PASSIVE VOICE

The passive voice is useful in a number of context, including reporting the facts and summarizing what went on. The passive voice reverses the roles and positions of the subject and the direct object of a normal sentence (in the active voice). The direct object of an active sentence becomes the subject of a passive sentence. This new subject does NOT carry out the action of the verb (as it does in an active sentence), but is acted upon by an agent.

A.    FORMATION

Active Voice:             subject + verb + direct object

Le meurtrier a tue les temoins.

La neige couvre les montagnes.

Les scientifiques vont discuter l’economie.

Passive Voice:            subject + ETRE (conjugated) +past participle + par / de+agent

                

(subject and past participle agree in gender and number)

Les temoins ont ete tues par le meurtrier.

Les montagnes sont couvertes de neige.

L’economie vont etre discutee.

NOTE:

1) When transforming a sentence from the active to passive voice, ETRE must be in the same tense as the main verb in the active voice.

2)  In French, only verbs that are followed by direct objects can be put into the passive voice.

3)  An agent is not always mentioned because it is either implied, unknown, or unimportant. However, when it is present it is usually introduced by PAR. However, DE is used when the passive voice denotes a abstract sate or condition and is NOT followed by an article.

B.     AVOIDING THE PASSIVE

1.      If an agent is expressed, transform the sentence to the active voice by:  1) making the agent the subject of the sentence, 2)  making the passive subject the direct object, and 3)  deleting ETRE and the past participle of the main verb and replacing them with a conjugated form of the main verb.

PASSIVE: Une rage fatale a ete ecrite par un romancier célèbre.

ACTIVE: Unromancier célèbre a ecrit une rage fatale.

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2.                  If an agent is NOT expressed and is a person, use the indefinite pronoun ON as the subject, followed by the active verb in the 3^rd person singular form.

PASSIVE:           Ce roman est connu dans de nombreux pays.

ACTIVE:    On connait ce roman dans de nombreux pays.

3.                  Certain, common, habitual actions in English expressed in the passive voice can be rendered in French by pronominal verbs, assuming that the subject is inanimate. Common pronominal verbs used in this situation are SE MANGER, SE BOIRE, SE PARLER, SE VENDRE, S’OUVRIR, SE FERMER, SE DIRE, SE FAIRE, S’EXPLIGUER, SE TROUVER, and SE VOIR.

Ce roman ne se vend pas bien en ce moment.

This novel is not selling very well right now.

Mais cela s’expligue facilement, puisqu’il vient seulement de sortir en librairie.

But that is easily explained, since it just came out in the bookstores.