The passive and other ways to leave out the doer · French grammar B2

Contents · B2

In this part, you will learn to talk about an action without naming who does it. You will also learn to say that you have something done, and to say how easy an action is.

Having something done: the causative, faire + infinitive#

Faire + infinitive means “make someone do something” or “have something done”, and only faire changes with the tense.

Ses histoires font rire tout le monde.His stories make everyone laugh.
Nous avons fait installer une nouvelle cuisine.We had a new kitchen fitted.
Le professeur leur fait lire un roman par mois.The teacher makes them read a novel a month.
Il s’est fait arrêter par la police à la frontière.He was arrested by the police at the border.
Je me suis laissé tenter par un dessert.I let myself be tempted by a dessert.

Formation

The tense is shown by faire, and the infinitive does not change: Je fais réparer la voiture. (“I’m having the car repaired.”) Je ferai réparer la voiture. (“I will have the car repaired.”)
The person who does the action follows the infinitive: Il fait travailler ses élèves (“He makes his pupils work”).
That person may also be introduced by par: Je fais réparer le toit par un voisin. (“I’m having the roof repaired by a neighbour.”)
Fait + infinitive never agrees, in any compound tense and with se faire: Ces chemises, je les ai fait laver. (“I had these shirts washed.”)

Construction	Meaning	Example
faire + infinitive	make someone do; have something done	Cette chanson me fait pleurer. Je fais laver la voiture.
faire + infinitive + object, person	lui, leur for the person	Je lui fais lire ce livre.
se faire + infinitive	something is done to the subject	Il s’est fait opérer.
se laisser + infinitive	let oneself	Ne te laisse pas faire !

Pronouns

Object pronouns are placed before faire, not before the infinitive: Je le fais réparer. (“I’m having it repaired.”)
When the infinitive has no object, the person who does the action is a direct object: Je les fais rire. (“I make them laugh.”)
When the infinitive has a direct object, the person is an indirect object, lui or leur. Je leur fais ranger la chambre. (“I make them tidy the room.”)

Use

Se faire + infinitive is used when something is done to the subject, a service or a mishap. Je me suis fait couper les cheveux. (“I had my hair cut.”) Il s’est fait voler son téléphone. (“His phone was stolen.”)
Se laisser + infinitive means “to let oneself”: Elle s’est laissé convaincre. (“She let herself be convinced.”)
Faire faire is correct: J’ai fait faire une robe (“I had a dress made”).

Difference from English

English “make someone cry”, “have the car repaired” and “get one’s hair cut” are all faire + infinitive in French.
The French infinitive is active where English has a past participle: “have the car repaired” is faire réparer la voiture.
English “I had my phone stolen” is Je me suis fait voler mon téléphone, with se faire.

Common mistakes

~~Cette chanson me rend pleurer.~~ → Cette chanson me fait pleurer.“To make someone do” is faire + infinitive; rendre is followed by an adjective (rendre triste).
~~Je fais le réparer.~~ → Je le fais réparer.The pronoun is placed before faire.
~~Nous avons réparé la voiture au garage.~~ → Nous avons fait réparer la voiture au garage.When someone else does the work, faire + infinitive is used.

Remember

You put the tense on faire and leave the infinitive as it is: J’ai fait réparer mon vélo. (“I had my bike repaired.”)
You place object pronouns before faire: Je la fais laver. (“I’m having it washed.”)
When something is done to you, you use se faire + infinitive: Je me suis fait couper les cheveux. (“I had my hair cut.”)

The passive in every tense, the pronominal passive and nouns in place of verbs

With no doer named, the passive in any tense, a pronominal verb or a noun can be used.

La lettre avait été envoyée à la mauvaise adresse.The letter had been sent to the wrong address.
Il faut que ces médicaments soient pris avec de l’eau.These medicines must be taken with water.
Le vin blanc se boit frais.White wine is drunk chilled.
Ça ne se dit pas à table !You don’t say that at the table!
La réparation de la route a été annoncée pour juin.The repair of the road has been announced for June.

Formation

The passive is formed with être + past participle, and the participle agrees with the subject.
The tense, the mood or the infinitive is shown by être, in any tense, the compound ones included.
A compound passive has two participles, and only the last agrees: avait été construit, aura été vendu, aurait été annulé.
Être is in the same tense as English “be”: avait été envoyé (“had been sent”). The same holds for aurait été puni (“would have been punished”) and doit être pris (“must be taken”).

Tense of être	Passive	Example
plus-que-parfait	avait été + participle	Le pont avait été fermé.
futur antérieur	aura été + participle	Le contrat aura été signé.
conditionnel présent	serait + participle	Le match serait annulé.
conditionnel passé	aurait été + participle	Il aurait été puni.
subjonctif présent	soit + participle	Il faut que la salle soit nettoyée.
infinitive	être + participle	Il veut être payé.

The pronominal passive

A verb in the third person with se is often used as a passive, with no doer named.
It is used for what is usually done or can be done: Ce plat se mange froid. (“This dish is eaten cold.”)
It is also used for what is correct: Ce nom s’écrit sans accent. (“This name is written without an accent.”) Ça ne se fait pas. (“That isn’t done.”)
The verb agrees with its subject: Ces livres se vendent bien. (“These books sell well.”)

A noun in place of a verb

In written French, and above all in the press, a clause is often turned into a noun.
The noun is formed from the verb with a suffix (-ure, -tion, -ment, -age, -aison) or with no suffix.
The subject or object of the verb is placed after the noun, with de.
A participle or an adjective agrees with the noun: La construction du pont a été décidée. (“The building of the bridge has been decided.”)
In headlines, the noun is used with no verb: Fermeture du musée lundi. (“Museum closed on Monday.”)

Verb or clause	Noun
On a fermé l’usine →	la fermeture de l’usine
Les prix ont augmenté →	l’augmentation des prix
acheter →	l’achat
baisser →	la baisse

Difference from English

English “this wine is drunk cold” is often a pronominal verb in French: ce vin se boit froid. So is “this book sells well”: ce livre se vend bien.
When nobody is named, on + an active verb is often used where English has a passive: On a fermé l’usine. (“The factory was closed.”)

Common mistakes

~~La maison avait été vendu.~~ → La maison avait été vendue.In the passive, the last participle agrees with the subject.
~~Ce mot écrit avec un accent.~~ → Ce mot s’écrit avec un accent.The pronominal passive has se.

In short

Point	Form	Example
passive, every tense	être in the tense + participle	avait été vendu, soit fini
pronominal passive	se + third person, no agent	Ça se mange froid.
noun for a verb	-ure, -tion, -ment… + de	la fermeture de l’usine
causative	faire + infinitive; pronoun before faire	Je le fais réparer.
done to the subject	se faire + infinitive	Il s’est fait voler.
il est / noun est	de + infinitive / à + infinitive	Il est facile de lire ce livre. Ce livre est facile à lire.
il s’agit de	impersonal il	Il s’agit d’une erreur.

You now know how to say that you have something done, or make someone do it, with faire + infinitive.

Practise

“The passive and other ways to leave out the doer: se vend, faire réparer”, Faire + infinitive: je fais réparer, se faire, se laisser

Create an account: you will go straight to these exercises.

Impersonal phrases: il est facile de, c’est facile à, il s’agit de#

An adjective is followed by de + infinitive after impersonal il est, and by à + infinitive after a noun subject.

Il est important de boire beaucoup d’eau en été.It is important to drink a lot of water in summer.
Ce mot est difficile à prononcer.This word is hard to pronounce.
Cette chanson ? C’est facile à apprendre.This song? It’s easy to learn.
De quoi s’agit-il ?What is it about?
Il ne s’agit pas de gagner, mais de participer.It isn’t about winning, it’s about taking part.

Formation

Il est + adjective + de + infinitive introduces what the adjective is about: Il est difficile de trouver un appartement. (“It is hard to find a flat.”)
When the thing is the subject, the adjective is followed by à + infinitive: Cet appartement est difficile à trouver. (“This flat is hard to find.”)
With à + infinitive, the subject undergoes the action of the infinitive.

Construction	The infinitive	Example
il est + adjective + de + infinitive	is what the adjective judges	Il est interdit de fumer ici.
noun + être + adjective + à + infinitive	is done to the noun	Ce plat est facile à préparer.
c’est + adjective + à + infinitive	is done to a thing already named	Ce gâteau ? C’est facile à faire.

In speech

In speech, c’est is often used instead of il est before de: C’est difficile de trouver un appartement. (“It’s hard to find a flat.”)
C’est + adjective + à is used for something already named: Ce plat ? C’est facile à faire (“This dish? It’s easy to make”).

Il s’agit de

Il s’agit de means “it is about”, “it is a matter of” or “the point is to”.
Its subject is the impersonal il in every tense: il s’agissait de, il s’agira de.
It is followed by a noun or an infinitive: Dans ce film, il s’agit d’une famille italienne. (“This film is about an Italian family.”) Il s’agit de répondre vite. (“The point is to answer quickly.”)
De contracts with le and les: il s’agit du prix.

Difference from English

French has two constructions for “easy to read”: il est facile de lire ce livre, and à after a noun.
In English, the film is the subject of “is about…”. French uses il (Dans ce film, il s’agit de…) or another verb: Ce film parle de…

Common mistakes

~~Ce livre est facile de lire.~~ → Ce livre est facile à lire.After a noun subject, the adjective is followed by à + infinitive.
~~Le film s’agit d’une histoire d’amour.~~ → Dans le film, il s’agit d’une histoire d’amour.The subject of s’agir de is the impersonal il.

Remember

After il est + adjective, you use de: Il est utile de réserver. (“It is useful to book.”)
After a noun subject, you use à: Ce texte est facile à comprendre. (“This text is easy to understand.”)
With s’agir de, you always use il as the subject: Il s’agit d’un malentendu. (“It’s a misunderstanding.”)

You now know how to say how easy an action is, with il est facile de or facile à. You also know how to say what something is about, with il s’agit de.

Practise

“The passive and other ways to leave out the doer: se vend, faire réparer”, Il est facile de, c'est facile à: il s'agit de

Create an account: you will go straight to these exercises.