Passive Voice Explained
المبني للمجهول — شرح كامل
Introduction
The passive voice is an important grammatical structure in English. It is used when the focus is on the action rather than the person who performs it.
First, you will learn what the passive voice is and when to use it. Second, you will see how to form passive sentences in different tenses. Finally, you will practice with examples and exercises.
For example, “The cake was eaten” focuses on the cake, not on who ate it. In addition, the passive voice is very common in formal writing, news reports, and scientific writing.
Let’s begin!
المقدمة
المبني للمجهول هو هيكل نحوي مهم في اللغة الإنجليزية. يُستخدم عندما يكون التركيز على الفعل وليس على الشخص الذي يقوم به.
أولاً، ستتعرف على المبني للمجهول ومتى تستخدمه. ثانياً، سترى كيفية تكوين الجمل المجهولة في الأزمنة المختلفة. وأخيراً، ستتدرب مع الأمثلة والتمارين.
على سبيل المثال، “The cake was eaten” تركز على الكعكة، وليس على من أكلها. بالإضافة إلى ذلك، المبني للمجهول شائع جداً في الكتابة الرسمية والتقارير الإخبارية والكتابة العلمية.
لنبدأ!
1. What Is Passive Voice?
١. ما هو المبني للمجهول؟
Active Voice vs Passive Voice:
Active Voice: The subject performs the action.
- The chef cooked the meal.
- She wrote the letter.
- They built the house.
Passive Voice: The subject receives the action.
- The meal was cooked by the chef.
- The letter was written by her.
- The house was built by them.
المعلوم مقابل المجهول:
المعلوم: الفاعل يقوم بالفعل.
- (الطباخ طهي الطعام). The chef cooked the meal.
- (هي كتبت الرسالة). She wrote the letter.
- (هم بنوا المنزل). They built the house.
المجهول: الفاعل يستقبل الفعل.
- (الطعام طُهي بواسطة الطباخ). The meal was cooked by the chef.
- (الرسالة كُتبت بواسطتها). The letter was written by her.
- (المنزل بُني بواسطتهم). The house was built by them.
Structure of Passive Voice:
Subject + To Be + Past Participle (V3) + (by + agent)
الفاعل + To Be + التصريف الثالث + (by + الفاعل الأصلي)
Why Use Passive Voice?
- When the agent is unknown: My wallet was stolen.
- When the agent is obvious: He was arrested.
- When the action is more important: The bridge was built in 1990.
- In formal writing and scientific reports.
هيكل المبني للمجهول:
الفاعل + To Be + التصريف الثالث + (by + الفاعل الأصلي)
لماذا نستخدم المبني للمجهول؟
- عندما يكون الفاعل غير معروف: (محفظتي سُرقت). My wallet was stolen.
- عندما يكون الفاعل واضحاً: (تم القبض عليه). He was arrested.
- عندما يكون الفعل أكثر أهمية: (الجسر بُني في ١٩٩٠). The bridge was built in 1990.
- في الكتابة الرسمية والتقارير العلمية.
2. Forming Passive Voice in Different Tenses
٢. تكوين المبني للمجهول في الأزمنة المختلفة
| Tense | Active | Passive |
| Present Simple | She writes the letter. | The letter is written by her. |
| Present Continuous | She is writing the letter. | The letter is being written by her. |
| Past Simple | She wrote the letter. | The letter was written by her. |
| Past Continuous | She was writing the letter. | The letter was being written by her. |
| Present Perfect | She has written the letter. | The letter has been written by her. |
| Past Perfect | She had written the letter. | The letter had been written by her. |
| Future (will) | She will write the letter. | The letter will be written by her. |
| Future (going to) | She is going to write the letter. | The letter is going to be written by her. |
| الزمن | معلوم | مجهول |
| المضارع البسيط | She writes the letter. | (الرسالة تُكتب بواسطتها). The letter is written by her. |
| المضارع المستمر | She is writing the letter. | (الرسالة تُكتب الآن بواسطتها). The letter is being written by her. |
| الماضي البسيط | She wrote the letter. | (الرسالة كُتبت بواسطتها). The letter was written by her. |
| الماضي المستمر | She was writing the letter. | (الرسالة كانت تُكتب بواسطتها). The letter was being written by her. |
| المضارع التام | She has written the letter. | (الرسالة قد كُتبت بواسطتها). The letter has been written by her. |
| الماضي التام | She had written the letter. | (الرسالة كانت قد كُتبت بواسطتها). The letter had been written by her. |
| المستقبل (will) | She will write the letter. | (الرسالة ستُكتب بواسطتها). The letter will be written by her. |
| المستقبل (going to) | She is going to write the letter. | (الرسالة ستُكتب بواسطتها). The letter is going to be written by her. |
3. Passive Voice with Modal Verbs
٣. المبني للمجهول مع أفعال المودال
Structure:
Modal Verb + be + Past Participle (V3)
فعل المودال + be + التصريف الثالث
Examples:
| Modal Verb | Active | Passive |
| Can | She can fix the car. | The car can be fixed by her. |
| Could | She could fix the car. | The car could be fixed by her. |
| Should | You should finish the work. | The work should be finished by you. |
| Must | You must do the homework. | The homework must be done by you. |
| Might | She might send the email. | The email might be sent by her. |
الهيكل:
فعل المودال + be + التصريف الثالث
أمثلة:
| فعل المودال | معلوم | مجهول |
| Can | She can fix the car. | (السيارة يمكن إصلاحها بواسطتها). The car can be fixed by her. |
| Could | She could fix the car. | (السيارة كان يمكن إصلاحها بواسطتها). The car could be fixed by her. |
| Should | You should finish the work. | (العمل يجب أن يُنهى بواسطتك). The work should be finished by you. |
| Must | You must do the homework. | (الواجب يجب أن يُنجز بواسطتك). The homework must be done by you. |
| Might | She might send the email. | (البريد الإلكتروني قد يُرسل بواسطتها). The email might be sent by her. |
4. When to Use Passive Voice
٤. متى نستخدم المبني للمجهول
1. When the agent is unknown:
- My phone was stolen. (I don’t know who stole it)
- The window was broken. (I don’t know who broke it)
2. When the agent is obvious:
- He was arrested. (by the police)
- The prisoner was released. (by the authorities)
3. When the action is more important than the agent:
- The bridge was built in 1990.
- This book was written in 1920.
4. In formal writing and scientific reports:
- The experiment was conducted in a laboratory.
- The results were analyzed carefully.
١. عندما يكون الفاعل غير معروف:
- (هاتفي سُرق – لا أعرف من سرقه). My phone was stolen.
- (النافذة كُسرت – لا أعرف من كسرها). The window was broken.
٢. عندما يكون الفاعل واضحاً:
- (تم القبض عليه – بواسطة الشرطة). He was arrested.
- (تم الإفراج عن السجين – بواسطة السلطات). The prisoner was released.
٣. عندما يكون الفعل أكثر أهمية من الفاعل:
- (الجسر بُني في ١٩٩٠). The bridge was built in 1990.
- (هذا الكتاب كُتب في ١٩٢٠). This book was written in 1920.
٤. في الكتابة الرسمية والتقارير العلمية:
- (التجربة أُجريت في مختبر). The experiment was conducted in a laboratory.
- (النتائج حُللت بعناية). The results were analyzed carefully.
5. Common Mistakes — الأخطاء الشائعة
Mistake 1: Using the wrong form of “to be”
- ❌ The letter were written.
- ✅ The letter was written.
الخطأ الأول: استخدام صيغة خاطئة من “to be”
- ❌ The letter were written.
- ✅ (الرسالة كُتبت). The letter was written.
Mistake 2: Forgetting the past participle (V3)
- ❌ The cake was eat by him.
- ✅ The cake was eaten by him.
الخطأ الثاني: نسيان التصريف الثالث
- ❌ The cake was eat by him.
- ✅ (الكعكة أُكلت بواسطته). The cake was eaten by him.
Mistake 3: Overusing passive voice
- ❌ The cake was eaten by me. (Unnecessary)
- ✅ I ate the cake. (Better)
الخطأ الثالث: الإفراط في استخدام المجهول
- ❌ (غير ضروري). The cake was eaten by me.
- ✅ (أفضل). I ate the cake.
Mistake 4: Using passive voice with intransitive verbs
- ❌ The rain was fallen. (Incorrect)
- ✅ The rain fell. (Correct — “fall” is intransitive)
الخطأ الرابع: استخدام المجهول مع الأفعال اللازمة
- ❌ (غير صحيح). The rain was fallen.
- ✅ (صحيح — “fall” فعل لازم). The rain fell.
6. Practice Exercises — تمارين تطبيقية
Change the following sentences from active to passive:
- She writes the letter.
- They built the house.
- The chef cooked the meal.
- Someone stole my wallet.
- The police arrested the thief.
- She will finish the work.
- They have finished the project.
- You should do the homework.
Answers:
- The letter is written by her.
- The house was built by them.
- The meal was cooked by the chef.
- My wallet was stolen.
- The thief was arrested by the police.
- The work will be finished by her.
- The project has been finished by them.
- The homework should be done by you.
حوّل الجمل التالية من المعلوم إلى المجهول:
- She writes the letter.
- They built the house.
- The chef cooked the meal.
- Someone stole my wallet.
- The police arrested the thief.
- She will finish the work.
- They have finished the project.
- You should do the homework.
الإجابات:
- (الرسالة تُكتب بواسطتها). The letter is written by her.
- (المنزل بُني بواسطتهم). The house was built by them.
- (الطعام طُهي بواسطة الطباخ). The meal was cooked by the chef.
- (محفظتي سُرقت). My wallet was stolen.
- (اللص قُبض عليه بواسطة الشرطة). The thief was arrested by the police.
- (العمل سيُنهى بواسطتها). The work will be finished by her.
- (المشروع قد أُنتهي بواسطتهم). The project has been finished by them.
- (الواجب يجب أن يُنجز بواسطتك). The homework should be done by you.
Conclusion
The passive voice is a useful structure in English. It allows you to change the focus of a sentence and is commonly used in formal writing.
Remember:
- Passive = To Be + Past Participle (V3)
- Use passive when the agent is unknown, obvious, or when the action is more important.
- Don’t overuse passive voice — active voice is often more direct and natural.
Practice regularly and soon you will use passive voice naturally!
الخاتمة
المبني للمجهول هو هيكل مفيد في اللغة الإنجليزية. يسمح لك بتغيير التركيز في الجملة ويُستخدم بشكل شائع في الكتابة الرسمية.
تذكر:
- المجهول = To Be + التصريف الثالث
- استخدم المجهول عندما يكون الفاعل غير معروف، أو واضحاً، أو عندما يكون الفعل أكثر أهمية.
- لا تفرط في استخدام المجهول — المعلوم غالباً أكثر مباشرة وطبيعية.
تدرب بانتظام وسرعان ما ستستخدم المبني للمجهول بشكل طبيعي!