Breakdown of Je me suis fait voler mon mot de passe par ce pirate.
je
I
être
to be
ce
this (before a noun)
mon
my (mon, ma, mes)
par
by, through / out of (motive)
voler
to steal
se faire
to get oneself
le pirate
the hacker
le mot de passe
the password
Questions & Answers about Je me suis fait voler mon mot de passe par ce pirate.
How does the se faire + infinitive structure translate to "got my password stolen"?
The construction se faire + an infinitive is used when an action is done to the subject by someone else, often something negative or accidental. It translates well to the English "to get [something] done" or "to have [something] happen to you". Here, Je me suis fait voler literally translates to "I made myself be stolen [from]", which is the natural way French expresses "I had my password stolen" or "I got robbed."
If a woman is speaking, shouldn't fait have an e at the end (Je me suis faite voler)?
Normally, reflexive verbs in the passé composé (which use the helping verb être) agree with the subject. However, there is a strict exception for se faire when it is followed by an infinitive like voler. The past participle fait never changes its ending when an infinitive comes right after it. It stays exactly as fait whether the speaker is male, female, or plural!
Why do we use voler (to steal) in the infinitive here instead of a past participle like in English?
In French, the causative verb faire is always followed directly by an infinitive, never a past participle. Even though in English we say "got my password stolen" (using a past tense form), French grammar strictly requires the infinitive after se faire. So, it must be se faire voler.
Does pirate really mean "hacker" here?
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