Theme 11.

1. I am going to the watchmaker's; will you go there with me? 2. Will you call on the jeweller, and leave my cross there? 3. Will you also call at the store, and ask Henry whether he has a letter for me? 4. Is your uncle at his house? 5. He is at my house. 6. My aunt is at home. 7. I am going to carry these flowers to her. 8. I am going to the dentist's with her. 9. She will not go (there) without me. 10. The dentist is not at home. 11. How do you

know that? 12. Who knocks at the door? 13. It is the hair-dresser. 14. I beg your pardon (Je vous demande pardon); it is the post-man. 15. He brings a letter for you; it is from Paris. 16. We are going to take a walk. 17. Will you take a walk with us? 18. The coachman is going to bring the carriage. 19. Will you bring your cousin Mary to our house? My mother wishes to see her. 20. I often speak of her. 21. Do you think of me? often think of you. 23. My parents are in Paris; I always think of them. 24. Do you think of that business? 25. We think of it, and we speak of it very often. 26. I am going to see the professor; I will speak to him about it. 27. Is that you? 28. Yes, it is I; do you not know me any more? 29. Will you hand me that fan?

22. I

TWELFTH LESSON.

NOUNS, INDEFINITE AND PARTITIVE SENSE.-ADVERBS OF QUANTITY.

69.

Indefinite and Partitive Sense of Nouns.

1. A noun is used in an indefinite sense when it denotes one individual, or more, of a genus, species, or class; as a or one man, two trees, several books, etc.

2. A noun is used in a partitive sense when it denotes a part of something; as, some, or any bread, meat, water, cakes.

3. A noun used in the partitive sense, is preceded by the preposition de and the article, that is, du, de la, de l', or des.

Du pain,

De la viande,

De l'eau,

Some or any bread, or bread;
Meat;

Water;

Des gâteaux,

Cakes.

REM. The definite and the general sense (27) are called, in French grammars, the determinate sense (sens déterminé); and the indefinite and the partitive sense, the indeterminate sense (sens indéterminé), of the noun.

70. En, some, or any of it, or of them.

The pronoun en represents a noun used either in the indefinite or partitive sense. In this case it is used with refer

reference to persons and things (66 R). En is always expressed, although, in English, its equivalent may be omitted.

Avez-vous un parapluie ?

J'en ai un.

Je n'en ai pas.

Avez-vous du pain?

J'en ai.

Je n'en ai pas.

Avez-vous des frères ?

J'en ai trois.

Have you an umbrella?

I have one.

I have none.

Have you bread?
I have (some).

I have not (any).

Have you brothers?

I have three of them.

Envoyez-vous des fleurs à la Do you send flowers to town?

ville?

J'y en envoie.

(66-1) I do (send some there).

71. Omission of the Article before Partitive Nouns.

The article is omitted, and the preposition de alone is used, before a partitive noun, in the following three cases.

1. When the noun is the object of a verb that is conjugated negatively; unless the sense of the noun is modified or restricted by some other words.†

Je n'ai pas de pain.

Nous n'avons pas de gâteaux.

I have no bread.

We have no cakes.

2. When the noun is preceded by an adjective.

De bon pain.

De bons gâteaux.

(134-1) Good bread.

(134-1) Good cakes.

+ As, Nous n'avons pas des gâteaux de cette sorte. We have no cakes of that

kind.

3. When the noun is governed by the preposition de, as the indirect object of a preceding word.

Une douzaine de mouchoirs.

Une livre de sucre.

J'ai besoin de livres.

A pound of sugar.

A dozen of handkerchiefs.
I have need of books.

REM. The preposition de is also used before a noun employed in the indefinite sense, when it is the object of a verb conjugated nega tively; unless the idea of number is to be expressed.

Avez-vous un verre?

Je n'ai pas de verre.
Je n'ai pas un ami.

Have you a glass?
I have no glass.

I have not one friend,

72.

Adverbs of Quantity before Nouns (39).

Adverbs of quantity (39), and words that express a part or quantity, require the preposition de before the noun they limit.

Avez-vous assez de café ?
J'en ai assez, mais j'ai trop peu
de lait.

Combien (de)?

Combien de frères avez-vous? or
Combien avez-vous de frères?
J'en ai trois.

Have you coffee enough?

I have enough, but I have too little
milk.

How much; how many?
How many brothers have you?

I have three.

REM. The adverb bien joined to the verb vouloir, as je veux bien, indicates willingness, consent, approval.

a. Apportez-vous du café et de Do you bring coffee and cream? la crème ?

J'apporte du café et de la I bring coffee and cream.

b. Voulez-vous acheter un man- Will you buy a cloak? teau ?

+ Nouns which are preceded in the vocabularies by du, de la, de l', or des, in French, and not by any determinative word in English, are taken in the partitive seuse (69), and those which are preceded by the article in French, and not in English, are taken in the general sense (27-2).