किया जाना
The Passive
The passive makes the thing acted on the subject: the past form of the verb plus जाना.
How It Works
Use the passive when what happened matters more than who did it. It is common in news, notices and descriptions, and less common in casual talk.
| Time | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Habit | यहाँ हिंदी बोली जाती है | Hindi is spoken here |
| Now | पुल बनाया जा रहा है | The bridge is being built |
| Past | चिट्ठी भेजी गई | The letter was sent |
| Future | काम कल किया जाएगा | The work will be done tomorrow |
Build it in two parts. First comes the past form of the main verb, including irregular ones like किया, लिया and दिया. Then comes जाना in the tense you need. Both parts agree with the thing acted on: चिट्ठी भेजी गई, चिट्ठियाँ भेजी गईं, पत्र भेजा गया.
If the thing acted on takes को, nothing agrees with it, and both parts stay masculine singular: इन किताबों को कल भेजा जाएगा.
The doer is usually left out. Formal writing can name it with द्वारा: पुलिस द्वारा जाँच की जा रही है (The police are investigating).
Examples (5)
- यह इमारत पिछले साल बनाई गई थी।
This building was built last year.
बनाई गई agrees with feminine इमारत.
- आपकी किताबें कल भेजी जाएँगी।
Your books will be sent tomorrow.
भेजी जाएँगी agrees with feminine plural किताबें.
- इन किताबों को कल भेजा जाएगा।
These books will be sent tomorrow.
With को, the verb stays masculine singular: भेजा जाएगा.
- इस गाँव में भोजपुरी बोली जाती है।
Bhojpuri is spoken in this village.
बोली जाती है is the habitual passive.
- मरीज़ को अस्पताल ले जाया गया।
The patient was taken to the hospital.
ले जाना becomes ले जाया गया; with को, it stays masculine singular.
Common Mistakes
Making the verb agree with a को phrase.
इन चिट्ठियों को कल भेजी जाएँगी।इन चिट्ठियों को कल भेजा जाएगा।When the thing acted on has को, the verb stays masculine singular.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The passive adds जाना to a transitive verb's past form.
- जाना as a Helper VerbCompound Verbs with जाना
Know stem plus जाना (वह खा गया), so you can tell it from the passive, which adds जाना to the past form instead: खाना खाया गया.
Level 3 - खुलना / खोलनाPaired Verbs Like खुलना and खोलना
Know verb pairs like बनना and बनाना, since an ordinary passive is built from the transitive member: पुल बनाया गया, while पुल बन गया says it got built without a doer.
Level 3
Related Patterns
- -आ / -ई / -एThe Simple Past
The first part of the passive is the past form.
Level 2 - गया / किया / लिया / दियाCommon Irregular Past Forms
Irregular past forms are used in the passive too: किया जाता है.
Level 2 - ने ... को ... कियाPast Verbs When the Object Has को
को blocks agreement here, just as it does with ने.
Level 3 - से ... नहीं ... जाताBeing Unable to Do Something
With से and नहीं, a passive says someone can't do something.
Level 4 - द्वाराBy an Agent in Formal Writing
द्वारा names the doer in formal writing.
Level 6
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
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