Present Passive Voice
French: AQA GCSE (2025 Exams), topic 6.1.1
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'
- 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
- 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
- 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.
Test yourself on Present Passive Voice
How do you say 'the food is taken' in French?
Which one of these is NOT in the passive tense?