Hiša se gradi, hiša je zgrajena: the two passive voices
When it does not matter who acts, Slovenian hides the doer. Waste is sorted, a product is checked, a house is pulled down. There are two ways to do it, and they must not be mixed. For example: “Odpadki se ločujejo, nevarni pa se oddajo posebej” — Waste is sorted, and hazardous waste is deposited separately. A rule from the Slovenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
When it does not matter who acts, Slovenian hides the doer. Waste is sorted, a product is checked, a house is pulled down. There are two ways to do it, and they must not be mixed.
The first is se beside the verb. Hiša se gradi — the house is being built. Odpadki se ločujejo — waste is sorted. That is about a process, a rule, a custom. The trap: the same se can mean 'oneself' — Otrok se umiva means the child is washing himself.
The second is biti plus a form in -n or -t: Hiša je zgrajena — the house is built, Izdelek je preverjen. That is about a result, and the form follows gender and number.
How to choose: a process takes se (Cesta se popravlja), a result takes biti (Cesta je popravljena). The simplest way out is to drop the doer: Gradijo novo cesto.
Table
| form | example | the English | when |
|---|---|---|---|
| se + verb | hiša se gradi | the house is being built | process |
| se + verb | odpadki se ločujejo | waste is sorted | rule |
| biti + -n/-t | hiša je zgrajena | the house is built | result |
| biti + -n/-t | izdelek je preverjen | the product is checked | state |
| 3rd plural without a subject | gradijo cesto | they are building a road | the doer does not matter |
| 3rd plural without a subject | pravijo, da | they say that | someone else’s words |
| reflexive | otrok se umiva | the child is washing himself | not a passive! |
| clerical | s strani komisije | approved by the commission | paperwork only |
By example
- Odpadki se ločujejo, nevarni pa se oddajo posebejWaste is sorted, and hazardous waste is deposited separately
- Most je zgrajen, cesta pa se še popravljaThe bridge is built, and the road is still being repaired
- Gradijo novo šolo, staro pa bodo podrliThey are building a new school, and the old one will be torn down
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Hiša se gradi, hiša je zgrajena: how does it work in Slovenian?
When it does not matter who acts, Slovenian hides the doer. Waste is sorted, a product is checked, a house is pulled down. There are two ways to do it, and they must not be mixed.
What does it look like in an example sentence Slovenian?
“Odpadki se ločujejo, nevarni pa se oddajo posebej” — Waste is sorted, and hazardous waste is deposited separately. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.