Seneca
Sign up

Passive Voice: Present & Perfect

French: AQA A Level, topic 12.7.1

Present Passive Voice

To form the present 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.

1) Present tense of 'être'

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
2) Add past participle

2) Add past participle

  • Le foot est joué - Football is played.
  • La police est avertie - The police are warned.
  • Les livres sont lus - The books are read.
  • Les tartes sont faites - The tarts are made.
Examples of passive sentences

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.

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.

Step 1 - perfect tense of 'etre'

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.
Step 2 - add past participle

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.
Examples of passive sentences

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.

Test yourself on Passive Voice: Present & Perfect

  • How do you say 'the food is taken' in French?

  • Which one of these is NOT in the passive tense?

  • Which one of these is NOT in the passive tense?

Practise this topic for free