Passive Participle

Level 5

The passive participle ends in -n, -en, -jen or -t.

How It Works

Infinitive	Participle	Example
napisati	napisan	Pismo je napisano.
pročitati	pročitan	Knjiga je pročitana.
otvoriti	otvoren	Vrata su otvorena.
kupiti	kupljen	Hljeb je kupljen.
uzeti	uzet	Ključ je uzet.

Verbs in -ati usually take -an, and verbs in -iti usually take -en. The ending can bring a consonant change, as in kupiti gives kupljen and vidjeti gives viđen. A few verbs, such as uzeti, take -t.

The participle takes adjective endings: napisan, napisana, napisano. Passive sentences with it show up in news and official text more than in speech.

Examples (5)

Vrata su otvorena.
The door is open.
Otvoriti gives otvoren, and vrata is neuter plural.
Hljeb je kupljen jutros.
The bread was bought this morning.
Kupiti gives kupljen.
Kafa je već skuhana.
The coffee is already made.
Skuhati gives skuhan, and kafa is feminine.
Pita je pojedena za pet minuta.
The pie was eaten in five minutes.
Pojesti gives pojeden.
Kuća je izgrađena na rijeci.
The house is built on the river.
Izgraditi gives izgrađen.

Common Mistakes

Using the wrong agreement.
Pismo je napisan.
Pismo je napisano.
The participle matches the noun, and pismo is neuter.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Passive ParticipleLevel 5

Learn This First

The passive participle.

Past Participle Endings
The passive participle is a second kind of participle, so know the active one first.
Level 3

Words in This Pattern

napisatipročitatiotvoritikupitiuzetiotvorenparticip

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