AW

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 l^^es 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!