Boken blir skrevet av læreren.

The book is being written by the teacher.

Breakdown of Boken blir skrevet av læreren.

• boken: the book
• læreren: the teacher
• bli skrevet: to be written
• av: by

Questions & Answers about Boken blir skrevet av læreren.

What type of passive is blir skrevet in this sentence, and how does it work grammatically?

This is the dynamic (eventive) passive formed with the auxiliary verb blir (present tense of bli, “to become”) plus the past participle skrevet (written). It’s used to emphasize the action rather than who does it. The structure is:

• Subject (“boken”) + blir
  • past participle.
    You can translate it literally as “The book becomes written by the teacher,” which in English we render “The book is being written by the teacher.”

Could I also use the -s passive instead of blir skrevet?

Yes. Norwegian offers two dynamic passive forms:

• Boken blir skrevet av læreren. (bli-passive)
• Boken skrives av læreren. (-s passive)
  Both mean “The book is being written by the teacher.” The choice is largely stylistic; both are correct and common.

What’s the difference between blir and ble in a passive construction?

They’re the present and past tense of bli:

• Boken blir skrevet av læreren. → present: “The book is (being) written…”
• Boken ble skrevet av læreren. → past: “The book was written…”
  Use ble
  • past participle to talk about completed actions in the past.