Nested formal passive constructions

Level 6

The 'passive chain' (e.g., doit être considéré comme ayant été...) is a high-level administrative construction used to legally define how a past event must be treated, regardless of its literal reality.

How It Works

In French legal and administrative contexts, precision is paramount. This 'stacking' of verbs allows authorities to create a 'legal fiction.'

1. The Layers:

  • Modal Layer (doit): Asserts that this interpretation is mandatory for a judge or official.
  • Passive Layer (être considéré/regardé comme): Signals that the subject is being categorized. In administrative law, regardé comme is often preferred over considéré comme.
  • Perfect Passive Layer (ayant été + participe passé): Indicates that the action happened in the past (anteriority) and the subject was the recipient of that action.

2. Agreement Rules:
Because this is a passive structure, the final past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject of the sentence. For example: La décision [fem. sing.]... ayant été prise.

3. Register:
This is strictly for le style administratif. Using this in conversation or standard business emails will sound overly robotic or pompous. In casual French, one would simply say 'On doit considérer que...'

Examples (3)

  1. L'ordre de quitter le territoire doit être considéré comme ayant été pris à la date des instructions.

    The order to leave the territory must be considered as having been issued on the date of the instructions.

    Word by Word: The order of to leave the territory must be considered as having been taken at the date of the instructions.

    This example shows the standard legal fiction where a decision is 'deemed' to have happened at a specific time for legal purposes.

  2. Le bien immobilier doit être considéré comme ayant été acquis par la SCI.

    The real estate property must be deemed to have been acquired by the SCI.

    Word by Word: The property real-estate must be considered as having been acquired by the SCI.

    Note the agreement of 'acquis' (masculine singular) with 'le bien immobilier'.

  3. La notification est regardée comme ayant été régulièrement effectuée à l'adresse indiquée.

    The notification is regarded as having been duly carried out at the indicated address.

    Word by Word: The notification is regarded as having been regularly effected at the address indicated.

    Uses 'regardée comme', the preferred technical synonym in administrative law, and shows feminine agreement with 'la notification'.

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting the gender/number agreement of the final participle.

    La décision doit être considérée comme ayant été pris.
    La décision doit être considérée comme ayant été prise.

    In passive constructions, the participle must always agree with the subject (La décision = feminine singular).

  • Using 'étant' instead of 'ayant été' for past actions.

    Le contrat est considéré comme étant signé hier.
    Le contrat est considéré comme ayant été signé hier.

    'Étant' implies a current state, whereas 'ayant été' is required to show that the action was completed in the past.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Nested formal passive constructionsLevel 6

Learn This First

To learn legal and administrative passive chains, you must first understand how to form basic passive infinitives and how they interact with modal verbs like 'devoir'. Additionally, you need to be familiar with the past infinitive ('ayant été') and the formal register of French, which frequently employs these complex, nested structures to maintain legal precision.