The passive voice (Passiv) is a signature of advanced German: it lets you talk about actions and processes without naming who performs them. At C1 level, examiners expect you to use it naturally — not just in formal texts, but in everyday conversation too. The exercise below gives you five realistic sentences about rent and housing in Germany. Type the missing words into the gaps — one conjugated auxiliary and one past participle per sentence.
Short answer: the German passive voice (Passiv) focuses on the action rather than the doer. The Vorgangspassiv is formed with the conjugated verb werden + the past participle (Partizip II) at the end of the sentence: “Die Miete wird jährlich erhöht.” Use wird with singular subjects (die Miete, es) and werden with plural subjects (die Wohnungen, die Familien).
What is the German passive voice?
In the active voice, the subject performs the action: Der Vermieter erhöht die Miete (The landlord raises the rent). In the passive voice, the focus moves to what happens or what is affected: Die Miete wird erhöht (The rent is raised). The person or thing doing the action can be added with von + dative (Die Miete wird vom Vermieter erhöht) or left out entirely.
German distinguishes two passive forms:
- Vorgangspassiv (process passive): werden + Partizip II — Die Miete wird erhöht.
- Zustandspassiv (state passive): sein + Partizip II — Die Miete ist erhöht.
Conjugation of werden in the present tense
| Subject | werden (used in the passive) |
|---|---|
| ich | werde |
| du | wirst |
| er / sie / es | wird |
| wir | werden |
| ihr | werdet |
| sie / Sie | werden |
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Exercise A – Fill in the missing words
Type the correct word into each gap. Every sentence has two gaps: the conjugated auxiliary (wird / werden) and the past participle. Click Check Answers to see your verdict.
Show the full solutions
In Deutschland wird immer noch zu wenig über die bestehende Problematik der Mietpreiserhöhung gesprochen.
In immer mehr deutschen Großstädten werden weniger Wohnungen zur Miete angeboten.
Viele Familien werden von ihren Vermietern zu sogenannten Staffelmieten überredet.
Dabei wird die Miete jährlich um einen gewissen Prozentsatz erhöht.
Manchmal wird von den Mietern sogar verlangt, dass sie sich an gewissen Kosten beteiligen, welche eigentlich von den Vermietern zu zahlen sind.
Passive voice at C1: what examiners look for
- Learn the werden-forms by heart: werde, wirst, wird, werden, werdet, werden. The exercise above only needs wird (singular) and werden (plural).
- Close the verb bracket: in the passive, the participle always lands at the very end of the clause (…immer noch zu wenig … gesprochen).
- Use the impersonal passive: sentences like Hier wird nicht geraucht are everywhere in German — practise them for speaking exams.
- Know when to drop the doer: with man in the active (man verlangt) you switch to the passive without von (es wird verlangt).
- Transform actively: C1 writing tasks often ask you to rewrite active sentences in the passive. Drill this conversion until it feels automatic.
Continue practising at C1 with the German C1 dictation and the German C1 listening exercise. For a change of pace, the B2 nominal vs. verbal style exercise shows how formal German prefers nouns — a good complement to the passive.
For authoritative grammar reference, see the Duden language guide and DW Learn German.
Frequently asked questions
What is the German passive voice (Passiv)?
The passive voice (Passiv) shifts the focus from who performs an action to the action itself or what is affected by it. German has two types: Vorgangspassiv (formed with werden + past participle, e.g. Die Miete wird erhöht) and Zustandspassiv (formed with sein + past participle, e.g. Die Miete ist erhöht).
How do you form the Vorgangspassiv in the present tense?
Form it with the conjugated auxiliary verb werden plus the past participle (Partizip II) of the main verb at the end of the sentence. For example: Die Miete wird jährlich erhöht. (“The rent is raised every year.”)
When do you use “wird” and when “werden”?
Use wird for singular subjects (die Miete wird, es wird) and werden for plural subjects (die Wohnungen werden, die Familien werden) as well as for the polite Sie. The auxiliary agrees with the subject exactly like any other German verb.
Is the passive voice common in everyday German?
Yes. The passive is very common in official language, news, academic writing and everyday speech. Impersonal passives such as Hier wird nicht geraucht (“No smoking here”) appear constantly in real-world German.
How can I practise the German passive at C1 level?
Complete the fill-in-the-missing-words exercise on this page, then try the free C1 dictation and the C1 listening exercise. German exams at C1 frequently ask you to convert active sentences into passive ones, so practise that transformation until it becomes automatic.
