Imperfect Passive Voice
French: AQA GCSE (2025 Exams), topic 6.1.4
Imperfect Passive Voice
To form the imperfect 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.
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.
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.
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.
Imperfect 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.
1) Imperfect tense of 'être'
- J'étais - I was/used to be.
- Tu étais - you 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 were/used to be.
- Ils/elles étaient - they were/used to be.
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 tarts were being made.
- Les lettres étaient écrites - the letters were being written.
Examples of passive sentences
- James Bond était inteprété 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 détestées de tout le monde
- The tarts were being hated by everyone.
- Les gâteaux étaient préparés par lui.
- The cakes were being prepared by him.
Test yourself on Imperfect Passive Voice
'Les gâteaux étaient préparés par lui', ça veut dire quoi en anglais?
Which of these are not in the imperfect passive?
Complete the following sentence:
Les pommes [...] par lui.How do you say 'you were' in French?
How do you say 'my homework used to be finished by 6pm'?