The Passive Voice
In the active voice, the subject performs the action (e.g., "The factory produces merchandise"). In the passive voice, the subject receives the action ("The merchandise is produced").
To form the passive voice in the present tense, use the present tense of a fi (to be) followed by the past participle of the main verb:
- [Subject] + [este / sunt] + [Past Participle]
Because it is used with the verb a fi, the past participle acts like an adjective and must agree in gender and number with the subject.
For example, with the feminine noun marfa (the merchandise), the participle of a produce takes the feminine singular ending: produsă.
| The merchandise is produced in this factory. | Marfa este produsă în această fabrică. |
Expressing the Agent
To state who or what performs the action, use the preposition de (by).
Here, the feminine noun piesa (the part) takes the feminine singular participle asamblată (assembled):
| The part is assembled by the robot. | Piesa este asamblată de robot. |
Agreement with Neuter Nouns
Neuter nouns act like masculine nouns in the singular. Therefore, when a neuter noun like utilajul (the machine) or produsul (the product) is the subject, the past participle uses the masculine singular form.
| The machine is old, so it is checked often. | Utilajul este vechi, așa că este controlat des. |
| The product is packed in the warehouse. | Produsul este ambalat în depozit. |
Plural Subjects
When the subject is plural, the verb a fi changes to sunt (are), and the past participle takes the matching plural form. For feminine plural nouns (like mașini or piese), the participle generally ends in -e or -te (e.g., produse, exportate).
| Two cars are produced daily here. | Două mașini sunt produse zilnic aici. |
| Both the car and the part are exported. | Atât mașina, cât și piesa sunt exportate. |
