Core

Das Essen ist fertig. Der Vertrag ist unterschrieben.

vs adjective

Sometimes hard to tell — both describe state; passive stresses prior action.

With location

Die Fenster sind geschlossen. — safety / weather contexts.

Practice

Take three werden-passive sentences from news and rewrite them as Zustandspassiv snapshots.

Practical Examples

1. German: Die Fenster sind bereits geputzt.

• English: The windows are already cleaned.
• Usage Note: Describes the current state of the windows (clean) as a result of a past action.

1. German: Ist die Rechnung schon bezahlt?

• English: Has the bill already been paid? (Literally: Is the bill already paid?)
• Usage Note: Asks about the current status of the bill, focusing on whether the payment action is complete.

1. German: Der Fehler ist behoben.

• English: The error is fixed.
• Usage Note: Indicates that the problem's current state is "fixed" due to a previous repair.

1. German: Die Tür ist verschlossen, bitte klopfen Sie.

• English: The door is locked, please knock.
• Usage Note: Explains the current condition of the door (locked) as a result of someone locking it.

1. German: Alle Plätze sind reserviert.

• English: All seats are reserved.
• Usage Note: States the current availability of the seats, emphasizing their reserved status.

1. German: Warum ist das Licht noch an?

• English: Why is the light still on?
• Usage Note: Inquires about the current state of the light, implying it should have been turned off. (Note: "an" here functions like a participle of "anschalten" in this context).

1. German: Das Paket ist leider noch nicht angekommen.

• English: The package has unfortunately not arrived yet.
• Usage Note: Expresses the current non-arrival state of the package, indicating the action of arriving is not complete.

1. German: Sind alle Dokumente unterschrieben?

• English: Are all documents signed?
• Usage Note: Asks about the current state of the documents, specifically if the signing action is finished.

1. German: Die Aufgabe ist gut verstanden.

• English: The task is well understood.
• Usage Note: Describes the current state of understanding regarding the task.

1. German: Das Auto ist repariert und kann abgeholt werden.

• English: The car is repaired and can be picked up.
• Usage Note: Informs about the current, fixed condition of the car.

1. German: Die Stadt war nach dem Erdbeben stark zerstört.

• English: The city was heavily destroyed after the earthquake.
• Usage Note: Describes the lasting state of destruction of the city at a specific past point in time.

1. German: Ist der Tisch schon gedeckt?

• English: Is the table already set?
• Usage Note: Asks about the current readiness of the table for a meal.

1. German: Die Nachricht ist nicht angekommen.

• English: The message has not arrived.
• Usage Note: States the current status of the message, indicating it did not reach its destination.

1. German: Wann ist die Arbeit endlich getan?

• English: When is the work finally done?
• Usage Note: Asks about the expected completion state of the work.

1. German: Der Kuchen ist gebacken und steht auf dem Tisch.

• English: The cake is baked and is on the table.
• Usage Note: Describes the current state of the cake (baked) as a result of the baking process.