Je crains de vous aimer trop, Loin d'être content, Sans prendre congé, Je croyais l'avoir entendu, 216. The present of the infinitive mood of the passive voice in English is frequently to be changed in French into the same mood and tense of the active voice; as, It is to be wished, That man is to be pitied, That house is to be let, Il est à souhaiter. Cet homme est à plaindre. Cette maison est à louer. 217. NOTE. The English participle past used in sentences like the following, The tyrant makes himself feared, The kind master makes himself beloved, is rendered in French by the infinitive mood: le tyran se fait craindre, le bon maître se fait aimer. PARTICIPLES*. Active, or Present. J'ai vu mes sœurs allant à la I have seen my sisters going out to walk. We shall see our friends as we pass. Une femme obligeant tout le A woman obliging every one. passant, monde, * See the definition of the participle given hereafter, and also the rules on the participle in the Syntax. 218. The present of the indicative denotes the action at the time itself in which it is done; as, 219. NOTE. In English there are three forms of the indicative present and the imperfect, whilst in French there is but one: thus, JE DIS is equally used for I say, I am saying, I do say; and JE DISAIS, for I said, I was saying, I did say. (See note, page 113.) 220. NOTE. The present of the indicative is sometimes used instead of the future when speaking of actions which are to be done at a time proximate or near; as, 222. The imperfect is used to denote an action not concluded, or going on while another took place; as, NOTE. The imperfect is called by many modern grammarians the simultaneous past, as it expresses an action simultaneous with some other. 223. It is used also to express an action habitual at a specified period; as, Il étudiait beaucoup quand il était jeune, Henri IV était un grand roi, et il aimait son peuple, He studied (or used to study) much when he was young. Henry IV. was a great king, and he loved his people. 224. After the conjunction si, if, the imperfect is used to denote a condition or supposition; as, Si je partais maintenant, S'il arrivait demain, If I were to set off now. After the conjunction si, if, it may be said that the imperfect is used instead of the conditional.-BONIFACE. (555.) 225. The imperfect is also used to express the actions, inclinations, or qualifications;-the character, condition, or situ ation of persons and things, at some particular time which is past, whether it be specified or not; as, Lorsque j'étais en pleine mer, et que je n'avais d'autre spectacle que le ciel et l'eau, je m'amusais quelquefois à dessiner les beaux nuages, semblables à des groupes de montagnes, qui voguaient à la suite les uns des autres, sur l'azur des cieux.-B. DE S. PIErre. Je ne savais pas cela. When I was on the open sea, having no other aspect but the sky and the water, I sometimes amused myself in sketching the majestic clouds, like groups of mountains, which floated after each other in the azure of heaven. I did not know that. Past definite, or Preterperfect. 226. The past definite always represents the act as done or completed at a time specified, and entirely elapsed; as, Il leur écrivit hier au soir, He wrote to them last night. year. I went yesterday to the play The expression of time may be understood; as, Je sais qu'il leur écrivit, I know that he wrote to them. The past definite, being principally used in narrating events which occurred at a time specified and entirely elapsed, may be called the historical tense. Past indefinite, OR COMPOUND OF THE PRESENT. (I have ed.) 227. The past indefinite is invariably used when we express a thing as having taken place without specifying when, or which has happened at a time not entirely past, as this day, this week, this month, this year, etc.; as, Il a beaucoup voyagé, J'ai eu la fièvre cette année, ce He has travelled much. I wrote to him this morning. 228. It is frequently used to express what is about to take place; as, J'ai fini dans un moment, I shall have finished in an instant. 229. The definite and indefinite past tenses are often used indifferently in familiar conversation, especially in speaking of the common events of life, though the time may be specified and have entirely elapsed; as, je soupai or j'ai soupé hier au soir avec lui, I supped with him last night. 230. NOTE. The student must be careful to remember that if the time specified is not entirely elapsed, the past indefinite is to be used (227.); as, Je l'ai vu ce matin, I saw him this morning, and not je le vis, etc. Je lui ai parlé aujourd'hui, I spoke to him today, and not je lui parlai, etc. The use of the past definite in the above and all similar examples would be ungrammatical. 231. The past anterior is generally required after dès que, aussitôt que, (as soon as,) and quand (when), and is used in speaking of a thing which happened immediately before an event that is past; as, Quand j'eus reconnu mon erreur, je fus honteux des mauvais procédés que j'avais eus pour lui, When I was sensible of my error, I was ashamed of my previous ill conduct towards him. 232. When the action anterior to another occurred at a time which may still be going on, for instance, this day, this week, etc., as in the past indefinite, we use the following for the past anterior: Quand j'ai eu ce matin appris la nouvelle de votre nomination, j'ai couru en faire part à nos amis. (See note*, page 114.) When I had this morning learnt the news of your appointment, I ran to tell our friends. Pluperfect, OR COMPOUND OF THE IMPERFECT. (I had ed.) 233. The pluperfect tense is also generally required after dès que, aussitôt que, quand, etc., and is used in mentioning a thing habitual or repeated, but which happened at a period prior to an event that is past; as, Nous entrions dans sa chambre We used to go into his room dès qu'il avait fini de s'habiller, J'avais déjeuné quand vous vîntes me demander, The difference between the past marked in the following examples: Hier, quand nous eûmes pris le thé, nous allâmes au parc, L'été passé, quand nous avions pris le thé, nous allions ordinairement au parc, as soon as he had dressed himself. I had breakfasted when you came to ask for me. anterior and the pluperfect is clearly Yesterday, when we had taken tea, we went to the park. Last summer, when we had taken tea, we generally went to the park. 234. After the conjunction si, if, the pluperfect is used instead of the conditional past (224.); as, Si vous aviez parlé plus tôt, If you had spoken sooner you vous auriez obtenu cette place, Je viens de parler, would have obtained that appointment. Idiomatic past tenses. Past just elapsed. I have just spoken. I have only just spoken. Je ne fais que de parler, Nous irons à Vienne l'été pro- We shall go to Vienna next 235. When shall and will imply determination, they are rendered by vouloir; as, Je veux le faire, Je veux que tu le fasses, I will do it. Thou shalt do it. |