Mastering English grammar can sometimes feel like solving a puzzle, especially when it comes to tenses.
One structure that often confuses learners is the present perfect passive.
While the present perfect tense shows a connection between the past and the present, the passive voice shifts the focus from who did the action to what happened.
In this article, you’ll learn when to use the present perfect passive, how to form it, and see clear examples that will make your understanding clear.
When Should You Use the Present Perfect Tense with Passive Voice?
The present perfect tense in passive voice is used when you want to emphasize the result of an action rather than the person who performed it.
This tense is commonly used for expressing real-life situations like achievements, completed tasks, or experiences without emphasizing the subject.
This structure is especially useful when:
- The subject is unknown or unimportant (you don’t know or don’t care who did the action).
- The focus is on what has been done, not on who did it.
- You want to describe recent actions that still matter in the present.
Example:
- Active: They have cleaned the office.
- Passive: The office has been cleaned.
Here, the second version focuses on the office (the result), not on "they."
Difference between active vs. passive with present perfect:
- Active voice: highlights the doer of the action (She has written the report).
- Passive voice: highlights the result or receiver of the action (The report has been written).
How to Form the Present Perfect Tense with Passive Voice?
Forming the present perfect passive is simple if you follow the formula:
Subject + has/have + been + past participle (V3)
- Use “has” for singular subjects (The book has been read.).
- Use "have" for plural subjects (The books have been read.).
Examples:
- The project has been completed on time.
- Several mistakes have been made in this report.
Notice how “been + past participle” is the key structure that makes the sentence both perfect tense (has/have + past participle) and passive (emphasis on the receiver of the action).
10 Examples of Present Perfect Tense with Passive Voice
Here are 10 examples to show you how flexible this structure can be:
- The homework has been finished by the students.
- The invitations have been sent out already.
- The documents have been signed by the manager.
- Dinner has been prepared by my mom.
- Several songs have been recorded by the artist.
- The rules have been changed recently.
- The message has been delivered to the wrong person.
- The laptop has been repaired by the technician.
- Many mistakes have been corrected in this essay.
- The new policy has been announced by the government.
Each of these examples shows how the action or result is highlighted, not necessarily the doer.
Conclusion
The present perfect passive might seem tricky at first, but once you see how it’s used in daily conversations and writing, it becomes much easier to grasp.
Now start writing your own sentences using the present perfect passive and notice how it changes the focus of your message.
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