La forme passive en anglais est utilisée lorsque l’accent est mis sur l’objet d’une action plutôt que sur le sujet qui effectue cette action. Elle est formée à partir d’un verbe transitif, c’est-à-dire un verbe qui peut recevoir un complément d’objet direct (COD).
1. Quand utiliser la forme passive ?
La forme passive est utilisée dans les cas suivants :
Mettre l’accent sur l’objet ou le résultat de l’action plutôt que sur celui qui la réalise.
Exemple (actif) : The chef cooked the meal.
Exemple (passif) : The meal was cooked by the chef.
Quand le sujet de l’action est inconnu ou non pertinent.
Exemple (actif) : Someone stole my wallet.
Exemple (passif) : My wallet was stolen.
Rendre le ton plus formel ou impersonnel.
Exemple (actif) : They will deliver the package tomorrow.
Exemple (passif) : The package will be delivered tomorrow.
2. Comment former la forme passive ?
La structure de base de la forme passive est : Sujet passif + verbe “to be” (conjugué au temps correspondant) + participe passé du verbe principal
Étapes pour transformer une phrase active en passive :
Identifier le complément d’objet direct (COD) dans la phrase active, car il deviendra le sujet de la phrase passive.
Actif : The teacher explained the lesson.(COD = the lesson)
Passif : The lesson was explained by the teacher.
Conjuguer “to be” au même temps que le verbe actif.
Actif : She will write a book.
Passif : A book will be written by her.
Utiliser le participe passé du verbe principal.
Actif : They cleaned the room.
Passif : The room was cleaned.
Ajouter “by + agent” (facultatif) pour mentionner qui fait l’action.
Passif : The room was cleaned by them.
Le complément “by them” est souvent omis si ce n’est pas nécessaire.
3. La forme passive des verbes transitifs en anglais
Voici les différentes formes passives selon les temps :
Temps actif
Structure passive
Exemple actif
Exemple passif
Present simple
is/am/are + participe passé
She writes the report.
The report is written.
Past simple
was/were + participe passé
He cleaned the house.
The house was cleaned.
Future simple
will be + participe passé
They will deliver the package.
The package will be delivered.
Present continuous
is/am/are being + participe passé
She is preparing the dinner.
The dinner is being prepared.
Past continuous
was/were being + participe passé
They were fixing the car.
The car was being fixed.
Present perfect
has/have been + participe passé
He has completed the project.
The project has been completed.
Past perfect
had been + participe passé
She had locked the door.
The door had been locked.
Future perfect
will have been + participe passé
They will have finished the work.
The work will have been finished.
4. Particularités et exceptions
a. Verbes modaux (can, could, may, might, etc.)
Pour former la voix passive avec les verbes modaux, utilisez la structure suivante : Modal + be + participe passé
Actif : She can solve the problem.
Passif : The problem can be solved.
Actif : They might cancel the event.
Passif : The event might be canceled.
b. Phrases interrogatives
La transformation en voix passive pour les questions suit la même structure, mais il faut respecter l’ordre des mots.
Actif : Did he complete the task?
Passif : Was the task completed by him?
Actif : Who wrote this book?
Passif : By whom was this book written?
c. Double objet
Certains verbes, comme give, send, ou show, prennent deux objets (un direct et un indirect). Dans ce cas, on peut créer deux formes passives :
Actif : She gave him a gift.
Passif (objet indirect comme sujet) : He was given a gift.
Passif (objet direct comme sujet) : A gift was given to him.
d. Phrasal verbs
Les verbes à particule (phrasal verbs) peuvent être passivés, mais il faut garder la particule avec le verbe principal.
Actif : They called off the meeting.
Passif : The meeting was called off.
Actif : They are looking into the problem.
Passif : The problem is being looked into.
e. Impersonal constructions
Les phrases impersonnelles comme “People say that…” ou “It is believed that…” peuvent être transformées en passif de deux manières :
Avec un sujet explicite :
Actif : People say that he is a great teacher.
Passif : He is said to be a great teacher.
En gardant une construction impersonnelle :
Actif : It is said that he is a great teacher.
Passif : It is said that he is a great teacher.
5. Pourquoi éviter le passif ?
Bien que la voix passive soit utile, elle peut rendre les phrases plus longues et parfois plus ambiguës. On recommande de l’utiliser seulement lorsque :
L’acteur de l’action est inconnu ou sans importance.
Le focus doit être mis sur l’objet ou le résultat de l’action.
6. Exercices pratiques
Transformez ces phrases actives en passives :
The manager reviewed the report.
Someone will deliver the package.
The students are writing essays.
The team had completed the project.
They might announce the results tomorrow.
Réponses :
The report was reviewed by the manager.
The package will be delivered.
Essays are being written by the students.
The project had been completed by the team.
The results might be announced tomorrow.
Liste de verbes transitifs courants pouvant être utilisés à la voix passive en anglais
Les verbes transitifs sont ceux qui peuvent prendre un complément d’objet direct (COD) et peuvent donc être transformés à la voix passive. Voici une liste organisée par catégories.
1. Verbes d’action courants
Ces verbes décrivent des actions physiques ou concrètes.
Build (construire) → The house was built by the workers.
Break (casser) → The vase was broken.
Catch (attraper) → The thief was caught by the police.
Clean (nettoyer) → The room is cleaned every day.
Close (fermer) → The store was closed at 9 PM.
Cut (couper) → The paper was cut into small pieces.
Deliver (livrer) → The package will be delivered tomorrow.
Drive (conduire) → The car is driven by a professional driver.
Finish (finir) → The project was finished on time.
Open (ouvrir) → The doors were opened by the guard.
2. Verbes de création et de production
Ces verbes impliquent qu’un objet ou un produit est créé.
Bake (cuire) → The cake was baked by the chef.
Design (concevoir) → The new software was designed last year.
Develop (développer) → The app was developed by the IT team.
Invent (inventer) → The telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell.
Make (fabriquer) → These shoes are made in Italy.
Paint (peindre) → The house was painted last summer.
Produce (produire) → The movie was produced by a famous director.
Write (écrire) → The book was written by J.K. Rowling.
3. Verbes liés à la communication
Ces verbes impliquent un échange ou une transmission d’information.
Announce (annoncer) → The results will be announced tomorrow.
Ask (demander) → He was asked a difficult question.
Explain (expliquer) → The rules were explained clearly.
Inform (informer) → The employees were informed of the changes.
Introduce (présenter) → The new policy was introduced last month.
Mention (mentionner) → The issue was mentioned during the meeting.
Notify (notifier) → The staff was notified by email.
Report (rapporter) → The incident was reported to the authorities.
Tell (dire) → He was told the truth.
4. Verbes de perception
Ces verbes décrivent ce qu’on voit, entend, ou ressent.
Hear (entendre) → The song was heard across the hall.
See (voir) → The suspect was seen leaving the building.
Observe (observer) → The changes were observed carefully.
Watch (regarder) → The game was watched by millions.
5. Verbes liés aux décisions et à l’administration
Ces verbes sont souvent utilisés dans des contextes officiels ou formels.
Approve (approuver) → The proposal was approved by the committee.
Cancel (annuler) → The meeting was canceled due to bad weather.
Confirm (confirmer) → The reservation was confirmed yesterday.
Organize (organiser) → The event was organized by the students.
Reject (rejeter) → The application was rejected.
Schedule (programmer) → The interview was scheduled for 10 AM.
Sign (signer) → The document was signed by the CEO.
6. Verbes liés aux émotions et aux sentiments
Ces verbes expriment des réactions émotionnelles.
Admire (admirer) → The painting was admired by everyone.
Blame (blâmer) → He was blamed for the accident.
Love (aimer) → The movie is loved by many.
Hate (détester) → The decision was hated by the majority.
Praise (féliciter) → The team was praised for their efforts.
7. Verbes liés aux transactions
Ces verbes concernent l’échange d’objets ou d’informations.
Give (donner) → The award was given to the best performer.
Offer (offrir) → The job was offered to her last week.
Pay (payer) → The bill was paid on time.
Send (envoyer) → The invitation was sent yesterday.
8. Verbes à particule (phrasal verbs)
Ces verbes incluent une particule et peuvent être utilisés à la voix passive.
Call off (annuler) → The match was called off due to rain.
Carry out (réaliser) → The experiment was carried out successfully.
Look into (examiner) → The problem is being looked into by the team.
Put off (remettre à plus tard) → The meeting was put off until next week.
Take over (reprendre) → The company was taken over by a larger competitor.
9. Verbes modaux (avec “can”, “might”, etc.)
Avec les verbes modaux, la voix passive suit la structure : modal + be + participe passé.
Can clean (pouvoir nettoyer) → The room can be cleaned later.
Must finish (devoir terminer) → The task must be finished today.
Might cancel (pourrait annuler) → The concert might be canceled due to weather.
10. Verbes spécifiques au contexte académique
Ces verbes sont fréquents dans les écrits ou discussions formels.
Analyze (analyser) → The data was analyzed by the researchers.
Discover (découvrir) → A new species was discovered in the Amazon.
Publish (publier) → The results were published in a scientific journal.
Review (examiner) → The application is being reviewed by the board.
Cette liste est un excellent point de départ pour apprendre les verbes couramment utilisés à la voix passive en anglais, dans divers contextes.