Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

This lesson covers the French passive voice, teaching how to transform active sentences into passive ones using the verb être plus the past participle, with examples and explanations on agreement and the use of "par" to introduce the agent performing the action.
  1. We add "par" to provide information about the subject of the verb.
  2. The past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject.
Forme active (Active form)Formule (Formula)Forme passive (Passive form)
Les étudiants visitent le théâtre. (The students visit the theatre.)Être + participe passéLe théâtre est visité par les étudiants. (The theatre is visited by the students.)
Monsieur Dupont dirige une boîte de nuit. (Mr Dupont runs a nightclub.)Être + participe passé + parLa boîte de nuit est dirigée par Monsieur Dupont. (The nightclub is run by Mr Dupont.)
Mes amis organisent la fête. (The party is organised by my friends.)Être + participe passé + parLa fête est organisée par mes amis. (The party is organised by my friends.)

Exercise 1: La voix passive

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

est construit, est écoutée, sont mangés, est bu, sont réalisés, sont accueillis, sont regardés

1.
On écoute de la musique en boîte de nuit. De la musique ... en boîte de nuit.
(We listen to music in a nightclub. Music is listened to in a nightclub.)
2.
Léa boit son cocktail. Le cocktail ... par Léa.
(Léa drinks her cocktail. The cocktail is drunk by Léa.)
3.
Au cinéma on regarde des films. Au cinéma, des films ....
(At the cinema, we watch films. At the cinema, films are watched.)
4.
Elle construit le théâtre en 2007. Le théâtre ... en 2007.
(She built the theatre in 2007. The theatre was built in 2007.)
5.
Ma famille mange les desserts du restaurant. Les desserts du restaurants ... par ma famille.
(My family eats the desserts from the restaurant. The desserts from the restaurant are eaten by my family.)
6.
Le groupe réalise ses spectacles dans le monde entier. Leurs spectacles ... dans le monde entier.
(The group performs its shows worldwide. Their shows are performed worldwide.)
7.
Mon ami boit un cocktail. Le cocktail ... par mon ami.
(My friend drinks a cocktail. The cocktail is drunk by my friend.)
8.
Le théâtre accueille des artistes. Des artistes ... par le théatre.
(The theatre welcomes artists. Artists are welcomed by the theatre.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. Le spectacle ______ organisé par mes amis vendredi soir.

(The show ______ organized by my friends on Friday night.)

2. La musique ______ écoutée dans la boîte de nuit.

(The music ______ listened to in the nightclub.)

3. La piste de danse ______ utilisée par beaucoup de danseurs.

(The dance floor ______ used by many dancers.)

4. Le théâtre ______ visité par des amis chaque vendredi soir.

(The theater ______ visited by friends every Friday night.)

5. La fête ______ organisée par mes amis ce vendredi soir.

(The party ______ organized by my friends this Friday night.)

6. Le cocktail ______ préparé par le barman avant la sortie.

(The cocktail ______ prepared by the bartender before the outing.)

The Passive Voice in French

This lesson explains how to use the passive voice in French, a key grammatical structure that shifts focus from the doer of an action to the action itself or its receiver.

Active vs. Passive Forms

In French, sentences can be written in an active form (where the subject performs the action) or a passive form (where the subject is acted upon). For example, "Les étudiants visitent le théâtre" (The students visit the theater) is active, while "Le théâtre est visité par les étudiants" (The theater is visited by the students) is passive.

How to Form the Passive Voice

  • The passive voice is formed with the verb être (to be) conjugated according to the subject, followed by the past participle of the main verb.
  • The word par is added to introduce the agent performing the action, if specified.
  • The past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject of the sentence.

Examples

  • Active: Monsieur Dupont dirige une boîte de nuit.
    Passive: La boîte de nuit est dirigée par Monsieur Dupont.
  • Active: Mes amis organisent la fête.
    Passive: La fête est organisée par mes amis.

Important Notes

Remember to adjust the past participle to match the subject’s gender and number in passive sentences. Using être + past participle plus par is standard to indicate who performs the action.

Differences Between English and French Passive Voice

While both languages use a form of "to be" plus the past participle to form the passive, French always requires agreement of the past participle with the subject, which is not the case in English. For example, in French you say "La fête est organisée" with an "-e" at the end for feminine singular, but in English, "The party is organized" has no such agreement.

Useful phrases:
est visité(e) - is visited
est dirigé(e) - is directed/managed
est organisé(e) - is organized

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Azéline Perrin

Bachelor Degree in Applied Foreign Languages

Université de Lorraine

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Last Updated:

Thursday, 29/05/2025 16:02