Simple Present Passive
To form a sentence in the simple present passive, we put a subject, the correct form of the auxiliary verb “to be”, the past participle of the verb, and optionally “of” and a doer. Since the subject of the sentence is already there, it is a complete sentence without having to specify an agent. Therefore, the last part is additional information and is optional.
There are a few things to consider when structuring a sentence in the simple present passive:
Subject: The subject is the recipient of the action in the passive.
Auxiliary verb: The auxiliary verb “to be” is used in the simple present tense to show that the sentence is in the passive. The choice of modal verb depends on the subject. Use “is” for singular subjects (he, she, it), “are” for plural subjects (we, you, they), and “are” for first person singular subjects (I). We use “am”.
Perfect participle: The main verb is converted into the perfect participle form. The perfect participle is formed by adding “-ed” to the base form of the verb.
“From” + agent (optional): The agent is the doer. You can use the preposition “of” to show who or what is performing the action. However, an agent is not always necessary or included in a passive sentence.
You can make affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences in the simple present passive. Let’s look at how to make these different types of sentences.
1. For positive simple present passive sentences:
Use the formula: subject + auxiliary verb “to be” (am/is/are) + past participle of main verb + “of” + subject (optional).
Active voice: “You deliver the package.”
Passive voice: “The package is being delivered by them.”
2. For negative sentences in the simple present passive:
Use the formula: subject + auxiliary verb “to be” (am/is/are) + negating adverb (not) + past participle of main verb + “of” + subject (optional).
Active voice: “He doesn’t repair the car.”
Passive voice: “The car hasn’t been repaired.”
3. For questions in the simple present passive:
Use the formula: auxiliary verb + subject + past participle + “of” + agent (optional).
Active voice: “Are you cleaning the house?”
Passive voice: “Is the house being cleaned?”
Present tense sentences Affirmative form Passive voice
As we learned above, the formula we use to form sentences in the present simple tense affirmative passive is subject + auxiliary verb “to be” (am/is/are) + past participle of main verb. Here is a table and some examples to help you understand better. Subject Auxiliary (to be) Verb
I am V3
He/She/It
You/We/They
Active: She loves me.
Passive: She loves me.
Active: They left you alone.
Passive: They left you alone.
Active: The police arrested him. Passive: He was arrested by the police.
Active: He kicked us out of the house.
Passive: We were kicked out of his house.
Active: They cleaned the sofa.
Passive: The sofa will be cleaned. Auxiliary verbs: Use the auxiliary verbs “have” and “be” in combination. “Have” expresses the present perfect tense, and “be” expresses the continuous aspect.
Examples of Positive Passives in the Present Simple Tense
Here are 10 examples of positive sentences in the present simple tense passive.
We share the housework.
We wash the car every week. A project is completed.
The desert is made by my mother.
Information is shared.
The room is ransacked by cats.
A song has been sung. The report is created by the analyst.
You are invited.
The email is sent to the customer.
