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Les thèmes du film : the passive voice
I can recognise the passive voice in texts about film and understand how and why it is used.
Lesson 2 of 3
New
New
- Year 11
- AQA
Les thèmes du film : the passive voice
I can recognise the passive voice in texts about film and understand how and why it is used.
Lesson details
Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons
Key learning points
- The passive is used to say what is done to someone or something.
- The passive is formed using part of 'être' and a past participle. The participle must agree with the noun.
- 'Par' (by) is used to say who or what the action is being done by.
Keywords
Passive voice - when the subject is affected by the action of the verb, but does not 'do' the action of the verb, e.g. 'the house is sold'.
Par - by
Common misconception
Past participle agreement only occurs in the perfect tense.
In the passive voice, all past participles are combined with a form of 'être'. As such, past participle agreement rules apply to all verbs, e.g. 'la scène est critiquée par le journaliste'.
Teachers might like to discuss with students if they have seen any French language films. Good films to recommend at KS4 include 'La vie scolaire', 'Les choristes' and 'La Famille Bélier'. As always, care must be taken to check that content is suitable for the intended students.
Teacher tip
Equipment
Mini whiteboards and pens are useful, if available.
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of the following sentences is in the active voice?
Which of the following sentences is in the active voice?
Le film est réalisé par le metteur en scène.
La musique est composée par un artiste célèbre.
Les acteurs sont applaudis par le public.
Q2.Put the following words in the correct order to form a grammatically correct sentence in the passive voice.
Put the following words in the correct order to form a grammatically correct sentence in the passive voice.
Q3.Match the French verb infinitive to its past participle.
Match the French verb infinitive to its past participle.
Q4.In the passive voice, what part of 'être' is typically used when the subject is singular and feminine?
In the passive voice, what part of 'être' is typically used when the subject is singular and feminine?
sont
es
suis
Q5.Order the following sentence into French, using the passive voice.
Order the following sentence into French, using the passive voice.
Q6.Why is the passive voice often used in film reviews or news reports?
Why is the passive voice often used in film reviews or news reports?
To emphasize the person performing the action.
To make the sentence shorter.
To avoid using 'par'.
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.Which sentence correctly uses the passive voice and shows past participle agreement?
Which sentence correctly uses the passive voice and shows past participle agreement?
Le film est regardé par les critiques.
Les scènes sont tourné par le réalisateur.
La bande-annonce est partagé par les fans.
Q2.Match the subject of each passive sentence to the correctly agreeing past participle.
Match the subject of each passive sentence to the correctly agreeing past participle.
Q3.Put the following words in the correct order to form a passive sentence about a movie scene.
Put the following words in the correct order to form a passive sentence about a movie scene.
Q4.Match the active voice sentence to its correct passive voice transformation.
Match the active voice sentence to its correct passive voice transformation.
