The passive · French grammar B1

Contents · B1

In this part, you will learn to focus on the action, or on the person or thing it affects. You will also learn when another construction is preferred in French.

Focusing on the action: the passive, être + past participle, and on

Focusing on the action: the passive, être + past participle, and on#

The passive is formed with être in the required tense, followed by the past participle, which agrees with the subject.

Le musée est fermé le lundi.The museum is closed on Mondays.
Ma voiture a été réparée en deux jours.My car was repaired in two days.
Les invités seront accueillis par le directeur.The guests will be welcomed by the director.
Le jardin était couvert de feuilles.The garden was covered with leaves.
Ce chanteur est connu de tout le monde.This singer is known to everyone.
On m’a offert un vélo pour mon anniversaire.I was given a bike for my birthday.

Formation

Tense	Passive	Example
present	est, sont + participle	La salle est nettoyée chaque soir.
passé composé	a été, ont été + participle	Les billets ont été vendus.
imparfait	était, étaient + participle	La porte était fermée.
futur simple	sera, seront + participle	Le colis sera livré demain.

The tense is carried by être. The past participle agrees with the subject in gender and number, like an adjective.
The passé composé (past simple) of être is formed with avoir: a été, ont été.
In the negative, ne… pas is placed around the first auxiliary: Le sac n’a pas été retrouvé. (“The bag has not been found.”)

Use

In an active sentence, the subject does the action: Un voisin a trouvé mon chat. (“A neighbour found my cat.”)
In a passive sentence, the subject undergoes the action: Mon chat a été trouvé par un voisin. (“My cat was found by a neighbour.”)
A passive is formed only from a verb with a direct object. The direct object of the active sentence becomes the subject.

The agent: par or de

The agent is the person or thing that does the action. After a verb of action, it is introduced by par: Ce pont a été construit par une entreprise italienne. (“This bridge was built by an Italian company.”)
After a participle that expresses a state or a feeling, the agent is usually introduced by de. De is used in couvert de neige, rempli d’eau, entouré d’amis, aimé de tous and respecté de ses élèves.
With the verbs of feeling, par is also found.

On instead of the passive

When no agent is named, on is often used instead of the passive. With on, the verb is active, in the third person singular: On a réparé la porte. (“The door has been repaired.”)
In French, a person who receives something is an indirect object and never becomes the subject of a passive.
For a person who receives something, on is used: “I was given flowers” is On m’a offert des fleurs. In the same way, “I was told” is On m’a dit.

Difference from English

The passive is used more in English than in French, above all with no agent: Ici, on parle français. (“French is spoken here.”)
English “by” is par after a verb of action, but often de after a state or a feeling. “Surrounded by friends” is entouré d’amis.

Common mistakes

~~Les fenêtres sont fermé.~~ → Les fenêtres sont fermées.In the passive, the participle agrees with the subject.
~~Le colis est été livré.~~ → Le colis a été livré.The passé composé of être is formed with avoir.
~~J’ai été offert des fleurs.~~ → On m’a offert des fleurs.The person who receives something is not the subject of a French passive.

Remember

Form the passive with être + past participle, and make the participle agree: Les fenêtres sont fermées. (“The windows are closed.”)
Use par after an action and de after a state: couvert de neige (“covered with snow”).
With no agent, or for a person who receives something, use on: On m’a offert des fleurs. (“I was given flowers.”)

→ See also: The auxiliary and agreement: avoir or être (A2)

You now know how to form the passive, name its agent, and replace it with on.

In short

Point	Rule	Example
formation	être + participle; the tense on être	Il a été vendu.
agreement	the participle agrees with the subject	Les tables sont réservées.
the agent	par (action); de (state, feeling)	écrit par, couvert de
no agent	on + active verb	On a réparé la porte.
a person receiving	indirect object, with on	On m’a dit que…

Practise

“The passive: est fermé, a été vendu”, The passive in the present: est fermé “The passive: est fermé, a été vendu”, By whom: écrit par, couvert de “The passive: est fermé, a été vendu”, On instead of the passive: on parle français

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