Breakdown of Il s'est fait piéger par cette arnaque.
être
to be
il
he
ce
this (before a noun)
par
by, through / out of (motive)
Questions & Answers about Il s'est fait piéger par cette arnaque.
Why does it translate to "he got trapped" when faire means "to make" or "to do"?
The construction se faire followed by an infinitive (like piéger) is used to express that something happened to the subject. While it looks literally like "he made himself trap," it is the standard French way to express the passive idea of "getting" something done to you. It is very common for negative events, like getting tricked, caught, or hurt.
Could I use the regular passive voice and say Il a été piégé instead?
If this sentence were about a woman, would fait agree with the subject and become elle s'est faite piéger?
No, it stays exactly the same: elle s'est fait piéger. There is a special rule in French grammar that the past participle fait never changes its spelling to agree with the subject or object when it is immediately followed by an infinitive verb.