Use the passive voice and express having something done by someone else.
Passive voice (voix passive):
Structure: être (any tense) + past participle (agrees with subject)
La lettre est écrite par Marie. — The letter is written by Marie.
Le gâteau a été mangé. — The cake was eaten.
Le projet sera terminé demain. — The project will be finished tomorrow.
The causative (faire faire):
Used when someone has/makes someone else do something.
Structure: faire + infinitive
Je fais réparer ma voiture. — I'm having my car repaired.
Elle fait laver les vêtements. — She has the clothes washed.
Il s'est fait couper les cheveux. — He got his hair cut.
Key prepositions with causative:
| French | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| est écrit(e) par | is written by | Ce roman est écrit par Camus. |
| a été fait(e) | was made/done | Le travail a été fait. |
| faire réparer | to have repaired | Je fais réparer mon vélo. |
| se faire couper | to get (one's hair) cut | Je vais me faire couper les cheveux. |
| sera terminé(e) | will be finished | Le projet sera terminé lundi. |
| Word | Phonetic | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| écrite | ay-KREET | The "t" is pronounced here because of the following "e" |
| faire réparer | fair ray-pah-RAY | Two r sounds — guttural French r |
| couturière | koo-tyoo-RYAIR | Five syllables — stress on last |
Avoiding the passive: French often prefers the active voice or on (one/we/they) to avoid passive constructions. On parle français ici is more natural than Le français est parlé ici. This is a key difference from English, which uses passive voice much more frequently.
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