Learn French: Cette apparition inexpliquée a été vue par les touristes. - This unexplained apparition was seen by the tourists.

Cette apparition inexpliquée a été vue par les touristes.

This unexplained apparition was seen by the tourists.

Breakdown of Cette apparition inexpliquée a été vue par les touristes.

Questions & Answers about Cette apparition inexpliquée a été vue par les touristes.

Why does vue have an extra -e at the end? Doesn't the passé composé with avoir only agree with a preceding direct object?

The auxiliary verb here isn't actually avoir, it's être. This sentence is in the passive voice in the passé composé (a été). In all passive voice constructions, the main past participle (vue) must agree with the subject of the sentence, which is the feminine singular apparition.

Could I use the imparfait and say Cette apparition inexpliquée était vue par les touristes?

You could, but it changes the meaning. Using était vue is the imperfect passive, meaning the apparition "was being seen" over a continuous period or "used to be seen" repeatedly. To describe a single, completed event in the past, you must use the passé composé passive: a été vue.

Why do we use par here instead of de to mean "by"?

In the passive voice, par is used to introduce the agent of specific physical actions or events, like tourists seeing an apparition. De is reserved for verbs expressing a state of being, an emotion, or a condition (for example, Elle est respectée de tous - She is respected by all).

Why is the adjective inexpliquée placed after the noun?

Inexpliquée is a past participle functioning as an adjective (from the verb expliquer with the negative prefix in-). In French, adjectives derived directly from verbs almost always follow the noun they modify.