The passive voice is used to focus on the action itself or on the person/thing receiving the action, rather than the one performing it.
Structure of the passive voice
The structure is: être (in the present tense) + past participle of the main verb + par (optional).
- Le livre est lu par Paul. (The book is read by Paul.)
- La porte est fermée par le gardien. (The door is closed by the guard.)
- Les lettres sont écrites par les élèves. (The letters are written by the students.)
Agreement of the past participle
The past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject.
- Le gâteau est mangé. (masculine singular – The cake is eaten.)
- La chanson est chantée. (feminine singular – The song is sung.)
- Les enfants sont aidés. (masculine plural – The children are helped.)
- Les fenêtres sont ouvertes. (feminine plural – The windows are opened.)
When to use the passive voice?
The passive voice is used when the person doing the action is unknown or when you want to emphasize the result or situation.
- Les résultats sont annoncés. (The results are announced – we don’t know by whom.)
- La maison est nettoyée tous les jours. (The house is cleaned every day – focus on the clean result.)