Voice (Vachya): Active, Passive and Impersonal — Patwari Notes
Vachya refers to the form of the verb that shows whether the karta, karma, or bhaav is primary in a sentence — it is a fundamental unit of sentence construction. This page explains the identification of active, passive, and impersonal voice and the rules for converting between them, with examples, so that voice-conversion questions in the exam can be solved easily.
- Class 6–8 level
- 9 min read
Definition of Vachya (Voice)
The form of the verb that shows which of the karta (subject/doer), karma (object), or bhaav (the action itself) the verb's activity is primarily linked to in a sentence is called vachya (voice). Hindi recognises three types of voice — kartrivachya (active voice), karmavachya (passive voice), and bhaavvachya (impersonal voice).
To identify the voice, first check whose gender, number, and person the verb is changing according to in the sentence. If the verb changes according to the karta, it's active voice; if it changes according to the karma, it's passive voice; and if the verb never changes (regardless of the karta or karma), it should be understood as impersonal voice. This three-step check is enough to solve most voice questions.
The three types of Vachya
| Type | Identification | Example |
|---|---|---|
| कर्तृवाच्य — Active voice | The verb's form changes according to the karta's gender-number-person; the karta is primary | मोहन पत्र लिखता है (Mohan writes a letter) |
| कर्मवाच्य — Passive voice | The verb's form changes according to the karma; the karta takes 'से/के द्वारा', and the root 'जाना' (to go) attaches to the verb | पत्र मोहन के द्वारा लिखा जाता है (The letter is written by Mohan) |
| भाववाच्य — Impersonal voice | The verb always stays in third-person, singular, masculine form; usually used with intransitive verbs and a sense of inability/negation | मुझसे चला नहीं जाता (I am unable to walk) |
Rules for converting active voice to passive voice
Remove the 'ने' case marker attached to the karta and add 'से' or 'के द्वारा' instead. Bring the karma to the start of the sentence, making it primary. Add the verb 'जाना' to the root of the main verb, and change it to match the karma's gender-number — for example, 'राकेश किताब पढ़ रहा है' ('Rakesh is reading a book' — active voice) becomes 'राकेश के द्वारा किताब पढ़ी जा रही है' ('the book is being read by Rakesh' — passive voice).
The passive-voice form also changes according to the tense — 'जाता है/जाती है' is added in present tense, 'गया/गई' in past tense, and 'जाएगा/जाएगी' in future tense. So the first step when converting voice is to identify the original sentence's tense, so that the passive-voice form is also built in the same tense. Likewise, when converting passive voice back to active voice, the karma must be removed and the original karta restored to the karta case, and the verb re-shaped to match the karta's gender-number.
Examples of voice conversion
| Active voice (Kartrivachya) | Passive voice (Karmavachya) |
|---|---|
| राम पत्र लिखता है (Ram writes a letter) | राम के द्वारा पत्र लिखा जाता है (The letter is written by Ram) |
| शिक्षिका बच्चों को पढ़ाती है (The teacher teaches the children) | शिक्षिका के द्वारा बच्चों को पढ़ाया जाता है (The children are taught by the teacher) |
| मजदूर दीवार बनाता है (The labourer builds the wall) | मजदूर द्वारा दीवार बनाई जाती है (The wall is built by the labourer) |
| किसान खेत जोतता है (The farmer ploughs the field) | किसान द्वारा खेत जोता जाता है (The field is ploughed by the farmer) |
Signs for identifying the impersonal voice (bhaavvachya)
- Verb form
- Always third-person, singular, masculine — unaffected by the gender-number of the karta or karma
- Typical use
- Used to express inability, negation, or lack of permission — as in 'मुझसे चला नहीं जाता' ('I am unable to walk'), 'अब बैठा नहीं जाता' ('I can't sit anymore')
- Case of the karta
- In impersonal voice, the karta usually takes the 'से' case marker, not 'ने'
- Scope of use
- Impersonal voice is mostly formed with intransitive verbs; a direct impersonal form of transitive verbs is very rarely used
All three voices together — comparison
Original sentence
Active (Kartrivachya)बच्चे पत्र लिखते हैं (The children write letters)
Passive (Karmavachya)बच्चे पत्र लिखते हैं (The children write letters)
Impersonal (Bhaavvachya)बच्चों से चला नहीं जाता (The children are unable to walk)
Resulting voice form
Active (Kartrivachya)(original form, no change)
Passive (Karmavachya)बच्चों द्वारा पत्र लिखा जाता है (Letters are written by the children)
Impersonal (Bhaavvachya)Impersonal voice is usually formed with an intransitive verb (such as 'चलना' — to walk, here) to show inability, so a different base sentence is used here
Active and passive voice are two forms of the same event, where the verb changes according to the karma ('पत्र'); a separate example with an intransitive verb is used for impersonal voice, because an impersonal-voice sentence has no karma at all.
Memory trick
Whatever the verb is changing according to decides the voice — if it changes with the karta, it's active voice; if it changes with the karma, it's passive voice; and if it never changes (always staying third-person-singular-masculine), it's impersonal voice. For a quick check in the exam, try changing the gender-number of both the karta and karma in the sentence — whichever change makes the verb's form change is the one deciding the voice.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Vachya asked about in the exam?+
Usually by asking you to convert a sentence from one voice to another, or to identify the voice of a given sentence.
What is the main difference between passive and impersonal voice?+
In passive voice, the verb changes according to the karma's gender-number, while in impersonal voice the verb always stays in third-person, singular, masculine form, regardless of the karta or karma.
Which verbs is impersonal voice mostly used with?+
Impersonal voice is mostly used with intransitive verbs (चलना, बैठना, रोना) and to express inability or negation; its use with transitive verbs is rare.
What is the easiest way to convert active voice to passive voice?+
Add 'के द्वारा/से' to the karta, bring the karma to the start of the sentence, and add the root 'जाना' to the main verb, changing it to match the karma's gender-number.
Can every transitive verb be converted to passive voice?+
Yes, generally the passive-voice form can be made for every transitive verb (one with a clear karma), while intransitive verbs don't form a direct passive — they use impersonal voice instead. Students often confuse impersonal voice with passive voice, because both attach the root 'जाना' to the verb — to tell them apart, check whether the verb is changing according to the karma (passive voice) or always staying the same (impersonal voice).