The past tenses and the tenses of the conditional require the imperfect or pluperfect of the subjunctive. The infinitive may be used as subject or as object. Je veux vous rendre ce service. To speak too much is imprudent. I will render you that service. The past tense of the infinitive is used after the preposition après, whereas, in English, the present or compound participle is used. Après avoir dit cela il sortit. 7. After saying that he went out. GOVERNMENT OF VERBS. Some verbs are transitive in English and intransitive or neuter in French; and again, some verbs are transitive or active in French, which are intransitive in English. Some verbs require a different preposition in French than they do in English. Penser à, to think of. Rire de, to laugh at. The following are some of the verbs which govern the infinitive directly (see Twentieth Lesson, 2): Aimer mieux, to like Entendre, to hear. better. Compter, to intend. Croire, to believe. The following are Savoir, to know how. some of the verbs which require à before the dependent infinitive (see Twenty-second Lesson): The following are some of the verbs which require de before the dependent infinitive (see Twenty-second Lesson): Some verbs require different prepositions, according to the sense in which they are used, tarder à, to delay; tarder de, (impers.) to long; venir, to come; venir à, to happen; venir de, to come from, to have just... Il tarde bien à venir. Il me tarde de le voir. Je viens travailler. S'il vient à mourir. Je viens de le voir. *APPARTENIR, TO BELONG. He is long in coming. I long to see him. I come to work. If he happens to die. I have just seen him. ÊTRE À, To Belong. To whom does that honse belong? qui appartient cette maison? Agreement. 1. My friend and I shall start to-morrow. 2. You or Henry will come with us. 3. The people were complaining of the conduct of the troops. 4. A band of soldiers kept the door of the palace. 5. A great many soldiers were killed in the last battle. 6. They are our friends, who invited us. 7. It is you, gentlemen, who refused to come. Use of the Tenses. 8. How long have you been here? 9. I have been here since Saturday. 10. I have been waiting two hours for my brother. 11. I have lost my grammar. 12. Yesterday I found it among the books which you returned to me. 13. Last winter we were in Paris. 14. One day I received a letter which called me back to New York; my father was sick. 15. As soon as I had learned this news, I came back to the United States. 16. I shall start when my brother comes. 17. I will start to-day, if he comes. 18. I do not know whether he will come. Conditional Mode. 19. He would come, if he could. 20. He would have come yesterday, if it had not rained. 21. I would render you that service, if it (ce) were in (en) my power. already. 22. I would have done so Imperative Mode. 23. Do not keep me waiting long. 24. Let us render ourselves agreeable to those of whom we have need. Subjunctive Mode. 25. I am glad that you have come. sorry that your brother is sick. 27. I wonder that he has not written 26. I am to me. 28. I doubt whether (que) he knows that you are here. 29. 1 do not think that he knows it. 30. It is time for us to go (away). 31. I must first finish what I am doing. 32. The professor wished me to write my exercise before I left. Government. 33. Do you doubt that? 34. I do not doubt it. 35. You enjoy great advantages; do not abuse them. 36. Try to please your teachers: they wish you well. 37. I owe you for these boots; I will pay you for them as soon as I receive my money. 38. Whose penknife is this? 39. It is mine. 40. That store belongs to my uncle. 41. He is long in coming. 42. I long to see him. 43. He has just arrived. 44. I knew that it was he, because he resembles your father. FIFTY-SECOND LESSON. THE PARTICIPLE. The principal uses of the participles, present and past, have been explained in the Twenty-first Lesson. The present participle may be used without en: 1. To state a determinative or explanatory circumstance, with reference to the subject or object of the verb. Un jeune homme connaissant ses intérêts, ne négligera pas ses études. A young man knowing his own interest, will not neglect his studies. J'ai vu cet homme tenant un I have seen that man holding a livre à la main. book in his hand. 2. To state a conclusive circumstance, in an absolute manner. La paix étant conclue, les armées Peace being concluded, the armies se retirèrent. withdrew. THE ADVERB. Davantage, plus, more. Davantage can have no dependent words following it; but is preferable to plus at the end of a sentence. Si, 80; tant, so much, denote extension; aussi, as, 80; autant, as much, so much, denote comparison. REM. Si may be used for aussi, and tant for autant, in negative sentences. Plutôt, plus tôt. Plutôt means rather; and plus tôt, sooner. Tout à coup, means suddenly; and tout d'un coup, all in one stroke. De suite means in succession; and tout de suite, immediately. Adverbs are generally placed immediately after the verb. When the verb is in a compound tense, the adverb is placed between the auxiliary verb and the past participle. Adverbs of several syllables and adverbial phrases are placed after the participle. Adverbs denoting time absolute, as: hier, aujourd'hui, demain, etc., may be placed before the subject; but no adverb can be placed between the subject and the verb. Adverbs of comparison are repeated with each word which they modify. Adverbs of quantity need not be repeated; but the preposition de must precede each noun which the adverb limits. THE NEGATIVE PARTICLE NE. The particle ne is required before a verb in the subjunctive mode : 1. After verbs that express fear or apprehension, when they are used affirmatively. 2. After the verbs empêcher, to prevent, to hinder, and prendre garde, to beware; to take care (not). 3. After désespérer, to despair; disconvenir, to disown, to deny; douter, to doubt; nier, to deny, when they are used negatively. 4. After the conjunctions à moins que, unless; de crainte que, de peur que, for fear that. 5. Ne is also required before the verb in the second member of a comparative sentence, when the first member is affirmative. Il est plus riche qu'on ne le pense. He is richer than people think. THE PREPOSITION. À, dans, en, in. A directs the mind to the locality; dans, points to the inside of it; en and the noun which it precedes, form a kind of adverbial phrase. Il est au magasin, he is at the store. Il est dans le magasin, he is in the store. Le café est en magasin, the coffee is stored. |