The passive form: se vendre, se faire

La forme passive: se vendre, se faire

Le passif montre qu’un sujet subit l’action : se vendre, se faire aider, se laisser convaincre.

(The passive shows that a subject undergoes the action: se vendre, se faire aider, se laisser convaincre.)

Teacher explanation

What this is: a passive meaning without “être”

French often avoids the classic passive (être + past participle). Instead, it uses:

se + verb (pronominal passive): Ce type de maison se vend vite.
support verbs + infinitive: se faire / se laisser / se voir / s’entendre + infinitif

These structures sound natural and are common in administrative, professional, and legal contexts.

1) “se + verb”: how to recognize the passive meaning

Pattern: Subject (thing) + se + verb (active form)

The subject is not the doer. It is the “thing affected”.
The agent (by someone) is usually not expressed.

French	Natural English meaning	Hidden agent
La maison se vend vite.	The house sells quickly / is sold quickly.	(people / the market)
L’héritage se répartit selon le testament.	The inheritance is divided according to the will.	(the heirs / the notary)

Key check: can you add “by people / by the parties” in English? If yes, a passive meaning is likely.

Present vs other tenses: general rule vs one-off event

Present → typically a general truth / standard practice.
- En France, ce type de maison se vend très vite. (market reality)
Past / other tenses → typically a specific event.
- La tutelle s’est organisée rapidement. (this case, once)

Agreement & auxiliaries: the practical rules you need

With passé composé, pronominal verbs use être:
- La tutelle s’est organisée.
Agreement in the pronominal passive is usually straightforward because the subject is before the verb:
- La tutelle s’est organisée. (feminine singular)
- Les démarches se sont terminées. (feminine plural)

Avoid the “double passive” mistake

Don’t combine être + past participle with the pronominal passive.

~~La tutelle a été s’est organisée.~~
La tutelle s’est organisée.
La tutelle a été organisée. (classic passive; possible but often heavier)

2) Support verbs: passive meaning with a clear “recipient”

These forms are useful when the subject is a person and you want to show what happened to them.

Form	Main idea	Typical use
se faire + infinitif	“have/get something done (to you)”	often neutral; can imply initiative
se laisser + infinitif	“let oneself be…”	influence, pressure, persuasion
se voir + infinitif	“be confronted with / be (officially)…”	decisions, refusals, attribution
s’entendre + infinitif	“hear oneself…” → “be told/offered”	formal offers, proposals, statements

Choosing the right support verb (fast decision guide)

Did the person actively arrange it? → often se faire.
- Il s’est fait expliquer les clauses du testament (par le notaire).
Was the person influenced or gave in? → se laisser.
- Elle s’est laissée convaincre par sa famille.
Was it an official decision affecting them? → se voir.
- Elle s’est vu refuser une part.
Was it something they were told/offered? → s’entendre.
- Il s’est entendu proposer une médiation.

Word order: where the infinitive goes (common pitfall)

After the support verb, you need the infinitive (not a past participle).

Correct: Il s’est fait expliquer la procédure.
Incorrect: ~~Il s’est fait expliqué la procédure.~~

Self-check: did you build the structure correctly?

Identify the focus: a thing (process) or a person (recipient)?
Pick the form:
- thing/process → se + verb
- person receiving an action → se faire / se laisser / se voir / s’entendre + infinitive
Check the tense: present (general) vs past (one event).
Check agreement in passé composé (être + endings if needed).
No double passive: don’t add a été to a pronominal passive.

Used in the present tense, it indicates a general truth, whereas in other tenses it indicates a one-off event.

Forme (Form)	Exemple (Example)
se + verbe (se + verb)	L’héritage se répartit selon le testament. (The inheritance is distributed according to the will.)
se + verbe au passé (se + verb in the past)	La tutelle s’est organisée rapidement. (The guardianship was set up quickly.)
se faire + infinitif (to have + infinitive done / to get + infinitive done)	Il s’est fait expliquer l’héritage. (He had the inheritance explained to him.)
se laisser + infinitif (to let oneself + infinitive)	Il s’est laissé convaincre par la famille. (He let himself be convinced by the family.)
se voir + infinitif (to find oneself + infinitive / to be + past participle)	Elle s’est vu refuser une part. (She was refused a share.)
s’entendre + infinitif (to hear oneself + infinitive / to be told)	Il s’est entendu proposer une médiation. (He was offered mediation.)

Exercise 1: Multiple choice

Instruction: Choose the correct answer

1. En France, ce type de maison _____ très vite quand il y a peu d’offres dans le quartier.

2. Après le décès de sa mère, la tutelle _____ en quelques semaines, avec l’accord du juge.

3. Pour comprendre la répartition des biens, il _____ les clauses du testament par le notaire.

4. Sous la pression de la fratrie, elle _____ de ne pas contester l’héritage.

Exercise 2: Rewrite the phrases

Instruction: Rewrite each sentence using a reflexive passive with “se” (se + verb / passé composé) or a construction with a support verb (se faire / se laisser / se voir / s’entendre + infinitive), as in the example: On a refusé une part à Julie → Julie s’est vu refuser une part.

Show/Hide translation Show/Hide hints

Hint Hint (se + verbe) Dans cette famille, on partage l’héritage selon le testament.

⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
Dans cette famille, l’héritage se partage selon le testament.
(In this family, the inheritance is shared according to the will.)
Hint Hint (passé composé) Après le décès, on a organisé la tutelle en quelques jours.

⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
Après le décès, la tutelle s’est organisée en quelques jours.
(After the death, the guardianship was arranged in a few days.)
Hint Hint (se faire) Le notaire a expliqué les conséquences du testament à Paul.

⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
Paul s’est fait expliquer les conséquences du testament par le notaire.
(Paul had the consequences of the will explained to him by the notary.)
Hint Hint (se laisser) La famille a convaincu Léa d’accepter la médiation.

⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
Léa s’est laissée convaincre d’accepter la médiation.
(Léa let herself be convinced to accept mediation.)

Exercise 3: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose, for each block, the grammatically correct sentence.