The Passive With verða

Level 4

Húsið verður byggt í sumar. (The house will be built this summer.)

How It Works

The future passive. Icelandic uses verða for will be, so the future passive is verða + participle:

  • Fundurinn verður haldinn á mánudaginn. (The meeting will be held on Monday.)
  • Bókin verður gefin út í haust. (The book will be published this autumn.)
  • Úrslitin verða tilkynnt í kvöld. (The results will be announced tonight.)

Agreement. verða agrees with the subject in person and number: verður for one, verða for more than one. The participle agrees in gender and number: haldinn (masculine), gefin (feminine), tilkynnt (neuter plural).

State or event. Compare:

  • Búðin er lokuð. (The shop is closed.) A state.
  • Búðinni verður lokað klukkan sex. (The shop will close at six.) An event. loka takes a dative, so see the passive with the dative.

In the past. For a single past event, the usual passive uses var: Húsið var byggt árið 1920. With the past of verða, a participle or adjective usually describes a new state: Allir urðu hræddir. (Everyone got scared.)

Not verða að. verða að + infinitive means must: Það verður að senda bréfið á morgun (The letter has to be sent tomorrow). Without að and with a participle, verða makes the future passive: Bréfið verður sent á morgun.

Examples (6)

  1. Húsið verður byggt í sumar.

    The house will be built this summer.

    Word by Word: The house becomes built in summer.

  2. Bréfið verður sent á morgun.

    The letter will be sent tomorrow.

    Word by Word: The letter becomes sent tomorrow.

  3. Fundurinn verður haldinn á mánudaginn.

    The meeting will be held on Monday.

    Word by Word: The meeting becomes held on the Monday.

    fundur is masculine, so haldinn.

  4. Úrslitin verða tilkynnt í kvöld.

    The results will be announced tonight.

    Word by Word: The results become announced in evening.

    úrslit is a neuter plural noun, so verða and tilkynnt.

  5. Þú verður sóttur á flugvöllinn.

    You'll be picked up at the airport.

    Word by Word: You become fetched on the airport.

    Said to a man. To a woman: Þú verður sótt.

  6. Allir urðu hræddir.

    Everyone got scared.

    Word by Word: All became scared.

    With the past of verða, the word after it describes a new state.

Common Mistakes

  • Not making the participle agree.

    Bókin verður gefið út í haust.
    Bókin verður gefin út í haust.

    The participle agrees with the subject. bók is feminine, so use gefin.

  • Using verða að to say that something will be done.

    Bréfið verður að senda á morgun.
    Bréfið verður sent á morgun.

    If you mean the letter will be sent, use the participle. Bréfið verður að senda á morgun is a correct sentence, but it means the letter has to be sent tomorrow.

  • Making a dative object the subject.

    Hann verður hjálpaður.
    Honum verður hjálpað.

    hjálpa takes a dative object, and the dative stays in the passive: Honum verður hjálpað.

How It Connects

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

The Passive With verðaLevel 4

Learn This First

The verða passive builds on the vera passive and verða.

Words in This Pattern

verða