Français — Alternatives to the passive
French uses the passive far less than English. Instead of être + past participle, it prefers the impersonal on with an active verb, the pronominal se with a passive sense (ça se dit, le vin se boit frais), and se faire + infinitive when the subject undergoes the action.
How it works
Three constructions replace the passive. On + active verb keeps the agent vague: On parle français ici means "French is spoken here." A pronominal verb gives a passive sense with no agent at all: Ça se dit, Le vin blanc se boit frais, Ce livre se vend bien. And se faire + infinitive shows the subject undergoing the action, often unpleasantly: Il s'est fait renvoyer.
Examples
| Construction | Example | Passive meaning |
|---|---|---|
| on + actif | On parle français ici. | French is spoken here. |
| se + verbe | Ça se dit. | That is said / people say that. |
| se + verbe | Le vin blanc se boit frais. | White wine is drunk chilled. |
| se + verbe | Ce livre se vend bien. | This book sells well. |
| se faire + inf. | Il s'est fait renvoyer. | He got fired. |
| se faire + inf. | Elle s'est fait voler son sac. | She had her bag stolen. |
Good to know
With se faire + infinitive the past participle fait stays invariable: Elle s'est fait voler son sac, not faite. None of these constructions can name the agent — for that you still need the real passive with par (La lettre a été écrite par Marie).