The Doer in a Passive Sentence
To add "by someone" to a passive sentence, put that person in the instrumental with no preposition: Kniha bola napísaná známym autorom (The book was written by a well-known author).
How It Works
The doer in the instrumental. In a passive made with byť and a passive participle, the person or thing that did the action goes into the instrumental:
- Zákon bol schválený parlamentom. — The law was passed by parliament.
- Most postavili talianski stavitelia. → Most bol postavený talianskymi staviteľmi.
Also without byť. A passive participle used like an adjective can take the same instrumental: obraz namaľovaný Picassom (a painting by Picasso).
No preposition. Do not translate "by" with od. Od means "from": list od Petra is a letter from Peter.
Causes as well as people. A natural force or cause works the same way: Dom bol zničený požiarom. (The house was destroyed by a fire.)
Prefer the active in speech. The byť passive with a doer sounds formal, like news or official texts. In conversation, say Knihu napísal známy autor and put the doer at the end if it is the new information. Slovak style advice recommends the active even in writing whenever you name the doer, so use this pattern mainly to recognize it. The reflexive passive with sa normally leaves the doer out: Dom sa stavia.
Examples (6)
- Kniha bola napísaná známym autorom.
The book was written by a well-known author.
Word by Word: Book was written well-known author(instr.).
- Zákon bol schválený parlamentom.
The law was passed by parliament.
Word by Word: Law was approved parliament(instr.).
- Most bol postavený talianskymi staviteľmi.
The bridge was built by Italian builders.
Word by Word: Bridge was built Italian builders(instr.).
- Obraz namaľovaný Picassom sa predal za milióny.
A painting by Picasso sold for millions.
Word by Word: Painting painted Picasso(instr.) itself sold for millions.
The participle is used like an adjective here.
- Dom bol zničený požiarom.
The house was destroyed by a fire.
Word by Word: House was destroyed fire(instr.).
- Víťaz bude vyhlásený porotou v nedeľu.
The winner will be announced by the jury on Sunday.
Word by Word: Winner will-be announced jury(instr.) on Sunday.
Common Mistakes
Translating "by" with od.
Kniha bola napísaná od známeho autora.Kniha bola napísaná známym autorom.The doer takes the plain instrumental. Od means "from", as in list od Petra (a letter from Peter).
Leaving the doer in the nominative.
Tento obraz bol namaľovaný Picasso.Tento obraz bol namaľovaný Picassom.The doer must be in the instrumental: Picassom, autorom, parlamentom.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Before The Doer in a Passive Sentence, learn The Passive With byť and Instrumental Singular Endings. The doer is added to a passive sentence. The doer is in the instrumental.
Related Patterns
- Passive Participles
The passive participle can take the same instrumental when it works like an adjective.
Level 4 - Reflexive Passive
The sa passive normally does not name the doer.
Level 4 - The Instrumental for Means
The instrumental also marks the tool: písať perom.
Level 2 - Verbal Nouns With a Genitive Object
Verbal nouns can take a doer in the instrumental too: schválenie zákona parlamentom.
Level 5
Practice The Doer in a Passive Sentence in Bubblegum
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