The passive voice changes the focus of a sentence. Instead of saying who *did* an action (active), we focus on what *received* the action (passive). For example, "The letter was written" instead of "Marija wrote the letter."
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
The most common way to form the passive in Maltese is with a simple, two-part structure:
Subject + (conjugated form of `ġie`) + (Past Participle)
The verb `ġie` (he came) acts as the auxiliary "was" or "were" in the passive. It must be conjugated to agree with the subject.
| Subject Pronoun | Form of `Ġie` | Meaning (in passive context) |
|---|---|---|
| Jien | ġejt | I was... |
| Int | ġejt | You were... |
| Huwa / It (m) | ġie | He/It was... |
| Hija / It (f) | ġiet | She/It was... |
| Aħna | ġejna | We were... |
| Intom | ġejtu | You (pl.) were... |
| Huma / They | ġew | They were... |
The past participle describes the action that was performed. It's often formed with an `m-` prefix. Crucially, it acts like an adjective and must agree in gender and number with the subject.
Active: Pawlu kiteb l-ittra. (Pawlu wrote the letter.)
Passive: L-ittra (f.) ġiet miktuba. (The letter was written.)
Active: L-għalliem fetaħ il-bieb. (The teacher opened the door.)
Passive: Il-bieb (m.) ġie miftuħ. (The door was opened.)
Active: Ibgħat l-ittri. (Send the letters.)
Passive: L-ittri (pl.) ġew mibgħuta. (The letters were sent.)
Master the passive voice.
Import Chapter 36 Flashcards(Requires login to import/study)
Identify whether the sentence is in the active or passive voice.
Change the following active sentences to the passive voice.
The passive voice is very common in formal Maltese, such as in news reports, official documents, and academic writing. It creates a sense of objectivity and distance. When you read a Maltese newspaper (`gazzetta`) or watch the news (`l-aħbarijiet`), you will see the passive voice used frequently.
For example, instead of "The minister announced a new plan," a news report would more likely say, `Ġie mħabbar pjan ġdid mill-ministru` (A new plan was announced by the minister). This shifts the focus from the minister to the plan itself. Recognizing the passive is therefore a key skill for understanding Maltese media.
A description of preparations for a village feast (`festa`).
Għall-festa tar-raħal tagħna, isir ħafna xogħol. (All-FES-ta tar-ra-HAL TAH-na, i-SEER HAF-na sho-OL.)
L-ewwel, it-toroq ewlenin ġew magħluqa għat-traffiku. (l-EW-wel, it-to-RO' ew-le-NEEN jew ma-LOO-'A att-traf-FI-ku.)
Imbagħad, il-faċċata tal-knisja ġiet imżejna bid-dwal. (m-BADJ, il-fach-CHA-ta tal-KNEES-ya jeet im-ZEY-na bid-DWAL.)
Il-palk għall-banda ġie mibni fil-pjazza prinċipali. (il-PALK all-BAN-da jee MIB-ni fil-PYATS-tsa prin-chi-PA-li.)
Fl-aħħar, ħafna kejkijiet u ħelu ġew ippreparati min-nisa tar-raħal. Kollox lest għall-festa! (fl-AH-har, HAF-na key-KI-YEET oo HE-lu jew ip-pre-pa-RA-ti min-NEE-sa tar-ra-HAL. KOL-losh lest all-FES-ta!)
For the feast of our village, a lot of work is done.
First, the main streets were closed to traffic.
Then, the facade of the church was decorated with lights.
The stage for the band was built in the main square.
Finally, many cakes and sweets were prepared by the women of the village. Everything is ready for the feast!
The passive is formed with: Subject + conjugated `ġie` + past participle. The verb `ġie` and the participle must agree with the subject in gender and number.
`ġie/ġiet/ġew` (was/were), `miktub` (written), `miftuħ` (opened), `magħluq` (closed), `imżejjen` (decorated), `mibni` (built), `ippreparat` (prepared).
Prosit! You can now understand and form sentences in the passive voice. In our next chapter, we will tackle `Diskors Indirett` (Reported Speech), where you'll learn how to report what someone else has said, for example, changing "I am tired" to "He said that he was tired."