The Passive

• The Passive is a grammatical structure that is used when the action is more important than who or what is performing the action.
• It is formed using the verb “être” + past participle of the main verb. Keep in mind, the past participle agrees with the subject in gender and number.
• Example: “La pomme est mangée par Louis” (The apple is eaten by Louis)
• In general, the French prefer to use the active voice more than the passive voice. It is more common to restructure a sentence to keep it active by using “on” or the causative construction “faire + infinitive”.
• Some important irregular past participles include: “être” (été), “avoir” (eu), “faire” (fait), “prendre” (pris), “voir” (vu), and “venir” (venu).
• While using passive, keep in mind the position of “ne…pas” for negation. It should encircle the auxiliary verb “être”. For instance, “La lettre n’est pas écrite par Marie” (The letter is not written by Marie).
• The passive is particularly used in written French, such as in news reports or formal writing, whereas in spoken language, it is used less frequently.
• With inanimate subjects, reflexive verbs are often used in French to express the passive. For example, “la porte s’ouvre” (the door is opened).
• Practice using the passive by transforming active sentences to passive sentences and vice versa. This will help you identify and understand the changes in sentence structure and word ordering.
• Always remember that not all verbs can be made into the passive. Verbs that require direct objects can only be converted into passive form.
• Finally, take time to read and listen to authentic French whenever possible. This will give you a feel for how and when the passive is used in real-life contexts.