French grammar: emploi des formes passives

What this grammar point covers

The passive voice in French is a way to say that something is done to the subject, rather than the subject doing the action.

When to use it

Use the passive voice in French when you want to focus on the action or the receiver of the action, instead of who is doing it. It's common in formal writing, news, or when the doer is unknown or not important.

Key forms

• "être" + past participle (participe passé): Le livre est lu.
• The past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject: Les lettres sont écrites.
• The agent (the one who does the action) can be introduced with "par": La chanson est chantée par Marie.

Examples

Tips

• Always use the correct form of "être" for the tense you need.
• Make sure the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject.
• Not all active sentences can be changed to passive in French.

Exceptions and edge cases

• Some verbs cannot be used in the passive voice, especially those without a direct object.
• In spoken French, the passive is less common; you might hear the 'on' form instead.