Difference between "de" and "par" using passive voice

In lesson 21.5 on the passive voice, we have 
« Elle est aimée de ses amis » = "She is well loved by her friends",
but in most other cases the 'agent' is introduced by par  rather than de, e.g.
« La voiture est conduite par Nicolette » = "The car is driven by Nicolette".

Is there any reason for this?

Salut Peter--252 !

Both de and par can be translated as "by," but they're not really interchangeable: generally speaking, you can tell which one you should use based on the verb. So aimer is usually followed by de, while conduire is usually followed by par. It is one of those things that you will get a feel for as you learn more passive sentences like these.

I hope that this was helpful! Do let me know if you still have any questions on this.

À la prochaine,

Liss

Merci Liss !

I've just browsed through Fluentu and LawlessFrench on this subject, and they both say that par is the preposition to use when the verb is indicating an action, whereas de is used when the verb expresses a state of being (like something is hated, loved, respected, adored etc.).

Might be worth adding a paragraph to that effect in the lesson! (Unless it's already there and I missed it :) )

Pete

De rien, Pete !

And thank you for sharing your findings. That does seem like a solid distinction to make between these two prepositions and a good way to help people decide which to use. I'll contact our development team about possibly inserting something on this into the lesson in the future.

À la prochaine,

Liss