8.2.3

Être - Future & Imperfect

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Future Passive Voice

To form the passive, use the future 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 - future tense of 'etre'Illustrative background for Step 1 - future tense of 'etre' ?? "content

Step 1 - future tense of 'etre'

  • Je serai - I will.
  • Tu seras - you (singular) will.
  • Il/elle/on sera - he/she/one will.
  • Nous serons - we will.
  • Vous serez - you (plural/formal) will.
  • Ils/elles seront - they will.
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Step 2 - add past participle

  • Le match sera joué - the match will be played.
  • La nourriture sera mangée - the food will be eaten.
  • Les tartes seront faites - the tartes will be made.
  • Les lettres seront envoyées - the letters will be sent.
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Examples of passive sentences

  • Iron Man sera joué par Robert Downey Jnr.
    • Iron Man will be played by Robert Downey Jnr.
  • La nourriture sera mangée par nous.
    • The food will be eaten by us.
  • Les pâtisseries seront faites par le boulanger
    • The pastries will be made by the baker.
  • Les livres seront vendus par le magasin.
    • The books will be sold by the shop.

Future Passive Voice

To form the passive, use the imperfect 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 - imperfect tense of 'etre'Illustrative background for Step 1 - imperfect tense of 'etre' ?? "content

Step 1 - imperfect tense of 'etre'

  • J'étais - I was/used to be.
  • Tu étais - you (singular) were/used to be.
  • Il/elle/on était - he/she/one was/used to be.
  • Nous étions - we were/used to be.
  • Vous étiez - you (plural/formal) were/used to be.
  • Ils/elles étaient - they were/used to be.
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Step 2 - add past participle

  • Le devoir était fait - the homework was being done.
  • La plage était appréciée - the beach used to be well-liked.
  • Les tartes étaient faites - the tartes were being made.
  • Les lettres étaient écrites - the letters were being written.
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Examples of passive sentences

  • James Bond était joué par Sean Connery.
    • James Bond was being played by Sean Connery.
  • La viande était cuisinée par mon père.
    • The meat was being cooked by my dad.
  • Les tartes étaient détesté de tout le monde
    • The tarts were being hated by everyone.
  • Les gateaux étaient préparés par lui.
    • The cakes were being prepared by him.

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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