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Le chat a été sauvé par la voisine.

Le chat a été sauvé par la voisine.
The cat was rescued by the neighbor.
FromLesson 26inHardcore French

Questions & Answers about Le chat a été sauvé par la voisine.

What tense is the part in bold (a été sauvé)?
It’s the passive voice in the passé composé. Depending on context, it corresponds to English “was saved” or “has been saved.” French often uses the passé composé where English might use either simple past or present perfect.
Why are there two participles in a row (été sauvé)?
Because the passive is formed with the verb être plus the past participle of the main verb. To put that into the past, you conjugate être in the passé composé (a été) and then add the main participle (sauvé): Subject + avoir + été + past participle + par + agent.
Why is it a été and not est été?
The verb être uses avoir as its auxiliary in compound tenses. So you must say a été (“has been”), not est été. Using est été is incorrect.
Why is it sauvé and not sauvée/sauvés/sauvées?

In the passive, the past participle agrees with the subject. Here, the subject is le chat (masculine singular), so it’s sauvé.

  • Feminine singular subject: La chatte a été sauvée…
  • Masculine plural: Les chats ont été sauvés…
  • Feminine plural: Les chattes ont été sauvées…
Does été ever change form?
No. Été (the past participle of être) is invariable in this construction; it does not agree in gender or number.
Why use par and not de after the participle?
  • Use par to introduce the agent (the doer) in a passive: …sauvé par la voisine.
  • Use de to introduce the cause/source in many “state/result” participles or adjectives: aimé de tous, respecté de ses pairs; and to say what someone/something was saved from: sauvé de l’incendie (“saved from the fire”). So: agent = par, danger/cause or certain stative uses = de.
Can I say it in active voice instead?
Yes: La voisine a sauvé le chat. Active voice is very common and often preferred in French when the agent matters.
Why is it la voisine and not sa voisine?
  • la voisine = “the neighbor” (female), previously known or identifiable in context.
  • sa voisine = “his/her neighbor,” explicitly tied to a possessor. Choose the article or the possessive according to the meaning you want.
Could I say une voisine?
Yes, if you mean “a neighbor” (unspecified): …sauvé par une voisine. The article changes the definiteness of the agent: definite (la), indefinite (une).
How do I negate this sentence?

Wrap the first auxiliary with ne…pas:

  • Le chat n’a pas été sauvé par la voisine. Other negations:
  • Le chat n’a jamais été sauvé par la voisine.
  • Le chat n’a été sauvé par personne.
How do I turn it into a yes/no question?

Three common ways:

Any pronunciation tips?
  • Le chat: lə sha (final -t silent).
  • a été: a ay-tay (two distinct vowel sounds; no liaison between a and été).
  • sauvé: so-vay.
  • par: par with a French r.
  • la voisine: la vwah-zeen (the final -e is typically silent). In IPA: [lə ʃa a ete sove paʁ la vwazin] (final schwa may be dropped).
Do I need the accents in été and sauvé?

Yes. Accents are mandatory in standard French:

  • été (two acute accents) is the participle of être and also the noun “summer” when used with an article (l’été).
  • sauvé needs the acute accent on -é. Writing them without accents is incorrect.
What if the neighbor is a man?
Use the masculine form: Le chat a été sauvé par le voisin.
How can I replace parts with pronouns?
  • Replace the agent: …par elle for par la voisine.
  • Replace the subject (in a continuation): Il a été sauvé par la voisine.
  • In active voice, replace the object: La voisine l’a sauvé. (Here, l’ = le chat.)
Is there a more natural alternative to the passive?

French often prefers active or cleft constructions:

  • Active: La voisine a sauvé le chat.
  • Cleft for emphasis: C’est la voisine qui a sauvé le chat. Use passive when the patient (the cat) is the focus or the agent is unknown/secondary.
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“How does grammatical gender work in French?”
Every French noun is either masculine or feminine, and this affects the articles and adjectives used with it. "Le" is used with masculine nouns and "la" with feminine ones. Adjectives also change form to match — for example, "petit" (masc.) becomes "petite" (fem.).

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