Learn Hardcore Dutch: Alle etiketten worden automatisch afgedrukt door de nieuwe printer. - All labels are automatically printed by the new printer.

Worden is the auxiliary verb used to form the passive voice in the present tense. It tells us that the subject (etiketten) is receiving the action rather than doing it.

How is the passive voice structured in Dutch?

You combine a conjugated form of worden with the past participle of the main verb at the end of the clause.
Structure: worden + … + afgedrukt

Why is automatisch placed between worden and afgedrukt?

In passive clauses, adverbs normally come after the auxiliary (worden) but before the past participle. Hence worden automatisch afgedrukt.

Why is it afgedrukt instead of afdrukken?

Afgedrukt is the past participle of the separable verb afdrukken. In passive constructions, you must use the past participle, not the infinitive.

How do you form the past participle of the separable verb afdrukken?

For separable verbs like afdrukken:

Separate the prefix: af-
Insert ge- before the stem: druk
Add the weak verb ending -t
Result: af
- ge
  - druk
    - t = afgedrukt

Why is it de nieuwe printer and not het nieuwe printer?

Printer is a “de-word” (common gender) in Dutch. After de, any adjective takes the -e ending: de nieuwe printer.

Why do we say etiketten in the plural?

Because alle means “all,” it refers to multiple items. The singular is etiket, but here we need the plural etiketten to match alle.

What does door indicate in this sentence?

In a passive construction, door introduces the agent (the doer of the action). Here it shows that the nieuwe printer is performing the printing.

How would you express the same idea in an active sentence?

You could say:
De nieuwe printer drukt alle etiketten automatisch af.
Here drukt is the active verb form and af is the separable prefix placed at the end.