Module 09 · Moods and participles · Izteiksmes un divdabji · Level B1

Passive Voice

Ciešamā kārta

Used when the action matters, not who performs it: Māja ir uzcelta (the house is built), Veikals tiek atvērts deviņos (the shop opens at nine). It is formed with an auxiliary verb plus the passive participle in -ts / -ta.

The -ts participle

Infinitive minus -t + -ts / -ta / -ti / -tas: darīt → darīts, rakstīt → rakstīts, uzcelt → uzcelts, atvērt → atvērts, pārdot → pārdots, ēst → ēsts, saprast → saprasts, lasīt → lasīts.

Two auxiliary verbs

tikt — "to become" — describes the action itself; būt describes the resulting state.

By whom? — genitive or "no"

In the passive, the agent is usually not named. If it is needed, use the genitive before the participle, or no + genitive: Grāmata ir rakstīta slavena autora / no slavena autora (the book is written by a famous author). More often, the sentence is simply rephrased in the active voice.

Where you'll see it

Signs and announcements: Veikals ir slēgts. (closed) Ieeja aizliegta. (entry forbidden) Biļetes ir izpārdotas. (tickets sold out) Latvijas Republika tika proklamēta 1918. gadā. (was proclaimed) Satversme tika pieņemta 1922. gadā. (the Constitution was adopted) — these are exactly the phrasings used in the exam.

Participle as adjective

It agrees with and declines like a definite/indefinite adjective: atvērtais logs (the open window), slēgtās durvis (closed doors), izlasītā grāmata (the book that was read), cepti kartupeļi (fried potatoes), vārīta ola (a boiled egg).

Exercise

1) The shop is closed. 2) The letter is written. 3) The house was built in 1990. 4) The tickets will be sold.

Open the lesson in the trainer — with exercises and a “done” mark →Module test 09