Passive Voice

French doesn't like it!

English doesn't use it passively!

Let's do a standard definition of what the passive voice is. What do you think the passive voice is?

Look at the difference between these two sentences. The Zambonie crushed the man.

The man was crushed by the Zambonie.

In French, we have the same situation.

Le tigre a mangé la femme.

La femme a été mangée par le tigre.

The passive voice indicates that the subject is acted upon rather than acting.

Use of the Passive Voice in French

The Passive voice is rarely used in French.

Notice the difference!

Look how these ideas are formulated in French and then in English.

Notice how French makes verbs active where English makes them inactive (or intransitive).

Je m'appelle Norm.

I am called Norm (by who?).

Le bâtiment se trouve au coin de Pins et St-Denis.

The building is located on the corner of Pine and City Hall Streets.

The polite subjunctive Le subjonctif de politesse

Look at the sentence below.

Soyez donc tout à fait rassuré, j'ai pris les mesures nécessaires pour que votre demande soit étudiée dans les plus brefs délais.

Why don't you say the sentence as it is written below?

J'ai pris les mesures nécessaires pour faire étudier rapidement votre demande.

Why is 'soit' in the first sentence?

It indicates a certain uncertainty which French also uses to mean politeness.

Do you think that the man who 'étudier's the request 'rapidement' is going to give it the same attention as the request 'soit étudiée'?

The subjunctive in English is almost nonexistant.

It really only remains identifiable as a form of 'to be‘.

– Were I to do that, I would be arrested.

– We most likely would say, If I did that, I would be arrested.

The subjunctive in English is almost nonexistant.

Following certain verbs which indicate an unreal condition (something not yet real) such as ‘to propose,’ ‘to insist’ or ‘to be essential’ the verb of the ‘that’ clause takes the subjunctive.

The subjunctive in English is almost nonexistant.

– I propose that he go to the store.

– It is essential that he leave.

– I insist that he stop. Notice that the only difference in form is

that ‘he’, ‘she’ or ‘it’ take no ‘s’ at the end of the verb.

The Passive in English

English uses the Passive Voice to do the job that the Subjunctive Form of the verb does in French.

It softens the force of the action and so makes it seem more polite.

The Form of the Passive Voice

Notice that in English as in French that the passive is formed by using the verb to be and the past participle of the verb.

Simple Present

I am rejected every time I talk to her.

Present Progressive

I can't believe I am being subjected to another grammar lesson again.

Simple Past

I was confused by the last one about question formation.

Past Progressive

I was being told the rules for it by Norm when he said something that made no sense at all.

Present Perfect

I have been recorded on many occasions.

Past Perfect

I had been given the words before the recording started.

'Be Going To’ and 'Will'

They are going to be stopped for sure.

She will be failed because she just can’t get those question forms right.

Modals (Should, May, Can etc.) and Past Modals

We may not be invited after all.

She should have been warned about the food.