Passive with etre + past participle

Level 3

The passive voice (la voix passive) shifts the focus from who did the action to what was affected. It is formed using a conjugated form of être followed by the past participle of the main verb.

How It Works

The passive voice is used to emphasize the result of an action or when the 'doer' (the agent) is unknown or less important.

1. Formation:
To form the passive, conjugate être in the tense you need, then add the past participle of the main verb.

  • Present: La lettre est écrite. (The letter is written.)
  • Passé Composé: La lettre a été écrite. (The letter was written.)
  • Future: La lettre sera écrite. (The letter will be written.)

2. Transitive Verbs Only:
In French, only verbs that take a direct object (transitive direct verbs) can be made passive. Unlike English, you cannot make a passive sentence from verbs that take an indirect object (like téléphoner à or dire à). For example, you cannot say "I was told"; you must use on (On m'a dit).

3. Agreement:
Unlike the active voice with avoir, the passive voice always requires past participle agreement with the subject.

  • Le livre est vendu. (Masculine singular)
  • La maison est vendue. (Feminine singular: add -e)
  • Les livres sont vendus. (Masculine plural: add -s)

4. The Agent (par vs. de):
The person or thing performing the action is usually introduced by par. However, verbs expressing states, feelings, or descriptions often use de instead.

5. Usage Note:
French uses the passive voice less frequently than English. In casual speech, French speakers often prefer using the on pronoun or a reflexive structure to become proficient in natural phrasing.

Examples (5)

  1. Le discours est prononcé par le président.

    The speech is delivered by the president.

    Word by Word: The speech is pronounced by the president.

    A standard present tense passive construction using 'par' to introduce the agent.

  2. Cette vieille maison est entourée de grands arbres.

    This old house is surrounded by tall trees.

    Word by Word: This old house is surrounded of tall trees.

    Uses 'de' instead of 'par' because 'entourer' (to surround) describes a state or description.

  3. Les coupables seront punis.

    The guilty [ones] will be punished.

    Word by Word: The guilty will be punished.

    Future tense passive. Note the '-s' agreement on 'punis' to match the plural subject.

  4. La porte a été fermée à clé.

    The door was locked.

    Word by Word: The door has been closed at key.

    Passé composé passive. Note the feminine agreement '-e' on 'fermée' to match 'la porte'.

  5. Toutes les invitations ont été envoyées.

    All the invitations have been sent.

    Word by Word: All the invitations have been sent.

    Passé composé passive with feminine plural agreement (-es) on the participle.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the passive voice for indirect objects (like 'I was told').

    J'ai été dit la vérité.
    On m'a dit la vérité.

    In French, you can only make a direct object the subject of a passive sentence. Since you say 'dire à quelqu'un' (indirect), you cannot say 'J'ai été dit'. Use 'On m'a dit' instead.

  • Forgetting the second auxiliary in compound tenses.

    La lettre a écrite.
    La lettre a été écrite.

    To form the passive in the passé composé, you need 'avoir' + 'été' + the past participle. 'La lettre a écrite' sounds like the letter wrote something!

  • Neglecting gender and number agreement.

    Les fenêtres ont été cassé.
    Les fenêtres ont été cassées.

    Because the passive voice uses 'être', the past participle must agree with the subject ('les fenêtres' is feminine plural).

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Passive with etre + past participleLevel 3

Learn This First

To form the passive voice, you must be able to conjugate 'être' and understand how to form and agree past participles with the subject of the sentence.

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