voir at C2 — literary & formal
On this page
Courtrooms, columns and quiet glimpses.
The written register
The construction to master is « se voir » plus infinitive, written French’s elegant passive: « il s’est vu refuser l’entrée » — he was refused entry; « elle s’est vu confier le dossier » — she was entrusted with the case. Note the frozen participle « vu » when the subject undergoes rather than acts. Newspapers use it daily.
Legal prose offers « au vu et au su de tous » — openly, before everyone’s eyes and knowledge; it often frames scandal. Diplomacy prefers the cousin « entrevoir » : negotiators « laissent entrevoir un accord », allow a glimpse of one. Both keep the reader at arm’s length, exactly where formal French likes him.
💡 Focus at this level: Formal — se voir + infinitif, au vu et au su de, entrevoir
👨🏫 How to use « voir » at this level
1. « Se voir refuser » = to be refused. The written passive of record.
2. « Au vu et au su de tous » = openly, in plain sight. Legal.
3. « Laisser entrevoir » = to hint at, give a glimpse of. Diplomatic.
🔊 Example sentences
✍️ Practice
Turn formal with « se voir » : « On lui a refusé le visa »
Show answer
« Il s’est vu refuser le visa » — se voir + infinitive is the high-register passive; « vu » stays invariable.
Why is there no extra e on « vu » in « elle s’est vu confier le dossier » ?
Show answer
Because she isn’t doing the entrusting — when the subject undergoes the action, the participle stays invariable.
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