Mission: guide a visitor round a historic town
The passive (a été construit, sera rénové, est visité). Say what is done to things, and when French prefers on or se.
FrenchB1 · Getting things doneAbout 7 min: 3 reading, 4 practiceUpdated
- Form the passive with être and a past participle that agrees
- Use par to name who or what did the action
- Put the passive in the present, passé composé, imparfait and future
- Choose on or a pronominal verb when French prefers them (on parle français, ça se mange froid)
- Use de after verbs of feeling or state (aimé de tous)
Getting things done: lesson 3 of 4
- B1 · Getting things done
- Mission: lend, give and return things 7 min
- Mission: describe the flat you're looking for 6 min
- Mission: guide a visitor round a historic town 7 min
- Mission: complain about a faulty purchase 8 min
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Level Level B1 (around the DELF B1 exam). Real French: guiding a visitor round an old town.
What it is
Your mission: a visitor, Monsieur Dubois, is spending one afternoon in the old town of Brelvaux (an imaginary town). You are his guide. Tell him what was built when, what is being restored, and what people do and eat there, in sentences where the monument, not the people, comes first.
The passive puts the thing that is acted on first: La cathédrale est visitée par des milliers de touristes. (The cathedral is visited by thousands of tourists.)
Form: être + past participle. The participle agrees with the subject (the thing acted on), like an adjective.
| Subject | Example |
|---|---|
| masc. sing. | Le château est visité |
| fem. sing. | La tour est visitée |
| masc. plur. | Les ponts sont visités |
| fem. plur. | Les rues sont visitées |
Tense = the tense of être:
- Présent: Le château est visité chaque été.
- Passé composé: La cathédrale a été construite au XIIe siècle. (été never changes; the participle agrees with the subject.)
- Imparfait: Autrefois, la ville était entourée de remparts.
- Futur: Les remparts seront rénovés l'année prochaine.
The agent (who or what did it) is introduced by par: Le pont a été construit par les Romains. You can leave it out when it is unknown or unimportant: Le pont a été détruit en 1944.
De instead of par often follows verbs of feeling or state, and entouré, couvert, rempli: La ville est aimée de tous. La place est entourée de cafés.
When French prefers something else. French uses the passive less than English. Two common alternatives:
- on + active verb, when the doer is people in general: On parle français ici. (French is spoken here.) On m'a volé mon sac. (My bag was stolen.)
- a pronominal verb for general facts: Ça se mange froid. (It is eaten cold.) Le vin blanc se boit frais.
More detail: only verbs with a direct object
In practice, only a verb that takes a direct object can become passive: Quelqu'un a construit le pont → Le pont a été construit. A verb with à before a person (donner à, téléphoner à) cannot: say On m'a donné un plan, not wrong: J'ai été donné un plan.
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
"The castle was built in 1250."
- château is masculine, so the participle has no -e
- without été this is not a passive
Show answer
Le château a été construit en 1250.. a été + participle agreeing with le château.
Why it matters
Guides, museum labels, news reports, notices and history texts are full of passives: Le musée sera fermé lundi, Le pont a été restauré, Les billets sont vendus sur place. At B1 you must recognise them and be able to form the common ones. Knowing when to switch to on or se is what makes the French sound natural instead of translated from English.
Worked example
On the main square of Brelvaux:
- You: Bienvenue, Monsieur Dubois ! La cathédrale a été construite au XIIe siècle.
- Monsieur Dubois: Et ces remparts ?
- You: Ils ont été bâtis pour protéger la ville. Autrefois, elle était entourée de fossés. Aujourd'hui, les remparts sont visités par des milliers de touristes, et ils seront rénovés l'année prochaine.
- Monsieur Dubois: On parle français ici, bien sûr ?
- You: Oui, on parle français, mais la ville est aimée de tous les visiteurs, et la soupe de la région se mange chaude en hiver.
Real French: for a theft, French often prefers On m'a volé mon portefeuille to Mon portefeuille a été volé, though both are correct.
Common mistake
Forgetting to make the participle agree with the subject: wrong: Les remparts ont été construit. The subject is les remparts (masculine plural): Les remparts ont été construits.
And turning a verb with à + person into a passive: wrong: Je suis téléphoné par Paul. Say Paul m'a téléphoné. In the same way, On m'a donné un plan is correct; wrong: J'ai été donné un plan is not.
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
« Les tours ont été … au XIVe siècle. » (restaurer)
- the participle agrees with les tours (feminine plural)
- after être we need the participle, not the infinitive
Show answer
restaurées. les tours is feminine plural: restaurées.
Key terms
- la voix passive
- the passive voice
- l'agent
- who or what does the action (introduced by par)
- par
- by (the agent)
- on
- one, people (often replaces the passive)
- se + verb
- a pronominal verb used for a general fact (ça se mange)
- un rempart
- a rampart (town wall)
- une tour
- a tower
- construit(e)
- built
- rénové(e)
- renovated
Practise the key terms
Tap a card to turn it over. 9 cards.
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| la voix passive | the passive voice |
| l'agent | who or what does the action (introduced by par) |
| par | by (the agent) |
| on | one, people (often replaces the passive) |
| se + verb | a pronominal verb used for a general fact (ça se mange) |
| un rempart | a rampart (town wall) |
| une tour | a tower |
| construit(e) | built |
| rénové(e) | renovated |
Practice
Recognition drill
Pick the right answer, as fast as you can.
All pairs
Tap a card to turn it over. 6 cards.
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| la cathédrale | est visitée |
| le château | est visité |
| les remparts | sont visités |
| les maisons | sont visitées |
| la porte | a été restaurée |
| les tours | ont été restaurées |
Quick quiz
Tap an answer to check it.
"The walls will be restored next year."
- the participle agrees with the plural subject: restaurés
- a past tense cannot go with "next year"
Show answer
Les remparts seront restaurés l'année prochaine.. future of être (seront) + agreeing participle.
"French is spoken here."
- a thing cannot speak; you need on or se parle
- on takes an active verb, not a passive
Show answer
On parle français ici.. French prefers on + active verb for people in general.
"This dish is eaten cold."
- a pronominal verb needs se
- par introduces an agent, not a way of eating
Show answer
Ça se mange froid.. se + verb for a general fact.
Build the sentence
Build "The cathedral was built in the twelfth century."
Show answer
La cathédrale a été construite au XIIe siècle. subject, a été, agreeing participle, then the time.
Practise speaking
Studyfern has no voice tools of its own. To practise out loud, copy this prompt into a voice-capable AI assistant and talk with it.
Mission role-play. You are Monsieur Dubois, a visitor spending one afternoon in the old town of Brelvaux, an imaginary historic town; I am your guide and we say vous to each other. I am at level B1. Ask me, one question at a time, about the cathedral, the town walls, the old bridge, the local food and what is being restored next year. After each of my answers, tell me in English what kind of mistake I made, if any, and let me try again; watch être and the agreement of the participle, par for the agent, the tense, and when on or se is more natural. When I have used the passive correctly in the passé composé and the future, plus one on and one pronominal verb, say « Mission accomplie ! » and give me one tip. Keep every reply under 3 sentences.
Listen too. Listen to native speakers before and after: see the free listening and shadowing links.
Good to know. AI feedback on pronunciation is hit and miss, so check yourself against native recordings. Many assistants turn your speech into text first, so a vowel or liaison you got wrong may be silently “heard” as the right word. Don't share personal details: use a made-up name and town.
New to this? Read Practising speaking with an AI.
In short
- Passive = être + past participle, and the participle agrees with the subject: les ponts sont visités.
- The tense is the tense of être: est visité, a été construit, était habité, sera rénové.
- par introduces the agent; de often follows verbs of feeling or state: aimé de tous, entouré de.
- French often prefers on (on parle français ici) or a pronominal verb (ça se mange froid).
- In practice, only verbs with a direct object can become passive.
Mastery check
Answer without looking back. Score 80% or more and the lesson is marked done. Your result is kept only in this browser.
Check yourself
Answer in your head first, then open the answer. Nothing is saved.
Make it passive: « Les Romains ont construit ce pont. »
Show answer
Ce pont a été construit par les Romains.
Complete: « Les maisons du vieux quartier seront … l'année prochaine. » (rénover)
Show answer
rénovées
How do you say "That is not said" in everyday French?
Show answer
Ça ne se dit pas.
Further reading
- TV5MONDE, Apprendre le français: B1 exercises on the passive.
- RFI, Journal en français facile, daily news in simple French, with many passives.
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