Ch 23 · Lesson 9French · Chapter 23 · Lesson 9 · Grammar primer
Il s'est fait voler son vélo: se faire, and I was told
+ infinitive puts the person it happened to first ( never agrees), and an indirect object can never be a passive subject: on 'a , never .
The short version
+ infinitive: it happened to me
.
Why?Hide
To put the person affected first, as an English passive does, use with an infinitive: , he had his bike stolen. It is usually something unwelcome, it can name the doer with , and never agrees: .
I was given a book has no word-for-word French
.
Why?Hide
French cannot make the receiver the subject of a passive. takes its person with à, so ' ' is wrong every time. Say on 'a , or keep the book as the subject: 'a . The same goes for , , and almost every verb that puts à before the person ( and are the old exceptions).
Se faire + infinitive
plus an infinitive puts the person it happened to in the subject slot, as an English passive does. It is usually something unwelcome, and unlike it can name the doer with :
.- He had his bike stolen..- She was knocked down by a car..- I've been had.
never agrees here, because an infinitive follows: , not faite.
Formal writing has a cousin, + infinitive: . - He was offered a job. In conversation, say .
No passive on an indirect object
Only a direct object can become the subject of a French passive. In , the person comes after : it is the indirect object. So English I was told has no French passive. Use , and the person becomes an indirect object pronoun:
| Verb | Everyday French | English |
|---|---|---|
| . | I was told the truth. |
| . | He or she was offered a job. |
| . | We were asked to wait. |
| . | They were promised an answer. |
In the third person, the pronoun is or , never , or : ., not on l'a offert un poste.
The thing given can still be the subject, in formal French: . - A book was given to me.
A few verbs with à, such as , désobéir and , are old exceptions that do make a passive: . - You are forgiven.
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| . | the person is indirect: on |
| . | à: |
| . | for are washed: + person reads as reflexive |
| . | never agrees here |
| . | on takes the form |
Going further: On + an active verb and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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