Passive Verbs

Passive Verbs

All the verbs you have seen so far have been active verbs, which means the subject does the action to the object.

ahaṃ rukkhaṃ na chindāmi

I do not cut the tree

With Passive Verbs, the action is done to the subject by an agent in the instrumental case, just like in English.

rukkho mayā chindīyati / rukkho me chijjati

The tree is cut by me.

How to form Passive Verbs

To make a passive verb, first you need to make a passive base. Remember the formula for making a base?

Root + Conjugational Sign > Base

To make a passive verb is even easier

1. Root + ya > Passive Base

2. Root + iya > Passive Base

3. Root + īya > Passive Base

Passive Base + Verbal Ending > Passive Verb

Sometimes the only way to recognise if a verb is passive is by the passive base

1. root + ya

√badh	to tie	+ ya	bajjha	bajjhati	is tied
√bhid	to break	+ ya	bhijja	bhijjati	is broken
√han	to kill	+ ya	hañña	haññati	is killed
√ji	to conquer	+ ya	jīya	jīyati	is defeated
√khād	to eat	+ ya	khajja	khajjati	is eaten
√labh	to obtain	+ ya	labbha	labbhati	is obtained
√ñā	to know	+ ya	ñāya	ñāyati	is known
√muc	to free	+ ya	mucca	muccati	is freed
√tap	to burn	+ ya	tappa	tappati	is burned
√vac	to say	+ ya	vucca	vuccati	is said

Please refresh in memory the “assimilation of y” from the Class 4.

2. root + iya + verbal ending (less common)

√dhā	to place	+ iya	dhiya	samādhiyati	is composed; lit. is placed together here
√kar	to do	+ iya	kariya	kariyati	is done
√sād	to taste	+ iya	sādiya	sādiyati	enjoys;lit. is tasted
√har	to carry	+ iya	hariya	parihariyati	is carried around

3. root + īya + verbal ending (less common)

√dā	to give	+ īya	dīya	dīyati	is given
√dhā	to hold	+ īya	dhīya	dhīyati	is held
√har	to carry	+ īya	harīya	harīyati	is carried
√kar	to do	+ īya	karīya	karīyati	is done
√pā	to drink	+ īya	pīya	pīyati	is drunk

4. Verbs in group 3 can also be used in the passive voice without adding a passive sign.

They are formed as normal group 3 verbs, and typically have an agent in the instrumental case. It is usually clear from
the contextual usage.

root + ya + verbal ending

√sam	to be calm	+ ya	samma	sammati	is calmed; is cooled
√mad	to be intoxicated	+ ya	majja	majjati	is intoxicated; is stupefied
√mus	to lie, forget	+ ya	mussa	mussati	is forgotten
√luj	to be broken apart	+ ya	lujja	lujjati	is broken; is erased
√saj	to stick	+ ya	sajja	sajjati	is attached; lit. is stuck

5. In some rare cases, passive verbs from groups 2 and 3 can be formed on the base + passive sign:

base + iya / īya + verbal ending

√yuj	yuñja	+ iya	yuñjiya	anuyuñjiyati	is examined; lit. is engaged
√bhuj	bhuñja	+ iya	bhuñjiya	paribhuñjiyati	is fully used
√chid	chinda	+ īya	chindīya	acchindīyati	is plundered
√muc	muñca	+ īya	muñcīya	muñcīyati	is freed
√rudh	rundha	+ īya	rundhīya	rundhīyati	is obstructed

√pad	pajja	+ iya	pajjiya	uppajjiyati	is brought into being
√siv	sibba	+ iya	sibbiya	sibbiyati	is stitched

There are some exceptions and other forms, but that’s enough for now. Check out the extra reading to find out more.

How to conjugate Passive Verbs

Easy, just add the normal verbal ending to the passive base.

√dā (give) + īya > dīya (pass)

dīya + ti > dīyati

Present Tense “it is given”

3rd	dīyati	dīyanti
2nd	dīyasi	dīyatha
1st	dīyāmi	dīyāma

Aorist “it was given”

3rd	dīyi	dīyuṃ
2nd	dīyo	dīyittha
1st	dīyiṃ	dīyimha

Future Tense “it will be given”

3rd	dīyissati	dīyissanti
2nd	dīyissasi	dīyissatha
1st	dīyissāmi	dīyissāma

Optative “it could be given”

3rd	dīyeyya	dīyeyyuṃ
2nd	dīyeyyāsi	dīyeyyātha
1st	dīyeyyāmi	dīyeyyāma

Please note that some passive verbs can look very similar to their active versions

pacati	he cooks	paccati	it is cooked
tapati	he burns	tappati	it is burned
nasati	he destroys	nassati	it is destroyed

What’s the reason for that?