Learn Hardcore German: Morgen wird das System kurz abgeschaltet. - Tomorrow the system will be briefly shut down.

This is the present passive (Vorgangspassiv) of the separable verb abschalten, built with werden + past participle. Although in English “will be switched off” is future passive, German often uses the present passive plus a future time adverbial (Morgen) to describe a planned shutdown. A strict future passive (“Morgen wird das System kurz abgeschaltet werden”) is grammatically correct but rarely used in everyday German.

Why is the past participle abgeschaltet instead of abgeschalten or placing ab with schalten?

Abschalten is a separable verb. Its past participle is formed by inserting ge‑ between prefix and stem and adding ‑t:
• ab + ge + schalt + et = abgeschaltet
You never split the past participle; it stays one word at the end of the clause. The form abgeschalten is a non‑standard/dialectal variant—stick with abgeschaltet.

Why does Morgen appear at the very beginning of the sentence?

German word order demands the finite verb in second position. By fronting the time adverb Morgen, the verb wird follows immediately, then the subject das System. Placing Morgen first also emphasizes when the shutdown will occur.

What role does kurz play in this sentence?

Here kurz is an adverb of duration meaning “briefly” or “for a short time.” In a passive construction it typically precedes the past participle. So kurz abgeschaltet means “switched off briefly.”

Why is there no agent introduced by von (e.g., von der IT-Abteilung)?

This is an impersonal passive. The doer of the action is omitted because it’s either obvious, irrelevant, or unknown. If you did want to mention the agent, you’d say:
“Morgen wird das System kurz von der IT‑Abteilung abgeschaltet.”

Could I express the same idea in the active voice?

Yes. For example:
“Morgen schaltet die IT‑Abteilung das System kurz ab.”
Here schaltet ab is active present, and with Morgen it carries a future sense. If you don’t know the agent, you can also use the general man:
“Morgen wird man das System kurz abschalten.”

What’s the difference between abschalten and ausschalten?

Both mean “to switch off,” but:

ausschalten often implies cutting the power (e.g., Licht ausschalten).
abschalten can sound more technical, like shutting down a machine or system (e.g., a server or engine).
In many situations they’re interchangeable, though certain collocations prefer one over the other.