Last week, we talked about how the Vorgangspassiv in the present tense is formed using a conjugation of werden + infinitive and answers the question "What is done/will be done to [X]?". In order to answer the question "What has been/was done to [X]?" we need the perfect or past tense of the Vorgangspassiv.
The Vorgangspassiv im Perfekt is used to talk about an action that began in the past, but may not yet be finished. Just like the passive voice in the present tense, the focus is removed from the subject of the sentence and placed instead on the object, the action, or other details. It is formed thusly:
conjugation of sein + past participle + worden
Das ist vielfach versucht worden.
That has been tried numerous times.
Caption 70, Angela Merkel: beim Nachhaltigkeitsrat
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Schau mal: In diesem Satz ist kein einziges Wort dekliniert worden.
Take a look: In this sentence, not a single word has been declined.
Caption 20, Deutsch mit Eylin: Die 4 Fälle
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Guten Tag. Ist vielleicht was für mich abgegeben worden?
Hello. Has something been dropped off for me?
Caption 6, Die Pfefferkörner: Gerüchteküche
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Rund fünfhundert Figuren sind in der Ausstellung verbaut worden.
About five hundred figurines have been used to build the exhibition.
Caption 3, 500 000 Legosteine: Lübecker Museum zeigt Hansegeschichte
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For actions that are finished, we use the Vorgangspassiv im Präteritum. It has a slightly less complicated structure:
conjugation of werden + past participle
Nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg wurde Berlin in vier Sektoren unterteilt.
After the Second World War, Berlin was divided into four sectors.
Caption 1, Berlin: der alte amerikanische Sektor
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Aber die wurde in Hamburg leider 1978 abgeschafft.
But unfortunately, they were eliminated in Hamburg in 1978.
Caption 17, Deutsch mit Eylin: Öffentliche Verkehrsmittel in Hamburg
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Und auch das Fehlen von Dienstgeräten für Lehrkräfte wurde bemängelt.
And the lack of service equipment for teaching staff was also criticized.
Caption 16, DPA Deutsche Presse-Agentur: Schüler sollen günstiges Internet bekommen
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Die Kunstshow wurde von Konzeptkünstler Ottmar Hörl aus Nürnberg entwickelt.
The art show was developed by conceptual artist Ottmar Hörl from Nuremberg.
Caption 6, „Mini-Marxe“: In Trier
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In this last example, the subject of the sentence (Konzeptkünstler Ottmar Hörl) is mentioned using von, but the passive voice serves to keep the focus of the sentence equally on the art show itself.
Further Learning
We'll be back next week with a lesson on the Zustandspassiv. In the meantime, practice building sentences using theVorgangspassiv in all three tenses! You can find more examples of these structures on Yabla German.