You'll learn how to shift focus from the person to the action's result. By the end of this guide, you'll be able to recognize and create sentences that describe what is happening to an object. Mastering how to passieve zin maken nederlands a2 helps you understand formal letters from the Belastingdienst (Tax Authority) and signs in public spaces.
Identify when to use the passive voice — Learn to focus on the action rather than the person performing it.
In your daily life in the Netherlands, you often focus on the person doing something. You say "The postman delivers the letter" or "My neighbor washes the car." These are active sentences. However, there are many times when the person performing the action is unknown or irrelevant. When you receive a letter from the gemeente (municipality), they might write that a decision is being made. They don't name the specific clerk because the process matters more than the individual worker.
Passive voice allows you to put the object of the sentence at the beginning. If you are waiting for a new passport, the most important thing is the passport, not the employee at the desk. You might hear De paspoorten worden gemaakt (The passports are being made). The action of making the passports takes center stage here. This structure is common in official documents from DUO or the IND where the focus stays on your application or status.
Students lose 4–5 points on the writing section of the A2 exam because they only use active sentences. You should use it when the action is more descriptive than the person behind it. For example, in a hospital, a nurse might say De patiënt wordt onderzocht (The patient is being examined).
Construct the passive using 'worden' and a participle — Apply the formula: Subject + worden + rest + past participle.
To build a passive sentence, you need two main building blocks: the auxiliary verb worden (to become/to be) and a past participle. The past participle is the same form you use in the perfectum (present perfect) tense. Most of these start with ge- and end in -d, -t, or -en. The basic formula follows a strict pattern: Subject + worden + other information + past participle.
You must conjugate worden correctly for the subject of your sentence.
- Ik word
- Jij/U wordt
- Hij/Zij/Het wordt
- Wij/Jullie/Zij worden
Consider the sentence De brief wordt geschreven (The letter is being written). The word brief is the subject because the action is happening to it. The verb wordt stays in the second position of the sentence. The rest of the information, like vandaag (today) or door de directeur (by the director), comes next. Finally, the past participle geschreven sits at the end.
If you want to say who is doing the action, use the word door (by). Het formulier wordt door de man ingevuld (The form is being filled in by the man). Even when you include the person, the sentence remains passive because the form stays at the front. Practice this by looking at objects in your house. Instead of saying "I drink the coffee," try saying De koffie wordt gedronken (The coffee is being drunk).
Change tenses in the passive voice — Differentiate between 'is gedaan' (completed) and 'wordt gedaan' (ongoing).
Timing changes the verbs you use in passive constructions. You must distinguish between an action that is currently happening and an action that is already finished. Dutch uses two different auxiliary verbs to mark this difference. This is a common point of confusion for students during the Lezen (Reading) part of the inburgeringsexamen.
Present passive with worden
The present passive uses worden to show that an action is in progress right now. If you walk into a bakery and see the baker working, you say Het brood wordt gebakken (The bread is being baked). It is not finished yet. This tense is useful for describing ongoing processes. At the huisarts (GP), you might hear De uitslag wordt gestuurd (The result is being sent). This implies the process is happening today or throughout this week.
Perfect passive with zijn
When the action is finished, the verb worden disappears. You replace it with zijn (to be). This creates the voltooid passief (completed passive). The formula becomes: Subject + zijn + rest + past participle. If the baker finished his work, you say Het brood is gebakken (The bread has been baked).
You will see this often in emails. A company might write Uw pakket is verzonden (Your package has been sent). This tells you the action is 100% complete. If they wrote wordt verzonden, you would still be waiting for them to put it in the mail. Recognizing the difference between wordt and is helps you manage your expectations when dealing with the Belastingdienst or your zorgverzekeraar (health insurer).
Word order in passive sentences
Word order remains the most difficult part of mastering these sentences. In a standard main clause, the conjugated verb (worden or zijn) stays in the second position. The past participle must go to the end of the sentence. No other words can follow it. If you have a long sentence like Het huis wordt door de schilders blauw geverfd (The house is being painted blue by the painters), the word geverfd must stay last.
When you use a subclause, the rules shift. If you start with Ik weet dat... (I know that...), both verbs move to the end. You would write Ik weet dat de brief wordt geschreven. In this case, wordt and geschreven stand together at the finish line. Keep your sentences short while you practice to avoid mixing up these positions. Mastering the placement of the past participle ensures your writing stays clear for the exam graders at DUO.
Practice with common workplace signs — Understand phrases like 'er wordt gewerkt' or 'hier wordt niet gerookt'.
Passive voice appears on signs across the Netherlands. You will see these in offices, construction sites, and train stations. These signs often use the word er (there) as a dummy subject. This happens when there is no specific object receiving the action, or when the action itself is the only important part.
One common sign is Er wordt gewerkt (Work is being done). You'll see this near roadworks or inside office buildings undergoing repairs. It doesn't say who is working. It simply warns you that an activity is occurring. Another example is Hier wordt niet gerookt (No smoking here/Smoking is not done here). This sounds more formal and authoritative than a simple "No smoking" sign. It describes a general rule of the environment.
At a gemeente office, you might see a sign that says Er wordt hier alleen met pin betaald (Only debit card payments are accepted here). This uses the passive voice to state a policy. It is more polite than saying "You must pay with a card." By using wordt, the focus stays on the method of payment. Look for these patterns while you are out.
Bottom line
The most important takeaway is that worden indicates an ongoing action while zijn indicates a finished result in passive sentences. Always place your past participle at the end of the clause and use door if you need to mention who is performing the task. Mastering this structure allows you to handle formal Dutch communication with much more confidence.
