Passive Voice
In the passive voice, the subject receives the action rather than performing it. GCSE Latin requires the full passive for all tenses, including the compound perfect and pluperfect.
How the Passive is Formed
For the present, imperfect, and future, passive endings replace the active endings on the same stem:
| Person | Active ending | Passive ending |
|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | -ō / -m | -or / -r |
| 2nd sg. | -s | -ris |
| 3rd sg. | -t | -tur |
| 1st pl. | -mus | -mur |
| 2nd pl. | -tis | -minī |
| 3rd pl. | -nt | -ntur |
The perfect and pluperfect passive are compound tenses: perfect passive participle (PPP) + the appropriate form of sum. The PPP agrees with the subject in case, number, and gender.
The agent construction
The person by whom the action is done is expressed with ā/ab + ablative:
Puella ā magistrō laudātur. — The girl is praised by the teacher. (ā magistrō = by the teacher)
Servī ā dominō vocābantur. — The slaves were being called by the master. (ā dominō = by the master)
Passive Paradigms (amō, 1st conjugation)
Exam tip: When you spot ā/ab + ablative next to a passive verb, that is the agent — the person doing the action. In translation, render it as "by [person]". The -tur ending on a verb form is the single most reliable signal that you are looking at a passive — present or imperfect.