ACTIVE VOICE.

The active voice is the "normal" voice. This is the voice that we use most of the
time. You are probably already familiar with the active voice. In the active voice, the
object receives the action of the verb:
active

subject

verb

object
>

Cats

eat

fish.

The passive voice is less usual. In the passive voice, the subject receives the
action of the verb:
passive

subject

verb

object

are eaten

by cats.

<
Fish

The object of the active verb becomes the subject of the passive verb:
subject

verb

object

active

Everybody

drinks

water.

passive

Water

is drunk

by everybody.

Subject + finite form of to be + Past Participle

Tense

Simple
Present

Subject

Active:
Passive
:

Simple Past

Active:
Passive
:

Present
Perfect

Active:
Passive
:

Future I

Active:
Passive
:

Hilfsverben

Active:
Passive
:

Tense

Present
Progressive

Passive
:
Past
Progressive

Past Perfect

Active:
Passive
:
Active:
Passive
:

Future II

Active:

Object

writes

a letter.

is written

by Rita.

wrote

a letter.

A letter

was written

by Rita.

Rita

has written

a letter.

has been written

by Rita.

will write

a letter.

will be written

by Rita.

can write

a letter.

can be written

by Rita.

Rita
A letter
Rita

A letter
Rita
A letter
Rita
A letter
Subject

Active:

Verb

Verb

Object

is writing

a letter.

is being written

by Rita.

was writing

a letter.

was being written

by Rita.

had written

a letter.

A letter

had been written

by Rita.

Rita

will have written

a letter.

Rita
A letter
Rita
A letter
Rita

Passive
:
Conditional I

Active:
Passive
:

Conditional II

Active:
Passive
:

A letter
Rita
A letter
Rita

will have been written

by Rita.

would write

a letter.

would be written

by Rita.

would have written

a letter.

A letter would have been written by Rita.