8.2.1

Être - Present

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Present Passive Voice

To form the passive, use the present 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) Present tense of 'être'Illustrative background for 1) Present tense of 'être' ?? "content

1) Present tense of 'être'

  • This tense is only usually used with the il/elle/on or ils/elles form of 'être'.
    • Il/elle/on est - he/she/one is.
    • Ils/elles sont - they are.
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2) Add past participle

  • La police est avertie - The police are warned.
  • Les livres sont lus - the books are read.
  • Les tartes sont faites - the tarts are made.
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Examples of passive sentences

  • Le livre est lu par de nombreuses personnes.
    • The book is read by many people.
  • La tarte aux pommes est mangée par moi.
    • The apple pie is eaten by me.
  • Les touristes sont vus comme une source d'espoir pour la population locale.
    • Tourists are seen as a source of hope by the local people.
  • Les pièces sont écrites par William Shakespeare.
    • The plays are written by William Shakespeare.

Jump to other topics

1Everyday Activities

2Personal & Social Life

3The World Around Us

4The World of Work

5The International World

6Common Tenses

7Advanced Tenses

8Extra Grammar

8.1Articles

8.2The Passive Voice

8.3Pronouns

8.4Asking Questions

8.5Nouns

8.6Prepositions

8.7Adverbs

8.8Adjectives

8.9Negative

8.10Conjunctions

8.11Miscellaneous

8.12Verbs

8.13Numbers

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