Present Perfect Tense with Passive Voice: Examples

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.

Structure of Present Perfect Passive

Understanding the structure is the first step to using this form correctly. The present perfect passive follows a clear pattern:

The key rule: use have with I, you, we, they — and has with he, she, it, and singular subjects.

Active vs Passive: 10 Sentence Pairs

Comparing active and passive sentences helps you understand when and why to use the passive voice. Notice how the focus shifts:

When to Use Present Perfect Passive

Choose this structure in three main situations:

1. 1.When the action is more important than the person who did it. In "The package has been delivered," you care about the result — the delivery — not who delivered it.
2. 2.In formal writing and academic contexts. Passive voice is common in reports, articles, and official documents. For example: "The data has been analyzed."
3. 3.In news headlines and announcements. News writers often omit the agent to keep headlines short and focused: "Three suspects have been arrested."

Negative and Question Forms

Negative form: Insert not after have/has.

1. 1.The report has not been submitted yet. (El informe todavía no ha sido enviado.)
2. 2.The windows have not been cleaned. (Las ventanas no han sido limpiadas.)
3. 3.He has not been told about the meeting. (No le han informado sobre la reunión.)
4. 4.The results have not been published. (Los resultados no han sido publicados.)
5. 5.The files have not been saved properly. (Los archivos no han sido guardados correctamente.)

Question form: Move have/has to the front of the sentence.

1. 1.Has the package been sent? (¿Ha sido enviado el paquete?)
2. 2.Have the tickets been booked? (¿Se han reservado las entradas?)
3. 3.Has the decision been made? (¿Se ha tomado la decisión?)
4. 4.Has the email been answered? (¿Se ha respondido el correo?)
5. 5.Have the students been informed? (¿Se ha informado a los estudiantes?)

Common Verbs in Present Perfect Passive

Some verbs are especially common in this structure. Here are the most useful ones with examples:

• be built — The new stadium has been built in just two years.
• be written — The report has been written by a team of experts.
• be found — No solution has been found yet.
• be given — The students have been given extra time.
• be made — An important announcement has been made.
• be sent — The invitations have been sent to all guests.
• be approved — The new law has been approved by parliament.
• be completed — The project has been completed on schedule.

Practice Exercises

Test your understanding with these exercises:

Exercise 1 — Transform to present perfect passive:

1. 1.Someone has broken the window. → The window ________.
2. 2.They have cancelled the meeting. → The meeting ________.
3. 3.The chef has prepared the food. → The food ________.

Exercise 2 — Make negative:

1. 1.The letter has been posted. → The letter ________.
2. 2.The problem has been solved. → The problem ________.

Exercise 3 — Form a question:

1. 1.The documents have been signed. → ________?
2. 2.The winner has been chosen. → ________?

Exercise 4 — Choose have or has:

1. 1.The car ________ been repaired.
2. 2.All the seats ________ been taken.
3. 3.A new manager ________ been hired.

Exercise 5 — Translate into English using present perfect passive:

1. 1.El edificio ha sido demolido.
2. 2.No se ha encontrado ninguna solución.
3. 3.¿Ha sido aprobado el presupuesto?

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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