TL;DR. Italian passive voice: essere + past participle (any tense), venire + past participle (dynamic, simple tenses), andare + past participle (obligation = must be done), si passivante (impersonal, no agent). The agent always takes DA. Five traps for English speakers and a building-site dialogue.
The italian passive voice has more flavours than English speakers expect. The standard essere + past participle (il risotto è preparato da Giulia) is just the first option. Italian also uses venire + past participle (viene preparato da Giulia) for a more dynamic feel, andare + past participle to express obligation (va consegnato domani = it must be handed in tomorrow), and the si passivante with the particle si for impersonal constructions (in Italia si mangia bene). All four versions exist side by side and natives switch between them constantly. This guide covers the italian passive voice at B1 and B2 level, with real examples for each construction, the five traps that confuse English speakers, a dialogue at a building site, and a collapsible mini-challenge.
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The rule: italian passive voice in one line
The italian passive voice flips an active sentence so the receiver of the action becomes the grammatical subject. Where active Giulia prepara il risotto puts Giulia in the spotlight, passive Il risotto è preparato da Giulia puts the risotto in the spotlight. The agent (Giulia) is optional and, when expressed, is always introduced by the preposition DA.
You can only build a passive sentence from an active sentence with a direct object. Gigi promette un regalo a Maria can become Un regalo è promesso da Gigi a Maria, but you cannot promote the indirect object Maria to the passive subject. English allows Maria was promised a gift by Gigi; Italian does not.
🔍 Active to passive:
- Giulia prepara il risotto. Giulia prepares the risotto. (active)
- Il risotto è preparato da Giulia. The risotto is prepared by Giulia. (passive with essere)
- Il risotto viene preparato da Giulia. The risotto is being prepared by Giulia. (passive with venire, more dynamic)
- In Italia si mangia bene. In Italy people eat well. (impersonal si passivante)
Standard: ESSERE + past participle
This is the most frequent form of the italian passive voice. Essere conjugates in any tense (present, imperfect, passato prossimo, future, conditional, subjunctive) and the past participle agrees with the subject in gender and number.
🔍 Across tenses:
- Presente: La macchina è aggiustata dal meccanico. The car is fixed by the mechanic.
- Passato prossimo: Il gattino è stato salvato da Michele. The kitten was saved by Michele.
- Imperfetto: La casa era dipinta dagli imbianchini ogni cinque anni. The house used to be painted by the painters every five years.
- Trapassato: La casa era stata già dipinta dagli imbianchini. The house had already been painted by the painters.
- Condizionale: Le tue vacanze sarebbero pagate dai miei genitori. Your holidays would be paid for by my parents.
- Congiuntivo passato: Penso che la partita sia stata vinta dai ragazzi. I think the game was won by the boys.
💡 Agreement: the past participle always agrees with the subject. La casa è stata dipinta (feminine singular), i quadri sono stati venduti (masculine plural), le finestre sono state lavate (feminine plural). Even when the active sentence had avere as auxiliary, the passive switches to essere with full agreement.
🎯 Mini-Challenge: essere + past participle
- The book is read by many.
- The cake was prepared by my aunt.
Show answers
- Il libro è letto da molti.
- La torta è stata preparata da mia zia.
Dynamic: VENIRE + past participle
For simple tenses (present, imperfect, future, conditional), Italian allows you to swap essere for venire. The meaning is identical, but venire adds a sense of motion or action in progress. It is more dynamic, slightly more vivid. Venire cannot be used in compound tenses (passato prossimo, trapassato, congiuntivo passato) because the construction would be ungrammatical.
🔍 Compare essere and venire:
- Il risotto è preparato da Giulia. (essere, neutral)
- Il risotto viene preparato da Giulia. (venire, dynamic) Both translate as “the risotto is prepared by Giulia”, but venire emphasises the action in progress.
- Le notizie vengono trasmesse ogni ora. The news is broadcast every hour.
- Questa procedura verrà aggiornata il mese prossimo. This procedure will be updated next month. (future)
⚠️ No venire in compound tenses: the form è venuto preparato is wrong. In passato prossimo and other compound tenses, only essere works: è stato preparato. Beginners often try the impossible compound form by analogy.
🎯 Mini-Challenge: venire + past participle
- The book is being read by many. (dynamic)
- The papers are signed at the desk.
Show answers
- Il libro viene letto da molti.
- Le pratiche vengono firmate al desk.
Obligation: ANDARE + past participle
This is the construction English speakers least expect. When the active sentence contains dovere + essere + past participle (must be done), Italian can substitute andare + past participle as a shorter, more idiomatic equivalent. The two are interchangeable in simple tenses; andare sounds more natural in everyday Italian.
🔍 Compare:
- Il compito deve essere consegnato domani. The homework must be handed in tomorrow. (heavier, three-verb)
- Il compito va consegnato domani. The homework must be handed in tomorrow. (lighter, two-verb)
- Le pratiche vanno firmate entro venerdì. The papers must be signed by Friday.
- Questa lettera va spedita al più presto. This letter must be sent as soon as possible.
💡 Limit: like venire, andare as passive auxiliary works only in simple tenses (present, imperfect, future, conditional). In compound tenses use dovere + essere: il compito è dovuto essere consegnato is heavy but grammatical; è andato consegnato is wrong.
🎯 Mini-Challenge: andare = obligation
- The papers must be signed.
- This letter must be sent.
Show answers
- Le pratiche vanno firmate.
- Questa lettera va spedita.
Impersonal: SI passivante
Italian has a fourth way to build passive sentences: the particle si plus an active-form verb. The verb agrees with the grammatical subject (singular or plural). The result is impersonal: there is no explicit agent. English typically translates this with “people, one, you, they” or with a passive without agent.
🔍 Observe:
- In Italia si ascolta molta musica americana. In Italy people listen to a lot of American music. (singular subject)
- In Italia si ascoltano canzoni americane. In Italy American songs are listened to. (plural subject)
- Si dice che il prezzo del pane aumenterà. People say the price of bread will go up.
- In questo ristorante si mangiano i migliori spaghetti della città. The best spaghetti in town is eaten in this restaurant.
⚠️ Si passivante never takes an explicit agent: In Italia si ascolta la musica americana da tutti is wrong. The si construction excludes the agent by definition. If you want to say “by everyone” you must switch to the standard passive: la musica americana è ascoltata da tutti in Italia.
🎯 Mini-Challenge: si passivante
- In Italy people listen to a lot of American music.
- American songs are listened to in Italy.
Show answers
- In Italia si ascolta molta musica americana.
- In Italia si ascoltano canzoni americane.
Agent: always with DA
When you want to name the agent (the doer) of a passive action, Italian uses the preposition DA. Always. Never DI, never CON, never PER. This is the same DA covered in our Italian DI vs DA guide and our Italian Preposition A guide: agency is one of DA’s core jobs.
🔍 Observe:
- Il Ponte Vecchio è stato progettato da Taddeo Gaddi nel 1345. The Ponte Vecchio was designed by Taddeo Gaddi in 1345.
- Questa torta è stata preparata da mia sorella Arianna. This cake was prepared by my sister Arianna.
- L’edificio fu distrutto dal terremoto del 1908. The building was destroyed by the earthquake of 1908. (with article: dal)
Five traps for English speakers
Trap 1: agent always DA, never DI
This is the rule beginners break most often. Scritto da Dante = written by Dante (correct). Scritto di Dante would mean “Dante’s writing” (possession), not “by Dante” (agent). The two readings are different. For agent in passive sentences, only DA is correct.
Trap 2: only direct objects can be promoted
English allows Maria was promised a gift by Gigi (promoting the indirect object). Italian does not. You can only build a passive from an active sentence with a direct object, and you can only promote that direct object. Gigi ha promesso un regalo a Maria can become Un regalo è stato promesso da Gigi a Maria, but never Maria è stata promessa un regalo da Gigi.
Trap 3: venire and andare are tense-limited
Both venire and andare as passive auxiliaries work only in simple tenses (present, imperfect, future, conditional, simple subjunctive). They do not work in compound tenses (passato prossimo, trapassato, congiuntivo passato). For compound tenses you must use essere: è stato preparato, never è venuto preparato.
Trap 4: si passivante never takes an agent
The si construction excludes any explicit agent. In Italia si mangia bene da tutti is wrong. If you want to add the agent (“by everyone”), you must switch to the standard essere passive: il pesce viene mangiato da tutti gli italiani. Don’t mix the two constructions.
Trap 5: past participle agreement
In every passive form (essere, venire, andare), the past participle agrees with the grammatical subject in gender and number. La casa è dipinta (feminine singular), i quadri vengono venduti (masculine plural), le pratiche vanno firmate (feminine plural). English speakers often forget the agreement because English participles are invariable.
🎯 Mini-Challenge: five traps
- Agent takes which preposition?
- Past participle agreement?
Show answers
- Always DA, never DI.
- Agrees with subject in gender and number.
Cheat sheet
| Construction | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| essere + past participle | standard passive, all tenses | Il libro è letto da molti. |
| venire + past participle | dynamic passive, simple tenses only | Il libro viene letto da molti. |
| andare + past participle | obligation passive, simple tenses only | Il libro va letto con attenzione. |
| si + active verb | impersonal, no agent | In Italia si mangia bene. |
| Agent | always with DA | scritto da Dante |
| Past participle | agrees with subject | La casa è dipinta; i quadri sono venduti. |
| Indirect object | cannot become passive subject | NO: Maria è promessa un regalo. YES: Un regalo è promesso a Maria. |
Dialogue at the building site
Architetto Conti is showing his client, signora Marini, the progress of her renovation. They walk through the rooms and discuss what’s done, what’s pending, what must still be approved. Listen for how many passive forms come up naturally in five minutes of professional dialogue.
- 👨🏻 Architetto Conti: Signora, il pavimento è stato posato ieri dagli operai. Madam, the floor was laid yesterday by the workers.
- 👩🏻 Sig.ra Marini: Bene. E le pareti verranno tinteggiate entro venerdì? Good. And will the walls be painted by Friday?
- 👨🏻 Architetto Conti: Sì, vengono dipinte domani e dopodomani. La cucina invece va completata con cura, ci vuole più tempo. Yes, they’re being painted tomorrow and the day after. The kitchen, but must be finished carefully, it takes more time.
- 👩🏻 Sig.ra Marini: E gli infissi? Quando vengono installati? And the window frames? When are they installed?
- 👨🏻 Architetto Conti: Sono stati ordinati due settimane fa dal fornitore di Trieste. Arrivano lunedì. They were ordered two weeks ago from the Trieste supplier. They arrive Monday.
- 👩🏻 Sig.ra Marini: E il bagno? And the bathroom?
- 👨🏻 Architetto Conti: Le piastrelle vanno scelte oggi, altrimenti slittiamo. Si dice che il fornitore abbia rotto il magazzino. The tiles must be chosen today, otherwise we slip. They say the supplier ran out of stock.
- 👩🏻 Sig.ra Marini: Va bene. Tutto il progetto deve essere finito entro fine mese, glielo ricordo. All right. The whole project must be finished by the end of the month, I remind you.
- 👨🏻 Architetto Conti: Lo so. Le scadenze vanno rispettate, sempre. I know. Deadlines must be respected, always.
💡 Notice: è stato posato (essere passato prossimo), verranno tinteggiate (venire future), vengono dipinte (venire present), va completata (andare obligation), vengono installati (venire), sono stati ordinati (essere passato prossimo), dal fornitore (agent with DA), vanno scelte (andare obligation), si dice (si passivante), deve essere (dovere + essere), vanno rispettate (andare obligation). Eleven passive constructions in nine short turns.
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Frequently asked questions
How many ways are there to build the italian passive voice?
Four. Standard with essere + past participle (works in any tense). Dynamic with venire + past participle (simple tenses only, slightly more vivid). Obligation with andare + past participle (simple tenses only, replaces dovere essere). Impersonal with si + active verb (no agent allowed). All four coexist and Italians switch between them depending on context, register and emphasis.
When do I use venire instead of essere?
Use venire when you want to emphasise the action in progress or stress dynamism: il libro viene letto da molti suggests an ongoing reading process, while il libro è letto da molti is more neutral. The two are interchangeable in simple tenses and natives mix them constantly. Venire cannot be used in compound tenses (no è venuto preparato): for passato prossimo, trapassato, congiuntivo passato you must use essere.
What does “il compito va consegnato” mean?
Va consegnato is short for deve essere consegnato (must be handed in). The construction andare + past participle expresses obligation in simple tenses. Le pratiche vanno firmate = the papers must be signed; questa lettera va spedita = this letter must be sent. The two-verb form is more idiomatic and lighter than the three-verb dovere essere version. Like venire, it does not work in compound tenses.
Why can’t I say “Maria è stata promessa un regalo”?
Italian only allows direct objects to become passive subjects. In Gigi ha promesso un regalo a Maria, the direct object is un regalo and the indirect object is a Maria. The passive can promote only un regalo: un regalo è stato promesso da Gigi a Maria. Maria stays in the dative. English has more flexibility (“Maria was promised a gift by Gigi”), but Italian is stricter. The same applies to all double-object verbs: dare, regalare, dire, raccontare, mandare, scrivere.
How does the si passivante differ from the si impersonale?
Both use the particle si but they work differently. Si passivante has a real subject and the verb agrees with it: in Italia si mangiano molti spaghetti (plural verb because spaghetti is plural). Si impersonale uses the third-person singular and means “people, one”: si dice che, si vede che, si va in vacanza. With reflexive verbs the rule changes: ci si lava le mani (with the dummy ci to avoid double si). For B1 learners the safest test is: if there’s a noun that could be the subject, use si passivante and agree with it; if not, use si impersonale and stay singular.
Can I add an agent with the si passivante?
No. The si construction excludes any explicit agent by definition. In Italia si mangia bene da tutti is wrong; the construction means “people eat well in Italy” and any explicit agent breaks the impersonal logic. If you must name the agent, switch to the standard essere passive: il pesce è mangiato da tutti gli italiani. The two constructions are mutually exclusive on this point.
Does the past participle always agree with the subject?
Yes, in every passive form. Essere: la casa è dipinta, i quadri sono venduti, le finestre sono state lavate. Venire: la casa viene dipinta, i quadri vengono venduti. Andare: la casa va dipinta, le pratiche vanno firmate. Si passivante: si vendono molti libri, si bevono molti caffè. The participle agrees in gender and number with whatever is grammatically the subject. English speakers, whose participles are invariable, often forget this and produce è dipinto for casa.
