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Learn the French passive voice (la voix passive) with key expressions like « est visité » (is visited) and « est organisée par » (is organized by), focusing on constructing sentences using « être + participe passé » and the preposition « par ».
  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.)

Understanding the Passive Voice (La voix passive) in French

This lesson introduces the passive voice, a fundamental grammatical structure in French that allows you to express actions focusing on the receiver rather than the doer. You will learn how to transform active sentences into passive ones and understand the nuances involved in this transformation.

What You'll Learn

  • How to form the passive voice using the verb être + the past participle.
  • The role of par to indicate the agent performing the action.
  • Agreement of the past participle in gender and number with the subject.
  • Differences in point of view between active and passive sentences.

Key Concepts and Examples

The passive voice emphasizes the action's recipient instead of the subject performing it. For example:

  • Les étudiants visitent le théâtre. (Active) means The students visit the theater.
  • Corresponding passive form: Le théâtre est visité par les étudiants. (The theater is visited by the students.)

The structure to remember is: être + past participle [+ par + agent]. When including the agent (the doer of the action), use par.

Examples:

  • Monsieur Dupont dirige une boîte de nuit. transforms to La boîte de nuit est dirigée par Monsieur Dupont.
  • Mes amis organisent la fête. becomes La fête est organisée par mes amis.

Important Grammar Points

  • The past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject: organisée (feminine singular), organisés (masculine plural).
  • Use par when mentioning who performs the action.

Notes for English Speakers Learning French Passive Voice

Unlike English, which uses the auxiliary to be plus the past participle similarly (e.g., "is visited"), French requires careful agreement of the past participle with the subject's gender and number. Furthermore, the agent is introduced by the preposition par, directly translating to "by" in English.

Useful phrases to remember:

  • être (to be) + past participle – forms the passive voice.
  • par – indicates the agent performing the action.

Summary

This lesson covers how to form and use the passive voice in French, focusing on sentence construction, agreement rules, and the use of par to indicate the agent. Mastery of this topic allows you to express actions from a different perspective, which is essential for both written and spoken French.

Written by

This content has been designed and reviewed by the coLanguage pedagogical team: About coLanguage

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Azéline Perrin

Bachelor Degree in Applied Foreign Languages

Université de Lorraine

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Last Updated:

Thursday, 17/07/2025 21:11