Voix passive aux temps composés

In a normal sentence, the subject acts. For example: Le chat a mangé la souris (The cat ate the mouse). Here, the cat is the boss. In the passive voice, we flip it: La souris a été mangée par le chat (The mouse was eaten by the cat). Now, the mouse is the subject. Even though the mouse didn't do anything, it is the focus of our sentence. To make this work in compound tenses, we use the verb être. It acts as a bridge between the subject and the action. It is like a grammar relay race where être hands the baton to the main verb.

1. 1Building this is a three-step process. Don't worry, it is easier than folding a fitted sheet! For the most common compound tense (the passé composé), follow this recipe:
2. 2Start with your new subject (the receiver of the action).
3. 3Use the verb avoir in the present tense: ai, as, a, avons, avez, ont.
4. 4Add the word été (this is the past participle of être).
5. 5Add the past participle of your main action verb (like mangé, fini, or vendu).
6. 6Crucial Step: Make the past participle agree with the subject! If the subject is feminine, add an e. If it is plural, add an s.
7. 7Example: La lettre (feminine) + a été + écrite (added an 'e').

Use the passive voice when the result is more important than the person. Imagine you are at a job interview. You want to say "The project was finished on time." You would say: Le projet a été fini à l'heure. It sounds professional and focused. You also use it when you don't know who did the action. If someone stole your bike, you would say: Mon vélo a été volé. You don't know who the thief is, but you definitely know the bike is gone! It is also great for news reports or formal announcements. It makes everything sound a bit more official and serious.

Don't use the passive voice for everything! If you use it too much, you will sound like a robot or a very boring textbook. In casual French, people love the word on. Instead of saying "The cake was eaten," a French person would usually say On a mangé le gâteau. It is faster and feels more natural. Also, you cannot use the passive voice with verbs that don't take an object. You can't "be arrived" or "be gone" in this specific passive way. If there is no object to flip to the front, the passive voice stays home.

The biggest trap is forgetting the agreement. If la pizza was eaten, it must be mangée. If you forget that extra e, the grammar police might not arrest you, but it will look messy! Another mistake is forgetting the word été. If you say La pizza a mangée, you are saying "The pizza has eaten," which sounds like a horror movie plot. Always remember: avoir + été + participle. Also, watch out for the word par (by). Some people forget to use it when they want to mention who did the action. It is the glue that holds the end of the sentence together.

Don't confuse the passive voice with the normal passé composé. In the normal passé composé, we use être or avoir to show an action happened. For example, Elle est tombée (She fell). She did the falling! In the passive voice Elle a été aidée (She was helped), someone else did the work. Think of it like this: Active voice is a DIY project. Passive voice is hiring a contractor. One more thing: don't confuse été (been) with été (summer). They look the same, but one is a verb and the other is a season. Context is your best friend here!