Download The Passive Voice

En bonne forme, 8th Edition
Student Website
Selected Grammar Explanations in English
Chapter 21
THE PASSIVE VOICE
The passive voice is a verbal form used to show that the subject is in the process of
receiving, rather than performing, the action. When you change from the active to the
passive voice the word order and verb form change in the following ways: the subject of
the active sentence becomes the agent of the passive sentence; the direct object of the
active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence; the verb is compounded and
conjugated with the verb être.
Compare the following sentences:
Un chien mord un enfant.
A dog bites a child.
Un enfant est mordu par un chien. A child is bitten by a dog.
1. The subject chien becomes the agent par un chien.
2. The direct object enfant becomes the subject.
3. The verb mord becomes est mordu (compound form, auxiliary être).
Forms
Conjugate the auxiliary être in the desired tense and add the past participle.
Usage
The passive voice of a verb is used in certain situations described below. It is often
preferable to use the active construction to avoid using the passive voice.
1. Only a transitive verb (followed by a direct object) can be used in the passive
construction. The direct object becomes the subject of the passive verb.
On fabrique une voiture.
Une voiture est fabriquée.
2. An intransitive verb (that does not have a direct object) cannot be used in the passive
construction.
Tu réponds à Marc.
The passive voice is impossible: Marc is an indirect object and cannot become the
subject of a passive verb.
3. The verbs dire, demander, promettre, défendre, interdire are both transitive and
intransitive, and are therefore subject to the following rule: they can be put in the
passive voice when they have a direct object in the active form.
On dit un poème. Un poème est dit.
They cannot be put into a passive construction when they have a subject that
represents the name of a person, though this is possible in English. In this case,
indicate passivity by phrasing the sentence with "on."
...dire à Paul de venir (Paul was told)
On a dit à Paul de venir.
4. The complementary agent with par or de
You can find the prepositions par or de before the complementary agent.
L'enfant a été mordu par un chien.
You can always use par before the agent of a passive verb; de cannot always be used
in this way.
On peut dire:
Ce professeur est aimé de ses élèves ou par ses élèves.
Il faut dire:
Pierre a été mordu par un chien.
Notice the subtle differences in meaning between par and de.
par

par is used with verbs indicating physical action:
La voiture est tirée par un cheval.

par is used with verbs used in a literal sense.
L'explorateur a été dévoré par un lion.

par is used with definite nouns.
La place est encombrée par les habitants du village.
de

de is used with verbs indicating a feeling or emotion.
Ce professeur est aimé de ses étudiants.

de is used with figurative verbs, often without an article.
Il est dévoré de chagrin.

de is used with a noun alone, without any article.
La place est encombrée d'habitants.

de is the usual construction for certain verbs indicating quantity: être rempli
de, être entouré de, être couvert de, être orné de, être décoré de
5. False / true passive voice
a. The passive voice is often used to express the result of a past action. This
formation uses the verb être (conjugated in the desired tense) and a past participle
that functions as an adjective. There is no agent. This form is called the false
passive construction.
Je suis fatigué.
La porte était fermée.
b. The true passive voice expresses an action that is being perfomed. There is
generally an agent expressed or understood in this construction.
Compare the following sentences:
False passive form (result)
La porte est fermée.
True passive form (action)
Tous les soirs la porte de la banque est fermée par un gardien.
c. Often, even though the verb expresses the true passive voice, the agent will not be
expressed; the identity of this agent can be either obvious or uncertain. This usage
is common in the past, past perfect, and future tenses.
Le président a été élu.
Les routes seront construites.
(The identity is obvious: par les électeurs.)
(The identity is uncertain.)
6. How do you avoid the passive voice?
False construction (which is very common) aside, the true passive voice is less
common in French than it is in English.
a. In French the active construction is preferred, even where the passive would be
possible in English.
Ses amis l'admirent beaucoup.
He is much admired by his friends.
b. The indefinite pronoun on is often used as the subject of an active verb. In this
case, on represents one person or many indefinite people.
Au Québec on parle français.
In Quebec, French is spoken.
c. You can use pronominal verbs in the passive construction.
Ça ne se fait pas; ça ne se dit pas.
This is not done; that is not said.