Passive Alternatives in German

In Brief

German often avoids werden + past participle by using one of four Passiversatzformen: man presents an unnamed human actor, sich lassen + infinitive expresses feasibility, sein + zu + infinitive expresses possibility or necessity, and adjectives such as lösbar package the idea as a quality. They overlap with the passive, but they are not interchangeable: the best choice depends on meaning, focus, and register.

Overview

A regular passive makes the affected person or thing the grammatical subject (the sentence element that the statement is about): Der Antrag wird geprüft means “The application is being reviewed.” German can express much the same situation without a passive verb. These alternatives are called Passiversatzformen, literally “passive replacement forms.” They are especially useful when the actor is general, when an action is possible or required, or when a compact description matters more than the event itself.

At C1, the goal is not simply to replace every passive mechanically. It is to recognize the perspective built into each form. Man kann den Antrag prüfen directs attention to what people can do; Der Antrag lässt sich prüfen presents the application as workable; Der Antrag ist zu prüfen often sounds like an instruction; and Der Antrag ist prüfbar describes a property. English has comparable expressions—“you can,” “can be checked,” “is to be checked,” and “checkable”—but German uses them with its own preferences and word order.

These forms build on the ordinary present and past passive. Keeping the regular passive available is important: sometimes werden + past participle is still the clearest way to report an event, particularly when tense, process, or the actor needs to be stated explicitly.

How It Works

The four core patterns

Pattern	Structure	Main perspective	Typical English rendering
man	man + finite active verb + objects	an unnamed or general human actor	people, you, one; sometimes a passive
sich lassen	affected subject + form of lassen + sich + infinitive	feasibility or practical possibility	can be done
sein + zu + infinitive	affected subject + form of sein + zu-infinitive	possibility or necessity	can be done; must/is to be done
-bar/-lich adjective	affected noun + adjective	a stable or assessed property	-able/-ible; possible to…

A finite verb is a verb changed for person and tense, such as lässt, ist, or prüfte. An infinitive is the dictionary form, such as lassen, prüfen, or öffnen.

1. man: keep the sentence active

Man is an impersonal pronoun used for people in general or for an unnamed person or group. It is the subject and always takes a third-person singular verb:

• Man repariert die Straße. — “They are repairing the road.” / “The road is being repaired.”
• Man sollte die Daten regelmäßig sichern. — “You should back up the data regularly.”

Unlike a true passive, this is grammatically active. The affected item remains an accusative object (the person or thing directly affected): Man prüft den Antrag. In the passive, it becomes the subject: Der Antrag wird geprüft. This difference matters for case endings and pronouns.

Use man only when a human actor is plausible. It does not naturally replace an event caused purely by weather, physics, or another non-human force. It can also sound conversational and direct, although it is perfectly normal in general explanations and instructions.

Do not confuse man with Mann, “man” or “husband.” The pronoun is lowercase except at the start of a sentence. When the general person is no longer the subject, German normally uses einen in the accusative and einem in the dative: Das macht einen müde; Das fällt einem schwer.

2. sich lassen + infinitive: practical possibility

This construction makes the affected thing the subject and normally means that something can be done:

• Die Tür lässt sich öffnen. — “The door can be opened.”
• Die Ergebnisse lassen sich vergleichen. — “The results can be compared.”

The form of lassen agrees with the subject: Der Fehler lässt sich beheben but Die Fehler lassen sich beheben. The reflexive pronoun is sich for both third-person singular and plural. The action verb stays in the infinitive and moves to the end of the clause.

The construction is particularly natural for usability, feasibility, and methods. A negative form often means “cannot be…”: Die Datei lässt sich nicht öffnen. It usually corresponds to können + passive:

Regular modal passive	Alternative	Meaning
Der Text kann leicht gekürzt werden.	Der Text lässt sich leicht kürzen.	The text can easily be shortened.
Die Ursache konnte nicht festgestellt werden.	Die Ursache ließ sich nicht feststellen.	The cause could not be determined.

Tense is carried by lassen: ließ sich lösen (past), hat sich lösen lassen (perfect). In the perfect, the final cluster uses two infinitives—lösen lassen—rather than the past participle gelassen. This is the replacement infinitive used with lassen plus another infinitive.

Do not interpret every sich lassen sequence as passive-like. In Er lässt sich die Haare schneiden, a person arranges for someone to cut his hair; this is a causative use of lassen, not the feasibility pattern taught here.

3. sein + zu + infinitive: possibility or necessity

With sein + zu + infinitive, the grammatical subject is affected by the action:

• Der Schaden ist kaum zu erkennen. — “The damage can hardly be seen.”
• Die Frist ist einzuhalten. — “The deadline must be observed.”

The same structure can correspond either to können + passive or to müssen/sollen + passive. Context, vocabulary, and tone determine the reading.

Reading	Alternative	Expanded passive
possibility	Das Ergebnis ist leicht zu überprüfen.	Das Ergebnis kann leicht überprüft werden.
negative possibility	Der Unterschied ist nicht zu übersehen.	Der Unterschied kann nicht übersehen werden.
necessity	Alle Felder sind auszufüllen.	Alle Felder müssen ausgefüllt werden.
formal instruction	Der Bericht ist bis Freitag einzureichen.	Der Bericht muss/soll bis Freitag eingereicht werden.

Words such as leicht, kaum, schwer, and nicht often favor a possibility reading. Deadlines, rules, and directive contexts favor necessity. Occasionally only the wider context resolves the ambiguity, so use a modal verb when precision is critical.

For a simple infinitive, zu stands before the verb: zu prüfen. With a separable verb, it goes between the prefix and verb stem: einzureichen, durchzuführen, festzustellen. In a subordinate clause, the whole infinitive remains together: Die Behörde erklärt, dass der Antrag bis Freitag einzureichen ist.

4. Adjectives in -bar and -lich

A derivational suffix (an ending that creates a new word) can turn some verbs into adjectives with a passive-like meaning. -bar is the most productive pattern and often corresponds to English “-able” or “-ible”:

• lösen → lösbar — solvable
• vergleichen → vergleichbar — comparable
• vermeiden → vermeidbar — avoidable
• erkennen → erkennbar — recognizable, detectable
• essen → essbar — edible

These adjectives describe a property rather than presenting an action in progress. Das Problem ist lösbar assesses the problem; Das Problem kann gelöst werden describes the possibility of solving it. The difference is slight in some contexts but important in others.

Some established -lich adjectives also convey a similar idea: verständlich (“understandable”), erhältlich (“obtainable/available”), and unvermeidlich (“unavoidable”). However, -lich is not a productive passive recipe. You cannot freely attach it to any verb. Learn these as vocabulary, and check a dictionary before creating a new form.

As predicate adjectives after sein, these forms have no adjective ending: Die Schrift ist lesbar. Before a noun, they take the normal German adjective ending: eine lesbare Schrift, mit einer verständlichen Erklärung. Negation is often formed with un- where an established word exists: unlösbar, unleserlich, unvermeidbar. Note that lesbar and leserlich overlap, but leserlich commonly means visually legible, especially of handwriting.

Examples in Context

German	English	Note
Man überprüft die Geräte einmal im Jahr.	The equipment is checked once a year.	General human actor; active grammar
Wie kann man dieses Missverständnis vermeiden?	How can this misunderstanding be avoided?	Natural general question
Die Verpackung lässt sich ohne Werkzeug öffnen.	The packaging can be opened without tools.	Practical feasibility
Der Fehler ließ sich schnell beheben.	The error could be fixed quickly.	Past tense of lassen
Die beiden Ergebnisse haben sich nicht direkt vergleichen lassen.	The two results could not be compared directly.	Perfect with replacement infinitive
Diese Entwicklung ist kaum vorherzusehen.	This development can hardly be predicted.	sein + zu expressing possibility
Das ist nicht zu übersehen.	That cannot be overlooked.	Negative possibility; emphatic in context
Die Sicherheitsvorschriften sind unbedingt zu beachten.	The safety regulations must be observed.	Strong necessity
Der unterschriebene Vertrag ist bis Montag einzureichen.	The signed contract must be submitted by Monday.	Formal instruction; separable verb
Das Problem ist mit den vorhandenen Mitteln lösbar.	The problem is solvable with the available resources.	-bar property adjective
Die Handschrift ist nur schwer leserlich.	The handwriting is barely legible.	Established -lich adjective
Eine solche Reaktion ist verständlich.	Such a reaction is understandable.	Evaluation, not an event
Die zusätzlichen Kosten wären vermeidbar gewesen.	The additional costs would have been avoidable.	Past counterfactual assessment

Common Mistakes

Treating every alternative as interchangeable

• Poor choice: Der Antrag lässt sich bis Freitag einreichen. when the intended meaning is an obligation.
• Better: Der Antrag ist bis Freitag einzureichen.
• Why: Sich lassen expresses feasibility: submission is possible. Sein + zu in a deadline context expresses what must be done.

Forgetting agreement with a plural subject

• Wrong: Die Dateien lässt sich nicht öffnen.
• Right: Die Dateien lassen sich nicht öffnen.
• Why: The affected item is the subject, so finite lassen must agree with it.

Building the perfect with gelassen

• Wrong: Das Problem hat sich lösen gelassen.
• Right: Das Problem hat sich lösen lassen.
• Why: With another infinitive, perfect lassen normally appears as the replacement infinitive lassen, not as gelassen.

Misplacing zu in a separable verb

• Wrong: Die Unterlagen sind zu einreichen.
• Right: Die Unterlagen sind einzureichen.
• Why: In a separable infinitive, zu goes between the prefix ein- and the stem reichen.

Inventing an adjective from any verb

• Wrong: Die Aufgabe ist machlich.
• Right: Die Aufgabe ist machbar. / Die Aufgabe lässt sich erledigen.
• Why: -lich does not freely produce passive alternatives. Even -bar, though productive, must yield an accepted and contextually suitable word.

Using man but keeping passive case structure

• Wrong: Man prüft der Antrag.
• Right: Man prüft den Antrag.
• Why: A man sentence is active. Der Antrag becomes the accusative object den Antrag.

Usage Notes

Man is frequent in speech, journalism, explanations, and advice. English speakers may instinctively translate it as formal “one,” but German man is much more ordinary. Depending on context, idiomatic English may use “you,” “they,” “people,” or a passive. Avoid repeating man in every sentence of polished prose, however; it can make responsibility sound vague.

Sich lassen is neutral and common in both conversation and formal exposition. It works especially well with adverbs that assess ease or difficulty: leicht, gut, problemlos, nur schwer, kaum. It often sounds less bureaucratic than a modal passive such as kann durchgeführt werden.

Sein + zu + infinitive is compact and common in regulations, instructions, administrative notices, academic writing, and formal recommendations. A necessity reading can sound impersonal and authoritative because no responsible person is named. In conversation, Du musst … or Wir müssen … may be clearer and less distant.

Adjectives are useful when the property itself is the point: a text is verständlich, a method anwendbar, a distinction erkennbar. They can also make technical prose dense if too many abstract nouns and adjectives accumulate. Alternate them with verbs when you want to show actions and agents clearly.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

Information structure and responsibility

Choosing a passive alternative changes what appears first and who seems responsible:

• Die Redaktion änderte den Text. explicitly names the actor.
• Man änderte den Text. implies a human actor but leaves the identity open.
• Der Text wurde geändert. reports the event while backgrounding the actor.
• Der Text ließ sich ändern. says that changing it was feasible; it does not assert as clearly that the change actually happened.
• Der Text war zu ändern. presents the change as required.
• Der Text war veränderbar. describes its capacity to be changed.

This distinction prevents a common advanced error: confusing possibility with actuality. Die Tür ließ sich öffnen says the door could be opened. Without more context, it does not necessarily say that anyone opened it. Likewise, Die Aufgabe ist lösbar does not claim that it has been solved.

Naming an actor

A regular passive can add an actor with von or a means/cause with durch: Der Bericht wurde von einer Expertin geprüft. The core alternatives do not accept this addition in the same way. If the actor matters, use an active sentence or the regular passive rather than forcing von einer Expertin into a feasibility construction.

With man, the actor is deliberately generic. Once you know who acted, name that person or institution: Die Kommission prüft den Bericht is clearer than Man prüft den Bericht.

Modal fine points

Negative sein + zu can be especially context-sensitive. Der Effekt ist nicht zu unterschätzen conventionally means “The effect must not be underestimated,” whereas Der Fehler ist nicht zu finden will often mean “The error cannot be found.” Lexical habit and communicative purpose guide interpretation. When misunderstanding would have consequences, expand the sentence with können, müssen, sollen, or dürfen.

The patterns can also appear in non-present forms: Die Folgen waren nicht abzusehen; Die Daten werden noch auszuwerten sein. The future form with werden … zu … sein is grammatical but formal and heavy. In ordinary prose, Die Daten müssen noch ausgewertet werden is often clearer.

Choosing style, not merely grammar

Passiversatzformen can improve variety, but avoiding every passive is not a goal. The passive is valuable when an actual process or result is central: Die Brücke wurde 1998 gebaut. An adjective would change the claim, and man would shift attention toward an unnamed builder. Strong C1 writing chooses the construction whose meaning is exact, rather than replacing forms only to sound advanced.

Practice Tips

1. Rewrite by meaning, then compare. Start with Der Fehler kann behoben werden and produce Man kann den Fehler beheben, Der Fehler lässt sich beheben, and Der Fehler ist behebbar. Ask what each version foregrounds and whether it asserts an event, a possibility, or a property.
2. Sort authentic examples by signal words. Collect sentences containing leicht, kaum, unbedingt, and deadlines such as bis Freitag. Predict whether sein + zu means possibility or necessity, then check the wider context.
3. Build word families cautiously. Record useful sets such as lesen – lesbar – unleserlich and verstehen – verständlich – unverständlich. Learn each adjective in a full phrase rather than treating suffixes as automatic formulas.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Passive Voice (Past) — review wurde + past participle and ist … worden before comparing passive alternatives across tenses.