The passive, the imperative and impersonal verbs (AQA GCSE French): Revision Notes
The passive, the imperative and impersonal verbs
This guide covers three important French grammar concepts that will help you express yourself more naturally and understand French texts better. Understanding the passive voice, imperative mood, and impersonal verbs is essential for developing fluency in French.
The passive voice
The passive voice describes what happens to someone or something, rather than what they do. While it's very common in English, French speakers tend to use it less frequently, though you still need to understand and use it when appropriate.
The passive voice shifts focus from the doer of an action to the receiver of the action. This is particularly useful when the doer is unknown or unimportant.
How to form the passive
The passive voice in French follows this pattern: Subject + part of être + past participle
The past participle must agree with the subject, just like with adjectives. This means adding -e for feminine subjects, -s for masculine plural, and -es for feminine plural.
Examples in context
Here are some practical examples to show how the passive works:
Worked Example: Passive Voice Formation
-
Les appartements sont vendus = The flats are sold
- Subject: Les appartements (masculine plural)
- Auxiliary: sont (3rd person plural of être)
- Past participle: vendus (agrees with masculine plural subject)
-
La meilleure histoire est racontée par le plus jeune enfant = The best story is told by the youngest child
- Subject: La meilleure histoire (feminine singular)
- Auxiliary: est (3rd person singular of être)
- Past participle: racontée (agrees with feminine singular subject)
Avoiding the passive voice
French speakers often prefer to avoid the passive by using "on" (meaning "one" or "someone"):
Instead of saying "I was invited", you might hear On m'a invité(e) (Someone invited me). This sounds more natural in French and is worth remembering for your own speaking and writing.
The imperative mood
The imperative is your go-to form for giving commands, instructions, or directions. Think of recipes, giving directions to tourists, or telling someone what to do.
Formation rules
To create imperative forms, simply use the tu, vous, or nous form of the verb without the subject pronoun:
Formation Rules:
- Tu form: Drop the subject and, for -er verbs, remove the final -s
- Vous form: Drop the subject, keep everything else the same
- Nous form: Use this for suggestions (like "let's...")
Practical examples
Commands and instructions:
Worked Example: Commands and Instructions
-
Finis tes devoirs! = Finish your homework!
- From tu finis → drop tu → Finis
-
Tournez à gauche = Turn left
- From vous tournez → drop vous → Tournez
-
Ferme la porte, s'il te plaît = Shut the door, please
- From tu fermes → drop tu and final -s → Ferme
Making suggestions together:
Worked Example: Making Suggestions (Nous Form)
- Regardons ce film! = Let's watch this film!
- Partons ensemble = Let's leave together
- Prenons le prochain bus = Let's get the next bus
All these use the nous form without the subject pronoun to suggest group actions.
Impersonal verbs
Impersonal verbs are special because they only work with "il" as the subject. They're incredibly useful for talking about general situations, weather, necessity, and opinions.
Common impersonal patterns
Here are the most important impersonal constructions you'll encounter:
Worked Example: Essential Impersonal Patterns
il y a (there is/there are)
- Il y a des voitures = There are some cars
Weather expressions with il fait
- Il fait froid = It is cold (weather)
Weather phenomena
- Il neige = It is snowing
Expressing necessity with il faut
- Il faut recycler = We must recycle
Expressing opinions with il est + adjective + de
- Il est important de recycler = It's important to recycle
Worked Example: Advanced Impersonal Expressions
Talking about what's missing with il manque
- Il nous manque trois personnes = We are missing three people
Expressing preferences with il vaut mieux
- Il vaut mieux y aller en train = It's better to go there by train
Expressing worth with il vaut la peine de
- Il vaut la peine d'arriver tôt = It's worth arriving early
Useful vocabulary
| French | English |
|---|---|
| être | to be |
| faire | to do/make |
| falloir | to be necessary |
| manquer | to miss/lack |
| valoir | to be worth |
| neiger | to snow |
| raconter | to tell (a story) |
| vendre | to sell |
| inviter | to invite |
| recycler | to recycle |
Example sentences with translations
Worked Example: Present Tense Applications
-
Les maisons sont construites rapidement = The houses are built quickly
- Passive construction with agreement (construites agrees with les maisons)
-
Il faut partir maintenant = We must leave now
- Impersonal expression of necessity
-
Il vaut mieux prendre le métro = It's better to take the underground
- Impersonal expression of preference
Worked Example: Past Tense Applications
-
Le livre a été écrit par un auteur célèbre = The book was written by a famous author
- Passive voice in compound past (passé composé)
-
Il a fallu attendre longtemps = We had to wait a long time
- Impersonal verb in compound past
Grammar and pronunciation tips
Key Grammar Points:
- Remember that past participles in passive constructions agree with the subject
- For imperative forms of -er verbs, drop the final -s in the tu form
- Impersonal expressions with "il" are pronounced like "eel"
- The liaison in "il est" sounds like "eel-ay"
Translation practice
Translation Practice Exercise
French to English:
- Ma voiture est réparée = My car is repaired
- Il vaut mieux étudier ce soir = It's better to study tonight
English to French:
- Close the window! = Ferme la fenêtre!
- It's necessary to work hard = Il faut travailler dur
Answers:
- My car is repaired / It's better to study tonight
- Ferme la fenêtre! / Il faut travailler dur
Key Points to Remember:
- The passive voice uses être + past participle, with agreement rules applying
- The imperative drops subject pronouns and uses tu/vous/nous forms for commands and suggestions
- Impersonal verbs with "il" are essential for expressing weather, necessity, and general opinions
- French speakers often prefer "on" constructions instead of the passive voice
- These structures will make your French sound much more natural and fluent