være + Past Participle

State Passive with Være

Level 3

The State Passive (tilstandspassiv) uses the verb være (to be) combined with a past participle to describe the current condition of something after an action has finished.

How It Works

The state passive focuses on the result of an action rather than the action itself.

1. Meaning:
If you say Døren er lukket, you describe the door's current state. To describe the action of someone closing it, use the blive-passive (Døren bliver lukket).

2. Agreement Rules:
Unlike the blive-passive (where the participle never changes), the state passive requires adjective agreement:

  • Common Gender (en-words): Ends in -t/-et or -en (e.g., Bilen er vasket, Bogen er skreven/skrevet).
  • Neuter Gender (et-words): Ends in -t/-et (e.g., Huset er vasket).
  • Plural: Ends in -e/-ede or -ne (e.g., Bilerne er vaskede, Brevene er skrevne).

3. Important Contrast: Passive vs. Active Perfect:
Be careful not to confuse this with the perfect tense with er. In Han er gået (He has left), the verb is intransitive and the subject performs the action. In a state passive like Vinduet er knust (The window is broken), the subject is the recipient of the action.

4. The 'Very' Test:
A good way to identify a state passive is to see if you can add meget (very) or helt (completely) before the participle. If it makes sense (e.g., 'The door is completely closed'), it is a state passive.

Examples (5)

  1. Vinduet er åbnet.

    The window is opened.

    Word by Word: The window is opened.

    This describes the current state of the window; it is currently in an open position.

  2. Maden er serveret.

    The food is served.

    Word by Word: The food is served.

    The action of serving is finished, and the food is now ready on the table.

  3. Butikken er lukket i dag.

    The shop is closed today.

    Word by Word: The shop is closed today.

    This describes the status of the shop (closed) rather than the act of someone locking the door.

  4. Alle opgaverne er løste.

    All the tasks are solved.

    Word by Word: All the tasks are solved.

    Note the plural agreement '-e' on 'løste' because the subject 'opgaverne' is plural.

  5. Brevene er skrevne.

    The letters are written.

    Word by Word: The letters are written.

    For the strong verb 'at skrive', the plural participle ends in '-ne'.

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting plural agreement for the participle.

    Bøgerne er solgt.
    Bøgerne er solgte.

    In the state passive, the participle acts like an adjective and must agree with the plural subject 'bøgerne' by adding '-e' (or '-ne' for strong verbs).

  • Using 'være' to describe an ongoing process.

    Huset er malet lige nu.
    Huset bliver malet lige nu.

    'Være' describes a finished result or state. If the action is currently happening, you must use the blive-passive.

  • Over-correcting strong verb endings in modern Danish.

    Bogen er skreven (only).
    Bogen er skrevet / Bogen er skreven.

    While traditional grammar uses '-en' for common gender strong verbs (like 'skreven'), modern Danish widely accepts the '-et' ending ('skrevet') for both genders in this position. Both are correct, though '-en' is more formal.

How It Connects

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

være + Past ParticipleLevel 3State Passive with Være

Learn This First

To understand the state passive, you need to know how to conjugate the verb 'være', how to form the past participle of verbs, and how these participles function as adjectives that agree with the noun they describe.

Words in This Pattern

være