AtelierLe journal · French, understood
English

Language

The course

Updated

Quiz

French infinitives, gérondifs and participles: 10 mixed questions

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Test infinitives, gérondifs, participle agreement and earlier actions in ten French sentences, with an explanation for every answer.

In short

After vouloir, use an infinitive; after en, use a present participle. A past infinitive marks an earlier completed action, while a participle used as an adjective agrees with its noun.

Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learnRed watch out

An adult student wearing headphones listens attentively while holding a pencil over a completely blank notebook at a simple desk.
The student listens en prenant des notes. Illustration: Atelier
Study first: four different jobs
JobFrench exampleWhat to notice
Complete another verbElle veut comprendre.The infinitive follows the conjugated verb.
Link simultaneous actionsIl écoute en prenant des notes.The same person listens and takes notes.
Mark earlier completionAprès avoir compris, elle répond.Understanding comes before the reply.
Describe a noundes réponses écritesThe description is feminine plural.

The questions move from verb complements to descriptions. Read the whole sentence: a plural noun can take a verbal participle with no plural ending, as in des personnes attendant une réponse. An adjective behaves differently: des personnes fatiguées.

  1. Question 1No account needed
    Complete the sentence with the form required after vouloir.Elle veut ___ le dossier.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    lire. Vouloir takes an infinitive here. Veut is already the conjugated verb, so the next verb is lire.

  2. Question 2No account needed
    Which option is a past infinitive?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    avoir compris. Avoir compris keeps the auxiliary in the infinitive. A compris contains a conjugated auxiliary.

  3. Question 3No account needed
    Complete the gérondif of parler.Nous avançons en ___ ensemble.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    parlant. En introduces the invariable present participle parlant. The subject is already carried by nous avançons.

  4. Question 4No account needed
    Choose the gérondif of savoir.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    en sachant. Savoir has the irregular present participle sachant, so its gérondif is en sachant.

  5. Question 5No account needed
    Léa opens a box and finds a letter. Which sentence gives her both actions?

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    En ouvrant la boîte, Léa a trouvé une lettre.. Léa is the subject of a trouvé and the understood subject of en ouvrant.

  6. Question 6No account needed
    Use the verbal present participle of attendre.Des personnes ___ une réponse peuvent patienter ici.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    attendant. Attendant takes une réponse as its object and stays unchanged in this verbal participial description.

  7. Question 7No account needed
    Choose the adjective meaning “tiring”.Ce sont des journées très ___.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    fatigantes. The adjective is fatigant, with feminine plural fatigantes. The verbal participle fatiguant has a different spelling.

  8. Question 8No account needed
    Complete with the compound participle of arriver.___ en avance, elles ont attendu.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    Étant arrivées. Arriver takes être. Étant stays unchanged; arrivées agrees with elles.

  9. Question 9No account needed
    Choose the correctly agreed description of a feminine singular noun.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    une réponse écrite. Écrite is the past participle used as an adjective. It agrees with the feminine singular noun réponse.

  10. Question 10No account needed
    What does tout en express in this sentence?Tout en dessinant, elle explique le plan.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    Two actions taking place together. The drawing accompanies the explanation. Here tout en emphasises simultaneous actions.

Keep going