Passive 1
is done / was done — Active vs Passive, Formation & Uses — Complete Guide
Passif 1
is done / was done — Actif vs Passif, Formation & Usages — Guide Complet
Master the passive voice in the present and past simple: when to use it, how to form it with be + past participle, and how to contrast it with active sentences
Maîtrisez la voix passive au présent et au passé simple : quand l'utiliser, comment la former avec be + participe passé, et comment la comparer aux phrases actives
Active vs Passive: When we use an active verb, we say what the subject does. When we use a passive verb, we say what happens to the subject. The passive is formed with be (is/was etc.) + past participle. It is used when the doer of the action is unknown, unimportant, or obvious from context.
Actif vs Passif : Quand on utilise un verbe actif, on dit ce que le sujet fait. Quand on utilise un verbe passif, on dit ce qui arrive au sujet. Le passif se forme avec be (is/was etc.) + participe passé. On l'utilise quand celui qui fait l'action est inconnu, sans importance, ou évident selon le contexte.
Active vs Passive — What Changes?
Actif vs Passif — Qu'est-ce qui change ?
In an active sentence, the subject performs the action. In a passive sentence, the subject receives the action. The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.
Dans une phrase active, le sujet effectue l'action. Dans une phrase passive, le sujet subit l'action. Le complément de la phrase active devient le sujet de la phrase passive.
Passive: This house was built in 1981. → subject receives the action
Active: The company employs two hundred people.
Passive: Two hundred people are employed by the company.
To say who does or causes the action in a passive sentence, we use by:
Pour dire qui fait ou cause l'action dans une phrase passive, on utilise by :
Two hundred people are employed by the company.
Active — subject does the action
Actif — le sujet effectue l'action
Passive — subject receives the action
Passif — le sujet subit l'action
When Do We Use the Passive?
Quand utilise-t-on le passif ?
We use the passive when who or what causes the action is unknown or unimportant. We do not need to mention the agent (the doer). If we do want to mention the agent, we add by …
On utilise le passif quand celui qui cause l'action est inconnu ou sans importance. Il n'est pas nécessaire de mentionner l'agent. Si on veut le mentionner, on ajoute by …
Present Simple & Past Simple Passive
Passif au présent simple & passé simple
Present simple passive: am/is/are + past participle. Used for things that happen regularly or are generally true.
Passif au présent simple : am/is/are + participe passé. Utilisé pour des choses qui arrivent régulièrement ou qui sont généralement vraies.
Many accidents are caused by careless driving.
I'm not invited to parties very often.
How is this word pronounced?
Past simple passive: was/were + past participle. Used for completed past events.
Passif au passé simple : was/were + participe passé. Utilisé pour des événements passés accomplis.
We were woken up by a loud noise during the night.
'Did you go to the party?' 'No, I wasn't invited.'
How much money was stolen in the robbery?
Exercise 1 — Complete using the verbs in the correct passive form (present or past)
Exercice 1 — Complétez en utilisant les verbes à la bonne forme passive (présent ou passé)
Use: cause · damage · find · hold · injure · invite · make · overtake · own · send · show · surround
Utilisez : cause · damage · find · hold · injure · invite · make · overtake · own · send · show · surround
Exercise 2 — Write passive questions using the prompts given
Exercice 2 — Rédigez des questions passives à partir des indications données
Some questions are in the present simple, some in the past simple.
Certaines questions sont au présent simple, d'autres au passé simple.
Exercise 3 — Choose the correct form: active or passive?
Exercice 3 — Choisissez la bonne forme : actif ou passif ?
Put the verb in brackets into the correct form, present or past, active or passive.
Mettez le verbe entre parenthèses à la bonne forme, présent ou passé, actif ou passif.
Exercise 4 — Rewrite as passive sentences (instead of somebody/they/people)
Exercice 4 — Réécrivez en phrases passives (au lieu de somebody/they/people)
Write a full passive sentence for each prompt.
Écrivez une phrase passive complète pour chaque indication.
Frequently Asked Questions — Passive 1
Questions fréquentes — Passif 1
In an active sentence, the subject does the action: My grandfather built this house. In a passive sentence, the subject receives the action: This house was built (by my grandfather). The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.
Dans une phrase active, le sujet fait l'action : My grandfather built this house. Dans une phrase passive, le sujet subit l'action : This house was built (by my grandfather). Le complément de la phrase active devient le sujet de la phrase passive.
Present simple passive: am/is/are + past participle. This room is cleaned every day. Past simple passive: was/were + past participle. This room was cleaned yesterday. The past participle ends in -ed for regular verbs (cleaned, invited) but is irregular for many common verbs (built, stolen, sent, found, held).
Passif au présent simple : am/is/are + participe passé. This room is cleaned every day. Passif au passé simple : was/were + participe passé. This room was cleaned yesterday. Le participe passé se termine en -ed pour les verbes réguliers mais est irrégulier pour de nombreux verbes courants (built, stolen, sent, found, held).
We use by when we want to say who or what caused the action and that information is important or interesting: This house was built by my grandfather. We do NOT use by when the agent is unknown or unimportant: A lot of money was stolen. (we don't know who, so we don't mention it)
On utilise by quand on veut dire qui ou quoi a causé l'action et que cette information est importante ou intéressante : This house was built by my grandfather. On n'utilise PAS by quand l'agent est inconnu ou sans importance : A lot of money was stolen. (on ne sait pas qui, donc on ne le mentionne pas)
The passive is very common in formal, scientific, and journalistic writing because it allows us to focus on what happened rather than who did it. It is also used when the agent is obvious (The suspect was arrested. — clearly by police), unknown (My bike was stolen.), or unimportant (The building was demolished in 1990.).
Le passif est très courant dans les écrits formels, scientifiques et journalistiques car il permet de se concentrer sur ce qui s'est passé plutôt que sur qui l'a fait. Il est aussi utilisé quand l'agent est évident (The suspect was arrested. — clairement par la police), inconnu (My bike was stolen.), ou sans importance (The building was demolished in 1990.).
Only transitive verbs (verbs that take an object) can be made passive. Intransitive verbs like arrive, happen, die, disappear, fall cannot be used in the passive because they have no object: ✓ The boat sank. (intransitive — no passive) / ✓ Everybody was rescued. (transitive → passive possible).
Seuls les verbes transitifs (qui ont un complément d'objet) peuvent être mis au passif. Les verbes intransitifs comme arrive, happen, die, disappear, fall ne peuvent pas être utilisés au passif car ils n'ont pas de complément : ✓ The boat sank. (intransitif — pas de passif) / ✓ Everybody was rescued. (transitif → passif possible).
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