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The Passive Voice - Dutch Verb 'Worden' - Smartphones Page

Introduction
Conjugation of the Auxiliary Verb 'Worden'
Examples - Simple Tenses
The Perfect Tenses - Past Participle Dropped
Confusing: 'to Be,' 'Zijn'  and 'Worden'
'Worden'  as 'to Become'

In the passive voice, the object is passively subjected to an activity: The book is read  -or- The house was built
In Dutch, the passive voice uses the auxiliary verb 'worden' click to hear 2 with a past participle - English uses 'to be' and that may be a bit confusing - more below.
(de) lijdende vorm click to hear ['suffering form'] - the passsive voice

active:
Ik verf het huis click to hear I'm painting the house

passive:
Het huis wordt geverfd click to hear The house is painted, the house is being painted (right now, at the moment of speaking)

passive:
Het huis wordt door mij geverfd click to hear The house is painted by me
English 'by' of the passive voice is door click to hear in Dutch ‑>>

The Auxiliary Verb: Worden

Worden click to hear 2 to be - for the passive voice

simple present tense
(worden) to be - for the passive voice
ik word I am
jij wordt you are (singular, informal you)
hij wordt he is
wij worden we are
jullie worden you are (plural, informal you)
zij worden they are
U wordt you are (polite you)
click to hear

In Dutch, a D at the end of a word is pronounced as T, double vowels are pronounced the same as single vowels, and DT is pronounced as T.
'Word'  and 'wordt'  sound exactly the same:
ik word click to hear 2 / hij wordt click to hear 2
Dutchmen often make spelling mistakes with 'word'  and 'wordt,'  writing 'ik wordt'  or 'hij word.'

simple past tense
(worden) to be - for the passive voice
ik werd I was
jij werd you were
hij werd he was
wij werden we were
jullie werden y'all were
zij werden they were
U werd you were
click to hear

The past participle geworden click to hear 2 is only used for the 'to become' meaning of 'worden'  - (more below)

Examples: Simple Tenses

The verbs that are combined with 'worden'  appear as past participles ‑>> like in perfect tenses

Ik word geplaagd click to hear 2 1. I'm teased 2. I'm tormented

Ik word gevraagd click to hear 2 I am asked Ik werd gevraagd click to hear 2 I was asked

Hij wordt vermist click to hear 2 3 He is missing

Ik werd afgeleid click to hear 2 I was distracted

Hij werd gemarteld click to hear 2 He was tortured

Er wordt gebeld click to hear 2 [There is a ring] - 'The bell is rung' - There is someone at the door

In Dutch, 'secondary verbs' like past participles are usually put at the end of the line >>

Werd dat verwacht? click to hear 2 3 Was that expected? Dat werd verwacht click to hear That was expected Wordt er regen verwacht? click to hear 2 Is rain expected?

Er wordt al zoveel gezegd click to hear 2 [So] Too much is being said already

De bal wordt geschopt click to hear The ball is kicked
De bal werd geschopt click to hear 2 The ball was kicked

De bal werd door Jan in het doel geschopt click to hear 2 The ball was kicked into the goal by Jan
De bal wordt in het doel geschoten click to hear 2 The ball is shot into the goal

Ik word geschopt door Jan click to hear I am kicked by John

An often-heard complaint is:
"Ik word geleefd." click to hear [I am lived] ~ 'I have no life of my own.'

De idealen werden uit het oog verloren click to hear The ideals were lost from sight

'Aanstoot wordt genomen, niet gegeven' click to hear 2 3 Offense is taken, not given

'Je wordt geflest waar je bij staat' click to hear 2 3 (saying) You're being cheated [in your presence] bare-facedly

Velen worden geroepen, maar weinigen worden uitgekozen click to hear Many are called, but only a few are chosen

Ik word er elke dag aan herinnerd click to hear 2 3 I'm reminded of it every day

Het kan niet ontkend worden click to hear It cannot be denied

wordt vervolgd click to hear to be continued

The Perfect Tenses - Past Participle Dropped

The perfect tense of the passive voice uses the auxiliary verb 'zijn'  (to be) - and (unlike in German) the past participle geworden click to hear 2 is dropped. Dutch uses the present perfect tense - in English this is sometimes better said in the past perfect tense.
The past participle geworden click to hear 2 is only used in the 'to become' meaning of 'worden'  (more below)

the simple present tense:
Het huis wordt geverfd click to hear The house is painted, the house is being painted (right this moment) Het huis wordt wit geverfd click to hear The house is painted white (right this moment, now)

the perfect present tense:
Het huis is geverfd geworden click to hear The house was painted Het huis is wit geverfd geworden click to hear The house was painted white

Ik ben geschopt geworden click to hear I have been kicked

Mijn fiets is gestolen geworden click to hear My bike was stolen

't Brood is gebakken geworden click to hear 'The bread has been baked'

De aardappels zijn gekookt geworden click to hear 'The potatoes have been boiled'

Ik ben gevraagd geworden click to hear 2 'I have been asked' - to perform a task, or fill a position or job Not to be confused with:
Ik heb gevraagd click to hear 2 'I have asked' - I have put a question

ik heb geslagen click to hear 2 I have hit, slapped Not to be confused with:
ik ben geslagen geworden click to hear 2 3 I [have been] was hit

ik heb geholpen click to hear 2 I have helped, assisted ik ben geholpen geworden click to hear 2 I was helped, I have been helped, I was attended to

Ik heb gegeten click to hear I have eaten The ghost of a cow or pig could say:
Ik ben gegeten geworden click to hear I was eaten

'To Be,' 'Zijn'  and 'Worden'  - Confusing

So far so good. But English uses 'to be' for the passive voice, and Dutch uses 'zijn'  (to be) as the auxiliary verb for the perfect tense of some verbs. Looking at this kind of sentences from English to Dutch and from Dutch to English may be a bit confusing.
Note the different use of 'is'  in English and Dutch and how 'is' and 'zijn'  here are often better translated as 'has been' or 'have been.'

Hij wordt door een wesp gestoken! click to hear 'He is being stung by a wasp!' - right this moment Hij is door een wesp gestoken geworden click to hear 'He has been stung by a wasp' - some time ago

Hij wordt gemarteld click to hear 2 He is (being) tortured - right this moment Hij is gemarteld geworden click to hear 2 He has been tortured - sometime in the past

Er wordt al zoveel gezegd click to hear 2 So much is being said already Er is al zoveel gezegd geworden click to hear 2 So much has been said already

Er worden fouten gemaakt click to hear 2 Mistakes are made Er is een fout gemaakt geworden click to hear 2 3 A mistake was made

Ik werd teleurgesteld click to hear 2 3 I was disappointed Ik ben teleurgesteld geworden click to hear 2 I'm disappointed, I have been disappointed

geboren worden click to hear 2 to be born
Hij werd geboren in Rotterdam click to hear 2 3 He was born in Rotterdam Ze is op Kerstdag geboren geworden click to hear 2 She [has been] was born on Christmas Day Ik ben in Nederland geboren geworden click to hear I [have been] was born in Holland

Ik ben teleurgesteld geworden click to hear 2 3 I am disappointed (by something) Ik heb teleurgesteld click to hear 2 3 I have disappointed (people) - this is not a good line by itself, the people disappointed or the reason needs to be included

A few common Dutch verbs use zijn click to hear (usually translated as 'to be') as the auxiliary verb in the perfect tenses ‑>>
Ik ben vergeten ... click to hear 2 3 4 I have forgotten (to ...) Ik ben vergeten de huur te betalen click to hear 2 3 I [have forgotten] forgot to pay the rent Ik ben vergeten geworden click to hear 2 3 4 I am forgotten (nobody remembers me, nobody knows about me anymore) Hij is vergeten geworden click to hear 2 3 4 He is forgotten (nobody knows him anymore, nobody remembers him)

'Worden'  as 'to Become'

Next to auxiliary verb for the passive voice, Dutch 'worden click to hear 2 can also mean 'to become' - a development, turning into, or as my dictionary so nicely says: 'begin to be.' Colloquially, English sometimes says 'to get.'
In the 'to become' meaning, the past participle 'geworden'  is not dropped

Opeens werd 't stil click to hear Suddenly it became quiet

Hij is leraar geworden click to hear 2 3 4 He's become a teacher

Wat is er van hem geworden? click to hear 'Whatever became of him?'

't Wordt laat click to hear 2 It's getting late

More examples of 'worden'  as 'to become,' at the 'worden' verb page

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Gij zult niet stelen click to hear 'Thou shalt not steal'