Passive Voice in English Grammar (कर्मणी प्रयोग) – A Complete Bilingual Guide
Learn how to change Active sentences into Passive Voice, with clear rules, Marathi meanings and example sentences.
What is Passive Voice? In Active Voice, the subject performs the action. In Passive Voice, the subject receives the action — the object of the active sentence becomes the subject.
(इंग्रजी व्याकरणात, कर्तरी प्रयोगात कर्ता क्रिया करतो, तर कर्मणी प्रयोगात कर्त्यावर क्रिया केली जाते — कर्तरी वाक्यातील कर्म हे कर्मणी वाक्याचा कर्ता बनते.)
1. The Basic Structure (मूळ रचना)
English Rule: Object + be (is/am/are/was/were) + V3 (past participle) + by + Subject. The “by + subject” part is optional and often dropped when the doer is unknown or unimportant.
मराठी नियम: कर्म + be (is/am/are/was/were) + V3 (भूतकालवाचक कृदंत) + by + कर्ता. जर कर्ता माहीत नसेल किंवा महत्त्वाचा नसेल, तर “by + कर्ता” हा भाग वगळला जातो.
Examples (उदाहरणे):
- Active: The teacher checks the notebooks.
- Passive: The notebooks are checked by the teacher.
- Doer dropped: The notebooks are checked every day.
Example Sentence: This bridge was built in 1990.
(हा पूल १९९० मध्ये बांधला गेला.)
2. Present Simple Passive (साधा वर्तमानकाळ – कर्मणी)
English Rule: Use is/am/are + V3 for actions that happen regularly or general facts, expressed in the passive.
मराठी नियम: नियमितपणे घडणाऱ्या क्रिया किंवा सर्वसाधारण सत्यांसाठी कर्मणी प्रयोगात is/am/are + V3 वापरतात.
Examples (उदाहरणे):
- Rice is grown in this region.
- English is spoken all over the world.
Example Sentence: This shop is opened at 9 am every day.
(हे दुकान दररोज सकाळी ९ वाजता उघडले जाते.)
3. Past Simple Passive (साधा भूतकाळ – कर्मणी)
English Rule: Use was/were + V3 for a completed action in the past, expressed in the passive.
मराठी नियम: भूतकाळात पूर्ण झालेल्या क्रियेसाठी कर्मणी प्रयोगात was/were + V3 वापरतात.
Examples (उदाहरणे):
- The cake was made by my mother.
- The letters were posted yesterday.
Example Sentence: The window was broken by the boy.
(ती खिडकी त्या मुलाने फोडली होती.)
Common Mistake for Marathi Speakers (मराठी भाषिकांची सामान्य चूक)
Marathi speakers often drop the “be” verb and say “The window broken by the boy”. English passive voice always needs a form of “be” (is/am/are/was/were) before the past participle. The correct form is “The window was broken by the boy.”
(मराठीत कर्मणी वाक्य तयार करताना अनेकजण “be” क्रियापद वगळून चुकीने “The window broken by the boy” असे म्हणतात. इंग्रजीत कर्मणी प्रयोगात V3 पूर्वी नेहमी “be” चे रूप (is/am/are/was/were) लागते. योग्य वाक्य आहे: “The window was broken by the boy.”)
Summary Table: Active vs Passive (तक्ता)
| Tense | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | She checks the notebooks. | The notebooks are checked (by her). |
| Past Simple | She made the cake. | The cake was made (by her). |
Test Your Understanding — Passive Voice Quiz
तुमची समज तपासा! Answer all 10 questions and see your score at the end.
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