163.

Infinitive Mode, Past Tense.

The past tense of the infinitive mode is formed of the past participle of the verb, and the present tense of the infinitive mode of the auxiliary verb.

Thus:

Infinitive Past.

Avoir eu, to have had.
Avoir été, to have been.
Avoir coupé, to have cut.
Avoir fini, to have finished.
Avoir reçu, to have received.
Avoir vendu, to have sold.

164. Indicative Mode, Past Indefinite Tense.

1. The past indefinite is the compound tense that corresponds with the present tense of the indicative mode.t It represents the state or action as past and completed, either now or long since. Hence it is often rendered in English by the imperfect tense.

2. The past indefinite tense is formed of the past parti ciple of the verb and the present tense of the auxiliary.

Indicative Mode, Past Indefinite Tense of the Four Con

3d Conj., Recevoir, to receive.

I have received, etc.

J'ai reçu,

Tu as reçu,

Il a reçu,

Nous avons reçu,
Vous avez reçu,
Ils ont reçu.

4th Conj., Vendre, to sell.

I have sold, etc.

J'ai vendu,
Tu as vendu,
Il a vendu,

Nous avons vendu,
Vous avez vendu,
Ils ont vendu.

165. Position of Objective Pronouns and of Adverbs.

1. The objective personal pronouns which stand between the subject and the verb when the verb is in a simple tense, stand between the subject and the auxiliary when the verb is in a compound tense; as,

Je l'ai payé.

Je lui en ai parlé.

J'y ai été deux fois.

I have paid him.

I have spoken to him about it.

I have been there twice.

2. The negatives pas, point, rien, plus, jamais, and short adverbs generally, stand between the auxiliary verb and the past participle; as,

Je n'ai rien acheté.

Je n'y ai jamais été.

I have not bought anything.

I never was there:

3. Adverbs of several syllables stand after the participle; as,

J'y ai été quelquefois.

I have been there sometimes.

4. Adverbs of time relative stand after the participle. Those of time absolute may, for emphasis, be placed before the subject.

Nous avons travaillé tard.

Je lui en ai parlé hier.

Hier, je lui en ai parlé.

We worked late.

I spoke to him about it yesterday.
Yesterday, I spoke to him about it.

5. An adverb of quantity referring to a noun, is placed after the participle; an adverb of quantity modifying a verb, is generally placed before the participle.

J'en ai vendu beaucoup.

Elle a beaucoup dansé.

I have sold much of it.
She has danced a great deal.

166. Agreement of the Past Participle of Active Verbs.

The past participle agrees in gender and number, like an adjective, with the direct object of the verb, when the direct object precedes the past participle.†

Avez-vous eu ma plume?
Je l'ai eue.

Avez-vous reçu vos lettres ?

Je les ai reçues.

Combien de lettres avez-vous reçues ?

J'en ai reçu trois.

Have you had my pen?

I have had it.

Have you received your letters ?

I have received them.

How many letters have you received?

I have received three.

REM. The past participle does not agree with the pronoun en, because en is not a direct object.

+ This rule cannot apply to neuter verbs, since they cannot have a direct object.

La blanchisseuse, the washerwo- La vitre, the glass; window-glass;

a. Alice a-t-elle eu mes dessins? Has Alice had my drawings?

+ Répondre and réussir are neuter verbs. Répondre requires the preposition before the object, either person or thing. Réussir requires à before an infinitive (254); and dans before a noun when the subject of the verb is a person; as, votre frère a réussi dans cette affaire. But when the object of our success is made the subject of the verb, the preposition à is used before the person; as, Cette affaire a réussi à votre frère.