👉 Check out my related attendre Word of the Day lesson »
The French verb attendre means “to wait” and can also mean “to expect.” It’s a regular -re verb and an important building block for French language learning. Take this quiz and see how many you can get right — answers are provided below the quiz.
✏️ Attendre – to wait, to expect – French quiz
Can you choose the right form of attendre?
1. Hier, nous ________ longtemps devant la bibliothèque.
a) attendons
b) avons attendu
2. Elle ________ toujours une réponse immédiate de ses collègues.
a) attend
b) a attendu
3. Quand j’étais étudiant, je ________ souvent mes amis au café du coin.
a) attends
b) attendais
4. Demain, vous ________ vos résultats d’examen avec impatience.
a) attendrez
b) attendiez
5. S’il faisait beau, nous ________ dehors plus longtemps.
a) attendons
b) attendrions
6. Pourquoi tu ________ toujours les mauvaises nouvelles ?
a) attends
b) attend
7. Est-ce que tu ________ Claire à la gare hier soir ?
a) as attendu
b) attends
8. Quand il était enfant, il ________ toujours un cadeau à Noël.
a) attend
b) attendait
9. Ce matin, on ________ le bus scolaire à sept heures pile.
a) attend
b) a attendu
10. Ce soir, je ________ mes amis au restaurant.
a) attendrai
b) attendais
📝 Answer Key + Quick Notes
1. b) avons attendu – Nous avons attendu longtemps devant la bibliothèque = We waited a long time in front of the library. Use the passé composé for a completed past action.
2. a) attend – Elle attend toujours une réponse immédiate de ses collègues = She always expects an immediate response from her colleagues. Use the present tense for habitual actions.
3. b) attendais – J’attendais souvent mes amis au café du coin = I used to wait for my friends at the local café. Use the imperfect for repeated past actions. “Used to” is also a clue for using the imperfect.
4. a) attendrez – Demain, vous attendrez vos résultats d’examen avec impatience.= You will expect your exam results impatiently tomorrow. Use the simple future for a future event.
5. b) attendrions – Nous attendrions dehors plus longtemps s’il faisait beau = We would wait outside longer if the weather were nice. This is a si (if) clause using the conditional for “would”.
6. a) attends – Pourquoi tu attends toujours les mauvaises nouvelles ? = Why do you always expect the worst news? Use the present tense for recurring actions. Attend is wrong because that’s the il/elle form.
7. a) as attendu – Tu as attendu Claire à la gare hier soir ? = Did you wait for Claire at the station last night? Use the passé composé for a specific past event.
8. b) attendait – Il attendait toujours un cadeau à Noël = He always expected a present at Christmas. Use the imperfect for repeated past actions (expectations in this case).
9. b) a attendu – On a attendu le bus scolaire à sept heures pile = We waited for the school bus at exactly 7 a.m. Use the passé composé with a specific time marker.
10. a) attendrai – J’attendrai mes amis au restaurant ce soir = I will wait for my friends at the restaurant tonight. Use the future tense for planned actions.
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📚 Keep learning: more attendre lessons
- Attendre – Word of the Day lesson
- Attendre – Full conjugation chart (with audio) »
- Guide to regular -re verbs »
Want to try another quiz?
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✅ Tenir (to hold) »
✅ Passer (to pass) »
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