In this chapter we will study the passive voice. The passive voice is used when the action is more important than the person/the object/the situation that does the action or when the subject is unknown. Only transitive verbs i.e. verbs requiring a direct object are used in the passive voice. In the passive voice, the subject is often omitted or dropped. When rewriting active sentences into the passive form, there are important points to consider. These are the following:
In this lesson, we will study the passive voice of the passé composé. Let’s start with a simple example:
Notice that the verb in the active voice is “a planté”. It is the passé composé in the active voice. In the second sentence the form of the verb changed and it became: “ont été plantés” which is the passive form of the passé composé.
Let’s take the verb: prendre
Notice that in the active voice the past participle of the verb agrees with the subject that precedes it, whereas in the passive voice, the past participle agrees with the direct object that precedes it.
Let’s take another example:
We notice that in the first sentence the subject is “On” which is an indefinite personal pronoun. “On” has been dropped in the passive voice because it is not important. What’s important is the action that has been done.
For example:
For example:
- The direct object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence. It is therefore placed in the beginning of the sentence.
- The form of the verb changes to the following form (the auxiliary “être” be conjugated to the tense of the verb in the active voice + past participle of the verb used in the active voice).
- The subject of the active sentence becomes the agent of the verb.
- When the subject(agent) is known, we precede it with “par” by.
- The verb in the passive voice agrees with the direct object which is placed in the beginning of the sentence.
In this lesson, we will study the passive voice of the passé composé. Let’s start with a simple example:
| Active voice: | Mon grand-père a planté ces arbres. My grand-father planted these trees. |
| Passive voice: | Ces arbres ont été plantés par mon grand-père. These trees were planted by my grandfather. |
Notice that the verb in the active voice is “a planté”. It is the passé composé in the active voice. In the second sentence the form of the verb changed and it became: “ont été plantés” which is the passive form of the passé composé.
The form of the verb in the passive voice (passé composé)
Form of the verb in the passé composé (AV) | Form of the verb in the passé composé (PV) |
| auxiliary “avoir” in the present simple + past participle of the verb | auxiliary “avoir” in the passé composé + Past participle of the verb. |
Let’s take the verb: prendre
Active Voice | Passive Voice |
| J’ai pris | J’ai été pris (e) |
| Tu as pris | Tu as été pris (e) |
| Il a pris | Il a été pris |
| Elle a pris | Elle a été prise |
| On a pris | On a été pris |
| Nous avons pris | Nous avons été pris(es) |
| Vous avez pris | Vous avez été pris(es) |
| Ils ont pris | Ils ont été pris |
| Elles ont pris | Elles ont été prises |
Notice that in the active voice the past participle of the verb agrees with the subject that precedes it, whereas in the passive voice, the past participle agrees with the direct object that precedes it.
Let’s take another example:
| Active voice: | On a réussi notre pari. We accomplished our goal. |
| Passive voice: | Notre pari a été réussi. Our goal was accomplished. |
We notice that in the first sentence the subject is “On” which is an indefinite personal pronoun. “On” has been dropped in the passive voice because it is not important. What’s important is the action that has been done.
The Passive voice of the passé composé in the negative form
The negative form of the passé composé in the passive voice is obtained by putting the auxiliary “avoir” between “ne” and “pas” then adding the past participle of the verb.For example:
Active Voice | Passive Voice |
| Ils n’ont pas peint leur maison depuis belle lurette. They haven’t painted their house for ages. | Leurs maison n’a pas été peinte depuis belle lurette. Their house hasn’t been painted for ages. |
| La France n’a pas colonisé l’Égypte. France didn’t colonize Egypt. | L’Égypte n’a pas été colonisée par la France. Egypt was not colonized by France. |
The passive voice of the passé composé in the interrogative form
There are three ways to ask questions in French. To avoid confusion, we will only present the passive voice of the “est-ce que” form. The interrogative form of the passé composé in the passive voice is obtained by adding “est-ce que” to the sentence in the passive voice.For example:
Active Voice | Passive Voice |
| Est-ce que leur gendre a peint leur maison ? Did their son-in-law paint their house? | Est-ce que leur maison a été peinte par leur gendre ? Was their house painted by their son-in-law? |
| Est-ce que la France a colonisé l’Égypte ? Did France colonize Egypt? | Est-ce que l’Egypte a été colonisée par la France ? Was Egypt colonized by France? |