Matching Past Participles in Passive Voice (Accord du participe passé)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
In the passive voice, the past participle must always agree in gender and number with the subject of the sentence.
- The subject determines the agreement: 'La pomme est mangée' (f,s).
- If the subject is plural, add an 's': 'Les pommes sont mangées' (f,pl).
- If the subject is masculine plural, add an 's': 'Les gâteaux sont mangés' (m,pl).
Overview
Ever found yourself staring at a French notification like Votre commande est livrée and wondered why there was an extra e at the end of livrée? Or maybe you noticed that when your favorite Netflix show ends, it says Saison terminée instead of just terminé. Welcome to the world of the passive voice!
In French, when someone or something is on the receiving end of an action, we use the passive voice. But here’s the kicker: the past participle (the action word) isn’t just a static verb; it’s more like a chameleon. It has to match the subject perfectly in both gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural).
Think of it as fashion for verbs. If the subject is wearing a feminine "outfit," the verb needs to accessorize with an extra e. If it’s a group, it needs an s.
It’s all about harmony and balance, much like trying to fit all your clothes into a carry-on bag for a weekend in Paris. It might feel a bit tedious at first, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be spotting these agreements everywhere, from TikTok captions to government announcements where "mistakes were made" (but we'll get to that later).
Word Order Rules
être + Past Participle (+ par + Agent). First, you start with the thing being acted upon.la pizza," the chef is the star. In the passive version, the pizza takes center stage: La pizza is the subject. Next, you add the auxiliary verb être (to be), conjugated to match your subject.par (by).- Active: Le chat mange
la souris(The cat eats the mouse). - Passive:
La sourisest mangéeparle chat (The mouse is eaten by the cat).
mangée looks? It has that extra e because the mouse (la souris) is feminine. If the cat ate two mice (greedy cat!), it would be les souris sont mangées.How This Grammar Works
une petite maison (a small house) adding an e to petit, you must agree the past participle in the passive voice.être acts like a bridge between the subject and the participle. Because être expresses a state of being, the participle describes the state of the subject. If le message is sent, it is envoyé.la lettre is sent, she is envoyée. If les colis (the packages) are sent, they are envoyés. And if les invitations are sent, they are envoyées.Formation Pattern
être: Use the present tense of être that matches your subject.
je suis, tu es, il/elle est, nous sommes, vous êtes, ils/elles sont.
-er verbs: Remove -er, add -é (e.g., manger → mangé).
-ir verbs: Remove -ir, add -i (e.g., finir → fini).
-re verbs: Remove -re, add -u (e.g., vendre → vendu).
terminé)
-e. (Example: terminée)
-s. (Example: terminés)
-es. (Example: terminées)
Pattern Variations
- The Past (Passé Composé):
La vidéoa été vue (The video was seen). Here,étéis the past participle ofêtre. It doesn't change, butvuestill agrees with the feminine video. - The Future:
Les billetsseront achetés (The tickets will be bought). Even in the future, those tickets are masculine plural, soachetésgets ans. - Negative Sentences:
La porten'est pas fermée (The door is not closed). Thene...pasgoes around theêtre, but the agreement onferméeremains untouched.
Real Conversations
Let’s see how this looks in the wild. You’ll hear these phrases in cafes, on Zoom calls, or while shopping online.
Scenario 1
Speaker A
Speaker B
la connexion est coupée !"(The connection is cut! Note the -e for the feminine connection.)*
Scenario 2
Customer
App Notification
Le repas est préparé par le chef."(The meal is prepared by the chef. No extra endings here because the meal is masculine singular.)*
Scenario 3
Friend A
Friend B
(Yes, but it is already sold! The 'elle' refers to 'la robe', so we add -e.)*
Common Mistakes
- The Forgotten 'E': Writing
La pizza est mangéinstead ofmangée. Since the pizza is feminine, it feels "naked" without its extrae. - The Over-Agreement: Adding an
stoestbecause the subject is plural. Remember,estis for singular; usesontfor plural! The agreement goes on the participle, not the auxiliary. - Confusing
êtreandavoir: Passive voice always usesêtre. If you useavoir, you’re probably trying to say something else entirely. - Mistaking the Agent for the Subject: In the sentence "
Les fleurssont arroséesparMarc," the flowers are the subject, soarroséesmust be feminine plural. Don't let Marc (masculine) confuse you; he's just the guy with the watering can. The flowers are the ones getting the grammar treatment.
Quick FAQ
Does the past participle always agree with être?
In the passive voice, yes! Always, without exception.
What if I don't know the gender of the object?
A quick tip: words ending in -ion or -té are usually feminine. When in doubt, most learners guess masculine, but it’s better to check your dictionary app!
Is the passive voice very formal?
It can be, but it's also very common in daily life, especially for things like "The door is locked" or "The message is sent."
Can I use this for people?
Absolutely. "Il est invité" (He is invited) vs "Elle est invitée" (She is invited). Just don't invite too many people at once, or your plural agreements will get complicated!
What about irregular verbs like faire?
Irregular verbs still follow the agreement rules. fait becomes faite, faits, or faites. The rule is boss over the irregularity.
Is 'par' always necessary?
No. You can say "Mistakes were made" (Des erreurs ont été commises) without saying who made them. It's the perfect political maneuver!
Does this work with on?
Usually, on is treated as masculine singular unless you clearly mean "we" and want to agree with a specific group. For A1, keep it simple and stay masculine singular.
Why does my phone say "Appel manqué"?
That's a passive construction! "Call missed." Since appel is masculine, no extra e is needed. Your phone is a secret grammar teacher.
Passive Voice Agreement Patterns
| Subject | Auxiliary (être) | Participle | Agreement |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Le livre (m,s)
|
est
|
lu
|
None
|
|
La lettre (f,s)
|
est
|
lue
|
+e
|
|
Les livres (m,pl)
|
sont
|
lus
|
+s
|
|
Les lettres (f,pl)
|
sont
|
lues
|
+es
|
Meanings
The passive voice shifts the focus from the doer to the receiver. In this structure, the past participle acts like an adjective describing the subject.
Passive Agreement
Agreement of the participle with the subject in passive constructions.
“Le rapport est écrit.”
“La lettre est écrite.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
S + être + PP
|
La lettre est écrite.
|
|
Negative
|
S + n'être pas + PP
|
La lettre n'est pas écrite.
|
|
Interrogative
|
Être + S + PP ?
|
La lettre est-elle écrite ?
|
|
Plural
|
S(pl) + être + PP(s)
|
Les lettres sont écrites.
|
|
Feminine
|
S(f) + être + PP(e)
|
La lettre est écrite.
|
|
Past
|
S + être(imp) + PP
|
La lettre était écrite.
|
Formality Spectrum
Le rapport a été terminé. (Professional setting)
Le rapport est terminé. (Professional setting)
Le rapport est fini. (Professional setting)
Le rapport est bouclé. (Professional setting)
Passive Agreement Logic
Gender
- Feminine Add -e
Number
- Plural Add -s
Examples by Level
Le gâteau est mangé.
The cake is eaten.
La pomme est mangée.
The apple is eaten.
Les gâteaux sont mangés.
The cakes are eaten.
Les pommes sont mangées.
The apples are eaten.
La porte est fermée.
The door is closed.
Les fenêtres sont ouvertes.
The windows are opened.
Le travail est fini.
The work is finished.
Les tâches sont finies.
The tasks are finished.
La décision a été prise.
The decision was made.
Les erreurs ont été corrigées.
The errors were corrected.
Le projet est bien organisé.
The project is well organized.
Les réunions sont annulées.
The meetings are cancelled.
La loi a été votée par le parlement.
The law was voted by the parliament.
Les données sont analysées avec soin.
The data are analyzed with care.
La maison a été construite en 1990.
The house was built in 1990.
Les contrats sont signés demain.
The contracts are signed tomorrow.
La théorie a été largement débattue.
The theory has been widely debated.
Les mesures ont été imposées par l'autorité.
The measures were imposed by the authority.
La vérité est enfin révélée.
The truth is finally revealed.
Les frontières sont tracées par l'histoire.
The borders are drawn by history.
La sentence fut prononcée avec gravité.
The sentence was pronounced with gravity.
Les traditions sont perpétuées par les anciens.
The traditions are perpetuated by the elders.
La question est posée, mais non résolue.
The question is posed, but not resolved.
Les œuvres sont admirées par tous.
The works are admired by all.
Easily Confused
Learners confuse active agreement with passive agreement.
Common Mistakes
La pomme est mangé
La pomme est mangée
Les pommes sont mangé
Les pommes sont mangées
La décision a été pris
La décision a été prise
Les mesures sont été prises
Les mesures ont été prises
Sentence Patterns
La ___ est ___ par le professeur.
Real World Usage
La ville a été évacuée.
Les oignons sont coupés.
Le projet a été mené par moi.
La photo a été prise par mon ami.
Le musée est visité par des milliers de personnes.
La loi est signée.
Check the subject
Don't over-passive
Use 'se faire'
Formal tone
Smart Tips
Use the passive to sound objective.
Use passive for clarity.
Ask: 'What is the subject?'
Focus on the subject gender.
Pronunciation
Silent endings
The 'e' and 's' are usually silent, but the participle sound remains the same.
Declarative
La pomme est mangée ↘
Neutral statement.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Passive is like a mirror: the subject looks at the verb and says, 'Match me!'
Visual Association
Imagine a chameleon (the participle) changing its color (ending) to match the leaf (the subject) it is sitting on.
Rhyme
If the subject is she, add an e. If there are many, add an s, as plain as can be.
Story
A queen (feminine) walks into a room. The royal guards (plural) follow. The verb 'to be' welcomes them, but the participle must wear the queen's crown (e) or the guards' armor (s) to be allowed in.
Word Web
Challenge
Write 5 sentences about your day using the passive voice and check your agreements.
Cultural Notes
The passive voice is highly valued in administrative and academic French.
Similar to France, but often uses 'se faire' as a more natural passive.
Formal French is used in government, mirroring the French standard.
Derived from Latin 'passivus'.
Conversation Starters
Comment est préparé ce plat ?
Journal Prompts
Common Mistakes
Test Yourself
La porte est ___ (fermer).
Les fenêtres sont ___.
Find and fix the mistake:
Le livre est lu.
Il mange la pomme.
Les erreurs (être) corrigées.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
La loi / être / voter
The passive participle always agrees with the subject.
Score: /8
Practice Exercises
8 exercisesLa porte est ___ (fermer).
Les fenêtres sont ___.
Find and fix the mistake:
Le livre est lu.
Il mange la pomme.
Les erreurs (être) corrigées.
La lettre / Les lettres
La loi / être / voter
The passive participle always agrees with the subject.
Score: /8
Practice Bank
10 exercises{La|f} maison est ___.
{Les|pl} messages sont lu.
Arrange: [par, mangée, la souris, est, le chat]
The letters are written.
Select the correct passive sentence:
Match these:
Mes amies (f) sont ___.
{La|f} vidéo est regarder par tout le monde.
Arrange: [été, La fête, a, organisée]
Check the agreement:
Score: /10
FAQ (8)
Because it functions as an adjective describing the subject.
Yes, for the passive voice.
No, 'avoir' is for active voice.
Less than in writing.
They follow the same agreement rules.
The auxiliary changes, but agreement remains.
Yes, it is often used in formal contexts.
Always check the subject's gender and number.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Voz pasiva
Spanish uses 'se' passive more often.
Passiv
German does not have gendered agreement on the participle.
Ukemi
No gendered agreement.
Majhool
No gendered agreement in the same way.
Bei
No conjugation or agreement.
Passive voice
English has no agreement.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
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