Formation de la voix passive

Think of a sentence like a movie scene. In the active voice, the actor is in the spotlight. In the passive voice, the action or the result takes center stage. To do this, we swap the positions of the subject and the object. The original object becomes the new subject. The original subject moves to the end. We introduce the verb être as a helper. It acts like a bridge between the new subject and the action. Then, we use the past participle of the main verb. Finally, we use the word par to introduce the person doing the action. It is a bit like a grammar dance. Everyone changes partners, but the music stays the same. If you can conjugate être in the present tense, you are already halfway there. Don’t worry; even native speakers take a second to flip these in their heads sometimes. It’s a bit like a grammar traffic light; you just need to know when to go.

1. 1Building a passive sentence follows a very strict recipe. Follow these five steps to get it right every time:
2. 2Find the direct object of your active sentence. In Marie mange la pomme, the object is la pomme.
3. 3Move that object to the very beginning. It is now your subject. La pomme....
4. 4Conjugate the verb être in the same tense as the original verb. For A1, we usually use the present tense. La pomme est....
5. 5Add the past participle of the main verb. For manger, it is mangé. La pomme est mangé....
6. 6Crucial Step: Make the past participle agree with the new subject. Since la pomme is feminine, add an e. La pomme est mangée....
7. 7Add the word par followed by the original subject. La pomme est mangée par Marie.
8. 8If you have multiple items, like les pommes, remember to add an s. Les pommes sont mangées par Marie. It is all about balance. If the subject is plural, the verb and the participle must be plural too.

When should you pull this tool out of your grammar kit? Use it when the result is more important than the person. Imagine you are at a bakery. You might see a sign saying Le pain est cuit ici. It sounds more professional than "We cook bread here." Use it in job interviews to sound formal. For example, Ce projet est fini. It sounds very decisive. You also use it when you don't know who did the action. If someone stole your bike, you'd say Mon vélo est volé. You don't know who did it, so the bike is the focus. It is also great for describing historical facts or rules. La tour Eiffel est visitée par des millions de personnes. It makes the landmark the hero of the sentence. Think of it as a way to add variety to your speaking. It keeps your listeners interested.

Not every verb can be flipped. This is where many people get stuck. You can only use the passive voice with verbs that take a direct object. These are called transitive verbs. Verbs like manger, voir, or faire work perfectly. However, verbs like aller, venir, or dormir do not. You cannot say "The bed is slept by me." That sounds just as weird in French as it does in English. Also, avoid using the passive voice if it makes the sentence too long and clunky. If you are just telling a friend about your day, stick to the active voice. It is faster and more natural. If you say Le café est bu par moi at a café, the waiter might think you are a robot. Just say Je bois un café. Keep the passive voice for when you want to be extra clear or formal.

The biggest trap is the agreement of the past participle. Remember, in the passive voice, the participle must match the subject. If the subject is la voiture, the participle needs an e. If it is les garçons, it needs an s. Many people forget this because they are focusing on the verb être. Another mistake is forgetting the verb être entirely. You cannot just say La pomme mangée par Paul. That means "The apple eaten by Paul," which isn't a full sentence. You need that est in there. Also, watch out for the word par. Some learners try to use de, but par is your best friend here. Finally, don't confuse the passive voice with the passé composé. They look similar because they both use past participles, but the meaning is totally different. One describes an action in the past; the other describes who the action is done to.

In French, we have a few ways to avoid saying who did something. The most common is using on. Instead of La pizza est mangée, you can say On mange la pizza. This is much more common in casual conversation. It feels lighter and faster. Another similar pattern is the reflexive voice. Sometimes we say Cela se dit (That is said). This is called the "passive pronominal." It is used for general truths. The passive voice with être is more specific to a single event. Think of on as your casual jeans and the passive voice as your formal suit. Both are great, but you choose them based on where you are going. At A1, focus on mastering être + participle first. It is the foundation for everything else.