Breakdown of Advokaten hoppas att de oskyldiga barnen blir släppta.
barnet
the child
de
the (plural, before adjective)
bli
to become
att
that
Questions & Answers about Advokaten hoppas att de oskyldiga barnen blir släppta.
How does the passive work in the phrase blir släppta?
This is the dynamic passive, which focuses on the action taking place. It is built using the verb bli (to become) and the past participle of the main verb (släppta, from släppa - to release). Together, blir släppta means they are being released.
Why does the word släppta end in an -a?
When you use the bli passive, the past participle works like an adjective and must match the subject. Because the subject here is plural (de oskyldiga barnen), the participle släppt takes the plural ending -a to become släppta.
Hoppas ends in an -s. Is it also a passive verb?
No, hoppas (to hope) is a deponent verb. That means it naturally ends in an -s but always has an active meaning. Even though it looks like it has a passive -s ending, it is just the normal dictionary form of the verb.
Why do we use both de and the ending on barnen for "the innocent children"?