Simple Active and Passive
Constructions
An active construction is a sentence in which the subject
denotes the performer of an action, and
the object the thing to which the action passes over:
Рабочие
выполняют
план.
The workers are
completing the plan.
Собрание
решило этот
важный
вопрос.
The meeting has decided this important question.
The predicate of
an active construction is a transitive verb. A passive construction is a
sentence in which the subject denotes the thing to which an action passes over
and the object denotes the performer or instrument of the action and takes the
instrumental without a preposition:
План. выполняется
рабочими.
The plan is
completed by the workers.
Важный
вопрос решён
собранием.
An important
question has been decided by the meeting.
The predicate of
a passive construction is either a verb with the particle
-ся
or a short-form participle passive.
An active
construction can
generally be replaced by a
passive construction and vice versa:
Active
Construction
Этот завод
производит
мотоциклы.
This plant
produces motorcycles.
Passive
Construction
Мотоциклы
производятся этим заводом.
The motor-cycles
are produced by this plant.
Active
Construction
Преподаватель проверяет
письменные работы.
The teacher is
correcting the written work.
Passive
Construction
Письменные работы проверяются преподавателем.
The written work
is being corrected by the teacher.
Active
Construction
Этот
инженер
создал
проект.
This engineer has
made the plans.
Passive
Construction
Проект
создан этим
инженером.
The plans has been made by the engineer.
Active Construction
Завод
выполнил
план.
The plant has
fulfilled the plan.
Passive Construction
План
выполнен
заводом.
The plan has been
fulfilled by the plant.
When an active
construction is replaced by a passive one, the direct object becomes the
subject and the subject becomes the object in the instrumental.
If the predicate
of an active construction is an imperfective verb, the predicate of the
corresponding passive construction is a verb with the particle
-ся.
If the predicate
of an active construction is a perfective verb, the predicate of the
corresponding passive construction is a short-form participle passive.
Проект
создан
этим
инженером.
The project was
made by this engineer.
План
выполнен
заводом.
The plan was
completed by the plant.
Perfective verbs
with the particle -ся cannot be used in a passive
construction except in a few cases:
Зал
осветился ярким свётом.
The hall was
filled with bright
light.
Поля
покрылись
снегом.
The fields have
become covered with snow.
Such sentences
generally describe either actions or phenomena which do not depend on man's will or transition from one state into another.
Compare:
Поля
покрылись
снегом.
The fields have
become covered with snow.
Поля
покрыты
снегом.
The fields are
covered with snow.
A passive
construction does not always contain an object in the instrumental denoting the
performer or instrument of action:
В этом
магазине
продаются
книги.
Books are sold in
this shop.
Книги в
библиотеке
выдаются с 10
часов
Books can be
borrowed from the library from 10 o'clock.
Дверь
открыта.
The door is open.
Все
билеты
проданы.
All the tickets
are sold out.
Это
место занято.
This seat is
taken.
When such a
passive construction is replaced by an active one, the resulting sentence is
indefinite-personal:
Книги в
библиотеке
выдают с 10
часов.
They lend books
at the library from 10 o'clock.
Passive
constructions with an object denoting the performer in the instrumental are not
common in colloquial speech. They are typical of official language.
Работа
будет
закончена
мною
к
первому
декабря.
The work will be
finished by me by the first of December.
Этот текст
легко
понимается
студентами первого
курса.
This text can
easily be understood by first-year students.
Passive
constructions without an object in the instrumental are common in various
styles of speech.
В этом киоске продаются папиросы.
Cigarettes are
sold at this kiosk.
Все
билеты
проданы.
All the tickets
are sold out.
Это
место занято.
This place is
taken.