Passive Voice: Formal

In English, we use "to be" plus a past participle. In Hindi, we use the verb jaana (to go) as our auxiliary engine. But wait! We are not actually going anywhere. In this context, jaana loses its literal meaning. It simply signals that the sentence is passive. The main verb takes its perfective participle form. This means verbs like karna (to do) become kiya. Verbs like likhna (to write) become likha. The magic happens when you combine them. The object of the sentence becomes the new boss. The verb must agree with this object in gender and number. If the object is feminine, the verb becomes feminine. If it is plural, the verb becomes plural. It is a bit like a dance where the object leads the way. You might feel like you are juggling at first, but it becomes second nature quickly.

1. 1Creating the formal passive is a simple four-step process. Follow these steps to build perfect sentences every time:
2. 2Identify your object. This is what the action is happening to (e.g., patra - letter).
3. 3Take the main verb and turn it into its perfective participle (e.g., likhna becomes likha).
4. 4Match the participle to the object's gender and number (e.g., likha for masculine, likhi for feminine).
5. 5Add the conjugated form of jaana based on your desired tense (e.g., jaata hai, gaya, jaayega).
6. 6Example: Patra likha gaya. (The letter was written.)
7. 7If the object was chithiyan (letters, feminine plural), it would be: Chithiyan likhi gayin. Notice how both the main verb and jaana changed to match the letters. It is all about harmony!

When should you pull out this linguistic tool? Use it when the doer is obvious or irrelevant. In a news report, you might hear Chor pakda gaya (The thief was caught). We know the police did it, so we do not need to say it. Use it in formal announcements like Sabha sthagit ki jaati hai (The meeting is being adjourned). It sounds much more official than saying "I am stopping the meeting." Use it in academic writing to sound objective. It is also perfect for job interviews when discussing results. Instead of "I increased sales," you could say "Sales were increased by 20%." It adds a layer of professional polish that active voice sometimes lacks. Think of it as your "suit and tie" grammar.

Do not use the passive voice in casual conversations with friends. If you tell your roommate Khana khaya gaya (The food was eaten), they might look at you like you are a robot. It feels cold and distant. Avoid it when the person doing the action is the most important part of the story. If you want to brag about your new promotion, use the active voice! Also, be careful with intransitive verbs. Verbs that do not take an object, like hansa (laughed) or roya (cried), usually do not work in this formal passive structure. Using it there is like trying to put a square peg in a round hole. It just does not fit.

One big mistake is using the ne particle in passive sentences. Remember, ne is for active subjects in the past tense. In passive voice, the subject is the object, so ne disappears! Another common slip-up is forgetting to match the gender. If you are talking about a report (feminine), do not say banaaya gaya. It must be banaayi gayi. People also sometimes forget that jaana needs to be conjugated. You cannot just leave it as jaana. It has to reflect the time—past, present, or future. Lastly, do not over-use the agent marker ke dwaara (by). In formal Hindi, we often leave the agent out entirely. Adding it too much makes the sentence feel cluttered and heavy.

How does this differ from the "incapability" passive? You might have heard Mujhse nahi kiya jaata (I cannot do it). While they look similar, the formal passive we are discussing today is about objective facts, not personal ability. The formal passive focuses on the result (Kaam kiya gaya), whereas the capability passive focuses on the person's struggle. Also, do not confuse it with the ho gaya (it happened) structure. Ho gaya implies something happened spontaneously. Kiya gaya implies someone intentionally did it, even if we do not mention who. One is an accident; the other is a deliberate action. Knowing this distinction is what separates a B2 learner from a C1 expert.