Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive a link and will create a new password via email.

What is the capital of Tunisia?

Please type your username.

Please type your E-Mail.

Please choose the appropriate section so the question can be searched easily.

Please choose suitable Keywords Ex: question, poll.

Type the description thoroughly and in details.

What is the capital of Tunisia?

se faire harceler vs être harcelé

The turn se faire + verb is a familiar turn of phrase that can be equivalent to the passive form. It does not necessarily mean that the subject has actively caused the action to be done:

Il s’est fait voler son portefeuille.

Je me suis fait agresser.

Ils se sont fait virer du bar sans raison.

Je me suis encore fait avoir (être eu means "to be fooled")

As you can guess, in the examples above, the subject is not the "active trigger" of the action.

The meaning is the same as the standard passive form. There is a only a difference in language register (the turn se faire without proactivity is more familiar and rather fits in spoken French), and the turn "se faire" (very) slightly insists more on the action of the verb.

For an extensive discussion on this topic, see here

“être harcelé” et “se faire harceler” are both passive.

But “se faire harceler” is stronger, and more informal.
The meaning is also a little different.

Je suis harcelée = It’s right now. Someone tells me bad things -> Je suis harcelée.

Quand je marche dans la rue, je me fais harceler -> It’s an habit, or a specific tense.

“se faire…” put more the emphasis on the action, and “être… on the state.

 

Leave a comment

What is the capital of Tunisia?