The passive voice is a grammatical construction used in French (and many other languages) to emphasize the object of an action rather than the subject. In passive voice sentences, the subject of the sentence receives the action rather than performing it. This can be especially useful when the focus is on the object or when the subject is unknown or unimportant. In this guide, we will explore the basics of the French passive voice, provide examples, and explain how to form passive voice sentences in different tenses.
I. What is the Passive Voice?
The passive voice is a way to structure a sentence in which the subject is the receiver of the action rather than the doer. In English, passive voice sentences typically use the auxiliary verb “to be” followed by the past participle of the main verb. Similarly, in French, passive voice sentences use the auxiliary verb “être” (to be) followed by the past participle. However, the preposition “par” (by) is also used to indicate the agent performing the action.
II. Forming the Passive Voice in Present Tense
To form a passive voice sentence in the present tense, follow these steps:
Start with the appropriate form of the auxiliary verb “être” conjugated in the present tense, based on the subject:
Je suis (I am)
Tu es (You are)
Il/Elle/On est (He/She/One is)
Nous sommes (We are)
Vous êtes (You are)
Ils/Elles sont (They are)
Add the past participle of the main verb, which agrees in gender and number with the subject.
If desired, include the preposition “par” followed by the agent of the action.
Let’s look at some examples:
Active Voice: Les étudiants lisent les livres.
Passive Voice: Les livres sont lus par les étudiants.
Translation: The books are being read by the students.
Active Voice: Je mange la pizza.
Passive Voice: La pizza est mangée par moi.
Translation: The pizza is eaten by me.
III. Forming the Passive Voice in Past Tense
To form a passive voice sentence in the past tense, follow these steps:
Start with the appropriate form of the auxiliary verb “être” conjugated in the imperfect tense, based on the subject:
J’étais (I was)
Tu étais (You were)
Il/Elle/On était (He/She/One was)
Nous étions (We were)
Vous étiez (You were)
Ils/Elles étaient (They were)
Add the past participle of the main verb, which agrees in gender and number with the subject.
Include the preposition “par” followed by the agent of the action, if needed.
Here are a few examples:
Active Voice: Le professeur a corrigé les devoirs.
Passive Voice: Les devoirs ont été corrigés par le professeur.
Translation: The homework has been corrected by the teacher.
Active Voice: J’ai vendu la voiture.
Passive Voice: La voiture a été vendue par moi.
Translation: The car has been sold by me.
IV. Forming the Passive Voice in Future Tense
To form a passive voice sentence in the future tense, follow these steps:
Start with the appropriate form of the auxiliary verb “être” conjugated in the future tense, based on the subject:
Je serai (I will be)
Tu seras (You will be)
Il/Elle/On sera (He/She/One will be)
Nous serons (We will be)
Vous serez (You will be)
Ils/Elles seront (They will be)
Add the past participle of the main verb, which agrees in gender and number with the subject.
Include the preposition “par” followed by the agent of the action, if necessary.
Let’s see some examples:
Active Voice: Les employés nettoieront le bureau.
Passive Voice: Le bureau sera nettoyé par les employés.
Translation: The office will be cleaned by the employees.
Active Voice: Je préparerai le dîner.
Passive Voice: Le dîner sera préparé par moi.
Translation: The dinner will be prepared by me.
V. Additional Considerations
Reflexive Verbs: When forming passive voice sentences with reflexive verbs, the reflexive pronoun “se” changes to “être” in the passive voice construction. For example:
Active Voice: Il se lave. (He washes himself.)
Passive Voice: Il est lavé. (He is washed.)
Impersonal Verbs: Impersonal verbs, such as “il faut” (it is necessary) and “il est possible” (it is possible), are commonly used in the passive voice. In these cases, the subject is usually an indefinite pronoun or a noun phrase. For example:
Active Voice: Il faut étudier pour réussir. (You need to study to succeed.)
Passive Voice: Il faut étudier pour que le succès soit obtenu. (Studying is necessary for success to be achieved.)
In conclusion, the passive voice in French allows us to shift the focus onto the object of an action rather than the subject. By using the appropriate form of the auxiliary verb “être” followed by the past participle of the main verb, we can construct passive voice sentences in various tenses. Remember to include the preposition “par” to indicate the agent of the action if necessary. With practice, you will become more comfortable using the passive voice to convey different shades of meaning and emphasize different aspects of a sentence.
Quick quiz
Exercise 1:
Choose the correct passive voice construction for the given active sentence.
Active Sentence: Les enfants mangent les bonbons.
a) Les bonbons mangent les enfants.
b) Les bonbons sont mangés par les enfants.
c) Les enfants sont mangés par les bonbons.
Answer: b) Les bonbons sont mangés par les enfants.
Explanation: In the active sentence, “Les enfants” is the subject performing the action, and “les bonbons” is the object being eaten. To convert it into the passive voice, we use the construction “sont mangés” with the auxiliary verb “être” followed by the past participle “mangés.” The preposition “par” is used to indicate the agent of the action, which is “les enfants.”
Example Sentence: Les bonbons sont mangés par les enfants lors de la fête d’anniversaire. (The candies are eaten by the children during the birthday party.)
Exercise 2:
Select the appropriate passive voice form in the future tense for the given active sentence.
Active Sentence: Je ferai les courses au supermarché.
a) Les courses sont faites par moi au supermarché.
b) Les courses seront faites par moi au supermarché.
c) Les courses serai faites par moi au supermarché.
Answer: b) Les courses seront faites par moi au supermarché.
Explanation: To form the passive voice in the future tense, we use the construction “seront faites” with the future tense conjugation of the auxiliary verb “être” followed by the past participle “faites.” The preposition “par” indicates the agent of the action, which is “moi.”
Example Sentence: Les courses seront faites par moi demain matin au supermarché. (The groceries will be done by me tomorrow morning at the supermarket.)
Exercise 3:
Identify the correct passive voice construction in the past tense for the given active sentence.
Active Sentence: Nous avons nettoyé la chambre.
a) La chambre a été nettoyée par nous.
b) La chambre était nettoyée par nous.
c) La chambre a été nettoyé par nous.
Answer: a) La chambre a été nettoyée par nous.
Explanation: In the past tense, to form the passive voice, we use the construction “a été nettoyée” with the auxiliary verb “être” conjugated in the imperfect tense, followed by the past participle “nettoyée.” The preposition “par” indicates the agent of the action, which is “nous.”
Example Sentence: La chambre a été nettoyée par nous avant l’arrivée des invités. (The room was cleaned by us before the guests arrived.)
Exercise 4:
Choose the correct passive voice form for the given reflexive active sentence.
Active Sentence: Elle se maquille tous les jours.
a) Elle est maquillée tous les jours.
b) Elle se maquille tous les jours.
c) Elle est se maquille tous les jours.
Answer: a) Elle est maquillée tous les jours.
Explanation: In reflexive active sentences, the reflexive pronoun “se” changes to “être” in the passive voice. Therefore, the correct passive voice construction is “est maquillée,” using the conjugated form of the auxiliary verb “être” followed by the past participle “maquillée.”
Example Sentence: Elle est maquillée tous les jours par sa sœur. (She is being made up every day by her sister.)
Exercise 5:
Select the appropriate passive voice construction for the given active sentence using the impersonal verb “il faut.”
Active Sentence: Il faut étudier pour réussir.
a) Il faut étudier pour réussir.
b) Il faut être étudié pour réussir.
c) Il faut être étudier pour être réussi.
Answer: b) Il faut être étudié pour réussir.
Explanation: The impersonal verb “il faut” is commonly used in the passive voice. In this case, to convey the meaning “studying is necessary,” we use the construction “faut être étudié” with the impersonal form of the auxiliary verb “être” followed by the past participle “étudié.”
Example Sentence: Il faut être étudié sérieusement pour réussir l’examen. (Studying needs to be taken seriously to succeed in the exam.)
Exercise 6:
Identify the correct passive voice form for the given active sentence in the present tense.
Active Sentence: Tu lis le livre.
a) Le livre est lu par toi.
b) Le livre est lu par tu.
c) Le livre est lu par le.
Answer: a) Le livre est lu par toi.
Explanation: In the present tense, to form the passive voice, we use the construction “est lu” with the auxiliary verb “être” conjugated in the present tense, followed by the past participle “lu.” The preposition “par” indicates the agent of the action, which is “toi.”
Example Sentence: Le livre est lu par toi avant de te coucher. (The book is read by you before going to bed.)
Exercise 7:
Choose the correct passive voice form for the given active sentence in the future tense.
Active Sentence: Ils construiront la maison.
a) La maison construira par eux.
b) La maison sera construite par eux.
c) La maison sera construite par ils.
Answer: b) La maison sera construite par eux.
Explanation: In the future tense, to form the passive voice, we use the construction “sera construite” with the future tense conjugation of the auxiliary verb “être” followed by the past participle “construite.” The preposition “par” indicates the agent of the action, which is “eux.”
Example Sentence: La maison sera construite par eux l’année prochaine. (The house will be built by them next year.)
Exercise 8:
Identify the correct passive voice form in the past tense for the given active sentence.
Active Sentence: On a décoré la salle de fête.
a) La salle de fête a été décorée par nous.
b) La salle de fête était décorée par nous.
c) La salle de fête a été décoré par nous.
Answer: a) La salle de fête a été décorée par nous.
Explanation: In the past tense, to form the passive voice, we use the construction “a été décorée” with the auxiliary verb “être” conjugated in the imperfect tense, followed by the past participle “décorée.” The preposition “par” indicates the agent of the action, which is “nous.”
Example Sentence: La salle de fête a été décorée par nous avant la soirée. (The party room was decorated by us before the party.)
Exercise 9:
Choose the correct passive voice form for the given reflexive active sentence.
Active Sentence: Ils se lavent les mains.
a) Les mains se lavent par eux.
b) Les mains sont lavées par eux.
c) Les mains sont lavées par se.
Answer: b) Les mains sont lavées par eux.
Explanation: In reflexive active sentences, the reflexive pronoun “se” changes to “être” in the passive voice. Therefore, the correct passive voice construction is “sont lavées,” using the conjugated form of the auxiliary verb “être” followed by the past participle “lavées.” The preposition “par” indicates the agent of the action, which is “eux.”
Example Sentence: Les mains sont lavées par eux avant de préparer le repas. (The hands are washed by them before preparing the meal.)
Exercise 10:
Identify the correct passive voice form for the given active sentence using the impersonal verb “il est possible.”
Active Sentence: Il est possible d’améliorer la situation.
a) Il est possible d’améliorer la situation.
b) Il est possible d’être amélioré par la situation.
c) Il est possible d’être améliorer par la situation.
Answer: b) Il est possible d’être amélioré par la situation.
Explanation: The impersonal verb “il est possible” is commonly used in the passive voice. In this case, to convey the meaning “it is possible to improve,” we use the construction “d’être amélioré” with the impersonal form of the auxiliary verb “être” followed by the past participle “amélioré.” The preposition “par” indicates the agent of the action, which is “la situation.”
Example Sentence: Il est possible d’être amélioré par la situation actuelle du marché. (It is possible to be improved by the current market situation.)
Originally posted 2023-07-19 02:33:22.