Pasívu

Pasívu is a term used in linguistics to refer to the passive voice in languages that distinguish between active and passive clauses. In a pasívu construction, the action is described as happening to the subject rather than being performed by it, and the agent of the action may be expressed, implied, or omitted.

There are two broad strategies for realizing pasívu: periphrastic passives and synthetic passives. Periphrastic passives use an auxiliary verb (such as be or a similar form) together with a past participle, as in the English example “the letter was written.” Synthetic passives attach a passive participle to the verb stem or modify the verb to indicate voice, a pattern common in some Slavic languages.

In Slavic languages, typical patterns include be + past participle (Czech: Dopis byl napsán učitelem; Slovak: Kniha bola napísaná učiteľom) and more fully developed passive constructions where the agent is expressed with instrumental case or a prepositional phrase. Russian commonly uses a form with быть and a past participle (for example, Дом был построен рабочими). Polish often employs zostać or być with a past participle (Dom został zbudowany przez robotników). Some languages also permit agentless or impersonal passives for generalized statements.

The pasívu voice affects emphasis and information structure, often shifting focus from the actor to the action or its result. It can create formal, neutral, or stylistically specific discourse and interacts with transitivity and agent expression in language-specific ways.

See also: Passive voice; Voice (linguistics); Slavic grammar.