Skip to content

Forma attiva e passiva del verbo / Active and passive form of the verb.

If a verb is accompanied by an object complement, it is an active transitive verb that can be transformed from the active form into the passive one.

  • Il cameriere servirà il caffè in salotto >> Il caffè sarà servito in salotto dal cameriere.
  • The waiter will serve the coffee in the living room >> The coffee will be served in the living room by the waiter.
  • La ragazza lo vide in difficoltà >> Lui fu visto in difficoltà dalla ragazza.
  • The girl saw him in difficulty >> He was seen in difficulty by the girl.

The direct object (caffè) becomes the grammatical subject of the sentence.

The subject (il cameriere) becomes the agent complement, always introduced by the preposition da (simple or articulated).

1. Active form.

A verb is said to be active when the subject performs the action indicated by the verb:

  • Il sole illuminò la stanza.
  • The sun lit up the room.
  • Il gatto ha ferito il topo.
  • The cat hurt the mouse.
  • La donna sorrise.
  • The woman smiled.

All verbs, transitive and intransitive, have the active form.

2. Passive form.

A verb is said to be passive when the subject undergoes the action indicated by the verb:

  • La stanza è illuminata dal sole.
  • The room is lit by the sun.
  • Il topo è stato ferito dal gatto.
  • The mouse was hurt by the cat.

Only transitive verbs can have a passive form.

To transform a sentence from the active to the passive form, these two conditions must be met:

  • The verb must be transitive.
  • The direct object must be expressed.
Active formPassive form
I bambini hanno mangiato la torta.
(soggetto) (verbo attivo) (complemento oggetto)		La torta è stata mangiata dai bambini
(soggetto) (verbo passivo) (complemento d’agente)
The children ate the cake
(subject) (active verb) (object complement)
The cake was eaten by the children
(subject) (passive verb) (agent complement)

The meaning of the phrase remains essentially unchanged. In the active sentence we focus our attention on the children (i bambini), while in the passive sentence we want to highlight the cake (la torta).

Passing from the active to the passive form, the subject transforms into a complement introduced by the preposition da.