The Present Passive
Subject + (be) + past participle
| SINGULAR | PLURAL |
|---|---|
| I am + __________ | We are + __________ |
| You are + __________ | You are + __________ |
| He is + ___________ | |
| She is + __________ | They are + __________ |
*Adding the past participle after the verb “be” causes some students to believe the sentence is in the past tense, but it isn’t.
Watch this video:
| Active Voice | Passive Voice | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Active Voice Passive Voice I teach English. |
 |
English is taught by me. |
Note: This sentence sounds a little strange. Sometimes the passive voice is not a good option. |
| You learn English. |
 |
You are taught English. |
|
|
He learns English. |
 |
He is taught English. |
|
| She learns English. |
 |
She is taught English. |
|
|
Sony makes this computer. (Can’t use “learn” for a machine–not usually.) |
 |
It‘s made by Sony. |
|
| We learn English. |
You and I = We |
We are taught English. |
You and I = We |
| You learn English. |
 |
You are taught English. |
|
| They learn English |
 |
They are taught English. |
|
|
Practice listening to the present passive in The Listening Lab |
|
|---|
Remember: The verb “be” indicates the verb tense. In this lesson, the verbs are in the present tense. In the next lesson, the verbs will be in the past tense.