Published July 3, 2020 • Updated July 13, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson, teaching French online since 2014
The French passive voice (la voix passive) is used when the subject receives the action rather than performs it. It is formed with a conjugated form of être (to be) plus the past participle of the main verb.
Active voice: Le garçon mange la pizza.
The boy eats the pizza.
Passive voice: La pizza est mangée par le garçon.
The pizza is eaten by the boy.
This lesson explains how to form and use the French passive voice, including past-participle agreement, verb tenses and common alternatives used in everyday French.
Active Voice vs. Passive Voice
In the active voice, the subject performs the action.
L’homme achète la voiture.
The man buys the car.
In the passive voice, the subject receives the action.
La voiture est achetée par l’homme.
The car is purchased by the man.
Another example:
Le boulanger fait un gâteau.
The baker makes a cake.
Le gâteau est fait par le boulanger.
The cake is made by the baker.
How to Form the French Passive Voice
The French passive voice is formed with:
subject + être + past participle + par + agent
The verb être (to be) is conjugated in the required tense. The main verb appears as a past participle.
Le livre est acheté par Paul.
The book is bought by Paul.
La chanson est chantée par Marie.
The song is sung by Marie.
The person or thing performing the action is called the agent and is usually introduced by par, meaning “by.”
The agent can be omitted when it is unknown, obvious or unimportant.
Mon vélo a été volé.
My bicycle was stolen.
Le musée sera fermé demain.
The museum will be closed tomorrow.
Past-Participle Agreement
In the passive voice, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject.
Le livre est acheté.
The book is purchased.
La maison est achetée.
The house is purchased.
Les livres sont achetés.
The books are purchased.
Les maisons sont achetées.
The houses are purchased.
The usual agreement endings are:
- masculine singular: no additional ending
- feminine singular: -e
- masculine plural: -s
- feminine plural: -es
The Passive Voice in Different Tenses
To change the tense of a passive sentence, conjugate être in the required tense. The main verb remains in the past-participle form.
Present Tense
Le livre est acheté par Paul.
The book is bought by Paul.
La maison est achetée par Marie.
The house is bought by Marie.
Passé Composé
Use the passé composé of être: a été or ont été.
Le livre a été acheté par Paul.
The book was bought by Paul.
La maison a été achetée par Marie.
The house was bought by Marie.
Les voitures ont été vendues hier.
The cars were sold yesterday.
Imperfect Tense
Le repas était préparé par mon père.
The meal prepared by my father.
Les portes étaient fermées chaque soir.
The doors were closed every evening.
Future Tense
Le livre sera acheté par Paul.
The book will be bought by Paul.
La maison sera achetée par Marie.
The house will be bought by Marie.
Les résultats seront annoncés demain.
The results will be announced tomorrow.
Conditional Tense
Le projet serait terminé en juin.
The project would be completed in June.
La décision serait prise par le directeur.
The decision would be made by the director.
Why Use the Passive Voice?
The passive voice is used when the action, its result or the person or thing receiving it is more important than the person performing it.
La Tour Eiffel a été construite en 1889.
The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889.
Here, the sentence focuses on the Eiffel Tower rather than on the people who built it.
The passive voice is also useful when the person performing the action is unknown or unimportant.
La fenêtre a été cassée.
The window was broken.
Mon portefeuille a été volé.
My wallet was stolen.
It can also emphasize the person who performed the action, especially when making a contrast.
Le lave-vaisselle a été réparé par Robert, pas par Thomas.
The dishwasher was repaired by Robert, not by Thomas.
Using de Instead of par
Most passive sentences introduce the agent with par. However, de is sometimes used with verbs expressing feelings, opinions, knowledge or states.
Elle est appréciée de ses collègues.
She is appreciated by her colleagues.
Il est aimé de tous.
He is loved by everyone.
Le président n’est pas estimé de la plupart des gens.
The president is not respected by most people.
Common verbs that may use de include aimer (to like, to love), apprécier (to like, to appreciate), connaître (to know), respecter (to respect), entourer (to surround) and couvrir (to run).
In modern French, par is also possible with many of these verbs, but de remains common in certain fixed or formal constructions.
Using the pronoun “on” Instead of the Passive Voice
French often avoids the passive voice in everyday speech by using on with an active verb.
On a volé mon vélo.
Someone stole my bicycle.
This is often more natural in conversation than:
Mon vélo a été volé.
My bicycle was stolen.
Another example:
On parle français ici.
French is spoken here.
A more formal passive version would be:
Le français est parlé ici.
French is spoken here.
Passive Constructions With Reflexive Verbs
French also uses reflexive verbs to express a passive meaning. This construction is common when describing how something is done, used, pronounced or generally understood.
Ça ne se mange pas comme ça en France !
That is not eaten that way in France!
Ça ne se dit pas devant les invités !
That is not said in front of the guests!
Le mot se prononce avec un -t.
The word is pronounced with a -t.
Ce produit se vend très bien.
This product sells very well.
Cette porte ne s’ouvre pas facilement.
This door does not open easily.
These reflexive constructions often sound more natural than a formal passive sentence.
Which Verbs Can Be Used in the Passive Voice?
Only verbs that take a direct object can normally be changed into the passive voice.
Marie écrit la lettre.
Marie writes the letter.
Because la lettre is a direct object, it can become the subject of a passive sentence.
La lettre est écrite par Marie.
The letter is written by Marie.
However, a verb followed by an indirect object cannot normally be made passive in the same way.
Marie téléphone à Paul.
Marie calls Paul.
Paul is introduced by à, so French does not normally say:
Paul est téléphoné par Marie.
The active construction should be kept:
Marie téléphone à Paul.
Marie calls Paul.
🇫🇷 Add structure to your learning with an audio course
Want to improve both your spoken French and your verb skills? I’ve recommended Camille’s French Today courses for years.
À Moi Paris is excellent for learning natural spoken French through realistic audio.
👉 Discover À Moi Paris »
👉 Read my review »
French Verb Drills helps you master the verbs and patterns that appear throughout lessons like this one.
👉 Discover French Verb Drills »
👉 Read my review »
If you purchase the courses, I may earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you.
📚 Related lessons
🚀 More lessons on FrenchLearner
