The passive voice in French

TERMINOLOGY

• Le sujet = the subject

• Le complément d’agent = the agent

• Le COD = the direct object

• Le verbe = the verb

• Le participe passé = the past participle

• Les pronom personnels = the personal pronouns

the active voice = the subject performs the action (A)

1.1 La police a évacué les habitants de ce quartier.

(The polive has evacuated the inhabitants of this district.)

the passive voice = the subject doesn’t perform the action (P)

2.1 Les habitants de ce quartier ont été évacués par la police.

(The inhabitants of this district have been evacuated by the police)

Le sujet- (A) → Le complément d’agent (P)

• Le complément d’agent is almost always introduced by “par”

Le COD (A) → Le sujet (P)

Le verbe (A) → adding “être” (P)

• “être” = the same tense as the active tense

• Le participe passé = ACCORD!!! with the subject ( féminin = +e and pluriel = +s)

• the verb in the passive = the conjugation of “être” + le participe passé avec ACCORD

REMARQUES/REMARKS

1. Le sujet (A) = “on” (=one/people) → no complément d’agent (P)

2. Le sujet (A) = un pronom personnel (je, tu, il, elle, nous, vous, ils, elles) → “par” + forme tonique (moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles) (P)

3. Le complément d’agent uses “par” EXCEPT

   a. after un verbe d’appreciation (PAAD = préferer/to prefer, adorer/to adore, aimer/to love, détester/to hate)

   for example: Le directeur est aimé de tous les élèves = the principal is loved by all the students

   b. when le complément d’agent doesn’t perform the action

   for example: La table est décorée de fleurs = The table is decorated with flowers (the flowers don’t decorate the table themselves)

The flashcards include some excercices, you can try!