The Arabic passive voice (المبني للمجهول, literally "the structure for the unknown") removes the doer from a sentence and promotes the recipient of the action to the subject position. It is a powerful and elegant tool when used deliberately. It is also one of the most overused structures in formal Arabic writing, producing texts that feel evasive and lifeless. Knowing when to reach for it and when to use the active voice instead is a mark of strong Arabic style.
How to Form the Passive Voice
Past Tense (الماضي المبني للمجهول)
The internal vowels of the root change: the first vowel becomes damma (ـُ) and the vowel before the last consonant becomes kasra (ـِ).
| Active | Passive | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| كَتَبَ (he wrote) | كُتِبَ (it was written) | Pattern: فَعَلَ → فُعِلَ |
| فَتَحَ (he opened) | فُتِحَ (it was opened) | |
| أَرْسَلَ (he sent) | أُرْسِلَ (it was sent) | |
| دَرَّسَ (he taught) | دُرِّسَ (it was taught) |
Present Tense (المضارع المبني للمجهول)
The prefix vowel changes to damma and the vowel before the last consonant becomes fatha (ـَ).
| Active | Passive | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| يَكْتُبُ (he writes) | يُكْتَبُ (it is written) | Pattern: يَفْعُلُ → يُفْعَلُ |
| يَفْتَحُ (he opens) | يُفْتَحُ (it is opened) | |
| يُرْسِلُ (he sends) | يُرْسَلُ (it is sent) | |
| يُدَرِّسُ (he teaches) | يُدَرَّسُ (it is taught) |
The Naib al-Fail (نائب الفاعل)
In a passive sentence, the direct object of the active sentence moves to the subject position and is called نائب الفاعل (the substitute agent). It takes the nominative case.
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| كتبَ الطالبُ الدرسَ (Faail: الطالب, Mafool: الدرس) | كُتِبَ الدرسُ (نائب فاعل: الدرسُ, nominative) |
| فتحَ المديرُ البابَ | فُتِحَ البابُ |
When to Use the Passive Voice
| Situation | Example | Why passive works |
|---|---|---|
| Agent is unknown | سُرِقَت السيارة الليلة الماضية | We do not know who stole it |
| Agent is obvious and unimportant | بُنيَ هذا المسجد منذ ثلاثة قرون | Workers built it, obviously |
| Agent is deliberately suppressed | أُفرج عن المحتجزين | Official communication avoiding blame |
| Focus on the action or recipient | نُشر الكتاب عام ٢٠٢٥ | The publication date matters, not who published |
| Scientific or technical writing | تُقاس الحرارة بالدرجة المئوية | Convention in scientific Arabic |
When to Avoid the Passive Voice
| Situation | ❌ Weak passive | ✅ Stronger active |
|---|---|---|
| Agent is known and important | قُدِّم الاقتراح من قبل المدير | قدَّم المدير الاقتراح |
| Narrative writing | دُخِلَ الغرفة وكُسِرَ الزجاج | دخلَ الغرفة وكسرَ الزجاج |
| Multiple consecutive passives | يُعقد الاجتماع أسبوعياً ويُناقش فيه ما يُعرض عليه | يُعقد الاجتماع أسبوعياً لمناقشة ما يُطرح فيه |
Passive of Derived Verb Forms
The same internal vowel pattern applies to derived verb forms. The pattern can be determined by applying the rule: damma on first syllable of past, damma on prefix + fatha before last consonant of present.
| Form | Active example | Passive example |
|---|---|---|
| Form II (فعّل) | دَرَّسَ | دُرِّسَ |
| Form III (فاعل) | قَاتَلَ | قُوتِلَ |
| Form IV (أفعل) | أَرْسَلَ | أُرْسِلَ |
| Form X (استفعل) | استَقْبَلَ | اسْتُقْبِلَ |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I mention the agent in an Arabic passive sentence?
Arabic passive voice exists precisely to suppress the agent. Unlike English, Arabic does not have a standard equivalent of "by Ahmed" added to a passive sentence. If the agent matters, use the active voice instead.
Is the Arabic passive more formal than the active?
Not inherently, but it tends to appear more in formal and bureaucratic writing because those registers often want to avoid naming agents. In literary and journalistic Arabic, both voices are used with deliberate stylistic intent.