passiveparticiple

A passive participle is a form of a verb that carries passive meaning and is used to form or modify passive constructions. In many languages it is a distinct participial form, separate from the present participle, and it can serve in both verbal and adjectival functions. The term is more common in descriptions of non-English languages, while in English the term past participle is frequently used, especially when discussing passive voice.

In English, the passive participle typically corresponds to the past participle. It combines with auxiliary verbs such as be or get to form the passive voice (for example, The letter was written, The cake has been eaten). The same participle can also function as a participial adjective placed before or after a noun (a broken window, a written report), in which case it describes a state resulting from an action rather than signaling a finite clause.

Cross-linguistically, languages derive passive participles in various ways, often through affixation or suppletion. Romance languages use past participles like ouvert (French) or abierto (Spanish) with forms of être or haber to express passive or perfect aspects. German uses Partizip II in passive constructions with a auxiliary such as werden (Der Brief wird geschrieben) and in perfect passives with been-like words in other languages. In many languages, passive participles interact with tense, aspect, and agreement systems, sometimes forming with auxiliary verbs, sometimes acting as adjectives or small clauses.

The passive participle contrasts with the active participle (present participle) and with non-finite forms that do not express voice directly. It is a key element in constructing passive clauses and in attributive descriptions indicating a state resulting from a previous action.