Breakdown of L'empire a été conquis par la nouvelle armée.
être
to be
avoir
to have
nouveau
new
par
by, through / out of (motive)
Questions & Answers about L'empire a été conquis par la nouvelle armée.
How do we know this is the passive voice in the passé composé?
In French, the passive voice uses the verb être plus the past participle of the main verb. To put it in the past tense (passé composé), you use the passé composé of être, which is a été (was), followed by the past participle conquis (conquered).
Why does conquis end in an 's' here? Is it plural?
No, l'empire is singular. The infinitive of the verb is conquérir (to conquer), which is highly irregular. Its default masculine singular past participle is conquis, so the 's' is just part of the word itself, not a plural marker.
If the subject were feminine, would conquis change?
Yes! In the passive voice, the past participle always agrees with the subject in gender and number. If the subject were a feminine noun, like la ville, it would become La ville a été conquise. Since l'empire is masculine singular, we use the base form conquis.
Why does the adjective nouvelle come before armée?
Most French adjectives are placed after the noun, but nouvelle (new) is a common exception. It belongs to the BAGS group of adjectives (Beauty, Age, Goodness, Size) which generally come before the noun they describe.
Does par always mean 'by' in passive sentences?