The passive voice allows you to shift the emphasis in a sentence. This is also possible in English using the passive form. But how does it work in French?

The voix passive is used to emphasize the subject undergoing an action. This differs from the active voice, where the focus is on the person performing the action. The direct object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.

How is the passive voice formed?

In French, the verb être is used to form the voix passive. It is conjugated in the same tense as the main verb in the active sentence. Then, the past participle is added, which must agree in gender and number with the subject.

Active sentence:
Le professeur corrige les devoirs.
(The teacher corrects the homework.)

Passive sentence:
Les devoirs sont corrigés par le professeur.
(The homework is corrected by the teacher.)

Agent complement

The person or thing performing the action in a passive sentence is called the complément d’agent. It is usually introduced by the preposition par (by), although some verbs use de.

Examples:

• Ce livre a été écrit par Victor Hugo.
  (This book was written by Victor Hugo.)

> ‘Victor Hugo’ is the agent complement.

• La maison est entourée d’
  (The house is surrounded by trees.)

> ‘d’arbres’ is the agent complement.

Pronominal verbs

Pronominal verbs (verbes pronominaux) can sometimes have a passive meaning. The action appears to happen ‘automatically’, without an explicit agent.

Example:

• Ces appartements se sont loués en quelques jours.
  (These apartments were rented out within a few days.)

The emphasis here is on the result, without mentioning the agent.

Note: This usage resembles the voix passive, but unlike the classic passive form, no complément d’agent is used here.

Exceptions: verbs with être

Some verbs use être in the passé composé (such as arriver or tomber). These verbs do not occur in the passive voice because they do not have a direct object. They describe an event or movement undergone by the subject itself.

Examples:

• Elle est arrivée hier. (She arrived yesterday.)
• Il est tombé dans les escaliers. (He fell down the stairs.)

Note: These verbs do not have a complément d’agent, as there is no external actor performing the action.