Modal Verbs and Infinitive Constructions
Modal verbs express what someone wants, can, or must do, and in French they are always followed directly by an infinitive with no preposition in between, unlike English 'have to' or 'want to'. The three key modals are vouloir (to want), pouvoir (to be able to/can) and devoir (to have to/must), alongside the impersonal expression il faut (it is necessary to) for general obligations.
Before you start
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Method
- Learn the present tense of the three key modal verbs: vouloir (veux, veux, veut, voulons, voulez, veulent), pouvoir (peux, peux, peut, pouvons, pouvez, peuvent) and devoir (dois, dois, doit, devons, devez, doivent).
- Follow the modal directly with an infinitive, with no preposition in between, even though English uses 'to': 'je dois partir' (I have to leave), not 'je dois de partir'.
- Use the impersonal expression il faut plus an infinitive for a general obligation that applies to people in general, not to one named subject: 'il faut réviser'.
- Put the negative ne...pas around the modal verb itself, not around the infinitive: 'je ne peux pas sortir', not 'je peux ne pas sortir'.
- Place any object pronoun directly before the infinitive it belongs to, not before the modal: 'je veux le voir', not 'je le veux voir'.
- Use the conditional form je voudrais (I would like) instead of je veux for a polite request, especially in speaking and writing tasks: 'je voudrais réserver une table'.
- Use the perfect tense of devoir, j'ai dû, to say 'I had to' when narrating what happened in the past: 'j'ai dû rester à la maison'.
- Note that pouvoir changes meaning slightly by tense and mood: je peux (I can, ability/permission now), je pourrais (I could/would be able to, conditional), j'ai pu (I managed to/was able to, perfect).
Worked example
Translate into French: 'I cannot see him today, but I have to phone him tomorrow.'
- Choose the modal for 'cannot': pouvoir in the present tense, negative form, ne peux pas.
- Place the object pronoun le directly before the infinitive voir: 'je ne peux pas le voir aujourd'hui'.
- Choose the modal for 'have to': devoir in the present tense, dois.
- Place the indirect object pronoun lui (for téléphoner à quelqu'un) directly before the infinitive téléphoner: 'je dois lui téléphoner demain'.
- Join the two clauses with mais: 'Je ne peux pas le voir aujourd'hui, mais je dois lui téléphoner demain.'
Practice questions
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Q1Conjugate pouvoir for nous: 'Nous ___ venir à la fête.' (we can)Show answer
Answer: pouvons.
Q2Conjugate devoir for ils: 'Ils ___ finir leurs devoirs.' (they must)Show answer
Answer: doivent.
Q3Correct the preposition error: 'Je veux à manger maintenant.'Show answer
Answer: Je veux manger maintenant.
Q4Correct the negative word order: 'Je peux ne pas comprendre cette question.'Show answer
Answer: Je ne peux pas comprendre cette question.
Q5Translate into French using il faut: 'You must work hard to succeed.' (general statement)Show answer
Answer: Il faut travailler dur pour réussir.
Q6Rewrite politely using the conditional: 'Je veux un café, s'il vous plaît.'Show answer
Answer: Je voudrais un café, s'il vous plaît.
Q7Translate into French using the perfect tense of devoir: 'I had to leave early.'Show answer
Answer: J'ai dû partir tôt.
Q8Place the pronoun correctly: 'Je veux voir mes amis.' (replace 'mes amis' with a pronoun)Show answer
Answer: Je veux les voir.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE French exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Translate this passage into English: 'Le week-end, je dois aider mes parents à la maison, mais je peux aussi sortir avec mes copains le soir. Hier, j'ai dû rester à la maison parce que j'étais malade, et je n'ai pas pu aller au cinéma comme prévu.'
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Translate into French: 1. You must (tu) do your homework before dinner. 2. We cannot go out tonight. 3. I would like to visit Paris one day. 4. She had to work all weekend.
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Rewrite each sentence to make it more polite, changing 'je veux' to the conditional 'je voudrais': 1. Je veux réserver une chambre. 2. Je veux un renseignement. 3. Je veux essayer ce pull. 4. Je veux parler au directeur.
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See real GCSE French past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
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