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The Perfect Tense of Modal Verbs

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Learn The Perfect Tense of Modal Verbs for GCSE French with this free worksheet and full mark scheme — Higher tier exam-style practice with worked answers for AQA GCSE French (8652). At Higher tier, devoir, pouvoir, savoir and vouloir are also used in the perfect tense.

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These worksheets and mark schemes are original, written for Virtus Academy and checked against the current AQA specification. Every worksheet comes with a full mark scheme.

This is a Higher tier only topic, so there's no Foundation paper — only the Higher worksheet and mark scheme below.

Higher

WorksheetHigher · PDFMark SchemeHigher · PDF

Topic overview

Modal verbs in the perfect tense keep the following verb in the infinitive, and the modal itself takes avoir. This is a Higher-only topic.

J'ai voulu partir means I wanted to leave. J'ai dû travailler means I had to work. J'ai pu venir means I was able to come. The pattern is always avoir, then the modal's past participle, then the infinitive.

The participles are irregular: vouloir gives voulu, devoir gives dû with a circumflex, pouvoir gives pu, and savoir gives su. The infinitive that follows never changes and never becomes a participle — j'ai voulu parti would be wrong. Only the modal moves into the past.

Revision notes

The structure

Avoir, then the modal's past participle, then the infinitive.

J'ai voulu partir. J'ai dû travailler. J'ai pu venir. J'ai su répondre. The final verb stays in the infinitive throughout.

The irregular participles

Vouloir gives voulu. Devoir gives dû, with a circumflex.

Pouvoir gives pu. Savoir gives su. The circumflex on dû distinguishes it from the partitive article du and must be written.

The infinitive never changes

J'ai voulu parti is wrong.

Only the modal verb moves into the past tense. The verb that follows stays in the infinitive exactly as it would in the present: je veux partir becomes j'ai voulu partir.

Key points

  • Modals take avoir in the perfect tense.
  • The following verb stays in the infinitive.
  • Vouloir gives voulu.
  • Devoir gives dû with a circumflex.
  • Pouvoir gives pu.
  • Only the modal moves into the past.

Worked examples

Example 1

Translate: I wanted to leave. [2 marks]

Working

J'ai voulu partiruse avoir with the participle of vouloir
Partir stays in the infinitive and does not become a participleexplain the infinitive

Example 2

Translate: I had to work. [2 marks]

Working

J'ai dû travailleruse avoir with the participle of devoir
Dû carries a circumflex, distinguishing it from the article dunote the accent

Example 3

Explain what is wrong with j'ai pu venu. [2 marks]

Working

The verb after a modal must stay in the infinitivestate the rule
so it should be j'ai pu venirgive the correction

Common mistakes

  • Making the second verb a participle.

    It stays in the infinitive: j'ai voulu partir.

  • Omitting the circumflex on dû.

    It distinguishes the participle from the article du.

  • Using être with a modal.

    Modals take avoir.

  • Putting both verbs in the past.

    Only the modal changes tense.

Exam tips

  • Keep the second verb in the infinitive.
  • Write the circumflex on dû.
  • Use avoir as the auxiliary.
  • Remember this is a Higher-only topic.

Key terms

Modal verb
A verb such as vouloir taking a direct infinitive.
Voulu
The past participle of vouloir.
Dû
The past participle of devoir, with a circumflex.
Infinitive
The unchanged form following a modal.

Related topics

Written and reviewed against the current AQA specification. Spotted an error? Let us know.