The Recipient Passive
Some verbs involve two objects: the thing being given (the direct object), and the person receiving it (the indirect object). When we want to focus on the receiver rather than who did the giving, we can make the receiver the subject of a passive sentence.
In Swedish, this is seamlessly done using the s-passive. Just like in English, the person who receives the action moves to the front of the sentence, and the verb takes an -s ending.
| The student was awarded the scholarship by the committee. | Studenten tilldelades stipendiet av kommittén. |
This structure is highly common in formal or administrative contexts, such as when committees award grants or juries distribute prizes.
| The researcher was granted the funding by the committee. | Forskaren beviljades anslaget av kommittén. |
| She was offered the prize money by the jury. | Hon erbjöds prissumman av juryn. |
The recipient passive is equally useful for negative actions, such as when someone is withheld or denied an opportunity.
| Several applicants were denied the research grant. | Flera sökande förvägrades forskningsbidraget. |
When using irregular verbs, remember that the passive is formed by adding -s to the standard past tense base. For example, the past tense of ge (to give) is gav, so the past passive form becomes gavs (was given).
| The scholarship holder was given the entire prize money. | Stipendiaten gavs hela prissumman. |