Breakdown of L'aluminium ne peut pas être broyé dans ces bennes.
être
to be
dans
in, inside
ne
not (used before the verb)
pas
not (used after the verb)
ce
this (before a noun)
pouvoir
to be able to / can
la benne
the dumpster
l'aluminium
the aluminum (m)
broyer
to shred
Questions & Answers about L'aluminium ne peut pas être broyé dans ces bennes.
How is the passive voice structured with the modal verb peut in this sentence?
The modal verb pouvoir is conjugated to match the subject (peut), and it is followed by the passive infinitive. The passive infinitive is simply the infinitive être (to be) plus the past participle broyé (shredded). This directly mirrors the English structure "can be shredded."
Does the past participle broyé need to agree with the subject here?
Yes. In the passive voice, the past participle always agrees in gender and number with the subject, even when it is attached to an infinitive être after a modal verb. Here, L'aluminium is masculine singular, so broyé takes no extra endings. If the subject were feminine, like La canette (the can), it would be être broyée.
Why does the negation ne ... pas wrap around peut instead of the whole verb phrase?
In French, the two parts of standard negation (ne and pas) wrap around the conjugated verb. Because peut is the only conjugated verb in this sentence, it gets surrounded. The passive infinitive phrase être broyé comes after the negation is complete.
The verb is broyer (to shred). Why doesn't the y change to an i in the past participle broyé?
Verbs ending in -yer (like broyer, nettoyer, or payer) do change their y to an i in certain conjugated tenses, like the present (il broie). However, for the past participle, the stem remains unchanged, so you simply drop the -er and add -é to get broyé.
Learn L'aluminium ne peut pas être broyé dans ces bennes and more in French
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free