6.1.2

Perfect Passive Voice

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Perfect Passive Voice

To form the perfect passive, use the pefect tense of 'être' followed by a past participle. The passive is usually only used in the 'il/elle' and the 'ils/elles' forms.

Illustrative background for Step 1 - perfect tense of 'etre'Illustrative background for Step 1 - perfect tense of 'etre' ?? "content

Step 1 - perfect tense of 'etre'

  • J'ai été - I was.
  • Tu as été - you (singular) were.
  • Il/elle/on a été - he/she/one was.
  • Nous avons été - we were.
  • Vous avez été - you (plural/formal) were.
  • Ils/elles ont été - they were.
Illustrative background for Step 2 - add past participleIllustrative background for Step 2 - add past participle ?? "content

Step 2 - add past participle

  • Le pain a été acheté - the bread was bought.
  • La porte a été ouverte - the door was opened.
  • Les chaussures ont été perdues - the shoes were lost.
  • Ces coûts ont été pris en compte - these costs were taken into account.
Illustrative background for Examples of passive sentencesIllustrative background for Examples of passive sentences ?? "content

Examples of passive sentences

  • Le match a été gagné par mon équipe.
    • The match was won by my team.
  • La voiture a été vendue à perte.
    • The car was sold at a loss.
  • Les tartes ont été faites par le boulanger.
    • The tarts were made by the baker.
  • Les livres ont été écrits par Charles Dickens.
    • The books were written by Charles Dickens.

Perfect Passive Voice

To form the passive, use the perfect tense of 'être' followed by a past participle. The passive is usually only used in the 'il/elle' and the 'ils/elles' forms.

Illustrative background for 1) Perfect tense of 'être'Illustrative background for 1) Perfect tense of 'être' ?? "content

1) Perfect tense of 'être'

  • J'ai été - I was.
  • Tu as été - you were.
  • Il/elle/on a été - he/she/one was.
  • Nous avons été - we were.
  • Vous avez été - you were.
  • Ils/elles ont été - they were.
Illustrative background for 2) Add past participleIllustrative background for 2) Add past participle ?? "content

2) Add past participle

  • Le pain a été acheté - the bread was bought.
  • La porte a été ouverte - the door was opened.
  • Les chaussures ont été perdues - the shoes were lost.
  • Ces coûts ont été pris en compte - these costs were taken into account.
Illustrative background for Examples of passive sentencesIllustrative background for Examples of passive sentences ?? "content

Examples of passive sentences

  • Le match a été gagné par mon équipe.
    • The match was won by my team.
  • La voiture a été vendue à perte.
    • The car was sold at a loss.
  • Les tartes ont été faites par le boulanger.
    • The tarts were made by the baker.
  • Les livres ont été écrits par Charles Dickens.
    • The books were written by Charles Dickens.

Jump to other topics

1Identity & Culture

2Areas of Interest

3Study & Employment

4Common Tenses

4.1Present Tense

4.2Perfect Tense

4.3Imperfect Tense

4.4Imperfect vs Perfect

4.5Future Tense

5Advanced Tenses

6Extra Grammar

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