The passive voice
être + past participle: La lettre est écrite par Paul.
⚡Key points
Forming the passive
The passive voice = the verb être (in the right tense) + the past participle, which agrees with the subject in gender and number. The direct object of the active sentence becomes the subject, and the subject becomes the agent with the preposition par.
The passive across tenses (écrire)
| Présent | La lettre est écrite | the letter is written |
| Passé composé | La lettre a été écrite | the letter was written |
| Imparfait | La lettre était écrite | the letter was being written |
| Futur | La lettre sera écrite | the letter will be written |
The agent: par or de
The agent (the doer) is usually introduced by par. But after verbs of feeling (aimer, respecter, connaître) and state (couvrir, entourer), use de. If the agent is unimportant or unknown, it is left out.
When to use the passive
Focus on the result / object
La maison a été vendue. (The house was sold.)
Agent with par
Ce roman a été écrit par Camus. (This novel was written by Camus.)
Agent with de (feeling/state)
Il est respecté de tous. (He is respected by everyone.)
Le sol était couvert de feuilles. (The ground was covered with leaves.)
💡⚠️ Only transitive verbs
Dialogue: neighbourhood news
Eva: Did you see? The old factory has been turned into a museum. | Karim: Yes, the project was funded by the city. | Eva: And the park will be renovated next year. | Karim: This neighbourhood really is loved by everyone.