Forming the Passive Voice
The passive voice shifts the focus to the receiver of an action. To form it in simple tenses, use the auxiliary verb essere (to be) plus the past participle of the main verb.
The past participle must agree in gender and number with the new subject. To introduce the agent (who or what performs the action), use the preposition da (by).
| This famous museum will be designed by a foreign architect. | Questo famoso museo sarà progettato da un architetto straniero. |
When the agent requires a definite article, da combines with it (e.g., da + il = dal, da + l' = dall').
| The new dome is drawn by the best architect. | La nuova cupola è disegnata dall'architetto migliore. |
Using Different Simple Tenses
You can form the passive voice in any simple tense just by conjugating essere. The tense of essere dictates when the action happens, while the past participle always changes to match the subject.
Imperfetto (Describing an ongoing past action):
| Before, the old tower was surrounded by the woods. | Prima, la vecchia torre era circondata dal bosco. |
Presente (Notice the masculine plural agreement -i for i mattoni):
| The bricks are chosen by the architect for the facade. | I mattoni sono scelti dall'architetto per la facciata. |
Futuro (Notice the feminine singular agreement -a for la facciata):
| The facade will be ruined by the pollution. | La facciata sarà rovinata dall'inquinamento. |