Why Use the Passive Voice in Italian?

Il modulo va firmato.

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In a sea of grammar to learn, you might be wondering, “What is the passive voice (la forma passiva), and why do I have to learn it in Italian?”

I get it. When I got deeper into studying grammar, the passive voice kept popping back up at me, tormenting me with my lack of knowledge about it. 

Also, as an aspiring fiction writer, I’ve sat in my fair share of workshops where professors urged me to avoid the passive voice at all costs lest my story be ruined by it. (Haha, guess that advice didn’t stick.)

Luckily, I had a couple of great Italki tutors who took the time to walk me through how to use the passive voice and tell me that this form is used more often in Italian than in English. 

Not sure what I mean by active vs. passive voice?

Here’s an example to give you an idea.

ACTIVE VOICE: She rented a room in Bologna.

PASSIVE VOICE: The room in Bologna was rented by her. 

In the active voice, it’s very clear who is doing the action, while in the passive voice, the subject is often cut out, leaving you to ask the question “by whom (was this action completed)?

So, when is the passive voice typically used in Italian?

Overall, it’s used when the action is more important than who is doing the action.

-- Criticize the way something was done without blaming someone for it

-- Give the facts of a situation or a story, typically in the news

-- Outline the way that something is done, like with guidelines, rules, or procedures

Now that you’re familiar with the types of situations you would use it in, here are the four formulas you can use:

The one you’re most familiar with is…