Italian Passive with Modals: Expressing 'must be', 'can be', and 'should be'
Learn to combine dovere, potere, and dovrebbe with the passive voice in Italian to say things like 'The form must be signed' or 'The package can be sent.'
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
In Italian, the passive voice is formed with essere plus a past participle, and when you add a modal verb like dovere (must), potere (can), or the conditional dovrebbe (should), the modal comes first and essere follows in the infinitive. This lets you express obligation, possibility, and advice about actions done to someone or something, not by them. The past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject, and the agent, when mentioned, is introduced by da. This lesson focuses on forming these structures accurately and choosing the right modal for the right situation.
By the end, you can…
- form passive sentences with dovere, potere, and dovrebbe in the present tense.
- make the past participle agree with the subject in gender and number.
- express obligation, possibility, and advice using modal passives.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Il modulo deve essere firmato.
The form must be signed.
eel MOH-doo-loh DEH-veh ES-seh-reh fear-MAH-toh
Standard obligation; common in offices and bureaucracy.
Il pacco può essere spedito domani.
The package can be sent tomorrow.
eel PAHK-koh pwoh ES-seh-reh speh-DEE-toh doh-MAH-nee
Potere here expresses possibility, not permission.
La domanda dovrebbe essere presentata entro venerdì.
The application should be submitted by Friday.
lah doh-MAHN-dah doh-VREB-beh ES-seh-reh preh-zen-TAH-tah EN-troh veh-ner-DEE
Dovrebbe gives advice or a soft recommendation.
Le finestre devono essere chiuse prima di uscire.
The windows must be closed before leaving.
leh fee-NES-treh DEH-vo-noh ES-seh-reh KYOO-zeh PREE-mah dee oo-SHEE-reh
Plural feminine agreement: chiuse ends in -e.
Questi documenti possono essere firmati digitalmente.
These documents can be signed digitally.
KWEH-stee doh-koo-MEN-tee POHS-soh-noh ES-seh-reh fear-MAH-tee dee-jee-TAHL-men-teh
Plural masculine agreement: firmati ends in -i.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The structure is: subject + modal (deve, può, dovrebbe, devono, possono) + essere + past participle. The past participle behaves like an adjective and agrees with the subject: Il modulo deve essere firmato (masculine singular), La lettera deve essere firmata (feminine singular), I moduli devono essere firmati (masculine plural), Le lettere devono essere firmate (feminine plural). The modal is conjugated, but essere stays in the infinitive.
When to use it
Use dovere + passive for strong obligation or rules: Il biglietto deve essere convalidato. Use potere + passive for possibility or what is allowed: Il pagamento può essere effettuato online. Use dovrebbe + passive for advice or polite recommendations: La richiesta dovrebbe essere inviata per email. In everyday speech, Italians often prefer the impersonal si construction, for example Si deve firmare il modulo, but the modal passive is standard in written instructions, signs, and formal contexts.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Scusi, il modulo deve essere firmato a penna o posso usare la matita?
Excuse me, must the form be signed in pen, or can I use a pencil?SKOO-zee, eel MOH-doo-loh DEH-veh ES-seh-reh fear-MAH-toh ah PEN-nah oh POHS-soh oo-ZAH-reh lah mah-TEE-tahDeve essere firmato a penna. La matita non è accettata.
It must be signed in pen. Pencil is not accepted.DEH-veh ES-seh-reh fear-MAH-toh ah PEN-nah. lah mah-TEE-tah non eh ah-cheht-TAH-tahCapisco. E la domanda dovrebbe essere presentata entro quando?
I understand. And by when should the application be submitted?kah-PEES-koh. eh lah doh-MAHN-dah doh-VREB-beh ES-seh-reh preh-zen-TAH-tah EN-troh KWAHN-dohDovrebbe essere presentata entro venerdì, ma può essere inviata anche per email.
It should be submitted by Friday, but it can also be sent by email.doh-VREB-beh ES-seh-reh preh-zen-TAH-tah EN-troh veh-ner-DEE, mah pwoh ES-seh-reh een-VYAH-tah AHN-keh pehr EE-maylA little context goes a long way
In formal Italian, especially in public administration and legal texts, the modal passive is common and carries an impersonal, authoritative tone. In conversation, speakers often replace it with the impersonal si: Si deve firmare il modulo. Both are correct, but the passive with essere sounds more formal and is typical of written instructions. Regional variation is minimal here; the main difference is register, not geography.
One thing to watch for
Conjugating essere instead of the modal, as in Il modulo deve è firmato.
Try this instead: Only the modal is conjugated; essere stays in the infinitive: Il modulo deve essere firmato. Similarly, I documenti devono essere firmati, not devono sono firmati.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1Translate: 'The letters must be written today.'
Show a sample answer
Le lettere devono essere scritte oggi.
The subject is feminine plural, so the past participle scritte ends in -e. The modal devono is third-person plural.
2Translate: 'The bill can be paid online.'
Show a sample answer
Il conto può essere pagato online.
Potere expresses possibility. The subject il conto is masculine singular, so pagato ends in -o.
3Translate: 'The windows should be closed at night.'
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Le finestre dovrebbero essere chiuse di notte.
Dovrebbero is the conditional third-person plural, used for advice. The participle chiuse agrees with the feminine plural subject.
Put the modal first, keep essere in the infinitive, and make the past participle agree with the subject. Choose dovere for obligation, potere for possibility, and dovrebbe for advice.
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