Introduction
The choice between active and passive voice in French allows speakers to emphasize different parts of a sentence. By understanding when to use each, you can effectively shift focus either to the subject performing an action or to the object receiving it.
Structure
Active Voice
In the active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action. This construction is direct and often more engaging.
- Structure: Subject + Verb + Object
- Example: "Marie écrit une lettre."
- Translation: "Marie writes a letter."
Passive Voice
In the passive voice, the focus shifts to the object of the action, which becomes the subject of the sentence. The agent (doer of the action) may be included or omitted, depending on its relevance.
- Structure: Subject + être + Past Participle + (par + Agent)
- Example: "Une lettre est écrite par Marie."
- Translation: "A letter is written by Marie."
Comparison
| Active Voice | Passive Voice |
|---|---|
| Jean mange une pomme. | Une pomme est mangée par Jean. |
| Le professeur explique la leçon. | La leçon est expliquée par le professeur. |
| Les enfants jouent au football. | Le football est joué par les enfants. |
When to Use Active Voice
- Emphasize the Subject: Use active voice when the subject performing the action is more important or needs to be highlighted.
- Example: "Le chien a trouvé l’os." ("The dog found the bone.")
- Clarity and Directness: Active voice is often clearer and more straightforward, making it ideal for direct communication.
- Example: "Elle a terminé le projet." ("She finished the project.")
When to Use Passive Voice
- Emphasize the Object or Receiver: Use passive voice when the focus is on the object being acted upon rather than the doer.
- Example: "Le projet a été terminé par elle." ("The project was finished by her.")
- Agent is Unknown or Irrelevant: The passive voice is useful when the agent of the action is unknown, unimportant, or implied.
- Example: "La fenêtre a été brisée." ("The window was broken.")
- Formal or Academic Writing: The passive voice is often used in formal writing to create an objective tone.
- Example: "Une décision a été prise par le comité." ("A decision was made by the committee.")
Key Differences
Focus Shift
- Active Voice: The subject is the focus—who is doing the action.
- Example: "Paul lit le livre." ("Paul reads the book.")
- Passive Voice: The focus is on the object or the action itself—what is being done.
- Example: "Le livre est lu par Paul." ("The book is read by Paul.")
Subject Emphasis
- Active: Emphasizes the doer of the action.
- Example: "Les étudiants ont préparé le rapport." ("The students prepared the report.")
- Passive: Emphasizes the receiver or the result of the action.
- Example: "Le rapport a été préparé par les étudiants." ("The report was prepared by the students.")
Conjugation Guide
Passive Voice with "Être"
The passive voice is formed using the appropriate tense of the verb "être" followed by the past participle of the main verb. The past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject.
Present Tense
- Structure: Subject + est (present tense of "être") + Past Participle + (par + Agent)
- Example: "Le livre est lu par Jacques."
- Translation: "The book is read by Jacques."
Past Tense (Passé Composé)
- Structure: Subject + a été (passé composé of "être") + Past Participle + (par + Agent)
- Example: "La lettre a été écrite par Marie."
- Translation: "The letter was written by Marie."
Imperfect Tense
- Structure: Subject + était (imperfect of "être") + Past Participle + (par + Agent)
- Example: "Le mur était peint par mon père."
- Translation: "The wall was painted by my father."
Future Tense
- Structure: Subject + sera (future tense of "être") + Past Participle + (par + Agent)
- Example: "Le rapport sera présenté par l'étudiant."
- Translation: "The report will be presented by the student."
Conditional Tense
- Structure: Subject + serait (conditional of "être") + Past Participle + (par + Agent)
- Example: "La décision serait prise par le directeur."
- Translation: "The decision would be made by the director."
Additional Examples
Present Tense
- Active: "Les enfants dessinent un tableau."
- Translation: "The children draw a picture."
- Passive: "Un tableau est dessiné par les enfants."
- Translation: "A picture is drawn by the children."
Past Tense
- Active: "Julie a cuisiné le dîner."
- Translation: "Julie cooked the dinner."
- Passive: "Le dîner a été cuisiné par Julie."
- Translation: "The dinner was cooked by Julie."
Future Tense
- Active: "Thomas construira une maison."
- Translation: "Thomas will build a house."
- Passive: "Une maison sera construite par Thomas."
- Translation: "A house will be built by Thomas."
Conditional Tense
- Active: "Les élèves liraient le texte."
- Translation: "The students would read the text."
- Passive: "Le texte serait lu par les élèves."
- Translation: "The text would be read by the students."
Conclusion
The active voice highlights the subject performing the action, making it ideal for clear and direct communication. The passive voice, on the other hand, shifts the focus to the object or the action itself, which is useful when the agent is unknown, irrelevant, or when the object needs emphasis.