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Plus… plus and plus… moins: eight French practice questions

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Practise the more… the more and the more… the less in French. Choose plus or moins, check de before nouns and connect two changing degrees.

In short

Plus… plus means “the more… the more”; plus… moins means “the more… the less”. Start each clause with its own degree marker: Plus je pratique, moins j’hésite. Choose the direction of each change separately.

Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn

An adult learner speaking with growing ease to a partner over a small table.
Practice gives context to plus je pratique, moins j’hésite. Illustration: Atelier
Study first: four directions
First changeSecond changeFrench
MoreMorePlus je pratique, plus je progresse.
MoreLessPlus je pratique, moins j’hésite.
LessMoreMoins je dors, plus je suis fatigué.
LessLessMoins je pratique, moins je progresse.

Each half has its own subject and verb. Separate the clauses with a comma. Before a noun, use the quantity frame plus de temps or moins de temps. With an adjective, use plus calme or moins calme. The two halves can use different subjects and different grammatical shapes.

Plus les explications deviennent claires, plus Nora répond facilement.

The clearer the explanations become, the more easily Nora answers.

The plural explications takes deviennent; singular Nora takes répond.

What does plus… plus mean in French?

In the final question, length increases while ease decreases. A shorter everyday version is Plus c’est long, moins c’est facile à lire. The pattern describes how the two degrees move together. An exact amount needs extra words, such as a stated number of lines or minutes.

  1. Question 1No account needed
    Practice increases and confidence increases. Choose the second marker.Plus je pratique, ___ je prends confiance.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    plus. Both degrees increase. Each clause begins with plus.

  2. Question 2No account needed
    Preparation increases and hesitation decreases. Choose the second marker.Plus je me prépare, ___ j’hésite.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    moins. Less hesitation is a decrease, so the second clause begins with moins.

  3. Question 3No account needed
    Available time decreases and pressure increases. Choose the second marker.Moins nous avons de temps, ___ la pression augmente.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    plus. The first degree decreases, but pressure increases: moins… plus.

  4. Question 4No account needed
    Practice decreases and progress decreases. Choose the second marker.Moins je pratique, ___ je progresse.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    moins. The intended relationship has two decreases, so use moins… moins.

  5. Question 5No account needed
    Complete the noun quantity.Plus nous avons ___ temps, plus nous pouvons discuter.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    de. Use plus de before a noun quantity: plus de temps.

  6. Question 6No account needed
    Choose the adjective phrase for “the calmer I am”.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    plus je suis calme. Calme is an adjective here. Put the subject and verb before it: je suis calme.

  7. Question 7No account needed
    Make the verb agree with its own subject.Plus les questions ___ précises, plus Nora répond facilement.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    deviennent. The plural subject les questions takes deviennent in its own clause.

  8. Question 8No account needed
    What does this sentence describe?Plus le texte est long, moins il est facile à lire.

    Choose one answer.

    Answer and explanation

    Increasing text length and decreasing ease of reading.. Plus scales the length upwards; moins scales ease of reading downwards.

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