Continuous and Perfect Passives

What you’ll learn

Describe actions in progress and completed passive results.

ប្រើ passive សម្រាប់សកម្មភាពកំពុងបន្ត និងលទ្ធផល។

Meaning and use

Continuous passives use be + being + past participle. Perfect passives use have + been + past participle. The first auxiliary carries tense and agrees with the subject. Long combinations are possible, but a simpler active sentence may sometimes be easier to read.

Passive continuous ប្រើ being ដើម្បីបង្ហាញសកម្មភាពកំពុងធ្វើលើប្រធាន។ Passive perfect ប្រើ been ដើម្បីបង្ហាញលទ្ធផល ឬការបញ្ចប់។

Grammar patterns

Pattern	Example or form
Continuous passive	is/are/was/were being + past participle
Perfect passive	has/have/had been + past participle

Examples

1. The road is being repaired.

   ផ្លូវកំពុងត្រូវបានជួសជុល។

2. The rooms were being cleaned when we arrived.

   បន្ទប់កំពុងត្រូវបានសម្អាតពេលយើងមកដល់។

3. The report has been approved.

   របាយការណ៍ត្រូវបានអនុម័តរួចហើយ។

4. The files had been deleted before the inspection.

   ឯកសារត្រូវបានលុបមុនការត្រួតពិនិត្យ។

Everyday conversation

Dara: Can we use the room now?

Maly: Not yet. It is being cleaned, but the chairs have been delivered.

Common mistakes

Instead of	Use	Why
The car is being repair.	The car is being repaired.	The final verb is a past participle.
The work has be finished.	The work has been finished.	The perfect passive requires been.

Practice

Try these questions before opening the answers. Write or say each answer.

សាកល្បងឆ្លើយសំណួរទាំងនេះជាមុនសិន មុននឹងបើកមើលចម្លើយ។ អ្នកអាចសរសេរ ឬនិយាយចម្លើយរបស់អ្នក។

1. Make passive: They are painting the wall.
2. Make passive: They have sent the invitations.
3. Complete: The food ___ (prepare) when we entered the kitchen.

Answers and explanations

Show answers / បង្ហាញចម្លើយ

1. The wall is being painted.

   Use is being + participle for an ongoing passive action.

2. The invitations have been sent.

   The plural subject takes have been.

3. was being prepared

   The preparation was in progress at a past moment.

Quick recap

• Continuous passive: is/are/was/were being + past participle
• Perfect passive: has/have/had been + past participle