LingoflyHiša 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
- 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 a Slovenian example sentence?
“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.