Monday, March 9, 2020
French Passive Voice †La voix passive
French Passive Voice - La voix passive Voice is a grammatical term which indicates the relationship between a subject and verb. There are three different voices in French and English. In the passive voice, the action described by the verb is being done to the subject by an agent, which is usually introduced by one of two prepositions:1. When the verb expresses an action, the agent is introduced by the preposition par:Active voice   David fait le mà ©nage.   David is doing the housework.Passive voice   Le mà ©nage est fait par David.   The housework is done by David.Active voice   Lise lit le livre.   Lise is reading the book.Passive voice   Le livre est lu par Lise.   The book is read by Lise.2. When the verb expresses a state of being, the agent is either introduced by de or left out entirely:Active voice   Tout le monde le respecte.   Everyone respects him.Passive voice   Il est respectà © de tout le monde.   He is respected by everyone.   Il est à ©minemment respectà ©.   He is highly respected.Active voice   Mes amis aiment ma mà ¨re.    My friends love my mother.Passive voice   Ma mà ¨re est aimà ©e de mes amis.   My mother is loved by my friends. How to Conjugate the French Passive Voice The passive voice is formed with the conjugated verb à ªtre the past participle. The past participle has to agree with the subject, not the agent, in gender and number, just like à ªtre verbs in the passà © composà ©Ã‚ (more about agreement):   Le livre est à ©crit par des lycà ©ens.   The book is written by high schoolers.   La vaisselle est faite par Henri.   The dishes are done by Henri.   Les enfants sont nourris par Luc.   The kids are fed by Luc. To use the French passive voice in any other tense or mood, just conjugate à ªtre accordingly: Active voice Passive voice prsent Anne fait la tarte.Anne makes the pie. La tarte est faite par Anne.The pie is made by Anne. pass compos Anne a fait la tarte.Anne made the pie. La tarte a t faite par Anne.The pie was made by Anne. imparfait Anne faisait la tarte.Anne was making the pie. La tarte tait faite par Anne.The pie was being made by Anne. futur Anne fera la tarte.Anne will make the pie. La tarte sera faite par Anne.The pie will be made by Anne. subjonctif Je veux quAnne fasse la tarte. I want Anne to make the pie. Je veux que la tarte soit faite par Anne.I want the pie to be made by Anne. How to Use the French Passive Voice Now that you know about prepositions and agents and how to conjugate the passive voice, its on to more practical matters. The French passive voice may be used for two reasons:A) To put more emphasis on the person or thing performing the action:Active: Un enfant a à ©crit ce livre. - A child wrote this book.Passive: Ce livre a à ©tà © à ©crit par un enfant. - This book was written by a child.B) To focus on an action without identifying the performer:    Jean a à ©crit ce livre. - Jean wrote this book.   vs    Il a à ©tà © à ©crit en 1927. - It was written in 1927. How to Avoid the French Passive Voice The French passive voice has a slightly formal or literary tone and is used less frequently than in English. There are several alternatives to the passive voice (besides the active voice): A) To focus on the performer, use cest:    Ce livre a à ©tà © à ©crit par un enfant. Cest un enfant qui a à ©crit ce livre.   This book was written by a child. Its a child who wrote this book.    Le record a à ©tà © battu par une femme. Cest une femme qui a battu le record.   The record was beaten by a woman. Its a woman who beat the record.B) To avoid identifying the performer, there are two options:    1. On (impersonal subject pronoun)    Ce livre a à ©tà © à ©crit en 1927. On a à ©crit ce livre en 1927.   This book was written in 1927.    Ils ont à ©tà © pardonnà ©s. On les a pardonnà ©s.   They have been excused.    2. Se (passive reflexive)    Ce livre est souvent lu. Ce livre se lit souvent.   This book is often read.    Les mà »res ne sont pas vendues ici. Les mà »res ne se vendent pas ici.Â Â à ‚ Blackberries arent sold here.
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