Participles are forms of a verb that are used and treated like adjectives. A passive participle, in Russian, is a type of participle that describes something that undergoes an action.
- молотый кофеTranscription: moLOMnyi kofeTranslation: ground coffeesomeone ground the coffee (it underwent grinding)
- писанный словаTranscription: PEEsanye SLOvaTranslation: written wordssomeone wrote the words (they underwent writing)
In Russian, passive participles come in two main tenses: past or present. However, because they are adjectives, they follow all the same grammar rules that regular adjectives do. They can be long or short, they have comparative and superlative forms, and agree with nouns in gender, number, and case.
In this post we will look at how to form and use passive participles in Russian, both the past and the present versions. Let’s have a look!
Russian passive participle: Present vs. past
In Russian, there are two types of passive participles: present and past. Though both are used to describe a noun that undergoes an action, they are used in slightly different contexts:
Present passive participles give a characteristic that is either permanent or exists at a given moment.
present passive participleВсе продаваемые в магазине товары сертифицированы.Transcription: fsye pradaVAimyie v magaZEEnye taVAry sirtsifiTSEEravany.Translation: All products (being) sold in the store are certified.The products are currently and/or permanently being sold.Past passive participles describe something as completed in the past.
past passive participleК июню количество проданных в мире экземпляров перевалило за миллион.Transcription: k iYUnyu kaLEEchistva PROdanykh v MEErya egzympLYAraf pirivaLEEla za miliON.Translation: By June, the number of copies (already) sold worldwide exceeded one million.The copies were sold already, in the past.
Notice that different kinds of participles may be translated into English in the same way!
What are present passive participles in Russian?
Present passive participles in Russian describe a noun that generally or repeatedly undergoes an action or a noun that is undergoing the action at the same time as the main event.
There is no direct equivalent to this type of participle in English, therefore, it might be hard to know when you need one. For example, all the bolded words in the phrases below could be translated into Russian with present passive participles:
a favorite book
an unforgettable experience
the most frequently visited museum
In the sections below, we’ll go over how to form present passive participles and talk more about when you’ll want to use one in Russian. Let’s take a closer look.
How to form present passive participles?
The form of a present passive participle is the same as the present tense “we” form, with adjective endings added to it. This means that to form present passive participles, add the suffixes -ем/-ом/-им to the base of the verb.
present “we” form of a verb
-ем/-ом/-им
adjective endings
For example:
| Base form | “We” Form | Present Passive Participle |
|---|---|---|
поддерживать Transcription: paDYERzhivat Translation: to support | поддерживаем Transcription: paDYERzhivayem Translation: we support | поддерживаемый Transcription: paDYERzhivayemyi Translation: supported |
слышать Transcription: SLYshyt Translation: to hear | слышим Transcription: SLYshym Translation: we hear | слышимый Transcription: SLYshymyi Translation: heard/audible |
делить Transcription: diLEET Translation: to divide | делим Transcription: DYElim Translation: we divide | делимый Transcription: diLEEmyi Translation: divisible |
ожидать Transcription: azhyDAT Translation: to expect | ожидаем Transcription: azhyDAyem Translation: we expect | ожидаемый Transcription: azhyDAimyi Translation: expected |
Present passive participles in Russian are mostly formed from imperfective verbs (those meaning ongoing or habitual actions), although perfective verbs, especially with the negative prefix не transcribed nyemeaning not, can also serve as their base.
When to use present passive participles in Russian?
In Russian, we use present passive participles to describe something or someone through an activity being done to them, either repeatedly/habitually or at the same time as the main action. Here are some examples:
While most present passive participles are found in writing, usually in formal or scientific contexts, rather than in everyday speech, some of them, on the contrary, are so frequently used that they are often considered adjectives rather than participles. Russian speakers don't usually think of these as verb-related at all, but we can still tell from their forms that they originally came from verbs. For example:
любимый transcribed lyuBEEmyimeaning favorite; beloved
невыносимый transcribed nyevynaSEEmyimeaning unbearable
непромокаемый transcribed nizabyVAimyimeaning unforgettable
необходимый transcribed niaplhaDEEmyimeaning necessary
невидимый transcribed niVEEdimyimeaning invisible
независимый transcribed nizaVEEsimyimeaning independent
необитаемый transcribed niabiTAimyimeaning uninhabited
так называемый transcribed tak nazyVAimyimeaning so-called
уязвимый transcribed ooizVEEmyimeaning vulnerable
уважаемый transcribed oovaZHAimyimeaning respected; dear → used at the beginning of letters and emails
What are past passive participles in Russian?
Russian past passive participles are very similar to the English past participles (e.g. “done,” “eaten,” “visited”) in both meaning and use. Past passive participles, especially their short forms, are also commonly used in everyday speech in Russian, which is not the case with other kinds of participles. However, out of all Russian participles, past passive participles are the hardest to form. Let’s break it down!
How to form past passive participles?
Past passive participles are formed by adding adding the suffixes -нн-, -енн- /-ённ-, or -т- to the infinitive base of a perfective verb (verbs for complete actions). Note that the “infinitive base” is the infinitive without its infinitive ending (-ть or -ти).
How do you know which suffix to choose? Follow these general guidelines:
| Ending of infinitive base | Suffix for past passive participle | Examples | |
|---|---|---|---|
consonant or -и- | -енн- (-ённ-) adjective endings | увезти Transcription: oovisTEE Translation: to take away | увезённый Transcription: ooviZYOnyi Translation: taken away |
спасти Transcription: spasTEE Translation: to rescue | спасённый Transcription: spaSYOnyi Translation: rescued | ||
научить Transcription: naooCHEET Translation: to teach | наученный Transcription: naOOchinyi Translation: taught | ||
получить Transcription: palooCHEET Translation: to receive | полученный Transcription: paLOOchinyi Translation: received | ||
-а-, -я-, -е- | -нн- adjective endings | написать Transcription: napiSAT Translation: to write | написанный Transcription: naPEEsanyi Translation: written |
сппотерять Transcription: patiRYAT Translation: to lose | потерянный Transcription: paTYErinyi Translation: lost | ||
просмотреть Transcription: prasmaTRYET Translation: to watch | просмотренный Transcription: praSMOtrinyi Translation: watched | ||
-ы-, -ну-, -о-, or one-syllable infinitives | -т- adjective endings | увезти Transcription: ooMYT Translation: to wash | умытый Transcription: ooMYtyi Translation: washed |
обмануть Transcription: abmaNOOT Translation: to deceive | обманутый Transcription: abMAnootyi Translation: deceived | ||
перемолоть Transcription: pirilaMEET Translation: to grind | перемолотый Transcription: piriLOMnyi Translation: ground | ||
сшить Transcription: shyt Translation: to sew | сшитый Transcription: SHYtyi Translation: sewed / sewn | ||
In addition to choosing the right suffix, you also need to keep in mind possible (and frequent!) consonant alterations before the suffixes, such as:
д → ж:
посадитьTranscription: pasaDEETTranslation: to plantпосаженныйTranscription: paSAzhynyiTranslation: plantedт → ч:
оплатитьTranscription: aplaTEETTranslation: to payоплаченныйTranscription: aPLAchinyiTranslation: paidт → щ:
защититьTranscription: zashchiTEETTranslation: to protectзащищённыйTranscription: zashchiSHCHOnyiTranslation: protectedби → бл:
употребитьTranscription: oopatriBEETTranslation: to useупотреблённыйTranscription: oopatribLYOnyiTranslation: usedви → вл:
удивитьTranscription: oodiVEETTranslation: to surpriseудивлённыйTranscription: oodivLYOnyiTranslation: surprisedпи → пл:
купитьTranscription: kooPEETTranslation: to buyкупленныйTranscription: KOOplinyiTranslation: bought
When to use past passive participles in Russian?
Past passive participles in Russian are used to describe a noun that has undergone a completed action. They are derived from perfective verbs, which emphasize the completion of an action, hence their association with the past. Thus, there is a focus on the features of a noun that come as a result of some previous activity done to it.
The perfective passive
Short past passive participles are very often used in a structure called the “perfective passive.” This is formed by combining the verb быть transcribed bytmeaning to be with the past passive participle.
быть transcribed bytmeaning to be
short past passive participle
As is true elsewhere in Russian, the verb быть is generally omitted in the present tense, or in the context of certain adverbs like уже (ooZHE, “already”) or ещё (yiSHCHO, “yet”), So you will often see the short past passive participle used on its own, as illustrated below:
Check out our post to learn more about the passive voice in Russian!
Past passive participles and relative clauses
In everyday speech, relative clauses with который transcribed kaTOryimeaning who/which are often used instead of long participles:
- long past passive participleМузыканты отправили гонорар, полученный за концерт, на благотворительность.Transcription: moozyKANty atPRAvili ganaRAR paLOOchinyi za kanTSERT na blagatvaREEtilnast.Translation: The musicians sent the fee received from the concert to charity.
- relative clauseМузыканты отправили гонорар, который получили за концерт, на благотворительность.Transcription: moozyKANty atPRAvili ganaRAR kaTOryi palooCHEEli za kanTSERT na blagatvaREEtilnast.Translation: The musicians sent the fee which they received from the concert to charity.
Past passive participle phrases
Past passive participles are often used along with some dependent words to form a participle phrase. This is just like you might say either “the broken clock” or “the clock broken by a child” in English.
Just like in English, in Russian, a one-word past passive participle will always come before the noun, but a participle with extra phrases describing it will come after the noun. For example:
If a past passive participle has dependent words it is generally separated from the rest of a sentence using commas. For example:
Conclusion
In this post, we have looked at how to form and use passive participles in Russian.
Present passive participles are:
formed with suffixes -ем / -ом / -им
used to characterize a noun through an action repeatedly or currently done to it
Some present passive participles are frequently used and close in use to adjectives.
Past passive participles are:
formed with suffixes -нн- / -енн- (-ённ-) / -т-
used to characterize a noun through an action previously done to it
Their short forms are commonly used in colloquial speech.
Try out forming and using Russian passive participles on your own by downloading the exercises below. Happy learning!
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