Active and passive Flashcards
What is meant by voice?
Voice determines the relationship between the verb and its subject
What are the two voices in french?
Active voice and passive voice
In the active voice the subject…
Performs the action of the verb
In the active voice the subject =
The agent
In the active voice the direct object =
The patient
In the passive voice the subject…
Undergoes the action of the verb
In the passive voice the subject =
The patient
In the passive voice the adjunct =
The agent
What changes between the active and the passive?
The roles remain the same but the grammatical funtions change
How to form the passive form of the verb?
Auxiliary être + past participle
The past participle of a passive form always…
Agrees with the subject
When do some tenses take the auxiliary être in the active voice?
In the perfect tense with these verbs: aller, apparaître, arriver, descendre, devenir, entrer, monter, mourir, naître, partir, retourner, sortir, tomber, venir
When is the past participle also used?
As a predicate adjective
How to turn an active sentence into a passive sentence?
The direct object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence
What happens to the tense when changing from active to passive?
The tense of the verb of the active sentence becomes the tense of the auxiliary être in the passive sentence
What does the main verb of the active sentence become in the passive sentence?
A past participle, it agrees with the subject
What does the subject of the active sentence become in the passive sentence?
The adjunct
The subject of a passive sentence is always the direct object of the active sentence and never…
The indirect object
In english can the recipient of the active sentence become the subject of the passive?
Yes
In french can the recipient of the active sentence become the subject of the passive?
No
Can the direct object of the active sentence become the subject of a passive sentence?
Yes
What do we use to translate english passives which cannot become passives in french?
On
When is on used?
When the agent of the action cannot be identified
