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Can I say " This machine is used by Robert" or do I have to use the word "being"

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  • Can you give more context? Neither is wrong, but they convey different meanings. Please take a [tour] of the site and read through the [FAQ]. – livresque Oct 06 '20 at 00:53
  • Both are grammatical but mean slightly different (and plausible) things. "This machine is used by Robert" the machine is habitually used (on a day to day basis) by Robert. The implication of saying such a thing is probably that no one is using the machine at the moment but Robert may come back soon to use it. "This machine is being used by Robert" means, right at this moment there is a person using the machine, and that person is Robert. The implication is that the speaker is talking to someone who can't recognize who the person is or doesn't know their name. – Mitch Oct 06 '20 at 01:20
  • Related: How do the tenses and aspects in English correspond temporally to one another? – Scott - Слава Україні Oct 06 '20 at 02:02
  • Present tense without progressive on an active predicate is generic -- habitual, repetitive. The real present tense, which refers to the actual ongoing present, is the progressive construction in the present tense. Of course, this applies only to semantically active verbs, not states. – John Lawler Oct 06 '20 at 02:34
  • Does this make the difference clear? "Is the photocopier available?" "Yes, it's used by Robert but it's not being used by him at the moment". – BoldBen Oct 06 '20 at 08:11

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This machine is used by Robert is the passive voice of "Robert uses this machine."

When 'being' is used (like This machine is being used by Robert), it becomes the passive voice of "Robert is using this machine."

Accordingly, the meaning also changes. It is important to know where one should use active voice and passive voice.

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