Passive With a fi
The Fi Passive
The passive with a fi resembles English “be” passives, as in “The book was written”. It focuses on the affected subject or action. It occurs in everyday and formal language, with or without an expressed agent.
How It Works
Form a passive with the appropriate form of a fi and a past participle that agrees with the subject:
Cartea este citită. (The book is being read.)
Agreement: Masculine singular citit, feminine singular citită, masculine plural citiți, feminine/neuter plural citite. A neuter singular uses the masculine singular form.
Tense: The auxiliary carries tense: este construit, era construit, a fost construit, va fi construit.
Agent: De can introduce the doer or cause. De către is more formal and normally introduces a human or institutional agent: Raportul a fost scris de către comisie.
Usage: This passive occurs in everyday speech and formal writing. Se passives offer another construction when the agent is backgrounded; the two are not interchangeable in every sentence.
Passive or state: An agreeing participle after a fi can also describe a resulting state: Ușa este închisă can mean 'The door is closed'. Context identifies an action or a state.
Examples (4)
- Legea a fost adoptată de către Parlament.
The law was adopted by Parliament.
Word by Word: The law has been adopted by towards Parliament.
Note the feminine singular agreement 'adoptată' to match 'legea' (the law).
- Hoții au fost prinși de poliție.
The thieves were caught by the police.
Word by Word: The thieves have been caught by police.
The participle 'prinși' is masculine plural to match 'hoții' (the thieves).
- Această carte va fi citită de mulți oameni.
This book will be read by many people.
Word by Word: This book will be read by many people.
This shows the passive in the future tense using 'va fi'.
- Ferestrele au fost spălate ieri.
The windows were washed yesterday.
Word by Word: The windows have been washed yesterday.
The participle 'spălate' matches the feminine/neuter plural subject 'ferestrele'.
Common Mistakes
Forgetting participle agreement.
Cartea a fost scris de Ion.Cartea a fost scrisă de Ion.In the passive voice, the participle must agree with the subject (Cartea is feminine singular, so 'scrisă' is required).
Confusing passive agreement with the active compound perfect.
Ea a fost scris scrisoarea.Ea a scris scrisoarea. / Scrisoarea a fost scrisă.In the active compound perfect, the participle is always masculine singular (scris). In the passive voice, the participle must agree with the subject (scrisă).
How It Connects
Learn This First
To learn the passive voice with 'a fi', you first need to be comfortable conjugating the verb 'a fi' (to be) in various tenses. Additionally, since the passive construction uses the past participle as a verbal adjective, you must know how to form past participles and how to apply gender and number agreement rules to them.
- Present of a fi
The passive voice is constructed using the verb 'a fi' as an auxiliary, which must be conjugated to match the subject.
Level 1 - Past Participles
The passive voice requires the past participle of the main verb to form the core of the construction.
Level 2 - Adjective Agreement
In the Romanian passive, the past participle functions like an adjective and must agree in gender and number with the subject.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- Participle Agreement
This pattern explains the specific rules for changing participle endings based on gender and number.
Level 3 - Passive se
A se passive is another way to background the agent; it has its own agreement and usage patterns.
Level 3 - The Compound Perfect
The compound perfect uses 'a avea' + participle and does NOT require agreement, providing a contrast to the passive.
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice Passive With a fi in Bubblegum
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