Who's at the centre?
French has several ways to describe an event without naming who did it. They differ in who becomes the subject and which register they carry. With se faire and se voir, the person affected becomes the subject, even if they'd only be an indirect object in the active sentence.
Same statement, four perspectives
| Form | Sentence | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| être + participle | Son vélo a été volé. | The thing in focus, neutral |
| on | On lui a volé son vélo. | Spoken, neutral |
| se faire + infinitive | Il s'est fait voler son vélo. | The person as the one affected, storytelling |
| se voir + infinitive | Il s'est vu retirer son permis. | The person in focus, formal |
se faire - affected or involved
se faire + infinitive puts the spotlight on the person something happens to. Depending on context, it can suggest they played a part: they arranged it or at least provoked it. The neutral être passive has no such undertone.
Report or story
être passive
Le suspect a été arrêté hier soir.
The suspect was arrested last night.
News tone.
se faire
Il s'est fait arrêter en pleine manif.
He got himself arrested in the middle of the protest.
Told as a story, often with an undertone.
Mishap, arrangement, being had
Elle s'est fait renverser par un scooter.
She got hit by a scooter.
Pure misfortune.
Elle s'est fait couper les cheveux très court.
She had her hair cut very short.
Arranged.
Je me suis fait avoir par le vendeur.
I got ripped off by the salesman.
Informal, you could have spotted it.
se voir - the formal option
se voir + infinitive belongs in the press, administration and reports. It's neutral: what happens to the person can be good or bad. Typical verbs are about granting and withdrawing: décerner, confier, attribuer, refuser, retirer. With a participle or adjective instead of an infinitive, se voir describes a situation someone ends up in.
La chercheuse s'est vu décerner le prix Nobel.
The researcher was awarded the Nobel Prize.
Il s'est vu confier la direction du projet.
He was put in charge of the project.
Plusieurs voyageurs se sont vu refuser l'embarquement.
Several passengers were denied boarding.
Elle s'est vue contrainte de démissionner.
She found herself forced to resign.
Participle instead of infinitive, so vue agrees here.
