Actif vs Passif en anglais
Tableau comparatif complet — Fiche Cabinet Action
1. Comparaison directe par temps
| Temps | Voix active | Voix passive |
|---|
| Present Simple | The chef cooks the meal. | The meal is cooked by the chef. |
| Past Simple | She wrote the report. | The report was written by her. |
| Future Simple | They will finish the project. | The project will be finished by them. |
| Present Continuous | Workers are repairing the road. | The road is being repaired. |
| Past Continuous | He was painting the wall. | The wall was being painted. |
| Present Perfect | She has sent the email. | The email has been sent. |
| Past Perfect | They had sold all tickets. | All tickets had been sold. |
| Future Perfect | I will have completed it. | It will have been completed. |
| Modal (can) | You can solve this. | This can be solved. |
| Modal (must) | We must submit the form. | The form must be submitted. |
| Modal (should) | They should inform him. | He should be informed. |
2. Quand choisir l'actif ou le passif ?
| Situation | Voix recommandee | Pourquoi |
|---|
| L'agent est connu et important | Active | Met l'accent sur qui fait l'action |
| L'agent est inconnu | Passive | My car was stolen. (on ne sait pas par qui) |
| L'agent est evident | Passive | The suspect was arrested. (par la police) |
| L'action est plus importante | Passive | A new law has been passed. |
| Registre scientifique | Passive | The experiment was conducted in 2024. |
| Registre journalistique | Passive | Three people were injured. |
| Conversation informelle | Active | Plus directe et naturelle |
| Instructions / processus | Passive | The form must be completed. |
3. Cas speciaux : verbes ditransitifs
Certains verbes acceptent deux complements d'objet (COD + COI). Les deux peuvent devenir sujet du passif :
| Actif | Passif (COD en sujet) | Passif (COI en sujet) |
|---|
| They gave me a book. | A book was given to me. | I was given a book. (plus courant) |
| She sent him a letter. | A letter was sent to him. | He was sent a letter. |
| They offered her a job. | A job was offered to her. | She was offered a job. |
Regle : Avec give, send, offer, show, tell, le COI comme sujet passif est plus naturel en anglais : I was given a book plutot que A book was given to me.
4. Passif avec GET (registre informel)
| BE + PP (standard) | GET + PP (informel) | Nuance |
|---|
| He was promoted. | He got promoted. | GET = plus dynamique, evenement soudain |
| She was fired. | She got fired. | GET = plus emotionnel |
| The window was broken. | The window got broken. | GET = implication d'un accident |
| They were married in June. | They got married in June. | GET = processus, changement d'etat |
5. Have/Get something done (Causatif)
Structure pour dire que quelqu'un fait faire quelque chose :
HAVE + objet + participe passe
I had my car repaired. = J'ai fait reparer ma voiture.
| Francais | Anglais (HAVE) | Anglais (GET, informel) |
|---|
| Je me suis fait couper les cheveux. | I had my hair cut. | I got my hair cut. |
| Elle a fait reparer sa voiture. | She had her car repaired. | She got her car repaired. |
| Nous avons fait livrer les meubles. | We had the furniture delivered. | We got the furniture delivered. |
| Il a fait verifier les comptes. | He had the accounts checked. | He got the accounts checked. |
6. Frequence du passif par domaine
| Domaine | Frequence du passif | Exemple typique |
|---|
| Redaction scientifique | Tres elevee (40-50%) | The data was analyzed using SPSS. |
| Redaction technique | Elevee (30-40%) | The software must be updated regularly. |
| Journalisme | Moderee (20-30%) | Three suspects were arrested. |
| Emails professionnels | Moderee (15-25%) | The report has been sent. |
| Conversation orale | Faible (5-10%) | I was told about the meeting. |
Conseil Cabinet Action : Le passif est un marqueur de niveau avance. Les candidats au TOEIC qui maitrisent le passif scorent en moyenne 80 points de plus sur la section grammaire.