LA VOIX PASSIVE

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A. 1. A verb is in the passive voice when the subject of the verb does not perform the action signified by the verb, but is the object of this action:

Example:

Active voice: Il a vu
le film (The subject "Il" performs the act of seeing)
Passive voice:
Le film a été vu (The subject "Le film" is the object of the act of seeing.)

2. The person or thing performing an action in the passive voice is marked by "par"

Example:
Le film a été vu par la classe entière.

If the verb in the passive signifies an unchanging state, "par" is replaced by "de":

Example:
La maison était couverte de neige.

3. The passive is formed by conjugating "être" and adding the past participle.

The tense of the passive is the tense of the verb "être." The past participle of the verb being put in the passive acts more like an adjective than a verb and agrees with the subject of the sentence. The past participle of "être" does not agree.

Example:
"L'inondation a été vue" is in the passive voice and the passé composé tense.

Tense Active Voice Passive Voice
Présent Elle déteste le poste. Le poste est détesté.
Passé Composé Nous avons rendu la demande. La demande a été rendue.
Imparfait Ils servaient le dîner. Le dîner était servi.
Plus-que-parfait Tu avais rencontré le chômeur. Le chômeur avait été rencontré.
Conditionnel Vous craindriez les souris. Les souris seraient craintes.
Futur La machine produira la marchandise. La marchandise sera produite.
Futur antérieur L'auteur aura traduit l'original. L'original aura été traduit par l'auteur.
Subjonctif présent Je suis content qu'elle sache la réponse. Je suis content que la réponse soit sue.

NOTE: When translating a complete action in the past, use the passé composé, not the imperfect tense:

Example:
Elle a été dépassée.

4. Only transitive French verbs, those taking a direct object, can be put into the passive. Non-transitive French verbs cannot be put into the passive voice.

Examples:
Active:
Elle a pris le jouet.
"Prendre" is transitive since it takes a direct object, "le jouet." It can thus be put in the passive voice:

Passive:
Le jouet a été pris.

Active:
Elle a répondu au téléphone. Répondre is intransitive, since it does not take a direct object, but is rather followed by the preposition "à."

Passive: This sentence cannot be put into the passive voice in French.

In English, as opposed to French, intransitive verbs can be put into the passive.

Example:
Passive:
She was spoken to"
("She" is not the direct object of "to speak," but rather the object of the preposition "to").

In French, however, intransitive verbs like "répondre" and "parler," which are followed by the preposition "to," cannot be put into the passive.

As a result, the English passive sentence, "
She was spoken to," cannot be translated by a French passive. It must be translated in the active voice:

Example:
On lui a parlé."

NOTE1: "She was listened to" can be translated by a French passive,because "écouter" takes a direct object in French:

Example:
Elle a été écoutée.

NOTE2: Verbs conjugated with "être" in the active voice (monter, descendre, aller, etc.) are normally intransitive and cannot be put in the passive.

Example:
Elle est partie.

A few of these verbs, however, can be conjugated with "avoir." They then take on a different meaning and can be put into the passive:

Examples:
Jeanne a monté la valise => La valise a été montée par Jeanne.

Exercise I. a. Active or Passive Voice? b. What Tense?:
1. Ils sont venus.

2. Nous sommes vus.

3. Elle est entourée d'hommes.

4. Tu étais sortie.

5. Le chien sera sorti.

6. Il sera entré.

7. Il avait été employé par la banque.

Exercice II. Translate using the passive voice:
8. We were being followed by the gendarme.

9. Then, we were followed by the gendarme.

10. He will be hated (haïr) by her students.

11. They had been aided by the ennemy.

12. John will have been noticed (remarquer) by the police.

B. French uses the passive voice primarily for stylistic reasons, either to faciliate a transition between sentences ("Le pauvre garçon qui était couvert de fourmis.") or to accent a word. One way in which French accents words is to put them at the end of a phrase or a sentence ("Tu a été blessé par ta mère?").

Mostly, French tries to avoid the passive (Remember, the active voice is obligatory if the verb is not a transitive verb).

The French avoid the passive in the following ways:

1. If the agent of the action is given, exchange the subject and the object and transform the passive sentence into an active sentence:

Example:
Paul a été remarqué par l'enfant=>
L'enfant a remarqué Paul.

2. If no agent is given, use "on" as subject of an active sentence. The subject of the passive becomes the object.

Example:
Le gorille sera découvert.=>
On découvrira
le gorille.

3. If the action is habitual or conventional (normally in the present tense), keep the same subject but replace the passive voice with a pronominal verb in the active voice.

Example:
Le dîner est servi à huit heures.=>
Le dîner
se sert à huit heures.

Exercice IV. Translate the passive voice with a French sentence in the active voice.
13. She was spoken to yesterday.

14. French is spoken in Quebec.

15. The class will be taught by Mlle de Vichy.

16. That is simply not done.

17. They are admired by everyone.

18. They will be remembered (se souvenir de).

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