I don't understand the structure used in this exercise:
What's it called?
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2The right answer is "worden", and it's a kind of passive, but I don't know how it's called exactly.– LandeiMar 4, 2012 at 23:09
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What's this exercise from?– nibotMar 5, 2012 at 10:27
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@nibot: Here.– user508Mar 5, 2012 at 10:48
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4 Answers
There are two types of passive: "true passive" and "statal passive" (or "Zustandspassiv").
Compare these "true passive" sentences (of which one is analagous to the OP's):
Das Haus wird gebaut
Das Haus ist gebaut worden
to these "statal passive" sentences:
Das Haus ist gebaut
Das Haus war gebaut
According to the Handbuch zur Deutschen Grammatik, the difference between the two is a
[...] distinction between process and result. [... the] statal passive focuses on the "finishedness".
answered Mar 5, 2012 at 16:38
It is Perfekt Passiv of bauen ... Vorgangspassiv to be precise.
Das Haus wird gebaut. (Präsens)
Das Haus ist gebaut worden. (Perfekt)
Das Haus wurde gebaut. (Präteritum)
I will not give translations as the notion of the tenses in German and English are not the same. Both past forms are to an extend interchangeable. What threw you of was probably the missing ge. This is special for the verb werden. Its participle 2 (the ge-form) is geworden but as soon as it is combined with another participle 2 (gebaut) the ge disappears. Double ge would sound strange. We already know, that we are in Perfect Tense and once is enough.
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1+1, but I think the double "ge" is not the reason for using "worden". For example, consider "versetzt" or "verschönert" instead of "gebaut".– JanMar 5, 2012 at 11:58
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Concerning "worden" vs. "geworden", you might also be interested in this article.– elenaMar 5, 2012 at 12:54
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you 2 are right... It is just what I tell my students to remember it but I probably shouldn't post it like that so thanks for the completion :)– EmanuelMar 5, 2012 at 13:23
That's passive voice in perfect tense:
Das Haus ist 1924 gebaut worden.
The house has been built in 1924.
Passive in past tense would be
Das Haus wurde 1924 gebaut.
The house was built in 1924.
As to why this passive structure uses "worden" instead of "geworden", here's an explanation I found in a forum post:
Die Wäsche ist gewaschen worden.
Das Haus ist gestrichen worden.
Früher sind Kinder oft verprügelt worden.
Allgemein steht worden dann, wenn es mit einem Partizip Perfekt verbunden wird. Bei einem Adjektiv [...] muss geworden stehen:
Ich bin traurig geworden.
(links and emphasis mine)
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There are different problems with that sentence, i think. Besides the verb, there's a noun ellipsis, because the noun „im Jahr“ / „in the year“ is missing. Maybe it's easier to recognize with the noun at its place:
Das Haus ist im Jahr 1924 gebaut ....
answered Mar 4, 2012 at 23:11
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Thank you. The missing part is still missing in your answer, was it intentional?– user508Mar 5, 2012 at 10:47
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@Gigili: is, it was, because there was nothing to add to Jan's and Emanuel's answer, i thought. Mar 5, 2012 at 12:03