Passive Voice in Konjunktiv I

This grammar is like a double-decker bus. The bottom deck is the Passive Voice. This means the focus is on the action, not the person. For example, "The pizza is being eaten." The top deck is Konjunktiv I. This tells us that we are quoting someone else. When you put them together, you get a sentence that says: "Someone said the pizza is being eaten." It sounds complicated, but it follows a very strict logic. You are simply taking the normal passive sentence and changing the verb werden into its Konjunktiv I form. It is like changing the color of a car but keeping the engine the same. You still have your main action at the end. You just change the helper verb at the start.

1. 1Building this sentence is like following a recipe. You only need a few ingredients.
2. 2Start with the thing receiving the action (the subject).
3. 3Choose the correct form of werden in Konjunktiv I.
4. 4Put the main verb in its Partizip II (the "ge-" form) at the very end.
5. 5Here is how you conjugate werden for this pattern:
6. 6ich werde
7. 7du werdest
8. 8er/sie/es werde
9. 9wir werden
10. 10ihr werdet
11. 11sie/Sie werden
12. 12Wait! Do you notice something? Many of these look just like the normal present tense. That is why the er/sie/es form (werde) is the most important one. It is the one that looks different from the normal wird.

Use this when you want to be a professional messenger.

• In News Reports: "The bridge is being built," says the reporter.
• In Formal Writing: Reporting what a scientist said in a paper.
• In Job Interviews: If you are repeating what your old boss said about a project.
• In Court or Police Reports: When being very precise about statements.

Imagine you are at a fancy dinner. Someone says, "The wine is being served." If you tell your friend later, you use Konjunktiv I to show you are just repeating what you heard. It keeps you safe from being blamed if the wine is actually late! It is the ultimate "don't shoot the messenger" grammar tool.

Do not use this with your friends at a cafe. It will make you sound like a walking newspaper. If you are talking to your mom, just use the normal Indikativ (the regular passive).

• Casual Chats: Avoid it. It is too formal.
• Giving Directions: Just say "Turn left," not "It is said that left be turned."
• Ordering Food: "I want a burger" is better than reporting that a burger be ordered.

Think of it like a tuxedo. You don't wear a tuxedo to go jogging. You don't use Konjunktiv I Passive to ask where the bathroom is. Keep it for the big moments and formal writing.

One big mistake is mixing up werde and würde.

• werde is for reporting (Konjunktiv I).
• würde is for dreams and wishes (Konjunktiv II).

If you say "The house würde built," people might think you are dreaming about a house. If you say "The house werde built," they know you are reporting a fact from someone else.

Another mistake is the word order. In German, the Partizip II (like gekauft or gegessen) loves the end of the sentence. It is very shy. It wants to stay as far away from the start as possible. Don't forget to kick it to the very end!

Let's look at the difference.

• Normal Passive: Das Auto wird repariert. (The car is being repaired. This is a fact.)
• Konjunktiv I Passive: Er sagt, das Auto werde repariert. (He says the car is being repaired. This is a report.)

See the difference? The first one is 100% true in your eyes. The second one is just what someone told you. It is like the difference between seeing a fire and hearing someone yell "Fire!"