Passive Voice in Czech

In Brief

Czech has two main passive patterns. Use a form of být (“to be”) plus a passive participle for forms such as Dopis byl napsán (“The letter was written”); the participle agrees with the subject. Use se especially for processes, customs, instructions, and general statements: Tady se mluví česky (“Czech is spoken here”).

Overview

The passive voice presents an event from the viewpoint of the person or thing affected by it. Compare active Petr napsal dopis (“Petr wrote the letter”) with passive Dopis byl napsán Petrem (“The letter was written by Petr”). In the passive sentence, dopis is the subject (the part of the sentence that the verb is built around), although the letter does not perform the action.

Czech introduces this topic around B1, after the past tense, because the passive requires familiar forms of být, agreement, and basic knowledge of case. A case is a change in a noun or adjective that shows its role in the sentence. The affected item normally appears in the nominative, or subject, case; an expressed agent—the doer—can appear in the instrumental case.

English and Czech both have a “be + participle” passive, but they do not use it with the same frequency. Czech often prefers a reflexive passive with se, an active sentence, or an impersonal expression. Translating every English passive word for word therefore produces Czech that may be grammatical but unnecessarily stiff.

How It Works

1. The passive with být + passive participle

The pattern is:

affected subject + form of být + passive participle (+ agent)

A passive participle is a verb form that describes an action as received rather than performed. Czech calls it trpné příčestí. It commonly ends in a form of -n or -t, but changes inside the verb stem are frequent.

Time or form	Structure	Example	Meaning
present	present of být + participle	Dům je stavěn.	The house is being built.
past	past of být + participle	Dopis byl napsán.	The letter was written.
future	future of být + participle	Výsledky budou zveřejněny.	The results will be published.
infinitive	být + participle	Formulář musí být podepsán.	The form must be signed.
conditional	conditional of být + participle	Návrh by byl přijat.	The proposal would be accepted.

Negation normally goes on být: Dopis nebyl odeslán (“The letter was not sent”), Výsledky nebudou zveřejněny (“The results will not be published”). With a modal verb, it may go on the modal: Formulář nemusí být podepsán (“The form does not have to be signed”).

Agreement with the affected subject

The participle behaves like an adjective and agrees in gender and number with the grammatical subject. Gender sorts Czech nouns into masculine, feminine, and neuter groups; number means singular or plural.

Subject type	Form of pozvat	Example
masculine singular	pozván	Host byl pozván. — The guest was invited.
feminine singular	pozvána	Anna byla pozvána. — Anna was invited.
neuter singular	pozváno	Dítě bylo pozváno. — The child was invited.
masculine animate plural	pozváni	Studenti byli pozváni. — The students were invited.
feminine plural	pozvány	Studentky byly pozvány. — The female students were invited.
masculine inanimate plural	odeslány	Dopisy byly odeslány. — The letters were sent.
neuter plural	odeslána	Oznámení byla odeslána. — The notices were sent.

The plural distinction is easy to miss. Groups of male people, or mixed groups treated as masculine animate, take -i in forms such as pozváni. Feminine and masculine inanimate plurals take -y, while neuter plurals take -a.

The auxiliary must agree too: zpráva byla, dopisy byly, oznámení byla. English uses the same participle “written” throughout, so English-speaking learners need to check both Czech words.

Building the participle

Many common participles contain -n- or -t-, followed by the appropriate agreement ending. Stem changes mean that the infinitive alone does not always predict the form reliably.

Infinitive	Basic passive forms	Meaning
napsat	napsán, napsána, napsáno	written
udělat	udělán, udělána, uděláno	done, made
otevřít	otevřen, otevřena, otevřeno	opened
přeložit	přeložen, přeložena, přeloženo	translated
koupit	koupen, koupena, koupeno	bought
pozvat	pozván, pozvána, pozváno	invited
začít	začat, začata, začato	begun
přijmout	přijat, přijata, přijato	accepted, received

Learn the infinitive and participle together, especially when the stem changes: přijmout → přijat, not a mechanically invented form. Dictionaries normally list irregular or less predictable participles.

Expressing the agent

If the doer matters, Czech normally puts it in the instrumental case without a word equivalent to English “by”:

• Román byl napsán Karlem Čapkem. — The novel was written by Karel Čapek.
• Město bylo osvobozeno armádou. — The city was liberated by the army.

The instrumental can also name a tool: Dopis byl napsán tužkou means “The letter was written in pencil/with a pencil.” Context tells you whether an instrumental phrase is an agent or an instrument. In everyday communication, an important agent often sounds clearer in an active sentence: Karel Čapek napsal román.

2. The reflexive passive with se

The second major pattern uses the clitic se, a short unstressed word that normally sits near the beginning of its clause:

affected subject + se + active-looking verb

Active	Passive with se	English
Obchod prodává knihy.	Knihy se prodávají v obchodě.	Books are sold in the shop.
Lidé tady mluví česky.	Tady se mluví česky.	Czech is spoken here.
Firma staví nový dům.	Staví se nový dům.	A new house is being built.

When an affected noun is the subject, the verb agrees with it: Kniha se prodává but Knihy se prodávají. Czech may put a new or less important subject after the verb, as in Staví se nový dům.

The se pattern can also be impersonal, meaning that no particular person is named as subject. It is especially natural with activities and general behavior:

• Tady se nekouří. — No smoking here / People do not smoke here.
• V létě se vstává dřív. — In summer, people get up earlier.
• Jak se to používá? — How is this used?
• To se nedělá. — That is not done.

In past impersonal clauses, the default form is neuter singular: Na oslavě se hodně tancovalo (“There was a lot of dancing at the party”). This differs from a clause with a plural subject: Na oslavě se zpívaly lidové písně (“Folk songs were sung at the party”).

Position of se

Se usually occupies the second position in its clause, after the first complete element rather than necessarily after the first written word:

• Tady se mluví česky.
• V této restauraci se podává oběd od jedenácti.
• Nové knihy se prodávají v přízemí.

Do not copy the English position of “is/are.” Czech word order can move information for emphasis, but se remains an unstressed clitic and cannot be placed freely. Negation attaches to the verb: Tady se nekouří; Tyto knihy se už neprodávají.

Examples in Context

Czech	English	Note
Dopis byl napsán včera večer.	The letter was written yesterday evening.	Past passive with a masculine subject
Zpráva byla odeslána všem zaměstnancům.	The message was sent to all employees.	Feminine agreement; recipient stays in the dative
Okno bylo rozbito míčem.	The window was broken by a ball.	Neuter agreement; instrumental cause
Studenti byli pozváni na pohovor.	The students were invited to an interview.	Masculine animate plural
Smlouvy budou podepsány zítra.	The contracts will be signed tomorrow.	Future passive
Dům je stavěn podle nového projektu.	The house is being built according to a new design.	Imperfective participle presents an ongoing process
Tento román byl přeložen do češtiny.	This novel was translated into Czech.	Completed event
Formulář musí být vyplněn čitelně.	The form must be completed legibly.	Passive infinitive after a modal
Vstupenky se prodávají online.	Tickets are sold online.	Reflexive passive with plural agreement
Ve škole se mluví jen česky.	Only Czech is spoken at school.	General practice; no agent stated
Tady se nesmí parkovat.	Parking is not allowed here.	Impersonal se with a modal
Jak se toto slovo vyslovuje?	How is this word pronounced?	A common question about procedure
To se nedělá.	That is not done.	Social rule or disapproval
Během schůze se projednávaly tři návrhy.	Three proposals were discussed during the meeting.	Past plural agreement

Common Mistakes

Leaving the participle unchanged

• Wrong: Zpráva byl napsán včera.
• Right: Zpráva byla napsána včera.
• Why: Zpráva is feminine, so both byla and napsána must agree with it.

Using od as an automatic translation of “by”

• Awkward: Román byl napsán od Karla Čapka.
• Better: Román byl napsán Karlem Čapkem.
• Why: A personal agent is normally expressed by the instrumental case without a preposition. Better still, use active Karel Čapek napsal román when the author is the main information.

Putting se wherever English puts “be”

• Wrong: Tady mluví se česky.
• Right: Tady se mluví česky.
• Why: Unstressed se normally comes near the start of the clause, after its first complete element.

Forgetting agreement in a se passive

• Wrong: Knihy se prodává online.
• Right: Knihy se prodávají online.
• Why: Knihy is a plural grammatical subject, so the verb is plural. The default singular form belongs to genuinely impersonal clauses such as Tady se dobře pracuje.

Promoting an English indirect object to Czech subject

• Unnatural literal translation: Já jsem byl dán knihu. for “I was given a book.”
• Right: Dostal jsem knihu. or Byla mi dána kniha.
• Why: Czech does not normally make the recipient the passive subject in this way. Use active dostat, or make kniha the subject and keep mi (“to me”) in the dative case.

Overusing the formal passive in conversation

• Stiff in many everyday contexts: Chyba byla opravena mnou.
• More natural: Opravil jsem chybu.
• Why: If the doer is known and important, ordinary Czech often prefers the active voice. The formal passive is not wrong, but its information focus and register are different.

Usage Notes

The být + participle passive is common in official notices, news, academic prose, reports, and descriptions of procedures. It is useful when the result or affected item matters more than the doer: Žádost byla schválena (“The application was approved”). An instrumental agent is possible, but long strings of passive clauses can sound bureaucratic.

The se passive is extremely common in both speech and writing. It works well for what people generally do, how something is done, what a place offers, and what rules permit: V Česku se platí korunami (“In Czechia, payment is made in crowns”), Tady se nesmí fotografovat (“Photography is not allowed here”). A specific agent is normally not added to this construction. If you need to name the doer, use an active clause or the být passive.

Some se sentences have more than one possible analysis. Dveře se otevřely can simply mean “The door opened,” without presenting an unnamed person who opened it. Other verbs are inherently reflexive, such as smát se (“to laugh”), and are not passive at all. Test the meaning rather than assuming every se marks a passive: is an unnamed agent doing something to an affected subject, or is se part of the verb or the event itself?

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

Aspect changes the view of the event

Czech aspect shows whether a verb presents an action as an ongoing/repeated process or as a complete whole. This matters in passive forms just as it does in active ones.

Process or repetition	Completed whole	Typical contrast
Dům byl stavěn dva roky.	Dům byl postaven za dva roky.	The house was under construction for two years / was completed in two years.
Text byl překládán několik týdnů.	Text byl přeložen v květnu.	The translation was in progress for weeks / was completed in May.
Žádosti jsou kontrolovány každý den.	Žádost je zkontrolována.	Applications are checked daily / the application has been checked.

A present form with a perfective participle often describes a resulting state rather than a present event: Dopis je napsán is close to “The letter is written/has been written.” For a process happening now, Czech can use an imperfective form, a se construction, or an active sentence, depending on context.

Short participles and long adjective forms

Forms such as napsán, otevřena, and zavřeno are short passive participles and are characteristic of the verbal passive. Czech also has long adjective-like forms: napsaný, otevřená, zavřené. These often describe a state or property:

• Dveře byly zavřeny v osm hodin. — The doors were closed at eight. (event)
• Dveře byly zavřené celý den. — The doors were closed all day. (state)

The distinction is not absolute in modern usage, and long forms are common in everyday Czech. Still, the event-versus-state contrast is a useful guide. Short forms are also more strongly associated with formal written style.

Alternatives to an English passive

Czech often reorganizes an English sentence instead of preserving its passive structure:

• “I was told that…” → Řekli mi, že… (“They told me that…”) or Bylo mi řečeno, že… in formal style.
• “It is said that…” → Říká se, že…
• “I was offered coffee.” → Nabídli mi kávu. or formal Byla mi nabídnuta káva.
• “The shop is closed.” → Obchod je zavřený. when this describes its state.

Notice that Czech needs no dummy equivalent of English “it” in Říká se, že…. Choosing among active, se, short passive, and adjective-like forms is part of sounding natural at higher levels.

Practice Tips

1. Transform in both directions. Start with Firma opravila silnici. Make the formal passive Silnice byla opravena firmou, then the agentless version Silnice byla opravena. Ask which version puts the important information first.
2. Build an agreement grid. Use one participle with six subjects: dopis byl napsán, zpráva byla napsána, oznámení bylo napsáno, and the three plural patterns. Say both the form of být and the participle aloud.
3. Collect real signs and instructions. Look for se prodává, se nepoužívá, nesmí se, and je zakázáno. For each example, decide whether it names an affected subject or is impersonal.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Past Tense — supplies the past forms of být and reinforces gender and number agreement.
• Next step: Standard Written Czech — develops the formal register in which passive constructions are especially frequent.