The Dynamic Passive with bli
In English, the passive voice is usually formed with the verb "to be" and a past participle (e.g., "The thief is arrested"). Swedish has a few different ways to form the passive. To focus on an action as it is actively happening—the dynamic passive—we use the auxiliary verb bli (to become/be) followed by a past participle.
When you use bli + past participle, the participle acts like an adjective. This means it must agree with the subject in gender and number. For singular en-words, the participle typically ends in -d or -t.
| The thief is being arrested by the police now. | Tjuven blir arresterad av polisen nu. |
| The judge believes that the woman is being sentenced today. | Domaren tror att kvinnan blir dömd idag. |
If the subject is plural, the past participle takes an -a ending. Notice below how the verbs släppa (to release) and höra (to hear) become släppta and hörda to match the plural subjects.
| The lawyer hopes that the innocent children are being released. | Advokaten hoppas att de oskyldiga barnen blir släppta. |
| In court, many people are heard every day. | I domstolen blir många människor hörda varje dag. |
Crime and punishment
As you practice these new passive forms, you will also explore the courtroom. When discussing a case, you will frequently use the adjectives skyldig (guilty) and oskyldig (innocent).
| The crime is exciting, but he is innocent. | Brottet är spännande, men han är oskyldig. |
| Anna's friend is guilty and is being picked up by the police. | Annas vän är skyldig och blir hämtad av polisen. |
| The thief is being sentenced to a long punishment. | Tjuven blir dömd till ett långt straff. |