Mastering the Passive Voice in French: Present and Passé Composé (with Hindi Comparisons)

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Are you a B1-level French learner trying to make sense of le passif in French? This post is your go-to guide for understanding how the passive voice works in both the present tense and passé composé. We’ll walk through rules, real examples, and comparisons with Hindi grammar so you can finally say: “Je comprends le passif!”

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What Is the Passive Voice in French?

The passive voice (la voix passive) is used when the action is more important than the person doing it. Instead of focusing on who does the action, we focus on what is done.

Active:

Le professeur corrige les copies.
(The teacher corrects the copies.)

Passive:

Les copies sont corrigées par le professeur.
(The copies are corrected by the teacher.)

This is similar to Hindi passive sentences like:
“Copies teacher dwara correct ki ja rahi hain.”

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1. Passive Voice in the Present Tense (Le Passif au Présent)

Structure:

Subject + être (present) + past participle + par (optional agent)

Why Use It:

• To focus on the action/result.
• When the doer (agent) is unknown or not important.

Example 1:

French:

Le livre est lu par l’étudiant.
English (word by word):
The book is read by the student.
Hinglish Pronunciation:
Leu leevr eh loo paar lay-tudiah(n)

Hindi Equivalent:

Kitab student dwara padhi ja rahi hai.

Example 2:

French:

Les lettres sont écrites par Marie.
English:
The letters are written by Marie.
Hinglish:
Lay lettrr so(n) ay-kreet paar Mah-ree

Hindi:

Patra Marie dwara likhe ja rahe hain.

Notes:

• The verb être changes according to the subject.
• The past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject.

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2. Passive Voice in the Passé Composé (Le Passif au Passé Composé)

Structure:

Subject + être (present) + past participle of main verb + agreement

But remember: in passive passé composé, être is used twice—once as the main auxiliary in passé composé and once to create the passive.

Why Use It:

• To describe an action that was completed in the past.
• Focus is still on the result, not the doer.

Example 1:

French:

La maison a été vendue par mon oncle.
English:
The house has been sold by my uncle.
Hinglish:
La meh-zon aa ay-tay von-dü paar moh(n) oh(n)-kl

Hindi:

Ghar mere chacha dwara becha gaya hai.

Example 2:

French:

Les billets ont été achetés par les touristes.
English:
The tickets were bought by the tourists.
Hinglish:
Lay bee-yay oh(n) ay-tay ah-shay-tay paar lay too-reest

Hindi:

Tickets paryatakon dwara kharide gaye the.

Notes:

• “A été” or “ont été” shows past passive action.
• Past participles still agree with the subject (like vendue for la maison).

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Hindi Grammar Comparison: Passive Voice

French Tense	Hindi Equivalent	Structure (Hindi)	Time Reference
Présent	“ja rahi hai/ja raha hai”	Subject + verb root + ja + raha/rahi	Current/ongoing action
Passé Composé	“gaya tha/gayi thi/gaye the”	Subject + verb root + gaya/gayi/gaye	Completed past action

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Summary Chart: French Passive Voice

Tense	French Example	Hindi Translation
Présent	Le livre est lu.	Kitab padhi ja rahi hai.
Passé Composé	Le livre a été lu.	Kitab padhi gayi thi.

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