Learn French: Le temple a été détruit par l'armée. - The temple was destroyed by the army.

Le temple a été détruit par l'armée.

The temple was destroyed by the army.

Breakdown of Le temple a été détruit par l'armée.

by, through / out of (motive)

le temple

the temple

Questions & Answers about Le temple a été détruit par l'armée.

How does the passé composé work in the passive voice here?

To form the passive voice in the passé composé, you use the passé composé of être (which is a été) and add the past participle of your main verb (détruit). Together, a été détruit means "was destroyed" or "has been destroyed".

Would détruit change if the subject were feminine or plural?

Yes. In the passive voice, the past participle always agrees in gender and number with the subject. Le temple is masculine singular, so détruit takes no extra letters. If the subject were feminine, like la ville (the city), it would be la ville a été détruite.

Why do we use the word par in this sentence?

In passive sentences, par means "by". It introduces the agent, which is the person or thing actually performing the action. Here, par l'armée tells us who did the destroying.

What is the infinitive form of détruit?

The infinitive is détruire (to destroy). It is an irregular verb, but it follows the same pattern as construire (to build), which has the past participle construit.