Simply replace کردن with the subjunctive forms of شدن.

Official Requirements

You will use this structure frequently after necessity words like باید (must) or formal phrases like الزامی است که (it is mandatory that).

It is also required after verbs expressing intention, such as wanting or not wanting something to happen.

Note that some compound verbs, such as رسیدگی کردن (to process / to handle), require a preposition (به). When these verbs are placed in the passive voice, the sentence becomes impersonal. The verb remains in the singular form (بشود), even if the object of the preposition is plural.

Asking Questions and Plurals

To ask about procedures, use question words like کجا (where) or begin the sentence with the yes/no question marker آیا.

When a sentence has a standard grammatical subject (not tied to a preposition) and that subject is plural, you must use the plural auxiliary verb بشوند.

Spoken Farsi

As you might expect, spoken Farsi shortens these passive verbs in casual conversation. The singular verb بشود drops its final letter to become بشه, and the plural form بشوند shrinks to بشن. You will also hear plural nouns like سندها (documents) blend into سندای.