a besoin d'aller aux toilettes or envie d'aller aux toilettes

Question

In an exercise I should fill in the following gap:

Mon fils ________ aller aux toilettes.

I choose "envie d'" but the solution seems to be "a besoin d'". But one example in the lesson about "Avoir envie de = To feel like, want to (Avoir envie de = To feel like, want to (French Expressions with avoir))" is:

J'ai envie d'aller aux toilettes !I need to go to the toilets!

So I would like to know, if both are correct. And if not, how do I choose the right one?

Best regards,
Martin

Céline Pickard · Accepted Answer

Bonjour Martin,
Maarten is correct: "You have written in your post that the option given was  ‘envie d’aller ‘  (without the verb avoir preceding ‘ envie d’aller ‘)". Both "a envie de / a besoin de" are ticked as correct answers for this test question. So, it may be that you forgot "a" in your answer ; hence, Kwizbot marked your answer as incorrect.
I hope this is helpful.
Bonne journée !

Maarten Kamp · Answer

Martin -

either ‘ a besoin d’aller .. ‘ or ‘ a envie d’aller.. ‘ would be correct. You have written in your post that the option given was ‘ envie d’aller ‘ (without the verb avoir preceding ‘ envie d’aller ‘) - that is incorrect as an expression and answer

If it was a multi-choice question attached to the lesson you linked, it is likely that only ‘ a besoin d’aller… ‘ was correctly presented.

Alternatively, the answer could need both choices to be ‘ totally ‘ correct, if more than 1 correct response was given.

Jim Jones · Answer

Bonjour Martin,I broadly agree with Maarten's post but suggest you review the link below for an overview of the synonyms:- https://dictionnaire.lerobert.com/synonymes/besoinAs often is the case -- context, context, context.Bonne journéeJim

Anne Davies · Answer

What a useful link, Jim! I didn’t know that faire ses besoins meant to do its business (as a dog might, for example).