The Impersonal Passive in Formal Style

Level 5Sounds Like bezličen stradatelen zalog

Беше решено да ... (It was decided to ...), Прието е, че ... (It is accepted that ...): съм plus a neuter participle in -о, with no one named as the doer.

How It Works

1. The shape. Use е (present result), беше or бе (past), е било (perfect) or ще бъде (future) with a participle ending in -о:

  • Беше решено срещата да се отложи. (It was decided to postpone the meeting.)
  • Прието е, че езикът се променя постоянно. (It is accepted that language changes constantly.)
  • Доказано е, че ... (It has been proven that ...), Съобщено беше, че ... (It was announced that ...)
  • Ще бъде обявено кога ... (It will be announced when ...)

2. No personal subject. The participle does not agree with any noun in the sentence. Even when the да-clause mentions a feminine noun, as in срещата, the participle stays решено. The verb съм stays singular.

3. Permissions and bans. Signs and rules use the same pattern: Забранено е да се пуши. (Smoking is not allowed.) Разрешено е да се паркира тук. (Parking is allowed here.)

4. Intransitive verbs. The same impersonal shape can even come from a verb with no object: В това легло е спано. (Someone has slept in this bed.)

5. Style. In conversation people prefer an active verb with a vague they (Решиха да я отложат. They decided to postpone it) or impersonal се (Реши се ...). The doer can be added with от (Беше решено от комисията ...), which sounds very official. This construction is a hallmark of nominal style.

Examples (6)

  1. Беше решено срещата да се отложи.

    It was decided to postpone the meeting.

    Решено stays neuter; it does not agree with срещата.

  2. Прието е, че езикът се променя постоянно.

    It is accepted that language changes constantly.

  3. Доказано е, че редовният сън подобрява паметта.

    It has been proven that regular sleep improves memory.

  4. Забранено е да се пуши в сградата.

    Smoking is not allowed in the building.

  5. Съобщено беше, че влакът ще закъснее.

    It was announced that the train would be late.

  6. Ще бъде обявено кога започва записването.

    It will be announced when registration starts.

Common Mistakes

  • Making the participle agree with a noun in the да-clause.

    Беше решена срещата да се отложи.
    Беше решено срещата да се отложи.

    What was decided is the whole да-clause, not the meeting itself, so the participle stays neuter singular: решено.

  • Putting съм in the plural.

    Бяха решено да се отложат изпитите.
    Беше решено изпитите да се отложат.

    The construction has no personal subject, so съм stays third person singular: е, беше, ще бъде.

How It Connects

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

The Impersonal Passive in Formal StyleLevel 5

Learn This First

The impersonal passive builds on the passive with съм.

Words in This Pattern

бъда