passépassive

Passépassive is a term used in linguistics to describe a grammatical structure that combines elements of both passive and active voice. In languages that exhibit this structure, the subject of the sentence is not the agent performing the action, but rather the recipient or experiencer of the action. The agent, if present, is often marked with a special case or preposition, such as "by" in English.

For example, in French, the verb "être" (to be) is used in the passive voice, while the past participle of the main verb indicates the action. The agent, if specified, is introduced with the preposition "par" (by). For instance, "Le livre a été lu par Marie" translates to "The book was read by Marie," where "Le livre" (the book) is the subject, "a été lu" (was read) is the passive verb structure, and "par Marie" (by Marie) indicates the agent.

Passépassive is found in various languages, including French, Italian, and some dialects of Spanish. It serves to emphasize the recipient or experiencer of the action, rather than the agent. This structure can be useful in certain contexts, such as when the agent is unknown, unimportant, or when the focus is on the action itself rather than the doer of the action.