B1.37 - Civil state

Passive tenses: presens, imperfectum, perfectum, plusquamperfectum

Passieve tijden: presens, imperfectum, perfectum, plusquamperfectum

In passieve zinnen ondergaat het onderwerp de handeling, in plaats van deze uit te voeren.

(In passive sentences, the subject undergoes the action, instead of performing it.)

What the passive does (and why Dutch uses it a lot)

In formal Dutch (municipality, notary, healthcare), the passive is used when the action/result matters more than who does it.

  • Active: De gemeente controleert de documenten. (focus = the municipality)
  • Passive: De documenten worden gecontroleerd. (focus = the documents)

You can add the actor with door, but you often leave it out if it’s obvious or unimportant.

  • De documenten worden gecontroleerd door de gemeente.
  • De documenten worden gecontroleerd. (actor not needed)

Build the passive in 3 steps

  1. Choose what becomes the subject (usually the object from the active sentence).
  2. Pick the correct helper verb for the tense (worden / zijn / was etc.).
  3. Add the past participle (voltooid deelwoord) at the end.
Step Active Passive
1. Object → subject De notaris tekent de akte. De akte … getekend.
2. Helper verb (tense) (present) De akte wordt … getekend.
3. Past participle at the end tekent De akte wordt (door de notaris) getekend.

Which helper verb do I need? (your quick decision)

First decide: is this about a process (happening) or a completed result (done)?

  • Process / happening → use worden (or werd in past)
  • Completed result → use zijn (or was for “had been”)
Meaning Tense Form Typical context
Process (now) present word/wordt/worden + participle planning, procedure, “is being done”
Process (then) past werd/werden + participle a step in the past, “was being done”
Result (already done) perfect is/zijn + participle status update, “has been done”
Result (done before another past moment) pluperfect was/waren + participle “had been done” before something else happened

Wordt/worden, werd/werden: the agreement check

The helper verb agrees with the new subject (the thing you focus on).

  • Singular (het document) → het document wordt gecontroleerd
  • Plural (de documenten) → de documenten worden gecontroleerd
  • Singular past → het document werd gecontroleerd
  • Plural past → de documenten werden gecontroleerd

Word order: where do the parts go?

  • Main clause: helper verb in position 2, participle at the end.

Wanneer wordt de akte getekend?

De scheiding werd geregeld.

  • With extra info: time/place usually comes before door + actor.

De huwelijksakte werd gisteren op kantoor getekend door de notaris.

  • In subordinate clauses, the helper verb also moves to the end (Dutch “end bracket”).

Ik weet dat de huwelijksakte gisteren getekend werd.

When to use (or skip) “door …”

  • Use door when the actor is important, new, or contrasts with expectations.
  • Skip it when the actor is obvious (e.g., “the municipality” in a municipal email).
Natural without door With door (when needed)
Uw aanvraag wordt binnen vijf werkdagen verwerkt. Uw aanvraag wordt binnen vijf werkdagen verwerkt door de gemeente.
Het plan wordt morgen besproken. Het plan wordt morgen besproken door de manager.

Common pitfalls (quick fixes)

  • Choosing zijn instead of worden:
    • Process: Het document wordt gecontroleerd. Het document is gecontroleerd (this means it’s already done)
    • Result: Het document is gecontroleerd. (status: finished)
  • Forgetting agreement:
    • De documenten worden gecontroleerd. De documenten wordt gecontroleerd
  • Participles must stay at the end:
    • De akte wordt vandaag getekend. De akte wordt getekend vandaag (possible but less natural here)

Self-check: ask yourself these 4 questions

  1. What is the focus (new subject)?
  2. Is it a process (worden/werd) or a finished result (zijn/was)?
  3. Is the subject singular or plural (wordt/worden; werd/werden)?
  4. Do I need to mention the actor with door, or can I leave it out?
  1. Form: auxiliary verb (worden/zijn) + past participle.
Tijd (Tense)Formule (Formula)Voorbeeld (Example)
Presens (Present)word/wordt/worden + participium (am/is/are + past participle)Wanneer wordt de akte getekend? (When is the deed signed?)
Imperfectum (Past (imperfect))werd/werden + participium (was/were + past participle)De scheiding werd geregeld. (The divorce was arranged.)
Perfectum (Present perfect)is/zijn + participium (has/have been + past participle)De huwelijksakte is door de notaris getekend. (The marriage certificate has been signed by the notary.)
Plusquamperfectum (Past perfect)was/waren + participium (had been + past participle)De documenten waren al door de gemeente gecontroleerd. (The documents had already been checked by the municipality.)

Exceptions!

  1. The person doing the action can be omitted (door...).

Exercise 1: Multiple choice

Instruction: Choose the correct answer

1. Uw aanvraag voor een uittreksel uit de Basisregistratie Personen ____ binnen vijf werkdagen verwerkt.

Your request for an extract from the Personal Records Database ____ will be processed within five working days.

2. De huwelijksakte ____ gisteren op kantoor getekend.

The marriage certificate ____ was signed at the office yesterday.

3. Uw nieuwe adres ____ al in het systeem geregistreerd.

Your new address ____ has already been registered in the system.

4. Toen u naar het loket kwam, ____ uw documenten al door ons gecontroleerd.

When you came to the counter, ____ your documents had already been checked by us.

Exercise 2: Rewrite the phrases

Instruction: Rewrite the sentences from active to passive. Pay attention to the correct tense: present (is/are being), imperfect (was/were), perfect (has/have been) or pluperfect (had been). If the agent can be omitted, you may do so; if necessary, use 'by...'. Note: use UK vocabulary.

Show/Hide translation Show/Hide hints
  1. De notaris tekent vandaag de huurovereenkomst.
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    De huurovereenkomst wordt vandaag door de notaris getekend.
    (The lease agreement is signed today by the notary.)
  2. De gemeente controleerde gisteren de documenten.
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    De documenten werden gisteren door de gemeente gecontroleerd.
    (The documents were checked yesterday by the municipality.)
  3. De huisarts heeft mijn afspraak verzet.
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Mijn afspraak is door de huisarts verzet.
    (My appointment has been rescheduled by the general practitioner.)
  4. Hint Hint (zonder door...) De medewerker had de aanvraag al doorgestuurd.
    ⇒ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    De aanvraag was al doorgestuurd.
    (The application had already been forwarded.)

Exercise 3: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct passive sentence in the correct tense.

1.
Incorrect: in the passive you use the auxiliary verb to be/to become, not 'to have'. In addition, the past participle with auxiliary verb is also missing here.
2.
Incorrect: 'were' is past tense and indicates an action in the past, but here it is meant that the check had already been completed before another moment in the past (past perfect).

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This content has been designed and reviewed by the coLanguage pedagogical team: About coLanguage

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Yoni De Ketelaere

Bachelor in International Business Management

HOGENT

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Belgium


Last Updated:

Thursday, 07/05/2026 15:25