IB Diploma French B HL · Grammar backbone 7 of 10 — The passive
IB French B Grammar
The passive & how to avoid it
In the passive, the subject has the action done to it: La maison a été construite. French forms it with être + past participle — and the participle agrees. But French uses the passive less than English, so you also learn the neat ways to avoid it.
passive = être (any tense) + past participle… and the participle agrees with the subject
IB Diploma French B (HL): this grammar is the backbone of all five prescribed themes — identities, experiences, human ingenuity, social organization and sharing the planet — and, at HL, it also carries you through the two literary works. HL asks for the same structures with greater range and precision.
Work through each screen and answer the questions — some ask you to build the passive, some to dodge it. Collect ⭐ and press Start.
Formation
être + agreeing past participle
Put être into whatever tense you need, then add the past participle — which agrees with the subject like an adjective:
La maison a été construite. — The house was built. (fem sing → -e)
Les livres seront vendus. — The books will be sold. (masc pl → -s)
Agreement is the tell: because être drives the passive, the participle always matches the subject's gender and number.
The tense lives in être
One verb, every tense
The past participle stays put; you shift the tense ontoêtre:
present
La loi est votée
perfect
La maison a été construite
future
Les livres seront vendus
Agent: the doer is introduced by par — écrit par Hugo. With verbs of state or feeling you may see de instead (respecté de tous).
Quick check
Building the passive
?"The house was built" — which is correct?
Type it
Your turn — passive agreement
1Complete: La maison ___ — "was built" (perfect passive, from construire).
Hint: perfect of être (a été) + participle agreeing with feminine la maison.
Quick check
Future passive
?"The books will be sold" — Les livres ___ — from vendre.
IB French B key point
French avoids the passive
English reaches for the passive constantly ("French is spoken here"). French often prefers an active dodge. Three go-to strategies:
Use on:On parle français ici. — "French is spoken here."
Use a reflexive verb:Ça ne se dit pas. — "That isn't said." · Ça se fait. — "That's done."
Recast as active:On vend des maisons. — "Houses are sold."
Why it matters: a well-placed on or reflexive reads as more natural, idiomatic French than a string of être + participle.
Quick check
Avoid it with "on"
?"French is spoken here" — the most natural French is…
Sort it
Passive or avoided?
Type it
Your turn — avoid the passive
2Say "French is spoken" the idiomatic French way, using on + parler.
Hint: On + the present of parler + français.
Reflexive dodge
The reflexive passive
Many "it is done / it is said" ideas come out as a reflexive verb with ça or a thing as subject:
Ça ne se dit pas. — That isn't said.
Ça se fait. — That's done / that's the done thing.
Les journaux se vendent ici. — Newspapers are sold here.
Feel: the reflexive passive is everyday, natural French — reach for it before a full être-passive when there's no named agent.
Quick check
The reflexive dodge in action
?"That isn't said" — the natural French is…
Game · Match
Match infinitive → past participle
You need the participles to build the passive. Tap an infinitive, then its past participle.
INFINITIVE
construire
écrire
faire
vendre
ouvrir
voir
PAST PARTICIPLE
fait
construit
vu
écrit
ouvert
vendu
Type it
Your turn — a past participle
3Write the past participle of construire (to build).
Hint: the participle you need for a été ___; it ends in -t.
The agent
Naming the doer with "par"
When you do want the passive and want to name the doer, introduce the agent with par:
Ce roman a été écrit par Hugo. — This novel was written by Hugo.
La ville a été détruite par l'incendie. — The town was destroyed by the fire.
Contrast: verbs expressing a feeling or lasting state can take de — Elle est aimée de tous. ("She is loved by all.")
Quick check
Naming the agent
?"…written by Hugo" — complete Ce roman a été ___.
Sort it
True passive or passive avoided?
Sort each sentence by whether it's a true passive (être + participle) or a passive avoided with on / se.
True passive (être + participle)
Passive avoided (on / se)
Type it
Your turn — plural agreement
4Complete: Les livres ___ — "were sold" (perfect passive, masc pl, from vendre).
Hint: perfect of être for ils (ont été) + participle agreeing masc plural — vendus.
Type it
Your turn — the reflexive dodge
5Say "that isn't done" the natural French way, using a reflexive of faire with ça.
Hint: Ça + ne se + present of faire + pas.
Recap
Your passive toolkit
Formation:être (in any tense) + past participle, which agrees with the subject — La maison a été construite; Les livres seront vendus.
Agent: introduced by par (or de for states/feelings) — écrit par Hugo.
Avoid it: use on (On parle français ici), a reflexive (Ça ne se dit pas), or an active recast.
You've completed the passive. Press Finish and head back to the backbone.
🏆
Mini-leçon terminée !
⭐⭐⭐
You've built the passive and how to avoid it for IB French B. 🎉
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Keep going through the grammar backbone — each cluster stacks the structures examiners reward.