La voix passive

Le passif

Le passif ou la voix passive, c’est quoi ?

• Ce n’est pas un temps mais une voix : la voix passive (par opposition à la voix active). Il s’agit d’une manière différente de voir les choses et de les dire. Cette voix est très utilisée en anglais.

• Il se conjugue à tous les temps (voir tableau de conjugaison plus bas).
• Il consiste à inverser le sujet et le COD :

The cat ate the mouse. (Voix active)

The mouse was eaten by the cat. (Voix passive)

Le sujet de la phrase active devient complément d’agent précédé par BY dans la phrase passive (ce complément d’agent est souvent omis car il apporte peu d’informations).

Le COD devient sujet.

Que devient le groupe verbal à la voix passive?

On y introduit BE que l’on conjugue au même temps que le verbe dans la phrase active (ATE = prétérit simple, on utilise donc WAS qui est la forme prétérit de BE)

Le verbe à la voix passive est au participe passé (ATE = to eat devient EATEN = participe passé de to eat)

= WAS EATEN

Exemples de phrases avec omission du complément d’agent :

He invited me to go = I was invited to go.

They are repairing the road = The road is being repaired.

People have seen foxes in the streets = Foxes have been seen in the streets.

Les conjugaisons à la voix passive :

Présent simple : keeps = is kept

Présent be + ing : is keeping = is being kept

Prétérit simple : kept = was kept

Prétérit be + ing : was keeping = was being kept

Present perfect simple : has kept = has been kept

Past perfect simple : had kept = had been kept

Future : will keep = will be kept

Conditionnel : would keep = would be kept

Conditionnel passé : would have kept = would have been kept

Quelques exemples de transformation à la voix passive :

Someone gave her a cat. = She was given a cat/ A cat was given to her.

Someone murdered the Minister. = The Minister was murdered.

You’ve opened this letter. = This letter has been opened.

They threw away the old newspapers. = The old newspapers were thrown away.

People must not leave bicycles in the hall. = Bicycles must not be left in the hall.

The organizers will exhibit the paintings till the end of the month. = The paintings will be exhibited till the end of the month.

Did the idea interest you? = Were you interested by the idea?

We will not admit children under sixteen. = Children under sixteen will not be admitted.

Who wrote it? = Who was it written by?

Students are doing a lot of the work. = A lot of the work is being done by the students.