Alternative Ways to Avoid the Passive Voice in German

While the passive voice is widely used in formal, scientific, and official German, it can sometimes make sentences sound impersonal or overly complex in everyday contexts. Native speakers often prefer active constructions to keep statements clear and natural. Below are seven common strategies to replace passive constructions in German, complete with examples and usage tips.

1. Use man Instead of Passive (Impersonal Subject)

One of the simplest ways to avoid the passive is to use “man” as an impersonal subject. The word man means “one” or “people” in general, and it functions as an indefinite pronoun. This allows you to convert a passive sentence into an active one with a general subject.

Passive: Hier wird Deutsch gesprochen. (German is spoken here.)

Active (with “man”): Man spricht hier Deutsch. (People speak German here.)

Passive: Das Problem wurde gelöst. (The problem was solved.)

Active (with “man”): Man hat das Problem gelöst. (Someone/People solved the problem.)

Passive: Es wird viel über Politik diskutiert. (A lot is discussed about politics.)

Active (with “man”): Man diskutiert viel über Politik. (People discuss politics a lot.)

✅ When to use “man”:

• When the doer of the action is unknown, general, or not important.

• This construction is especially common in spoken German.

2. Use Reflexive Verbs Instead of Passive

Another way to avoid the passive voice is to use reflexive verbs, which imply that an action happens “by itself” without a direct agent. In these sentences, the subject and object are the same, or the action is effectively self-contained.

Passive: Die Tür wird geöffnet. (The door is being opened.)

Reflexive: Die Tür öffnet sich. (The door opens itself / The door opens.)

Passive: Das Problem muss gelöst werden. (The problem must be solved.)

Reflexive: Das Problem löst sich. (The problem resolves itself.)

Passive: Der Kuchen wird gebacken. (The cake is being baked.)

Reflexive: Der Kuchen bäckt sich leicht. (The cake bakes easily.)

✅ When to use reflexive verbs:

• When the action’s agent is obvious or doesn’t need to be mentioned.

• Common in instructions, descriptions, or when something happens spontaneously.

3. Use sein + zu + Infinitive Instead of Passive

German offers a construction with “sein + zu + infinitive” as a concise alternative to the passive with werden. This structure conveys necessity or possibility in a more direct way.

Passive: Das Problem muss gelöst werden. (The problem must be solved.)

Alternative: Das Problem ist zu lösen. (The problem is solvable / is to be solved.)

Passive: Die Aufgabe soll erledigt werden. (The task should be completed.)

Alternative: Die Aufgabe ist zu erledigen. (The task is to be completed.)

Passive: Das Haus muss renoviert werden. (The house must be renovated.)

Alternative: Das Haus ist zu renovieren. (The house is to be renovated.)

✅ When to use “sein + zu”:

• Often used for rules, instructions, or formal requirements (to express that something must or can be done).

• It sounds shorter and more direct than a passive construction with werden.

4. Use lassen Instead of Passive

The verb “lassen” (to let, to allow, or to have something done) can replace a passive construction when you want to indicate that someone is causing an action to be done by someone else. Instead of saying “X was done (by Y)”, you can say “I/We had X done (by Y)”.

Passive: Das Auto wurde repariert. (The car was repaired.)

Alternative: Ich habe das Auto reparieren lassen. (I had the car repaired.)

Passive: Die Wohnung muss renoviert werden. (The apartment must be renovated.)

Alternative: Wir lassen die Wohnung renovieren. (We are having the apartment renovated.)

Passive: Die Haare wurden geschnitten. (The hair was cut.)

Alternative: Sie hat sich die Haare schneiden lassen. (She had her hair cut.)

✅ When to use lassen:

• When someone else is performing the action on your behalf (or at your request).

• Very common in spoken and informal German to describe services or actions done by others.

5. Use an Active Sentence with an Indefinite Subject

Sometime,s the easiest fix for a passive sentence is to rewrite it as an active sentence, explicitly stating a subject even if it’s generic. Instead of saying something “was done” without mentioning who did it, identify a doer such as jemand (someone), die Leute (people), or a more specific group.

Passive: Die neue Software wurde entwickelt. (The new software was developed.)

Active: Ein Team von Experten hat die neue Software entwickelt. (A team of experts developed the new software.)

Passive: Die Tickets werden verkauft. (The tickets are being sold.)

Active: Die Verkäufer verkaufen die Tickets. (The sellers are selling the tickets.)

Passive: Das Problem muss gelöst werden. (The problem must be solved.)

Active: Die Mitarbeiter müssen das Problem lösen. (The employees have to solve the problem.)

✅ When to use an indefinite or general subject:

• When the agent (doer of the action) is known, relevant, or can be reasonably inferred.

• This makes the statement more direct and clear about who is responsible for the action.

6. Use -bar / -lich Adjectives Instead of Passive + Modal Verb

German often allows you to transform verbs into adjectives using the suffixes “-bar” (roughly “-able” in English) or “-lich”. This is a natural alternative to passive constructions with modal verbs like können (can) or müssen (must). In spoken German, saying something ist machbar (“is doable”) usually sounds more straightforward than muss gemacht werden (“must be done”).

For example, instead of saying:

• ❌ Das Problem muss gelöst werden. (The problem must be solved.)

You can say:

• ✅ Das Problem ist lösbar. (The problem is solvable.)

General Formula: Instead of “modal verb + passive”, use sein + adjective (with -bar or -lich):

• muss gereinigt werden → ist reinigbar (must be cleaned → is cleanable)

• kann übersetzt werden → ist übersetzbar (can be translated → is translatable)

Examples of “-bar” replacing passive + modal:

• Das Buch kann gelesen werden. → Das Buch ist lesbar. (The book is readable.)

• Das Problem muss gelöst werden. → Das Problem ist lösbar. (The problem is solvable.)

• Der Text soll übersetzt werden. → Der Text ist übersetzbar. (The text is translatable.)

• Die Datei kann gespeichert werden. → Die Datei ist speicherbar. (The file is storable/saveable.)

• Das Angebot muss angenommen werden. → Das Angebot ist annehmbar. (The offer is acceptable.)

🛠 When to use “-bar”: This suffix works best with transitive verbs (verbs that take a direct object) and typically replaces können or müssen in a passive sentence. It conveys possibility or necessity – essentially the meaning of “can be X-ed” or “must be X-ed”.

Examples of “-lich” replacing passive + modal:

• Die Anweisungen müssen verstanden werden. → Die Anweisungen sind verständlich. (The instructions are understandable.)

• Die Regel soll beachtet werden. → Die Regel ist beachtlich. (The rule is notable.)

• Die Idee kann verwirklicht werden. → Die Idee ist verwirklichbar. (The idea is realisable.)

🛠 When to use “-lich”: Some verbs (often those indicating a state or quality) use -lich instead. This form often replaces sollen in the passive and describes a quality or desirability rather than sheer possibility. In many cases -lich and -bar can be used somewhat interchangeably, though -lich might sound more abstract. For example, verständlich (understandable) vs verstehbar (able to be understood) – both mean nearly the same, but verständlich is more common for "understandable" in general contexts.

When “-bar”/“-lich” are more natural than a passive + modal:

• In spoken or informal German, or whenever you want the sentence to sound straightforward and concise.

• In short, descriptive statements are where you’re describing a property of something.

For instance:

• Diese Aufgabe kann erledigt werden. → Diese Aufgabe ist erledigbar.

• Der Film soll verstanden werden. → Der Film ist verständlich.

• Das Gerät kann repariert werden. → Das Gerät ist reparierbar.

Using the adjective forms (erledigbar, verständlich, reparierbar) makes these statements brief and clear.

When a passive + modal is still necessary: There are cases where you should not replace the passive with an adjective:

• If you need to specify who or what must do something. In such cases, the passive with an explicit agent is clearer:

  • ✅ Das Problem muss von einem Experten gelöst werden. (The problem must be solved by an expert.)

  • ❌ Das Problem ist lösbar. (The problem is solvable.) – Who should solve it? This version loses that detail.

• If the requirement or obligation is the focus (not just a possibility or a general quality):

  • ✅ Das Experiment muss wiederholt werden. (The experiment must be repeated.)

  • ❌ Das Experiment ist wiederholbar. (The experiment is repeatable.) – This sounds like a general statement about feasibility, rather than a command or necessity in this context.

Summary – Passive + Modal vs. Adjective (“-bar/-lich”):

Use Passive + Modal Verb if…	Use “-bar” / “-lich” if…
The sentence needs a subject or agent (explicit doer). <br/>Das Problem muss von einem Experten gelöst werden.	The sentence describes a general property or possibility. <br/>Das Problem ist lösbar.
The focus is on the action itself or requirement. <br/>Der Fehler muss korrigiert werden.	The focus is on the possibility or inherent trait. <br/>Der Fehler ist korrigierbar.
The sentence expresses who is required to act. <br/>Das Gerät muss von einem Techniker repariert werden.	The sentence expresses an inherent characteristic. <br/>Das Gerät ist reparierbar.

7. Use Periphrastic Constructions (Reword the Sentence)

Sometimes the best solution is to rephrase the sentence entirely. If a passive construction sounds too heavy or unnatural, consider what you really want to express and say it in a different way. This might involve changing the verb, turning the idea into a description, or stating the consequence instead of the action.

Passive: Der Vertrag wurde unterschrieben. (The contract was signed.)

Reworded: Der Vertrag hat jetzt Gültigkeit. (The contract is now valid.)(Instead of focusing on the act of signing, this version highlights the result.)

Passive: Die Prüfung wird bald geschrieben. (The exam will soon be written.)

Reworded: Die Schüler schreiben bald die Prüfung. (The students will soon take the exam.)(This version directly mentions who will do the exam – “the students” – and uses an active verb.)

Passive: Der Fehler muss korrigiert werden. (The mistake must be corrected.)

Reworded: Der Fehler sollte nicht passieren. (The mistake shouldn’t happen.)(Here we completely change perspective: rather than saying the error must be fixed, we state that it should be avoided.)

✅ When to reword:

• When a passive construction feels too unnatural, abstract, or wordy in context.

• Rewording can make the sentence shorter and more direct, focusing on the outcome or the intended meaning rather than the passive action itself.

Summary & Quick Reference

Below is a quick reference table summarising these strategies for avoiding the passive voice:

Passive Voice Alternative	How it works (Active Approach)	Example
Use “man”	General/indefinite subject	Man spricht Deutsch. (People speak German.)
Use reflexive verbs	Action happens by itself	Die Tür öffnet sich. (The door opens.)
Use “sein + zu”	Express necessity in active form	Das Problem ist zu lösen. (The problem is solvable.)
Use “lassen”	Someone else does the action	Ich lasse mein Auto reparieren. (I have my car repaired.)
Use an active sentence	Specify a doer/agent	Ein Experte hat das entwickelt. (An expert developed it.)
Use “-bar/–lich” adjectives	Turn verb into adjective (feasible/quality)	Das Problem ist lösbar. (The problem is solvable.)
Reword the sentence	Change phrasing or focus	Der Vertrag hat jetzt Gültigkeit. (The contract is now valid.)

By using these alternative structures, you can convey the same information as a passive sentence but in a more active and natural-sounding way. The passive voice certainly has its place in German, especially in formal writing, but mastering these techniques will help you sound more direct and clear in everyday communication. With practice, choosing an active alternative will become second nature, and you’ll have a more flexible range of expression in German.