B2 Sentence Structure 18 min read Easy

French Passive: Actions Without the 'Who' (Passif sans complément d'agent)

Focus on results by using être plus an agreed past participle, omitting the person performing the action.
Mark as Learned
Practice it

Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Focus on the action, not the actor, by using 'être' + past participle without mentioning the person doing it.

  • Use 'être' conjugated in the desired tense + the past participle of the main verb.
  • Ensure the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject.
  • Omit the 'par' phrase entirely to keep the focus on the result of the action.
Subject + être + Past Participle

Overview

When you communicate in French, you often want to describe an action without specifying who performed it. This grammatical construction is known as the passive voice without an agent (passif sans complément d'agent). Its primary function is to shift focus from the performer of an action (the agent) to the recipient of the action or the action itself.

This is particularly useful when the agent is unknown, irrelevant, or deliberately omitted. You encounter this structure frequently in daily life: on public signs, in news headlines, social media updates, and app notifications. It allows for a concise, direct expression that emphasizes the result or the state of being caused by an action, rather than the doer.

For an A1 learner, understanding this pattern is fundamental because it unlocks a powerful way to express common ideas. You will learn to form sentences like La porte est ouverte (The door is open/has been opened) or Le café est servi (The coffee is served) without needing to state par quelqu'un (by someone). This creates a more natural and fluid French, aligning with how native speakers communicate efficiently.

How This Grammar Works

French grammar, like any language, provides tools to emphasize different parts of a message. The active voice, which you likely learned first, centers on the subject performing an action: Quelqu'un ouvre la porte (Someone opens the door). Here, quelqu'un is the active subject.
In contrast, the passif sans complément d'agent reorients the sentence entirely. The object of the active sentence becomes the new subject, and the verb changes to reflect that this new subject receives the action, rather than performs it.
Consider La porte est ouverte. Here, la porte (the door) is the subject, but it isn't doing the opening; it is being opened or is in an opened state. The agent responsible for opening the door is absent.
This construction effectively puts the spotlight on la porte and its current condition. The underlying linguistic principle is that the être verb combines with a past participle to create a state resulting from a prior action. This means the sentence often describes a consequence or a finished action rather than an ongoing one performed by an identifiable entity.
For instance, Le musée est fermé le lundi (The museum is closed on Mondays) states a general condition or a regular occurrence that implies an action (fermer - to close) without needing to name the closers.
This grammar pattern also implicitly conveys objectivity. When you state L'e-mail est envoyé, it presents the sending of the email as a simple fact, removing any personal responsibility or agency from the statement. It's a detached, factual declaration of an event's completion or a state of being.

Word Order Rules

The word order for the passif sans complément d'agent is straightforward and consistent, especially at the A1 level where you will primarily use the present tense. It follows a simple three-part structure:
Subject + Verb être (conjugated) + Past Participle (agreed)
  1. 1Subject: This is the noun or pronoun that undergoes the action. It is the entity being described. For example, in Le livre est lu, Le livre is the subject.
  2. 2Verb être: This is the auxiliary (helping) verb that you will conjugate to match the new subject in person and number. For A1, focus on the present tense conjugation of être. For example, Le livre est lu.
  3. 3Past Participle: This is the main verb of the action, transformed into its past participle form. Crucially, this participle must agree in gender and number with the new subject. For example, Le livre est lu (masculine singular), but Les lettres sont lues (feminine plural).
Any additional information, such as adverbs of time or place, typically follows the past participle. For instance, La lettre est écrite maintenant (The letter is written now) or Les fleurs sont plantées dans le jardin (The flowers are planted in the garden). It's vital to keep être and the past participle adjacent to maintain clarity and the core passive structure.
Avoid placing adverbs or other words between them. This fixed order makes the sentence easy to construct and understand, ensuring the focus remains on the state or action affecting the subject.

Formation Pattern

1
Forming the passif sans complément d'agent involves a systematic process. You need to pay close attention to three key elements: the choice of auxiliary verb, the formation of the past participle, and most importantly for French, the agreement of the past participle with the subject.
2
Identify the Subject: The first step is to identify the noun or pronoun that will receive the action. This entity becomes the grammatical subject of your passive sentence. Crucially, you must know its gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural), as these determine the participle agreement.
3
La voiture (feminine singular)
4
Les magasins (masculine plural)
5
Je (can be masculine or feminine, depending on who is speaking)
6
Conjugate être in the Present Tense: The auxiliary verb être (to be) is always used to form this passive construction. For A1, you will primarily use its present tense conjugation. Remember that être is an irregular verb, so its forms must be memorized.
7
| Subject Pronoun | être (Present Tense) |
8
| :-------------- | :--------------------- |
9
| Je | suis |
10
| Tu | es |
11
| Il/Elle/On | est |
12
| Nous | sommes |
13
| Vous | êtes |
14
| Ils/Elles | sont |
15
La voiture est...
16
Les magasins sont...
17
Je suis...
18
Form the Past Participle: The past participle is derived from the main verb that describes the action. Its formation generally follows predictable patterns based on the verb's ending in the infinitive:
19
-er verbs: Replace -er with -é.
20
parler → parlé
21
manger → mangé
22
-ir verbs (most common type): Replace -ir with -i.
23
finir → fini
24
choisir → choisi
25
-re verbs: Replace -re with -u.
26
vendre → vendu
27
attendre → attendu
28
However, many common verbs have irregular past participles that must be learned. Some crucial A1 examples include:
29
faire → fait
30
prendre → pris
31
voir → vu
32
écrire → écrit
33
ouvrir → ouvert
34
La voiture est lavée. (laver → lavé)
35
Les magasins sont ouverts. (ouvrir → ouvert)
36
Je suis informé / informée. (informer → informé)
37
Apply Agreement (Accord du participe passé): This is the critical step that distinguishes French passive voice from English. The past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject of the passive sentence. This means you add endings to the participle as follows:
38
| Subject Gender & Number | Participle Ending |
39
| :---------------------- | :---------------- |
40
| Masculine Singular | (no change) |
41
| Feminine Singular | -e |
42
| Masculine Plural | -s |
43
| Feminine Plural | -es |
44
Le livre est lu. (masculine singular subject le livre → lu)
45
La porte est ouverte. (feminine singular subject la porte → ouverte)
46
Les billets sont vendus. (masculine plural subject les billets → vendus)
47
Les voitures sont réparées. (feminine plural subject les voitures → réparées)
48
Pay careful attention to the final -e and -s sounds. Often, an added -e may make a previously silent consonant at the end of the participle pronounced (e.g., prêt [pre] vs. prête [pret]). An added -s is typically silent (e.g., vendus is pronounced the same as vendu).
49
Putting it all together:
50
Le texte (masc. sing.) + est (être) + écrit (écrire, masc. sing.) → Le texte est écrit. (The text is written.)
51
La table (fém. sing.) + est (être) + préparée (préparer, fém. sing.) → La table est préparée. (The table is prepared.)
52
Les plats (masc. plur.) + sont (être) + servis (servir, masc. plur.) → Les plats sont servis. (The dishes are served.)
53
Les fleurs (fém. plur.) + sont (être) + coupées (couper, fém. plur.) → Les fleurs sont coupées. (The flowers are cut.)

When To Use It

Mastering the passif sans complément d'agent is not just about forming the sentence correctly; it's about understanding when to use it effectively. This construction is highly prevalent in specific contexts where the identity of the agent is either unimportant, obvious, unknown, or intentionally suppressed.
  1. 1When the Agent is Unknown or Irrelevant: This is the most common reason. If you don't know who did something, or if it doesn't matter, the passive voice allows you to express the action directly.
  • Mon portefeuille a été volé. (My wallet was stolen.) – The thief is unknown.
  • Le travail est terminé. (The work is finished.) – Who finished it is not the focus.
  1. 1For General Statements and Public Information: You will see this pattern frequently on signs, announcements, and in news reports where the action applies broadly or is a matter of public record.
  • Entrée interdite. (Entry forbidden.) – Implies L'entrée est interdite (par la loi/par les autorités). A very common construction on signs.
  • Les données sont protégées. (The data is protected.) – A general statement about data security.
  1. 1To Focus on the Result or State: The passif sans complément d'agent highlights the condition or outcome after an action has taken place. This emphasizes the state of the subject.
  • La fenêtre est cassée. (The window is broken.) – Focus is on the broken state, not who broke it.
  • Les lumières sont allumées. (The lights are on/have been turned on.) – Focus is on the current state of the lights.
  1. 1To Maintain Impersonality or Objectivity: In formal or factual writing, or when avoiding personal blame, this structure creates a sense of detachment.
  • Des erreurs ont été commises. (Errors were made.) – Acknowledges the errors without assigning fault.
  • Le projet est financé par l'État. (The project is funded by the state.) – While this example uses par, it still illustrates the objective nature of the passive voice when an agent is not human or specific.
  1. 1In Notifications and Short Messages: Modern communication, especially through apps and text, often uses this concise form.
  • Votre commande est confirmée. (Your order is confirmed.)
  • Message non lu. (Message unread.) – Implies Le message est non lu.
By choosing this grammatical pattern, you consciously decide to foreground the action's impact or the subject's condition, making your French communication more precise and adapted to various situations.

Common Mistakes

Even at A1, certain errors are consistently made by learners attempting to use the passif sans complément d'agent. Being aware of these pitfalls will help you avoid them and achieve greater accuracy.
  1. 1Forgetting Past Participle Agreement: This is by far the most frequent and noticeable error. French requires the past participle in the passive voice to agree in gender and number with the subject. Failing to add -e, -s, or -es makes the sentence grammatically incorrect and often sounds unnatural.
  • Incorrect: La lettre est écrit.
  • Correct: La lettre est écrite. (Feminine singular subject la lettre requires feminine singular participle écrite.)
  • Incorrect: Les repas sont préparé.
  • Correct: Les repas sont préparés. (Masculine plural subject les repas requires masculine plural participle préparés.)
Remember to consider liaison in spoken French, particularly when an -e is added and followed by a vowel or silent h (e.g., la tâche est exécutée – the final é of exécutée remains the same, but the overall phrasing is smooth).
  1. 1Using avoir instead of être: While avoir is the auxiliary for many compound tenses in the active voice, the passive voice always uses être. Confusing the two completely changes the meaning or renders the sentence nonsensical.
  • Incorrect: La porte a fermée. (This would literally imply the door itself closed something.)
  • Correct: La porte est fermée. (The door is closed/has been closed.)
  1. 1Incorrect Irregular Past Participles: Many common verbs have irregular past participles. Using a regular pattern for an irregular verb is a common mistake.
  • Incorrect: La décision est prendue. (from prendre, but prendue is not a word)
  • Correct: La décision est prise. (The correct past participle of prendre is pris, and it agrees to prise for la décision.)
Reviewing and memorizing common irregular past participles (like fait, pris, vu, écrit, ouvert, dit) is essential.
  1. 1Unnecessarily Including an Agent (par quelqu'un): The very purpose of the passif sans complément d'agent is to omit the agent. If the agent is genuinely unknown or unimportant, adding par quelqu'un (by someone) or par l'homme (by man) is redundant and makes the sentence clunky and unnatural. Use this construction precisely when the agent is absent from the focus.
  • Unnatural: La maison est construite par quelqu'un. (Unless you need to highlight that it was a person and not an animal, this is redundant.)
  • Natural: La maison est construite. (The house is built.)
  1. 1Confusion with Adjectives: Sometimes, a past participle in the passive voice can look identical to an adjective. While context usually clarifies, it's important to remember that a past participle here indicates a state resulting from an action, whereas a true adjective simply describes a quality.
  • La porte est ouverte. (The door is open – state resulting from an action ouvrir.)
  • La porte est rouge. (The door is red – rouge is a descriptive adjective, not a participle.)
The presence of être followed by a word derived from a verb often signals the passive construction.

Contrast With Similar Patterns

Understanding what the passif sans complément d'agent is, also involves knowing what it isn't, and how it differs from other seemingly similar grammatical structures. This clarity is especially important for A1 learners to avoid confusion as they progress.
  1. 1Active Voice vs. Passive Voice:
  • Active Voice: The subject performs the action. Focus is on the agent.
  • Le cuisinier prépare le repas. (The cook prepares the meal.) - Le cuisinier is the active agent.
  • Passive Voice (sans complément d'agent): The subject receives the action. Focus is on the action/result, the agent is absent.
  • Le repas est préparé. (The meal is prepared.) - Le repas receives the action; the cook is not mentioned.
The choice depends entirely on what you want to emphasize. If the doer is paramount, use active. If the done-to or the result is paramount, use passive.
  1. 1Passive Voice with an Agent (avec complément d'agent):
While this lesson focuses on the passive without an agent, it's helpful to briefly understand that French can include an agent using par (by).
  • Le repas est préparé par le cuisinier. (The meal is prepared by the cook.)
The crucial difference is the presence of par followed by the agent. In our current rule, this par phrase is explicitly omitted. For A1, the distinction is simple: if you see par and a person/thing, an agent is present. If not, it's sans complément d'agent.
  1. 1Using On for Impersonal Statements:
The indefinite pronoun on (one, we, people, they) is very common in spoken French to make general or impersonal statements, often serving a similar function to the passive voice in English (and sometimes in French).
  • On parle français ici. (French is spoken here / One speaks French here.)
  • Le français est parlé ici. (French is spoken here.)
Both sentences convey a similar meaning. However, on uses the active voice (conjugated verb, no être + participle), making it more dynamic and often more colloquial. The passive voice (Le français est parlé) is more formal and emphasizes the state or fact.
For A1, on is an excellent alternative for general statements, but the passive voice offers a different stylistic choice that is more formal and less personal.
  1. 1Reflexive Verbs for Unspecified Agents (se + verb):
At slightly higher levels, you will encounter constructions with reflexive verbs (like se vendre - to sell oneself/to be sold) that also convey a passive meaning without explicitly stating an agent. These are known as pronominal passive constructions.
  • Ces livres se vendent bien. (These books sell well / are sold well.)
For A1, just be aware that such structures exist. The passif sans complément d'agent with être + past participle is a distinct and fundamental structure, separate from the complexities of reflexive verbs.

Real Conversations

To truly grasp the passif sans complément d'agent, observing its natural use in contemporary French is key. These examples reflect how native speakers use this structure in everyday interactions, from casual chats to public announcements.

A quick exchange about daily tasks:

- Camille: Alors, le dîner est préparé ? (So, is dinner prepared?)

- Marc: Oui, tout est prêt. Les pâtes sont cuites et la salade est lavée. (Yes, everything is ready. The pasta is cooked and the salad is washed.)

- Observation: Marc focuses on the status of the food, not who did the cooking or washing.

An announcement or notification:

- Public Announcement (via loudspeaker): Attention s'il vous plaît. Le quai numéro 3 est fermé pour travaux. (Attention please. Platform number 3 is closed for maintenance work.)

- Observation: The focus is solely on the platform's status, not the workers closing it.

A text message between friends:

- Léo (texting): Salut ! Ton colis est arrivé ? (Hi! Did your package arrive?)

- Chloé (texting back): Oui ! Il est livré. Je l'ai déjà ouvert. (Yes! It’s delivered. I've already opened it.)

- Observation: Chloé uses il est livré to state the fact of delivery, without needing to name the delivery person.

A casual conversation about shared news:

- Sophie: Tu as vu ? La nouvelle loi sur l'environnement est votée ! (Did you see? The new environmental law is voted/passed!)

- Thomas: C'est super ! J'espère que les règles seront respectées. (That's great! I hope the rules will be respected.)

- Observation: Sophie and Thomas discuss the law and its rules, emphasizing their status rather than the specific individuals who voted or will respect them.

A problem-solving scenario:

- Manager: Le rapport n'est pas envoyé. Pourquoi ? (The report isn't sent. Why?)

- Employee: Ah, désolé. Il sera envoyé avant midi. (Oh, sorry. It will be sent before noon.)

- Observation: The manager points out the report's unsent status, and the employee confirms its future status. The agent is implicitly understood or to be determined.

These examples illustrate that the passif sans complément d'agent is not confined to formal settings but is an integral part of expressing clear, concise, and often objective information in everyday French.

Quick FAQ

Here are answers to some common questions learners have about the French passive voice without an agent.
  • Does être always have to be used?
Yes, for the standard passive voice construction in French, the auxiliary verb être is mandatory. It's the core component that helps form this specific grammatical structure.
  • Does the past participle change for plural subjects?
Absolutely. The past participle must always agree in both gender and number with the subject of the passive sentence. If the subject is plural, you will add an -s (e.g., Les portes sont fermées - the doors are closed). If it's feminine plural, you add -es.
  • Can this structure be used with all verbs?
No. Only transitive verbs (verbs that can take a direct object in the active voice) can be used in the passive voice. You cannot form a passive construction with intransitive verbs (verbs that do not take a direct object, like dormir - to sleep, or venir - to come).
  • Is this construction common in spoken French?
Yes, it is very common in both spoken and written French, especially in impersonal statements, announcements, and when the agent is genuinely unknown or irrelevant. It contributes to a natural flow of conversation and efficient information delivery.
  • What if I don't know the gender of the subject?
In French, every noun has a gender (masculine or feminine), which you must learn along with the noun itself. There are no neutral nouns in French. If you are referring to a person and their gender is known, the agreement will follow their biological gender (e.g., Je suis invité if male, Je suis invitée if female).
If referring to an unknown person, or a mixed group, masculine plural is often used as the default.
  • Is there an equivalent in English?
Yes, it is directly equivalent to the English passive voice without an explicit agent (e.g., "The package was delivered," "The door is closed"). The concept is very similar, though French requires explicit agreement of the past participle.
  • Can I use this for future actions?
While this A1 lesson focuses on the present tense of être, the passive voice can be formed in other tenses by simply conjugating être into that tense. For instance, Le travail sera terminé (The work will be finished) uses the future tense of être.

Passive Voice Formation (Tense variations)

Tense Structure Example
Present
est + PP
La lettre est écrite
Passé Composé
a été + PP
La lettre a été écrite
Imparfait
était + PP
La lettre était écrite
Futur Simple
sera + PP
La lettre sera écrite
Conditionnel
serait + PP
La lettre serait écrite

Meanings

The passive voice without an agent is used to describe an action where the subject is the recipient, and the performer of the action is unknown, irrelevant, or intentionally omitted.

1

Focus on result

Highlighting the state of an object after an action.

“Le rapport a été terminé.”

“Les fenêtres ont été fermées.”

2

General rules/laws

Stating procedures or regulations.

“Les billets doivent être achetés en ligne.”

“La loi a été votée.”

3

Mystery/Unknown

When the actor is truly unknown.

“Le coffre a été ouvert.”

“La porte a été forcée.”

Reference Table

Reference table for French Passive: Actions Without the 'Who' (Passif sans complément d'agent)
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Subject + être + PP
Le travail est fait
Negative
Subject + ne + être + pas + PP
Le travail n'est pas fait
Question
être + Subject + PP ?
Le travail est-il fait ?
Passé Composé
Subject + a été + PP
Le travail a été fait
Future
Subject + sera + PP
Le travail sera fait
Plural
Subject + sont + PP
Les travaux sont faits

Formality Spectrum

Formal
Le rapport a été finalisé.

Le rapport a été finalisé. (Work environment)

Neutral
Le rapport est fini.

Le rapport est fini. (Work environment)

Informal
On a fini le rapport.

On a fini le rapport. (Work environment)

Slang
Le rapport est plié.

Le rapport est plié. (Work environment)

Passive Voice Anatomy

Passive Voice

Verb

  • être to be

Action

  • Participe Passé Past Participle

Agreement

  • Genre/Nombre Gender/Number
Sign up free to read full explanation

Examples by Level

1

La porte est fermée.

The door is closed.

2

Le livre est écrit.

The book is written.

3

La pomme est mangée.

The apple is eaten.

4

Le travail est fini.

The work is finished.

1

Le gâteau a été mangé.

The cake was eaten.

2

La lettre sera envoyée.

The letter will be sent.

3

Les fleurs ont été achetées.

The flowers were bought.

4

Le film a été vu.

The movie was seen.

1

Le rapport a été rédigé par le comité.

The report was written by the committee.

2

Les règles doivent être respectées.

The rules must be respected.

3

La décision a été prise rapidement.

The decision was made quickly.

4

Les billets ont été vendus.

The tickets were sold.

1

Le projet a été mené avec succès.

The project was led successfully.

2

Ces mesures ont été adoptées à l'unanimité.

These measures were adopted unanimously.

3

Le bâtiment a été rénové l'an dernier.

The building was renovated last year.

4

Les données ont été analysées minutieusement.

The data were analyzed thoroughly.

1

La loi a été promulguée sans opposition.

The law was promulgated without opposition.

2

Les résultats ont été interprétés de manière critique.

The results were interpreted critically.

3

Le contrat a été résilié conformément aux clauses.

The contract was terminated in accordance with the clauses.

4

L'incident a été étouffé par les autorités.

The incident was hushed up by the authorities.

1

La thèse a été soutenue avec brio.

The thesis was defended brilliantly.

2

L'œuvre a été saluée par la critique.

The work was acclaimed by critics.

3

Les fondements ont été ébranlés par cette découverte.

The foundations were shaken by this discovery.

4

La structure a été consolidée au fil des siècles.

The structure was consolidated over the centuries.

Easily Confused

French Passive: Actions Without the 'Who' (Passif sans complément d'agent) vs Passive vs 'On'

Both can be used to hide the agent.

French Passive: Actions Without the 'Who' (Passif sans complément d'agent) vs Passive vs Reflexive

Reflexive verbs can sometimes sound passive.

French Passive: Actions Without the 'Who' (Passif sans complément d'agent) vs Passive vs Avoir

Learners often use 'avoir' as the auxiliary.

Common Mistakes

✗

La porte a fermée.

✓

La porte est fermée.

Missing 'être' auxiliary.
✗

La pomme est mangé.

✓

La pomme est mangée.

Missing agreement.
✗

Il est mangé la pomme.

✓

La pomme est mangée.

Incorrect subject.
✗

La porte a été fermer.

✓

La porte a été fermée.

Used infinitive instead of participle.
✗

Les fleurs ont été achetés.

✓

Les fleurs ont été achetées.

Agreement error.
✗

Le gâteau a mangé.

✓

Le gâteau a été mangé.

Missing 'été'.
✗

La lettre sera envoyer.

✓

La lettre sera envoyée.

Infinitive error.
✗

Le rapport a été rédigé par le comité.

✓

Le rapport a été rédigé.

Included agent when not needed.
✗

Les règles doivent être respecté.

✓

Les règles doivent être respectées.

Agreement error.
✗

La décision a été prise par le chef.

✓

La décision a été prise.

Included agent.
✗

La loi a été promulguée par le gouvernement.

✓

La loi a été promulguée.

Included agent.
✗

Les résultats ont été interprété.

✓

Les résultats ont été interprétés.

Agreement error.
✗

Le contrat a été résilié par eux.

✓

Le contrat a été résilié.

Included agent.

Sentence Patterns

Le ___ a été ___.

La ___ a été ___.

Les ___ ont été ___.

___ doivent être ___.

Real World Usage

Corporate Email very common

Le projet a été finalisé.

News Report constant

La loi a été votée.

Instruction Manual common

Les vis doivent être serrées.

Social Media occasional

La vidéo a été supprimée.

Job Interview common

Le budget a été géré par moi.

Travel Signage common

Les bagages doivent être surveillés.

Sign up free to see all examples
💡

Agreement is Key

Always check the gender and number of the subject. It is the most common error.
⚠️

Don't use Avoir

The passive voice in French is built on 'être'. Using 'avoir' is a major mistake.
🎯

Use for Objectivity

When you want to sound professional, use the passive voice to focus on the result.
💬

Formal vs Informal

In casual speech, use 'on'. In formal writing, use the passive voice.

Smart Tips

Use the passive voice to focus on the results.

J'ai fini le rapport. → Le rapport a été finalisé.

Use the passive voice to avoid guessing.

Quelqu'un a ouvert la porte. → La porte a été ouverte.

Use the passive voice for clarity.

Vous devez fermer les fenêtres. → Les fenêtres doivent être fermées.

Use the passive voice to highlight the steps.

On a coupé le bois, on a construit la maison. → Le bois a été coupé, la maison a été construite.

Pronunciation

Le rapport est_écrit [ɛtɛkʁi]

Liaison

When 'est' or 'ont' is followed by a vowel, make a liaison.

Falling

La décision a été prise. ↘

Finality and certainty.

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Remember 'E.P.A.' — Etre, Participle, Agreement.

Visual Association

Imagine a statue being built. You don't see the sculptor, just the statue (the subject) being formed by the invisible 'être'.

Rhyme

Pour le passif, c'est très clair, on utilise toujours le verbe être.

Story

The castle was built (Le château a été construit). The stones were placed (Les pierres ont été placées). The flag was raised (Le drapeau a été levé). No one knows who did it, but the castle stands.

Word Web

êtreparticipe passéaccordsujetpassifimpersonnel

Challenge

Take 5 active sentences from a newspaper and rewrite them in the passive voice without an agent.

Cultural Notes

The passive voice is highly valued in French administration and academia to maintain a sense of neutrality.

Similar to France, used in formal settings, though 'on' is even more common in speech.

Very similar to French usage, especially in legal contexts.

Derived from Latin 'passivus', meaning 'capable of suffering' or 'receiving'.

Conversation Starters

“

Le projet a-t-il été terminé ?

“

La réunion a-t-elle été annulée ?

“

Le rapport a-t-il été envoyé ?

“

La décision a-t-elle été validée ?

Journal Prompts

Describe a project you finished at work using the passive voice.
Write a short news report about a local event.
Explain how a law was passed in your country.
Describe the history of a famous building.

Common Mistakes

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Sign up free to see all tips

Test Yourself

Fill in the correct form of 'être'.

La lettre ___ écrite.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: est
Present tense passive.
Choose the correct participle. Multiple Choice

La porte a été ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: fermée
Agreement with feminine subject.
Correct the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Le travail a été faire.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Le travail a été fait.
Past participle of faire is fait.
Change to passive. Sentence Transformation

On a fini le rapport.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Le rapport a été fini.
Standard passive structure.
Is this correct? True False Rule

La passive voice uses 'avoir'.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
Passive voice uses 'être'.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Le projet est fini ? B: Oui, il ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a été fini
Past event.
Order the words. Sentence Building

été / La / prise / a / décision.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: La décision a été prise.
Correct word order.
Sort by tense. Grammar Sorting

Which is future?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: La lettre sera écrite.
Future tense of être.

Score: /8

Practice Exercises

8 exercises
Fill in the correct form of 'être'.

La lettre ___ écrite.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: est
Present tense passive.
Choose the correct participle. Multiple Choice

La porte a été ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: fermée
Agreement with feminine subject.
Correct the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Le travail a été faire.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Le travail a été fait.
Past participle of faire is fait.
Change to passive. Sentence Transformation

On a fini le rapport.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Le rapport a été fini.
Standard passive structure.
Is this correct? True False Rule

La passive voice uses 'avoir'.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
Passive voice uses 'être'.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Le projet est fini ? B: Oui, il ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: a été fini
Past event.
Order the words. Sentence Building

été / La / prise / a / décision.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: La décision a été prise.
Correct word order.
Sort by tense. Grammar Sorting

Which is future?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: La lettre sera écrite.
Future tense of être.

Score: /8

Practice Bank

10 exercises
Add the correct agreement to the participle. Fill in the Blank

La photo est partagé__.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: e
Find the mistake in the sentence. Error Correction

Le café sont servi.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Le café est servi.
Put the words in order. Sentence Reorder

Arrange these words:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Les fleurs sont livrées
Translate to French. Translation

The tickets are bought.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Les billets sont achetés.
Choose the correct sentence. Multiple Choice

Which one is correct for 'The door is closed'?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: La porte est fermée.
Match the subject to the correct verb form. Match Pairs

Match them:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Le pain | est cuit
Complete the social media notification. Fill in the Blank

Votre message ___ envoyé.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: est
Translate to French. Translation

The match is cancelled.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Le match est annulé.
Fix the verb choice. Error Correction

La pizza a mangée.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: La pizza est mangée.
Which one is plural? Multiple Choice

Which sentence means 'The videos are shared'?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Les vidéos sont partagées.

Score: /10

FAQ (8)

You can, but 'on' is much more common. The passive voice sounds formal.

In French, the past participle acts like an adjective when used with 'être'.

Yes, it is generally used in formal, written, or professional contexts.

Yes, using 'par', but this rule is about the passive *without* an agent.

You must add an 's' to the past participle.

No, reflexive verbs use 'se' and indicate the subject does the action to themselves.

Only transitive verbs (verbs that take a direct object) can be used in the passive voice.

Context is key. 'La porte est fermée' can mean 'The door is closed' (state) or 'The door is being closed' (passive).

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

Sign up free to practice

In Other Languages

Spanish high

ser + participio

Spanish uses 'se' passive more frequently than French.

German high

werden + Partizip II

German uses 'werden' instead of 'sein' (être).

Japanese low

reru/rareru suffix

Japanese is agglutinative, French is analytic.

Arabic low

Internal vowel change

Arabic uses morphological changes, French uses auxiliary verbs.

Chinese low

bei (被) construction

Chinese does not conjugate verbs.

English high

to be + past participle

English is less strict about agreement.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
French Passive with 'de' (aimé de, connu de)
Next
French Compound Passive Voice: Was done, Has been done (Voix passive)

Related Grammar Rules

A1

The French 'Si': Using 'If' and 'Yes' (Contradiction)

Overview The French word si is a cornerstone of the language, but its power comes from its dual identity. For a beginner...
B2

Getting Things Done to You (se faire + infinitif)

Overview The construction **`se faire` + infinitive** is a cornerstone of modern spoken French, serving as a dynamic an...
B2

The Magic 'On': The Easy Alternative to the Passive

Overview The pronoun `on` is one of the most versatile and essential words in modern French. While often introduced as a...
B2

French Nominalization: Turning Verbs into Nouns (-tion, -ment)

Overview Nominalization, or `la nominalisation` in French, is the grammatical process of converting a verb or an adject...
A1

French Expressions of Age: I have 20 years (avoir ... ans)

Overview In French, expressing age differs fundamentally from English. You do not **“be”** your age; instead, you **“hav...
Was this helpful?

Comments (0)

Login to Comment
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!