Part 37 - Advanced - Passive and Impersonal Constructions

Learning goals

Understand the formation of Passive Voice using the appropriate auxiliary verbs.
Distinguish between Imperfective (być) and Perfective (zostać) passive constructions.
Master impersonal constructions (the -no/-to form, się, and 3rd person plural) to express actions without a specific subject.
Learn when to avoid the passive voice in favor of active structures.

Grammar rules

The Passive Voice

The passive voice is formed using an auxiliary verb followed by the passive adjectival participle. The participle must agree with the subject in gender, number, and case (Nominative).

Formula: Subject (Nominative) + Auxiliary Verb + Passive Participle + (Optional: przez + Agent in Accusative)

Auxiliary Verbs (Aspect matters)

Imperfective (Być): Used for continuous processes, habits, or current actions.
Perfective (Zostać): Used for completed actions and finished results.

Forming the Passive Participle

The participle acts as an adjective.

-NY endings: Most verbs (e.g., czytać → czytany). Note vowel shifts (e.g., robić → robiony).
-TY endings: Used for verbs ending in -ć, -uć, or -ić with monosyllabic roots (e.g., myć → myty).

Impersonal Constructions

Used when the agent is unknown, irrelevant, or general.

The "Się" Construction: Used for general truths or current actions where the subject is "one" or "people."
- Formula: 3rd person singular verb + się.
The "-no / -to" Form: Used for past events. Highly formal or journalistic.
- Formation: Take past tense neuter (-ło) and change ł to n or t.
3rd Person Plural: Colloquial usage to imply "someone" or "people" without a specific subject (e.g., Ukradli mi rower - "They stole my bike").

Declension / Conjugation patterns

Verb Aspect	Auxiliary	Usage
Imperfective	Być (conjugated)	Continuous/Process
Perfective	Zostać (conjugated)	Completed action/Result

Participle Agreement (Example: -ny):

Masculine: czytany
Feminine: czytana
Neuter: czytane

Examples

Polish	English	Notes
Auto jest myte przez niego.	The car is being washed by him.	Imperfective (być).
Auto zostało umyte przez niego.	The car was washed by him.	Perfective (zostać).
W 1945 roku zakończono wojnę.	In 1945, the war was ended.	-no/-to past impersonal.
Tu nie pali się papierosów.	Smoking is not allowed here.	się construction.
Ukradli mi rower.	My bike got stolen / They stole my bike.	3rd person plural (colloquial).

Common mistakes

Overusing the Passive: Polish prefers the active voice. Using passive in casual speech often sounds stiff, academic, or unnatural.
Confusing Być/Zostać: Using być for a completed action in the past implies the action was a process or state, not a finished event. Use zostać for completed actions.
Case Confusion:
- Passive Voice: Subject is in Nominative.
- Impersonal (-no/-to / się): Object remains in Accusative.
Intransitive Verbs: You cannot form a passive voice with verbs that do not take an object (e.g., spać - to sleep). You must use an impersonal construction (Tu się śpi - "One sleeps here").

Watch out

A major trap is confusing the object case in different constructions. In passive voice, the object becomes the subject (Nominative). However, in impersonal constructions (using -no/-to or się), the object remains in the Accusative case.

Passive: Szkoła (Nom.) została zbudowana.
Impersonal: Zbudowano szkołę (Acc.).

Quick recap

Passive Voice: Requires być (imperfective) or zostać (perfective) + participle. Ensure the participle agrees with the subject in gender and number.
Impersonal: Use się for general/present, -no/-to for formal/past, and 3rd person plural for colloquial/unknown agents.
Active vs. Passive: Stick to the active voice for everyday conversation; use passive only when the recipient of the action is the primary focus.