The C1 gauntlet
A free advanced French grammar quiz at C1 level: subjonctif passé, dont versus duquel, the ne explétif. Twenty questions, scored on the page. Bring your best French.
Twenty blanks between you and C1
Subjonctif passé, concordance des temps, dont against duquel, the ne that negates nothing. Twenty blanks, four options each, exactly one that survives a teacher’s red pen.
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An advanced French grammar quiz for C1 level
This quiz targets the grammar that separates strong B2 from real C1: the subjonctif passé, choosing dont or duquel, the ne explétif after craindre and avant que, agreement traps with pronominal verbs. Advanced learners fail these because they have stopped being corrected. Their French works, natives understand them, colleagues no longer switch to English, so the errors fossilize. « La chose à laquelle je pense » versus « dont je parle » : if you have to think about it, you will miss it under pressure.
It is free and scored on the page, and the point is the answer key: every question comes with an explanation of the underlying rule, which is where the actual work happens. Retake it after a week and see what stuck. For structured review, the Learning Center has grammar guides that go deeper on each trap, and The French Briefing gives you daily authentic reading where these forms appear in the wild.
What is the ne explétif in French?
A ne with no negative meaning, used in formal French after verbs of fear and certain conjunctions: « Je crains qu’il ne soit trop tard » means it probably is too late. It appears after craindre, avoir peur, avant que, à moins que. Omitting it is acceptable in speech; adding pas changes the meaning.
When do you use dont instead of duquel?
Dont replaces de plus a noun directly after the verb or noun: « le livre dont je parle ». Duquel is required after a compound preposition ending in de, like à côté de, au sujet de, à cause de : « le mur à côté duquel il se tenait ».
When is the subjonctif passé used?
When the subordinate action is completed before the main verb’s reference point, in a context that requires the subjunctive: « Je suis content que tu sois venu ». Form it with the subjunctive of avoir or être plus the past participle. It contrasts with the present subjunctive, which marks simultaneous or future actions.
