Breakdown of Das Eisen wird vom Schmied geformt.
vom
from the (von + dem) / of the (belonging to) / by the (agent in a passive clause)
werden
to be (passive auxiliary + past participle)
der Schmied
the blacksmith
das Eisen
the iron
Questions & Answers about Das Eisen wird vom Schmied geformt.
Why does this sentence use wird instead of ist to say 'is shaped'?
This is the process passive (Vorgangspassiv), which focuses on the action of shaping happening right now. It is formed with the conjugated verb werden plus the past participle (geformt). If we used ist geformt (the state passive or Zustandspassiv), it would describe a finished state, meaning the iron has already been shaped.
Why do we use vom to mean 'by' here instead of durch?
In German passive sentences, the active agent (the person directly performing the action) is introduced with von plus the dative case (von dem contracts to vom). The preposition durch plus the accusative case is used for an instrument or indirect cause, like being shaped 'by a machine' (durch eine Maschine).
Is der Schmied related to the English name 'Smith'?
Yes! They share the exact same Germanic root. In German, der Schmied translates to 'the blacksmith'. You will also see this root in the related verb schmieden, which means 'to forge'.
How would the word order change if we added a modal verb like 'must' (müssen)?