gouf (Written Passive)

Written Past Passive: Gouf

Level 4

Gouf + participle is the past passive: D'Gesetz gouf gëschter gestëmmt. (The law was passed yesterday.) News reports and formal texts use it all the time.

How It Works

1. The forms

  • ech gouf, du goufs, hien/si/hatt/et gouf
  • mir goufen, dir gouft, si goufen

Goufen follows the n-rule: goufen ofgeholl, but goufe blesséiert.

2. Word order
Gouf takes second place and the participle goes to the end:

  • Eist Haus gouf ëm 1930 gebaut. (Our house was built around 1930.)

In a subordinate clause, gouf moves to the very end: ..., datt den neie Buergermeeschter gëschter gewielt gouf. See The Verb at the End of Subordinate Clauses.

3. Who did it
As in every passive, vun names the doer: Den Abriecher gouf vun der Police festgeholl. (The burglar was arrested by the police.)

4. Gouf or ass ... ginn?
Both mean the same:

  • D'Gesetz gouf gestëmmt. (written, news)
  • D'Gesetz ass gestëmmt ginn. (everyday speech)

In conversation, the perfect passive is more common. You will still hear gouf in speech, and you will read it in almost every news article.

5. Other jobs of gouf
Gouf is also the past of ginn in its other meanings: Hie gouf Dokter (He became a doctor) and et gouf (there was). See Simple Past of Common Verbs. With a participle, it is always the passive.

Examples (6)

  1. D'Gesetz gouf gëschter gestëmmt.

    The law was passed yesterday.

    Gestëmmt means voted on: the parliament voted the law through.

  2. De Bau gouf 2010 ugefaangen.

    Construction was started in 2010.

    The participle of a separable verb stays in one piece: ugefaangen.

  3. Eist Haus gouf ëm 1930 gebaut.

    Our house was built around 1930.

  4. Den Abriecher gouf vun der Police festgeholl.

    The burglar was arrested by the police.

    Vun der Police names who did it.

  5. Beim Accident goufen zwou Persoune blesséiert.

    Two people were injured in the accident.

    A plural subject takes goufen. Persounen loses its n before b.

  6. An der Zeitung steet, datt den neie Buergermeeschter gëschter gewielt gouf.

    The newspaper says that the new mayor was elected yesterday.

    In the datt clause, gouf goes to the end.

Common Mistakes

  • Combining gouf with the helper ass.

    D'Gesetz ass gëschter gestëmmt gouf.
    D'Gesetz gouf gëschter gestëmmt.

    Gouf is already a complete past form. Use either gouf ... gestëmmt or ass ... gestëmmt ginn, never both.

  • Using the singular gouf with a plural subject.

    D'Kanner gouf um véier Auer ofgeholl.
    D'Kanner goufen um véier Auer ofgeholl.

    D'Kanner is plural, so the verb is goufen. The n stays before the vowel of ofgeholl.

  • Leaving gouf in second place inside a subordinate clause.

    Ech hunn héieren, datt d'Gesetz gouf gestëmmt.
    Ech hunn héieren, datt d'Gesetz gestëmmt gouf.

    Datt sends the conjugated verb to the end, so gouf comes after the participle.

How It Connects

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gouf (Written Passive)Level 4Written Past Passive: Gouf

Learn This First

Before Written Past Passive: Gouf, learn The Passive: Ginn + Participle and Simple Past of Sinn and Hunn.

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