Passive Participles and Their Short Forms — Russian Grammar

A passive participle is an adjective made from a verb that describes the state something is in as the result of an action: closed, broken, made. In everyday Russian its short form is the usual way to say that something has been done.

The Short Form

Like other short adjectives, it stands after the subject and agrees with it in gender and number:

(zakrýt) - masculine
(zakrýta) - feminine
(zakrýto) - neuter
(zakrýty) - plural

Магази́н закры́т.
Magazín zakrýt.
The store is closed.
Вход запрещён.
Vkhod zapreshchón.Vxod zapreščón.
No entry.
Мой стул сло́ман.
Moy stul slóman.Moj stul slóman.
My chair is broken.

How It Is Formed

Passive participles come almost only from perfective verbs, because they describe the result of a completed action. Verbs in -ать take -ан, verbs in -ить take -ен (often with a consonant change), and some short verbs take -т.

(sdélat'sdélatʹ) - (sdélan)
(slomát'slomátʹ) - (slóman)
(zapretít'zapretítʹ) - (zapreshchónzapreščón)
(zakrýt'zakrýtʹ) - (zakrýt)

Страни́цы словаря́ сде́ланы из то́нкой бума́ги.
Stranítsy slovaryá sdélany iz tónkoy bumági.Stranícy slovarjá sdélany iz tónkoj bumági.
The dictionary's pages are made of thin paper.

Past and Future

The present needs no verb, but the past and future use (byt'bytʹ).

Магази́н был закры́т.
Magazín byl zakrýt.
The store was closed.
Всё бу́дет сде́лано.
Vsyo búdet sdélano.Vsjo búdet sdélano.
Everything will be done.

The Long Form

The long form, (zakrýtyyzakrýtyj), (slómannyyslómannyj), is an ordinary adjective. It goes before a noun and declines in every case.

Мои́ часы́, должно́ быть, сло́маны.
Moí chasý, dolzhnó byt', slómany.Moí časý, dolžnó bytʹ, slómany.
My watch must be broken.
Я не люблю́ закры́тые две́ри.
Ya ne lyublyú zakrýtyye dvéri.Ja ne ljubljú zakrýtyje dvéri.
I don't like closed doors.

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