The agent complement in French
Exercises
Lesson Outline
HideWhat is the complement agent in French ?
The agent complement (French: le complément d'agent) is abbreviated CA and refers to the verb. It is used only in a sentence to the passive voice. Introduced by the preposition "par" or "de", it designates the person or the thing that is the author of the action expressed by the verb.
The agent complement is the subject of the verb to the active voice. The subject of the verb to the passive voice is the object complement of the verb to the active voice.
Examples:
| CA to the active voice | CA to the passive voice | Translations |
|---|---|---|
| Léa fait ses devoirs | Ses devoirs sont fait par Léa | (Lea is doing her homework) |
| Pierre ferme la fenêtre | La fenêtre est fermée par Pierre | (Peter is closing the window) |
The prepositions in the CA in French
The agent complement is usually introduced by the preposition par
Examples
| Active Voice | Passive voice | Transations |
|---|---|---|
| Le chat chasse la souris | La souris est chassé par le chat | (The cat chases the mouse) |
| Le mécanicien a réparé la voiture de maman | La voiture de maman a été réparé par le mécanicien | (The mechanic repaired mom's car) |
| La nouvelle amie de ta soeur aurait eu une mauvaise note | Une mauvaise note aurait été eu par la nouvelle amie de ta soeur | (Your sister's new friend would've not had a good grade) |
The CA uses the preposition de with:
- verbs of feelings
- verbs used figuratively
- description verbs when the agent is inanimate
Examples
| Use of de | Active voice | Passive voice | Translations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verbs of feelings | Tout le monde aime mère Thérésa | Mère Thérésa est aimé de tous | (Everyone loves mother Thérésa) |
| Verbs used figuratively | Un élan de joie a pris ta soeur | Ta soeur fut prise d'élan de joie | (A bunch of joy took your sister) |
| Inanime agent | Les tableaux décorent les murs | Les murs sont décoré de tableaux | (canvas embellish the walls) |
The use of par requires a determinant, if the complement of agent has no determinant we will put de
The grammatical category of the CA in French
The grammatical nature of the agent complement can be
- a noun
- a pronoun
| Nature | Examples | Translations |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | le roi de France a été Henri II | (The king of France has been Henry II) |
| Pronoun | Une tarte a été faite par nous | (A pie has been made by us) |
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