French 1 Quiz: Verb Plus Infinitive Patterns
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Verb Plus Infinitive PatternsQuestion 1 of 10

Read the following short dialogue: Luc: Tu veux   au cinéma ce soir ? Sophie: Non, je dois   pour mon examen demain.

Which pair of infinitives correctly completes the dialogue so that Luc invites Sophie to the movies and Sophie explains she must study?

aller / étudier
vas / étudier
aller / études
aller / étudie
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French 1 Quiz

French 1 Quiz: Verb Plus Infinitive Patterns

Practice Verb Plus Infinitive Patterns in French 1 with focused quiz questions that help you check what you know, review explanations, and build confidence with test-style prompts.

What this quiz covers

This quiz focuses on Verb Plus Infinitive Patterns, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for French 1.

How to use this quiz

Try each quiz question before looking at the correct answer. Use the explanations to review missed ideas, then come back to similar questions until the pattern feels familiar.

All questions

Question 1

Read the following short dialogue: Luc: Tu veux   au cinéma ce soir ? Sophie: Non, je dois   pour mon examen demain.

Which pair of infinitives correctly completes the dialogue so that Luc invites Sophie to the movies and Sophie explains she must study?

  1. aller / étudier (correct answer)
  2. vas / étudier
  3. aller / études
  4. aller / étudie
Explanation: Whenever you see a blank that follows a conjugated verb like veux (want) or dois (must), your instinct should immediately be: infinitive. In French, when two verbs appear in a row, the second verb stays in its base infinitive form — it is never conjugated. With that rule in mind, choice A) aller / étudier is correct. Aller (to go) is the infinitive needed after veux, giving us "Tu veux aller au cinéma" — "Do you want to go to the movies?" Then étudier (to study) is the infinitive needed after dois, giving us "je dois étudier" — "I must study." Both blanks require infinitives, and both words in A are infinitives. ✓ Choice B) vas / étudier fails because vas is the conjugated form of aller ("you are going"), not the infinitive. You cannot place one conjugated verb directly after another (veux vas is grammatically impossible in French). Choice C) aller / études is a vocabulary trap. Études is a noun meaning "studies," not a verb. Sophie needs a verb after dois, so a noun cannot work here. Choice D) aller / étudie makes the same category error as B but in the second blank. Étudie is the conjugated first/third-person singular form of étudier. Placing it after dois breaks the two-verb rule. Study tip: Memorize this pattern — vouloir, devoir, pouvoir, aimer + infinitive. Any time you spot one of these modal-style verbs, the verb that follows must be an unconjugated infinitive ending in -er, -ir, or -re.

Question 2

A student claims: 'In French, the verbs aimer, vouloir, and devoir all work the same way when followed by another verb — they all directly precede an infinitive with no preposition.' Is this claim accurate?

  1. No, the claim is inaccurate; 'devoir' requires 'de' before the infinitive, making it different from 'aimer' and 'vouloir.'
  2. No, the claim is inaccurate; 'aimer' requires 'à' before the infinitive, while 'vouloir' and 'devoir' do not use any preposition.
  3. Yes, this claim is accurate; all three verbs take a direct infinitive with no preposition in standard French. (correct answer)
  4. No, the claim is inaccurate; 'vouloir' requires the subjunctive instead of an infinitive whenever the subject stays the same throughout the sentence.
Explanation: When learning French verb constructions, one of the most important patterns to master is how modal and semi-modal verbs connect to infinitives. Some French verbs require a preposition (like à or de) before a following infinitive, while others take the infinitive directly — and memorizing which is which is essential. The verbs aimer, vouloir, and devoir all belong to the "no preposition" category. You use them directly before an infinitive: J'aime danser (I like to dance), Je veux partir (I want to leave), Je dois travailler (I must work). No preposition appears between the conjugated verb and the infinitive in any of these cases. This makes the student's original claim entirely accurate, and C is the correct answer. Looking at the wrong answers helps clarify common misconceptions. A incorrectly states that devoir requires de before the infinitive — this confuses devoir with verbs like essayer de or décider de, which do use de. B claims aimer requires à, which is false; verbs like commencer à or apprendre à use à, but aimer is not one of them. D introduces a subjunctive rule that simply doesn't apply here — the subjunctive in French is triggered when there are two different subjects (e.g., Je veux qu'il parte), not when the subject remains the same. When the subject is the same, you use the infinitive, not the subjunctive. As a study tip, create two mental lists: verbs that take à + infinitive, verbs that take de + infinitive, and verbs that take a bare infinitive. Aimer, vouloir, and devoir always belong in that third group.

Question 3

Camille écrit dans son journal: « Aujourd'hui, j'ai envie de dormir, mais je   finir mon projet. Je n'  vraiment pas travailler le soir en général, mais c'est nécessaire. »

Which pair of verb forms correctly fills in the blanks so that Camille expresses obligation and then a general dislike?

  1. dois / veux
  2. veux / aime
  3. dois / aime (correct answer)
  4. aime / dois
Explanation: When filling in blanks in French, always ask yourself what each sentence is doing — is it expressing obligation, desire, preference, or habit? That semantic awareness is the key to this question. The first blank follows "j'ai envie de dormir, mais je  " — Camille is contrasting her desire to sleep with something she must do. This calls for an expression of obligation. The verb devoir (to have to/must) is the right tool: "je dois finir mon projet" means "I have to finish my project." The second blank appears in "je n'  vraiment pas travailler le soir," where Camille describes a general, ongoing dislike — a habitual feeling. That's the job of aimer (to like/love): "je n'aime pas travailler le soir" means "I don't generally like working in the evening." That makes C (dois / aime) the correct pair. Choice A (dois / veux) fails because vouloir means "to want," which expresses a specific desire rather than a general dislike or preference. Saying "je ne veux pas travailler" would mean she doesn't want to work right now, not that she habitually dislikes it. Choice B (veux / aime) puts vouloir in the first blank, but the context demands obligation — wanting is not the same as being obligated. Choice D (aime / dois) simply reverses the two correct verbs, mixing up which concept belongs where. A helpful study habit: memorize the "DAVE" modal verbs — Devoir (must), Aimer (like), Vouloir (want), Espérer (hope) — and practice matching each to its specific meaning so you don't swap them under pressure.

Question 4

A French-1 student writes: « Nous aimons de danser et nous voulons de chanter. » What is the PRIMARY grammatical error in this sentence?

  1. The verb 'vouloir' requires the subjunctive instead of an infinitive when the subject stays the same, so 'chanter' must be changed to 'chantions' in the sentence.
  2. The verb 'aimer' requires 'à' before the infinitive, so 'aimons à danser' is the correct form; 'vouloir' is used correctly as written.
  3. The infinitives 'danser' and 'chanter' must be replaced with present-tense conjugated verbs after 'aimons' and 'voulons,' since modal-type verbs require conjugated complements.
  4. Neither 'aimer' nor 'vouloir' requires a preposition before the infinitive; 'de' should be removed from both constructions, giving 'Nous aimons danser' and 'nous voulons chanter.' (correct answer)
Explanation: When learning French verb constructions, one of the most important things to master is which verbs connect directly to a following infinitive and which ones require a preposition like à or de in between. This question tests exactly that. In French, aimer and vouloir both belong to a group of common verbs that take an infinitive directly, with no preposition required. So the correct forms are Nous aimons danser and nous voulons chanter — clean, no de inserted between the conjugated verb and the infinitive. The student's error of adding de in both places is the primary mistake, making D the correct answer. A is wrong because vouloir + infinitive (same subject) is perfectly standard French — no subjunctive is needed. The subjunctive applies when que introduces a clause with a different subject (e.g., Je veux que tu chantes). B is wrong on two counts: aimer does NOT require à before an infinitive, and vouloir is NOT correctly written with de — so this answer misidentifies one error while ignoring the other. C is wrong because French modal-type verbs like vouloir and aimer routinely take infinitive complements — no conjugation of the second verb is needed or grammatically appropriate. A helpful study tip: build a short mental list of high-frequency French verbs that take a bare infinitive (no preposition): aimer, vouloir, pouvoir, devoir, savoir, aller, venir. When you see de or à wedged between these verbs and an infinitive, treat that as a red flag worth double-checking.

Question 5

Marie parle à son ami Thomas. Elle dit: « Je   manger une pizza ce soir, mais je   aussi finir mes devoirs. »

Which pair of verbs correctly completes Marie's sentence to express both a desire and a need?

  1. veux / dois (correct answer)
  2. veux / veux
  3. dois / aime
  4. aime / dois
Explanation: When completing a sentence in French, pay close attention to the meaning each verb carries — especially when the sentence signals two distinct emotional or logical states, like wanting something versus being obligated to do something. In Marie's sentence, the first blank follows a desire ("manger une pizza"), and the second follows a necessity ("finir mes devoirs"). French has specific verbs for each: vouloir (to want) expresses desire, and devoir (to have to / must) expresses obligation or need. In the present tense with the subject je, these conjugate as veux and dois respectively — making A) veux / dois the correct pair. It captures exactly what Marie means: she wants pizza but needs to finish her homework. Choice B) veux / veux uses vouloir twice, which only expresses desire in both blanks — ignoring the need element entirely. Choice C) dois / aime flips the logic by starting with obligation and then using aimer (to like), which is too casual and doesn't match the nuance of the second clause. Choice D) aime / dois is closer but still wrong — aimer expresses general preference rather than an immediate, specific desire, so it doesn't fit the context of craving pizza tonight. A useful tip: when you see a sentence contrasting two feelings or intentions — especially with mais (but) — scan for that tension. "Mais" often signals a shift from desire to duty (or vice versa), which is a classic setup for testing vouloir versus devoir. Memorize their je forms: veux and dois.

Question 6

A student wants to say 'I like to travel, but I need to work.' Which sentence is grammatically correct and uses the appropriate verb + infinitive patterns?

  1. J'aime voyager, mais je dois travailler. (correct answer)
  2. J'aime voyager, mais je dois travaille.
  3. J'aime voyages, mais je dois travailler.
  4. J'aime à voyager, mais je dois travailler.
Explanation: When working with verb + infinitive constructions in French, the key rule to remember is this: certain verbs like aimer (to like) and devoir (must/to need to) are directly followed by a second verb in the infinitive form — no preposition, no conjugation of the second verb. The infinitive is the base, unconjugated form of a verb: voyager (to travel), travailler (to work). So the correct structure is conjugated verb + infinitive. In option A, J'aime voyager, mais je dois travailler, both halves follow this pattern perfectly: j'aime is conjugated, followed by voyager (infinitive); je dois is conjugated, followed by travailler (infinitive). A is your correct answer. Now let's look at why the others fail. Option B writes je dois travaille — this is a critical error because travaille is a conjugated form (present tense, first/third person singular), not an infinitive. You cannot follow devoir with a conjugated verb. Option C uses voyages after j'aime — again, voyages is a conjugated or plural noun form, not an infinitive. The infinitive voyager is required here. Option D adds the preposition à between aime and voyager (J'aime à voyager). While older or literary French sometimes used this, modern standard French uses aimer + infinitive without any preposition — making D grammatically incorrect for contemporary usage. A helpful rule of thumb: in French, when two verbs appear in a row, the second one is almost always in the infinitive. Watch for answer choices that sneak in conjugated forms or unnecessary prepositions as distractors.

Question 7

Which sentence best translates 'She wants to learn French and needs to practice every day' using correct verb + infinitive patterns?

  1. Elle veut apprendre le français et doit à pratiquer tous les jours.
  2. Elle veut apprendre le français et doit pratique tous les jours.
  3. Elle veut d'apprendre le français et doit pratiquer tous les jours.
  4. Elle veut apprendre le français et doit pratiquer tous les jours. (correct answer)
Explanation: When working with verb + infinitive constructions in French, the key question to ask yourself is: does this verb require a preposition before the following infinitive, or does it connect directly? In French, certain verbs link directly to a following infinitive with no preposition in between. Two of the most important are vouloir (to want) and devoir (to need/must). So "she wants to learn" becomes elle veut apprendre, and "she must practice" becomes elle doit pratiquer — clean and direct, no prepositions inserted. That makes D the correct answer: Elle veut apprendre le français et doit pratiquer tous les jours. Here's where the other choices go wrong. Choice A inserts à before pratiquer (doit à pratiquer), which is a common error. While some verbs like aider or commencer do require à before an infinitive, devoir is not one of them — adding à here is simply incorrect. Choice B uses pratique instead of the infinitive pratiquer. This turns the verb into a conjugated present-tense form, which cannot follow doit — you always need the infinitive after a modal verb. Choice C adds d' before apprendre (veut d'apprendre), mimicking verbs like essayer de or décider de that require de. However, vouloir takes a direct infinitive, so inserting d' is grammatically wrong. A handy study tip: memorize your "bare infinitive" verbs — vouloir, devoir, pouvoir, savoir, aller — as a group. These never take a preposition before the infinitive, which is a pattern tested frequently in French-1.

Question 8

Antoine has three things to communicate: (1) He likes playing soccer. (2) He wants to eat lunch now. (3) He needs to call his mother tonight.

Which sentence correctly expresses ALL THREE of Antoine's ideas using appropriate verb + infinitive patterns?

  1. Il aime jouer au foot, il veut déjeuner maintenant, et il doit appelle sa mère ce soir.
  2. Il aime jouer au foot, il veut déjeuner maintenant, et il doit appeler sa mère ce soir. (correct answer)
  3. Il aime à jouer au foot, il veut déjeuner maintenant, et il doit appeler sa mère ce soir.
  4. Il aime jouer au foot, il veut de déjeuner maintenant, et il doit appeler sa mère ce soir.
Explanation: When French verbs are followed by another verb, the second verb must be in the infinitive form — and critically, most common verbs like aimer, vouloir, and devoir connect directly to the infinitive with no preposition in between. Keeping this framework in mind will help you quickly identify errors in any verb + infinitive construction. Answer B is correct because all three clauses follow the proper pattern: aimer + infinitive (jouer), vouloir + infinitive (déjeuner), and devoir + infinitive (appeler). Each conjugated verb connects directly to a properly formed infinitive — clean and grammatically sound throughout. Here's where the other options go wrong: A gets the first two clauses right but breaks down in the third — appelle is a conjugated present-tense form, not an infinitive. You can't chain two conjugated verbs like that; doit must be followed by appeler (infinitive). C inserts the preposition à between aimer and jouer (Il aime à jouer). While this construction existed in older French, modern standard French uses aimer + bare infinitive — no preposition. On a French-1 exam, treat aimer as taking a direct infinitive. D adds the preposition de before déjeuner (veut de déjeuner), which is simply incorrect — vouloir never takes a preposition before the infinitive. A useful study tip: memorize that aimer, vouloir, devoir, pouvoir, and aller all take infinitives directly, with no preposition. When you spot a preposition (à or de) sneaking in before the infinitive after these verbs, treat it as a red flag.

Question 9

Élodie says: « Le matin, j'ai décidé que je   me lever tôt pour être productive. Mais je   aussi arriver à l'heure au travail. Honnêtement, je n'  pas me lever avant sept heures. »

Which set of three verb forms correctly fills in the blanks so that Élodie expresses a personal desire, an obligation, and a dislike — in that order?

  1. dois / aime / veux
  2. veux / dois / aime (correct answer)
  3. aime / veux / dois
  4. dois / dois / aime
Explanation: When filling in verb blanks like these, your job is to match each verb to the function it serves — not just pick words that sound familiar. Here, the sentence tells you exactly what each blank does: personal desire, obligation, then dislike, in that order. The three key verbs are vouloir (to want/desire), devoir (must/to be obligated), and aimer (to like). Élodie's first blank expresses a personal desire — something she wants to do — so veux (je veux) fits perfectly. The second blank expresses obligation — something she must do — so dois (je dois) is correct. The third blank expresses dislike — she doesn't enjoy doing it — so aime (j'aime) completes the thought with negation: je n'aime pas. That gives you veux / dois / aime, which is answer B. Looking at the wrong choices: A (dois / aime / veux) puts obligation first and desire last, reversing the intended meaning — Élodie would be expressing a requirement before a personal wish, which contradicts the sentence's structure. C (aime / veux / dois) puts "like" in the desire slot, but aimer expresses preference or enjoyment, not personal decision or desire the way vouloir does — and it ends with obligation, not dislike. D (dois / dois / aime) repeats dois twice, making Élodie express obligation for both the first and second blank, which ignores the personal desire entirely. A useful tip: whenever you see a French fill-in-the-blank with emotional or motivational verbs, identify the semantic role each blank plays — desire, necessity, preference, ability — and map your verb choices accordingly.

Question 10

Which of the following sentences correctly uses a verb + infinitive pattern to express a preference or desire in French?

  1. Il préfère jouer au football le weekend. (correct answer)
  2. Il préfère joue au football le weekend.
  3. Il préfère à jouer au football le weekend.
  4. Il préfère de jouer au football le weekend.
Explanation: When expressing preferences or desires in French using verbs like préférer, aimer, vouloir, or adorer, you'll frequently combine them with a second verb. The key rule to master is that these verbs are followed directly by an infinitive — no preposition required, and the second verb stays in its base (infinitive) form. Choice A is correct because préfère (conjugated) is followed immediately by jouer (infinitive), which is exactly the pattern French requires. The sentence translates naturally as "He prefers to play football on the weekend," and the structure is clean and grammatically sound. Choice B fails because joue is a conjugated form of jouer (third-person singular present), not an infinitive. In French, when two verbs appear together, the second must remain in infinitive form. You can't chain two conjugated verbs this way. Choice C introduces the preposition à between préfère and jouer. While some French verbs do require à before an infinitive (like aider à, apprendre à), préférer is not one of them — it takes a direct infinitive with no preposition at all. Adding à here is a common overgeneralization trap. Choice D uses the preposition de before jouer. Similarly, some verbs require de before an infinitive (like décider de, essayer de), but again, préférer does not. Inserting de is grammatically incorrect for this verb. A great study strategy: memorize which French verbs take a direct infinitive (préférer, vouloir, aimer), which take à, and which take de — this trio of categories appears constantly on French exams.