The passive, the imperative and impersonal verbs (Edexcel GCSE French): Revision Notes
The passive, the imperative and impersonal verbs
The passive voice
The passive voice describes what happens to someone or something, rather than what they do themselves. It shifts the focus from the person doing the action to the person or thing receiving it.
Formation
The passive is formed using: être (in any tense) + past participle
The past participle must agree with the subject in gender and number.
Examples of Passive Voice Construction
| French Example | English Translation |
|---|---|
| La maison a été construite en 1930 | The house was built in 1930 |
| Les appartements sont vendus | The flats are sold |
| L'histoire est écrite | The story is written |
| La chanson a été chantée | The song has been sung |
Adding the agent
When you want to say who did the action, use par (by):
La meilleure histoire a été racontée par le plus jeune enfant. The best story was told by the youngest child.
Avoiding the passive
You can avoid using the passive by turning the sentence around with on (someone/one):
On m'a invité(e). → Someone invited me / I was invited.
The imperative
The imperative is used to give commands, instructions, or directions. You'll see it in recipes, giving directions, or telling someone what to do.
Formation
Use the tu or vous form of the verb without the subject pronoun:
Imperative Forms
| Tu form | Vous form | English |
|---|---|---|
| Finis tes devoirs! | Finissez vos devoirs! | Finish your homework! |
| Tourne à gauche | Tournez à gauche | Turn left |
| Ferme la porte | Fermez la porte | Close the door |
Special rule for -er verbs
With -er verbs in the tu form, drop the final -s:
Ferme la porte, s'il te plaît. (Shut the door, please.)
Making suggestions
Use the nous form without the subject to suggest doing something together:
Making Suggestions with Nous Form
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Regardons ce film! | Let's watch this film! |
| Partons ensemble | Let's leave together |
| Prenons le prochain bus | Let's get the next bus |
Impersonal verbs
Impersonal verbs are special verbs that only work with il. They're used to talk about general things like weather, necessity, or availability.
Weather expressions
Common Weather and Existence Expressions
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Il y a des voitures électriques | There are electric cars |
| Il fait froid | It is cold (weather) |
| Il neige | It is snowing |
| Il fait beau | The weather is nice |
Expressing necessity
Il faut means "it is necessary" or "you/we must":
Il faut réduire la pollution. (We must reduce pollution.)
Other useful impersonal expressions
Key Impersonal Expression Patterns
| French Pattern | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| Il est + adjective + de... | Il est important de résoudre les problèmes | It's important to solve the problems |
| Il manque + noun | Il nous manque trois personnes | We are missing three people |
| Il vaut mieux + infinitive | Il vaut mieux y aller en train | It's better to go by train |
| Il vaut la peine de + infinitive | Il vaut la peine d'arriver tôt | It's worth arriving early |
Translation practice
Translation Practice Exercise
Try matching these French sentences with their English translations:
French sentences:
- J'ai été invité
- Ma maison sera vendue
- Le professeur est très bien aimé
- L'histoire est écrite
- La chanson a été chantée
English translations:
A. My house will be sold
B. The story is written
C. I have been/was invited
D. The song has been/was sung
E. The teacher is very well liked
Answers: 1-C, 2-A, 3-E, 4-B, 5-D
Key Points to Remember:
- Passive voice uses être + past participle to show what happens to someone or something
- Past participles in the passive must agree with the subject
- Imperative uses verb forms without subject pronouns to give commands
- Drop the -s from -er verbs in the tu form of the imperative
- Impersonal verbs with il express weather, necessity, and general concepts
- Il faut expresses what you must do, il vaut mieux expresses what's better to do