PASSIVE VERBS.

180. A transitive verb (and a transitive verb only) may become passive, by adding its participle to every mood and tense of the auxiliary verb étre; and the participle, as an adjective, agrees in gender and number with the subject or nominative to which it relates; as, Je suis appelé or appelée, Tu es aimé or aimée, Il est estimé,

Elle est estimée,
Mon père est révéré,
Ma mère fut toujours chérie,
Nous sommes blâmés or -ées,
Vous êtes loué, -ée, -és or -ées,
Mes amis sont connus,
Mes sœurs sont récompensées,

I am called.

Thou art loved.
He is esteemed.
She is esteemed.
My father is revered.
My mother was always beloved.
We are blamed.
You are praised.
My friends are known.
My sisters are rewarded.

181. NOTE. Two intransitive verbs, obéir à and convenir de, may become passive; as, obéir au précepteur, le précepteur est obéi; convenir d'une chose, cette chose est convenue.

Conjugation of a Passive Verb.

INFINITIVE MOOD.

PRESENT.-Être aimé, to be loved.

PAST.-Avoir été aimé, to have been loved.

PARTICIPLES.

PRESENT.-Étant aimé, being loved.

PAST.-Ayant été aimé, having been loved.
FUTURE.-Devant être aimé, about to be loved.

*Or aimé, in any tense, when the pronoun vous is used in addressing

a single person.

J'aurais or eusse été aimé,
Tu aurais or eusses été aimé,
Il aurait or eût été aimé,
Nous aurions or eussions été
aimés,

PAST.

I should have been loved.
Thou wouldst have been loved.
He would have been loved.
We should have been loved.

Vous auriez or eussiez été You would have been loved. aimés,

Ils auraient or eussent été They would have been loved. aimés,

IDIOMATIC TENSES.

CONDITIONAL IMPERFECT.

Je devais être aimé, etc., I was to be loved, etc.

CONDITIONAL FUTURE.

Je devrais être aimé, etc., I ought to be loved, etc.

Conjugate the passive verbs être chéri, to be cherished; être aperçu, to be perceived; être craint, to be feared, etc.

NEUTER VERBS.

182. The neuter verbs are conjugated like transitive verbs. Their compound tenses are formed with the auxiliary verb avoir, except the following, which are conjugated with étre :

Aller, to go.

Arriver, to arrive.
Décéder, to die.

Éclore, to blow, to hatch.

Entrer, to enter.
Intervenir, to intervene.

Mourir, to die.
Naître, to be born.
Parvenir, to attain.
Revenir, to come again.
Venir, to come.