The Complete Guide to German Passive — Part 2

Vorgangspassiv vs Zustandspassiv: Process or State?

“Grammar doesn’t only tell us what happens — it tells us what remains.”
— Tymur Levitin

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Most learners of German are told that “Passive Voice = werden + Participle II.” That is only half the truth. German actually distinguishes two different passives:

• Vorgangspassiv (werden-Passiv): describes the process or event itself.
• Zustandspassiv (sein-Passiv): describes the state that results from the process.

Understanding this difference is essential not just for exams, but for translation, for legal texts, and for real communication.

Vorgangspassiv (Process Passive)

• Das Auto wird repariert.
  The car is being repaired. (focus on the repair as an event)
• Das Auto wurde repariert.
  The car was repaired. (the process happened)
• Das Auto ist repariert worden.
  The car has been repaired. (completed process, reported as event)

Zustandspassiv (State Passive)

• Das Auto ist repariert.
  The car is repaired / in a repaired state. (focus on the condition, not the event)
• Das Auto war repariert.
  The car was repaired / stood repaired. (condition in the past)
• Das Auto ist repariert gewesen.
  The car had been in a repaired state. (rare, but possible in formal writing)

Why does this matter?

• In English, Russian and Ukrainian the difference often disappears:
  • English: The car was repaired.
  • Russian: «Машина отремонтирована» / «Машину отремонтировали.»
  • Ukrainian: «Автомобіль відремонтований» / «Автомобіль відремонтували.»
• German forces you to choose between event (Vorgang) and state (Zustand).

For translators, this is critical: the wrong passive can change the meaning. In contracts, reports, or legal documents, precision is everything.

Cross-language traps

• Es ist entschieden. = “It is decided” (state).
• Es wird entschieden. = “It is being decided / will be decided” (process).

Both translate similarly into English, but in German they show whether the action is ongoing or completed.

Survival strategies

• If you are not sure which form to use in conversation → default to Vorgangspassiv (werden). It is safer and more frequent.
• In writing, especially academic or legal → master Zustandspassiv. It signals completion and status.

Series navigation

• Part 1: The Myth of Three Passive Forms
• Part 2: Vorgangspassiv vs Zustandspassiv (this page)
• Part 3: Passive with Modal Verbs — the Infinitive Monster
• Part 4: All Tenses in Full — from Präsens to Futur II
• Part 5: Recipient Passive — bekommen/kriegen
• Part 6: Impersonal Passive — agentless style
• Part 7: Passive in Konjunktiv I/II
• Part 8: Passive in exams and academic writing
• Part 9: Translation Lab: German Passive across Languages
• Part 10: Survival Passive — how to rewrite when the “monster” appears

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© Author: Tymur Levitin — Founder & Head Teacher.

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