CliffsQuickReview™ French II By Gail Stein
CliffsQuickReview™ French II By Gail Stein
About the Author Gail Stein, a French and Spanish teacher for over 32 years, has written numerous textbooks.
Publisher’s Acknowledgments Editorial Project Editor: Ben Nussbaum Acquisitions Editor: Roxane Cerda Copy Editor: Suzanna R. Thompson Technical Editor: Simone Pilon Editorial Assistant: Blair Pottenger Production Indexer: Johnna VanHoose Dinse Proofreader: Didier Bertrand Wiley Publishing, Inc. Composition Services
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Table of Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Why You Need This Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 How to Use This Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Visit Our Web Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Chapter 1: Daily Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Reviewing Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Numbers and Nouns of Quantity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Arithmetic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Ordinal Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Fractions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Multiples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Titles of Rulers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Reviewing Time and Using Advanced Time Expressions . . . . . . . . . . 10 Using Advanced Cognates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 -er verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 -ir verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Tackling What We’ve Borrowed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Being Aware of Advanced False Friends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Figuring Out Meanings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Chapter 2: Basic Articles, Nouns, and Pronouns Plus . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Articles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 The French articles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Using articles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Contractions with articles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Nouns and Nouns of Quantity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Possession and Possessive Pronouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Pronouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Subject pronouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Object pronouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 The adverbial pronoun y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 The adverbial pronoun en . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Double object pronouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 The invariable le . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Independent pronouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Relative pronouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Interrogative pronouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Demonstrative pronouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Chapter 3: Basic Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Verbs in the Present Tense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Regular Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Verbs with Spelling Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
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Irregular Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Reflexive Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Negation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Forming the Negative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Asking Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Ways to ask questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Using inversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Interrogative adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Forming commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Negating commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Chapter 4: Adjectives, Adverbs, and Prepositions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
Adjectives and Exclamations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Forming singular adjectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Forming plural adjectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Placement of adjectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Irregular adjectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Exclamations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Adverbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Forming adverbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Use and placement of adverbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Irregular adverbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Comparisons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 More than or less than . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Superlatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Equality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Prepositions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Chapter 5: Special Uses of Certain Verbs
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
Devoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Faire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Falloir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Pouvoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Savoir and Connaître . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Vouloir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Other Important Irregularities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Chapter 6: The Infinitive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88
The Infinitive Used as a Subject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 The Infinitive Used in a Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 The Infinitive Used in Interrogatives and Exclamations . . . . . . . . . . . 89 The Infinitive Used After Certain Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
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The Infinitive Used After Certain Prepositions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 The Infinitive Preceded by Adjectives and Nouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Negating an Infinitive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 The Past Infinitive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Chapter 7: Participles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98
Present Participles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Forming the Present Participle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Using the Present Participle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Past Participles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Forming the Past Participle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Using the Past Participle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Perfect Participles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Chapter 8: Past Tenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107
The Passé Composé . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 The passé composé with avoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 The passé composé with être . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Verbs that use être or avoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 The passé composé with reflexive verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Negating in the passé composé . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Questions in the passé composé . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 The Passé Simple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 The passé simple of regular verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 The passé simple of irregular verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 The Passé Antérieur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 The Imparfait . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 The imparfait of regular verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 The imparfait of irregular verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 The Plus-Que-Parfait . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 The Correct Tense to Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 Passé composé . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 Passé simple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Imparfait . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Passé antérieur and plus-que-parfait . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 Chapter 9: Future Tenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122
The Near Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 Negating the near future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Questions in the near future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 The Future Tense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Future tense of regular verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Spelling changes in the future tense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
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Future Tense of Irregular Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Negating in the future tense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 Questions in the future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 Uses of the future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 The Futur Antérieur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Forming the futur antérieur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 Negating the futur antérieur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 Questions in the futur antérieur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 Uses of the futur antérieur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Chapter 10: The Conditional and Conditional Sentences . . . . . . . . .130
The Conditional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 Forming the conditional of regular verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 Forming the conditional of irregular verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Negating in the conditional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Questions in the conditional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Uses of the conditional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 The Conditionnel Passé . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Forming the conditionnel passé . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Negating the conditionnel passé . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Questions in the conditionnel passé . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Uses of the conditionnel passé . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Conditional Sentences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Real conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Contrary-to-fact conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 Chapter 11: The Subjunctive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139
The Present Subjunctive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Forming the present subjunctive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 Using the present subjunctive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 After impersonal expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 After verbs and expressions of doubt, denial, and disbelief . . . . . . 143 After a wish or a command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 After adjectives, nouns, verbs, and expressions of emotion and feeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 After certain conjunctions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 After superlative expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 After certain indefinites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 In relative clauses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 In third-person commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 The Past Subjunctive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 The Imperfect and the Pluperfect Subjunctive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Avoiding the Subjunctive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
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Chapter 12: Indefinites and the Passive Voice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154
Indefinite Adjectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154 Aucun(e) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 Autre(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 Certain(e)(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Chaque . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Différent(e)(s), divers(e)(es), and maint(e)(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Le (la)(les) même(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 N’importe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Plusieurs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Quelconque(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Quelque(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 Tel(le)(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 Tout(e)(s) and tous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 Indefinite Pronouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159 Aucun(e) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160 Autre(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160 Autrui . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161 Certain(e)(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161 Chacun(e) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161 Grand-chose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161 Le (la/les) même(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 N’importe qui . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 N’importe quoi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 Nul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 Personne (ne) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 Plusieurs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 Quelqu’un(e) and quelques-un(e)s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 Quelque chose (m.) and rien (ne) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 Quiconque . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 Qui que ce soit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 Quoi que ce soit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 Tel(le) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 Tout and tous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 The Passive Voice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 The passive with être . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166 The passive with se . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 Avoiding the passive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 Appendix A: Synonyms and Antonyms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169
Synonyms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 Antonyms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
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Appendix B: Thematic Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173 Appendix C: Verb Charts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .182
Regular Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182 -er verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182 -ir verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182 -re verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183 -er Verbs with Spelling Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183 -cer verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183 -ger verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184 -yer verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184 -e + Consonant + er Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184 -er Verbs with Double Consonants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185 -é + Consonant + er Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186 Irregular Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186 CQR Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200 CQR Resource Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205 Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209
INTRODUCTION a va? How have your French studies been progressing? If you feel confident that you have mastered the basic grammatical structures and Ç have a good working elementary vocabulary, then you are ready to proceed to a more advanced level. CliffsQuickReview French II is the book you’ll need to guide you through a more comprehensive review of the elements of the language. The precise, succinct explanations of the rules accompanied by more challenging thematic vocabulary lists will help you develop a more sophisticated and native way of expressing yourself, whether your goal is to improve your speaking abilities, writing abilities, or both. If you’re still learning the basics of French, you may prefer CliffsQuick Review French I (ISBN: 0-7645-6379-3).
Why You Need This Book Can you answer yes to any of these questions? ■ Do you need to review the fundamentals of more advanced French
fast? ■ Do you need a course supplement that gives you the rules of more
advanced French? ■ Do you need to prepare for your French tests? ■ Do you need a concise, comprehensive reference for advanced French?
How to Use This Book You are in charge here. You determine how this book will best meet your needs. You may read it straight through or you may skip from chapter to chapter in search of the information or explanations you require. However, here are a few recommended ways to search for topics:
2
CliffsQuickReview French II
■ Use the Pocket Guide to get a quick refresher course on the most
commonly used irregular verbs and to check different conversion tables. ■ Scan the Table of Contents or use the index to locate the specific top-
ics you want to review. ■ Flip through the book, looking for subject areas at the top of each
page. ■ Glance at the Chapter Check-In at the beginning of each chapter to
see what material will be covered in the pages that follow. ■ Judge how much you’ve covered in a chapter by referring to the Chap-
ter Checkout. ■ Test your level of comprehension and understanding in the CQR
Review at the end of each chapter. ■ Look for more sources of information in the CQR Resource Center. ■ Avail yourself of the Appendices when you want advanced lists of syn-
onyms or antonyms, thematic vocabulary, and lists of irregular verbs. ■ Skim through the book until you locate what you’re looking for —
it is organized to progressively build on already developed concepts.
Visit Our Web Site A great resource, www.cliffsnotes.com features review materials, valuable Internet links, quizzes, and more to enhance your learning. The site also features timely articles and tips, plus downloadable versions of many CliffsNotes books. When you stop by our site, don’t hesitate to share your thoughts about this book or any Wiley product. Just click the Talk to Us button. We welcome your feedback!
Chapter 1 DAILY TOOLS Chapter Check-In ❑
Reviewing numbers and time
❑
Using advanced time expressions
❑
Knowing cognates and French used in English
❑
Avoiding false friends
his chapter presents a review of the most basic daily tools: using numbers, telling time, and using cognates (words that are the same or simT ilar in both French and English). It then goes on to more advanced applications of these essentials to allow you to communicate on a more sophisticated level. Additionally, “false friends” are identified to ensure that you don’t get confused by words that look like cognates, but aren’t. Also, an accent mark can be a clue to the meaning of a French word. In this chapter, you will learn tricks to help you determine the meaning of certain words containing an acute or circumflex accent.
Reviewing Numbers The French cardinal numbers, those used for counting, require you to use math skills once you get past 69. The number 70 is formed by adding 60 + 10, 71 is 60 + 11, and so on until 80 is reached. The number 80 is 4 × 20, while 81 is 4 × 20 + 1, and so on through the number 99. Consult Table 1-1 for a list of French cardinal numbers that you should know.
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CliffsQuickReview French II
Table 1-1
Cardinal Numbers
Number
French 0
zéro
1
un
2
deux
3
trois
4
quatre
5
cinq
6
six
7
sept
8
huit
9
neuf
10
dix
11
onze
12
douze
13
treize
14
quatorze
15
quinze
16
seize
17
dix-sept
18
dix-huit
19
dix-neuf
20
vingt
21
vingt et un
22
vingt-deux
30
trente
40
quarante
50
cinquante
60
soixante
70
soixante-dix
71
soixante et onze
Chapter 1: Daily Tools Number
5
French 72
soixante-douze
80
quatre-vingts
81
quatre-vingt-un
90
quatre-vingt-dix
91
quatre-vingt-onze
100
cent
101
cent un
200
deux cents
201
deux cent un
1,000
mille
2,000
deux mille
1,000,000
un million
2,000,000
deux millions
1,000,000,000
un milliard
2,000,000,000
deux milliards
Note the following about cardinal numbers: ■ The conjunction et (and) is used only for the numbers 21, 31,
41, 51, 61, and 71. In all other compound numbers through 99, et is dropped and a hyphen is used. ■ Before a feminine noun, un becomes une.
vingt et un garçons (21 boys) vingt et une filles (21 girls) ■ For quatre-vingts (80) and the plural of cent (100) for any num-
ber above 199, drop the -s before another number, but not before a noun. The -s is also dropped when these numbers are used in an ordinal sense (for example, to express page or address numbers and dates). quatre cent vingt dollars (420 dollars) quatre cents dollars (400 dollars) quatre-vingt-dix-neuf euros (99 euros)
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CliffsQuickReview French II
quatre-vingts euros (80 euros) à la page deux cent (on page 200) dans la rue quatre-vingt (on 80th Street) pendant l’année neuf cent (during the year 900) ■ Un is not used before cent (100) and mille (1,000).
cent ans (100 years) mille personnes (1,000 people) ■ Mille doesn’t take -s in the plural.
cinq mille dollars (5,000 dollars) ■ Mille is generally written mil in dates until 1999:
Je suis né en mil neuf cent quarante-sept. (I was born in 1947.) Starting with the year 2000, the date is written as follows: Ma fille est née en (l’an) deux mille. (My daughter was born in 2000.) When another number is added after 2000, mil is generally preferred to mille. Mon fils est né en (l’an) deux mil(le) deux. (My son was born in 2002.) ■ To express numbers between 1,000 and 9,999, you can avoid
using mille and simply use cent where it is more convenient. mille neuf cents or dix-neuf cents (1,900) ■ In numerals and decimals, the French use commas where Amer-
icans use periods, and vice versa: English
French
50,000
50.000
.25
,25
$25.99
$25,99
Numbers and Nouns of Quantity Nouns that are used to express a quantity or a measure are followed by de + noun. The cardinal numbers million and milliard, as well as other nouns of number, follow this rule.
Chapter 1: Daily Tools
un million de touristes (a million tourists) onze milliards de gens (11 billion people) deux boîtes de céréales (2 boxes of cereal) un tas de papiers (a pile of papers) Refer to Table 1-2 for common nouns of number and quantity. Table 1-2
Numbers and Nouns of Quantity
Noun of Quantity
English
une boîte de
a box of, a can of
une bouteille de
a bottle of
une centaine de
about 100
une dizaine de
about 10
une douzaine de
a dozen
un kilo de
a kilogram of
un litre de
a liter of
une livre de
a pound of
un milliard de
a billion
un millier de
about a thousand
un million de
a million
un morceau de
a piece of
une paire de
a pair of
un paquet de
a package of
une quinzaine de
about 15
un sac de
a bag of
un tas de
a pile of
une tasse de
a cup of
une tranche de
a slice of
un verre de
a glass of
une vingtaine de
about 20
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CliffsQuickReview French II
Arithmetic To calculate simple arithmetic problems in French, use the following: To add:
Dix et (plus) cinq font (égale) quinze.
10 + 5 = 15
To subtract:
Quinze moins cinq font (égale) dix.
15 - 5 = 10
To multiply:
Cinq fois cinq font (égale) vingt-cinq.
5 × 5 = 25
To divide:
Vingt-cinq divisé par cinq font (égale) cinq.
25 ÷ 5 = 5
Ordinal Numbers In French, most ordinal numbers (those used to show rank or placement) are formed by adding -ième to the cardinal number. When the cardinal number ends in a silent e, that vowel is dropped before adding the ordinal ending (quatrième is “fourth,” onzième is “eleventh,” and so on). Consult Table 1-3 for exceptions to the rule. Table 1-3
Exception Ordinal Numbers
Ordinal
French
1st
premier or première
2nd
deuxième or second(e)
5th
cinquième
9th
neuvième
21st
vingt et unième
Note the following about ordinal numbers: ■ Premier and première are abbreviated as follows:
premier: 1er première: 1re ■ All others ordinals get a superscript e.
quinzième: 15 e ■ Ordinal numbers agree in number and gender with the nouns
they describe. Premier (première) and second (seconde) are the only ordinal numbers that have a feminine form.
Chapter 1: Daily Tools
9
le premier acte (the first act) la première pièce (the first play) les premières années (the first years) la Seconde Guerre mondiale (the second World War) les vingt et unièmes anniversaires (21st birthdays) ■ Premier is used only for the first in a series. For 21 to 71, unième
is added after the conjunction et to express first, and it must agree in number with the noun it modifies. la cinquante et unième année (the 51st year) ■ Second(e) is generally used in a series that goes no higher
than two. ■ Use le or la before huit/huitième and onze/onzième. There is no
elision. le huitième anniversaire (the 11th birthday) le onze juillet (July 11th) ■ In French, cardinal numbers precede ordinal numbers.
les deux premières personnes (the first two people) Fractions Just as in English, French fractions are formed by combining a cardinal and an ordinal number: un cinquième deux septièmes trois huitièmes quatre centièmes
1
⁄5 ⁄7 3 ⁄8 4 ⁄ 100 2
The most common fractions are irregular: un demi (une moitié) un tiers trois quarts
1
⁄2 ⁄3 3 ⁄4 1
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CliffsQuickReview French II
Note the following: ■ Demi is generally used as an adjective. When it is used before the noun
with a hyphen, it does not agree with the noun it describes. When used after the noun, however, it must agree with the noun it modifies. une demi-heure (a half hour) une heure et demie (an hour and a half ) ■ Moitié is a feminine noun and must be used with the article la.
la moitié de la classe (half the class) Multiples Multiple numbers are used in French in the same way they are used in English: une fois vingt fois mille fois simple double triple
one time 20 times 1,000 times a single, simple a double a triple
Here are some examples of multiples used in a sentence: Je l’ai fait une fois. (I did it one time.) Le prix est triple de ce qu’il était. (The price is triple what it was.) Titles of Rulers In numerical titles of rulers, cardinal numbers are used (except for premier). François premier (François Ier) Henri Huit (Henri VIII) Louis Quinze (Louis XV)
François the First Henry the Eighth Louis the Fifteenth
Reviewing Time and Using Advanced Time Expressions Use the following questions and answers to speak about the time of day:
Chapter 1: Daily Tools
11
Quelle heure est-il? (What time is it?) Il est . . . (It is . . .) À quelle heure . . . ? (At what time . . . ?) À . . . (At . . .) Table 1-4 gives you a quick refresher course on how to tell time in French. Table1-4
Telling Time
Time
French
1:00
une heure
2:05
deux heures cinq
3:10
trois heures dix
4:15
quatre heures et quart
5:20
cinq heures vingt
6:25
six heures vingt-cinq
7:30
sept heures et demie
7:35
huit heures moins vingt-cinq
8:40
neuf heures moins vingt
9:45
dix heures moins le quart
10:50
onze heures moins dix
11:55
midi (minuit) moins cinq
midnight
minuit
noon
midi
Here are some more basics on time: ■ To express time after the hour, the number of minutes is added. Et
(and) is used only with quart (quarter) and demi(e) (half ). ■ Moins (less, minus) is used to express time before the hour. ■ Moins le is used before quart. ■ Because midi (noon) and minuit (midnight) are masculine, to say
“half past,” use et demi, as in the following: Je mange à midi et demi. (I eat at half past noon.)
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CliffsQuickReview French II
■ In public announcements, such as timetables, the official 24-hour
system is commonly used, with midnight as the zero hour: 0 h 30 (12:30 a.m.) 18 heures (6:00 p.m.) 20 h 45 (8:45 p.m.) Table 1-5 provides you with common expressions that will help you express time and anything related to it. Table 1-5
Common Time-Related Expressions
French
English
une seconde
a second
une minute
a minute
un quart d’heure
a quarter of an hour
une demi-heure
a half hour
une heure
an hour
il y a une heure
an hour ago
du matin
in the morning
de l’après-midi
in the afternoon
du soir
in the evening
à minuit précis
at exactly midnight
à une heure précise
at exactly 1 o’clock
à trois heures précises
at exactly 3 o’clock
vers . . .
at about . . .
dans une heure
in an hour
jusqu’à . . .
until . . .
avant . . .
before . . .
après
after
depuis . . .
since . . .
par heure
per hour
au bout d’une heure
at the end of an hour
tôt, de bonne heure
early
Chapter 1: Daily Tools French
English
tard
late (in time)
en retard
late (in arriving)
à l’heure, à temps
on time
en même temps
at the same time
tout à l’heure
in a while
13
Using Advanced Cognates Cognates help you improve your command of a foreign language because they help you relate words with which you are familiar to the new words that you come across in your studies. Although there are differences in pronunciation and spelling, easily recognizable words help you build a working vocabulary rather quickly. The cognates listed in Table 1-6 should be easy to understand. Table 1-6
Advanced Cognates
Adjectives
Le
La
L’
actif
balcon
banane
acteur
aimable
bébé
bicyclette
adresse
ambitieux
coton
carotte
affaire
amusant
dîner
cathédrale
âge
ancien
directeur
chambre
agence
courageux
jardin
classe
anniversaire
délicieux
juge
couleur
appartement
dynamique
mécanicien
danse
artiste
élégant
moteur
fontaine
éléphant
enchanté
papier
guitare
employé
exquis
parfum
lampe
enveloppe
fatigué
parc
liste
exemple
grillé
porc
maladie
hôtel
insignifiant
président
marchandise
océan (continued)
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CliffsQuickReview French II
Table 1-6
(continued)
Adjectives
Le
La
L’
intéressant
professeur
musique
oncle
juste
serveur
nationalité
opéra
naïf
théâtre
paire
opticien
sérieux
vendeur
région
orchestre
The meanings of the following regular verbs should be apparent. Just follow the rules for the conjugation of the appropriate verb families to use these words. -er verbs accompagner adorer aider blâmer changer chanter commander commencer danser décider déclarer demander désirer dîner échanger embrasser entrer envelopper hésiter ignorer inviter marcher
modifier observer pardonner passer payer persuader porter préférer préparer présenter prouver recommander refuser regarder regretter remarquer réparer réserver signer surveiller tourner vérifier
Chapter 1: Daily Tools
-ir verbs accomplir applaudir défendre dépendre
15
finir punir répondre vendre
Tackling What We’ve Borrowed There are many French words and expressions that are used daily by speakers of English. These terms have been borrowed and incorporated into our language. Check the list below and see how many of these words are, indeed, quite familiar to you. ■ à la carte ■ à la mode ■ aide-de-camp ■ blasé ■ bon vivant ■ bon voyage ■ c’est la vie ■ camouflage ■ carte blanche ■ chaise longue ■ chef d’oeuvre ■ chic ■ coup de grâce ■ coup d’état ■ crème de la crème ■ cri de coeur ■ de rigueur ■ débutante ■ déjà vu
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CliffsQuickReview French II
■ élite ■ esprit de corps ■ fait accompli ■ faux pas ■ fiancé(e) ■ gourmet ■ idée fixe ■ joie de vivre ■ matinée ■ naïve ■ objet d’art ■ par excellence ■ pièce de résistance ■ R.S.V.P. ■ raison d’être ■ rendez-vous ■ tête à tête ■ tour de force ■ trompe-l’oeil ■ vis-à-vis
Being Aware of Advanced False Friends Faux amis, or false friends, can trick you into making mistakes because they look like certain English words, but have an entirely different meaning in French. In many instances, despite having the same or similar spellings, the words in English and French can even be different parts of speech. Beware of the tricky faux amis in Table 1-7. (The part of speech is indicated by “n” [noun], “pron” [pronoun], “v” [verb], “adv” [adverb], “a” [adjective], “conj” [conjunction], or “prep” [preposition].)
Chapter 1: Daily Tools
Table 1-7
17
Advanced False Friends
English
French
Meaning
bless (v)
blesser (v)
to wound
bra (n)
le bras (n)
arm
bride (n)
la bride (n)
bridle
car (n)
car (conj)
because
chair (n)
la chair (n)
skin
chose (v)
la chose (n)
thing
cry (v)
crier (v)
to shout
fond (a)
le fond (n)
back, bottom
four (a)
le four (n)
oven
laid (v)
laid (a)
ugly
large (a)
large (a)
wide
lime (n)
la lime (n)
file
lit (v)
le lit (n)
bed
liver (n)
le livre (n)
book
main (a)
la main (n)
hand
manger (n)
manger (v)
to eat
ours (a)
l’ours (n)
bear
pour (v)
pour (prep)
for, in order to
prune (n)
la prune (n)
plum
raisin (n)
le raisin (n)
grape
ranger (n)
ranger (v)
to tidy
Roman (a)
le roman (n)
novel
sang (v)
le sang (n)
blood
sensible (a)
sensible (a)
sensitive
sent (v)
sentir (v)
to smell, to feel
sold (v)
le solde (n)
sale
son (n)
son (pron) OR (n)
his, her OR sound
stage (n)
le stage (n)
training course (continued)
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CliffsQuickReview French II
Table 1-7
(continued)
English
French
Meaning
store (n)
le store (n)
shade
ton (n)
ton (pron)
your
tot (n)
tôt (adv)
early
Figuring Out Meanings A circumflex accent (^) or the acute accent on é generally take the place of an -s that appeared in the word in old French. This clue will make it easier for you to determine the meaning of many words and perhaps avoid the use of a dictionary. Fill in the definitions of the words that are left. Circumflex Accent (^)
Accent Aigu é
French
English
French
English
arrêter
to arrest
écarlate
scarlet
bête
beast
échapper
to escape
conquête
conquest
école
school
coûter
to cost
épars
sparse
croûte
crust
épellation
spelling
fête
feast
épice
spice
forêt
forest
épier
to spy
hôpital
hospital
éponge
sponge
hôte
host
épouser
to espouse
hôtel
hostel
établir
hôtesse
étal
île
état
intérêt
étrange
pâte
étranger
plâtre
étude
quête
étudiant
rôti
étudier
vêtements
répondre
Chapter 1: Daily Tools
19
Chapter Checkout
Using your knowledge of cognates, give a good English title for each of these famous French works. 1.
Discours de la méthode
Descartes
2.
Le Malade imaginaire
3.
Bernard
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CliffsQuickReview French II
4.
Les Rêveries du promeneur solitaire
Rousseau
5.
Dumas
6.
Les Chants du crépuscule
Hugo
Chapter 1: Daily Tools
7.
La Femme de trente ans
Balzac
8.
Lettres d'un voyageur
Sand
9.
L'Étranger
Camus
21
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CliffsQuickReview French II
10.
Le Petit Prince
Saint-Exupéry
Answers: 1. Discourse of the Method 2. The Hypochondriac 3. Introduction to the Study of Experimental Medicine 4. Daydreams of a Solitary Walker 5. Twenty Years After 6. Songs of Twilight 7. The 30-Year-Old Woman 8. Letters of a Traveler 9. The Stranger 10. The Little Prince
Chapter 2 BASIC ARTICLES, NOUNS, AND PRONOUNS PLUS Chapter Check-In ❑ Using and contracting articles ❑ Using nouns and nouns of quantity ❑ Understanding possession and possessive pronouns ❑ Using other French pronouns
n this chapter, you’ll be able to review fundamental basics of articles, nouns, and pronouns, then proceed to more advanced applications of what you’ve Ialready learned. Use the already familiar information provided for a quick refresher course, then carefully study the new material that is presented with more detailed and challenging explanations, examples, charts, and tables. By the time you’ve completed this chapter, you’ll be able to use both the old and new elements presented to construct good, grammatically correct sentences on a more advanced level.
Articles It’s easy to overlook the importance of little articles—but don’t make that mistake! This section reviews the basics. The French articles Articles—small words typically classified as adjectives—generally (but not always) indicate the gender and number of the noun or pronoun that follows. For this reason, articles are often referred to as “noun markers.” The table below shows the articles that are used in French.
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CliffsQuickReview French II
Table 2-1
French Articles Masc. Sing.
Fem. Sing.
Masc. Pl.
Fem. Pl.
English Translation
Definite
le (l’ before vowel)
la (l’ before vowel)
les
les
the
Indefinite
un
une
des
des
a or an or one or some
Partitive
du
de la
des
des
some or any
Demonstrative
ce (cet cette before vowel)
ces
ces
this or that or these or those
Article
Using articles The definite article (le, la, l’, les) is used with nouns in a general sense while the partitive is used to express some or part of something: ■ Nous aimons le pain. (We love bread.) ■ Donnez-nous du gâteau. (Give us some cake.)
Use un or une when speaking about one portion or serving and use an adverb or noun of quantity or the partitive (de, du, de la, de l’, des) to express amounts: ■ Un pain, s’il vous plaît. (A bread, please.) ■ Une tranche de pain, s’il vous plaît. (A slice of bread, please.) ■ Du pain, s’il vous plaît. (Some bread, please.)
Use ce (cet) or cette to express “this” or “that” item and use ces to express “these” or “those.” Use the tags -ci (here) or -là (there) to be even more specific: ■ Je préfère ce pain-ci. (I prefer this bread.) ■ Donnez-moi ces pains-là. (Give me those breads.)
Chapter 2: Basic Articles, Nouns, and Pronouns Plus
25
Contractions with articles The following prepositions contract with articles in French: Preposition
+
Article
=
Contraction (Meaning)
à
+
le
=
au (to the)
à
+
les
=
aux (to the)
de
+
le
=
du (some; of, about, from it)
de
+
les
=
des (some; of, about, from them)
Nouns and Nouns of Quantity All French nouns have a number (singular or plural) and a gender (masculine or feminine). Singular articles help you to identify the gender of nouns and should be learned with the nouns they modify. Although the gender of some nouns is quite obvious (those that refer to males are masculine, while those that refer to females are feminine), the gender of other nouns can be tricky and must be memorized. The following list goes into more detail about the number and gender of nouns: ■ Some noun endings give you a hint as to gender:
Masculine endings include -acle, -age, -al, -eau, -et, -ier, -isme, and -ment. Feminine endings include -ade, -ale, -ance, -ence, -ette, -ie, -ique, -oire, -sion, and -tion. ■ Some nouns can be either masculine or feminine:
artiste
enfant
camarade
malade
collègue
secrétaire
concierge
touriste
élève
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CliffsQuickReview French II
■ Some nouns can be changed to the feminine by simply adding
an -e: un cousin → une cousine un ami → une amie ■ Some masculine nouns (usually referring to professions) have a
corresponding feminine ending: Masculine
Feminine
-an
-anne
-el
-elle
-er
-ère
-eur
-euse
-ien
-ienne
-on
-onne
-teur
-trice
■ Some words are always masculine or feminine no matter to whom
they are referring: un agent de police
un mannequin (model)
un bébé
un médecin (doctor)
un chef
un professeur
un dentiste
une connaissance (acquaintance)
un écrivain (writer)
une star
un ingénieur (engineer)
une victime
■ Most French nouns are made plural by adding an unpronounced
-s to the singular form. ■ The letters s, x, and z are all used to make plurals in French. If a
singular noun ends in any of these letters, its plural form remains unchanged: le fils → les fils la voix → les voix le nez → les nez
Chapter 2: Basic Articles, Nouns, and Pronouns Plus
27
■ Nouns ending in -eau add -x to form the plural:
le château → les châteaux ■ Nouns ending in -eu add -x to form the plural, except that le pneu
(tire) becomes les pneus (tires): le cheveu → les cheveux ■ Nouns ending in -al change -al to -aux, except for le bal (which
becomes les bals), le festival (which becomes les festivals), and le récital (which becomes les récitals): l’animal → les animaux ■ Some nouns ending in -ou add -x to form the plural:
le bijou → les bijoux ■ Most compound nouns (nouns made up of two nouns that are
usually joined by a hyphen) do not change in the plural. Remember, however, to change their respective articles: les hors-d’oeuvre Note the following irregularities: les grands-mères
les grands-parents
les grands-pères ■ Some French words are always plural:
les ciseaux (scissors)
les mathématiques
les gens (people)
les vacances (vacation)
les lunettes (glasses) ■ French last names do not add an -s in the plural:
Les Dupont Nouns that express quantity are followed by the preposition de (d’ before a vowel) before the noun that follows. For example: Je vais acheter une douzaine d’oeufs. (I’m going to buy a dozen eggs.) Donnez-moi un verre de lait. (Give me a glass of milk.)
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CliffsQuickReview French II
High-frequency nouns of quantity include: ■ une boîte (a box, a can) ■ une bouteille (a bottle) ■ une douzaine ■ une livre (a pound) ■ un morceau (a piece) ■ une paire ■ un panier (a basket) ■ un paquet (a package) ■ un sac (a bag) ■ une tasse (a cup) ■ une tranche (a slice) ■ un verre (a glass)
Possession and Possessive Pronouns In English we may use an apostrophe and an -s to show that something belongs to someone. In French, however, because an apostrophe is only used to replace a letter that is omitted due to elision, ’s is not used to show possession. French uses a different word order than the one we are accustomed to, and possessive adjectives and pronouns also follow a different set of rules. ■ The preposition de (of ) is used to express relationship and pos-
session. If the sentence requires de and has two or more nouns, de (or d’ before a vowel) is repeated before each noun. De contracts with the definite article le to become du or with les to become des in order to express “of the”: C’est la voiture du père de Jean. (It’s John’s father’s car.) C’est la maison de Lucien et de Sylvie. (It’s Lucien and Sylvie’s house.) Ce sont les enfants des Renaud. (They are the Renauds’ children.)
Chapter 2: Basic Articles, Nouns, and Pronouns Plus
29
■ Although de can be used to demonstrate possession of a person
or a thing, the idiom être à (to belong to) is usually used to show possession of a thing (not a person). Conjugate être to agree with the subject, and if the sentence contains two or more nouns, repeat the preposition à before each noun: À qui est ce livre? Ce livre est à Roger. (Whose book is this? This is Roger’s book.) À qui sont ces CDs? Ces CDs sont à Anne et à Luc. (Whose CDs are these? These CDs are Anne’s and Luke’s.) ■ Like all French adjectives, possessive adjectives agree in gender
and number with the nouns they modify (the person or item that is possessed) and not with the subject (the person possessing them). Refer to Table 2-1 at the end of this list for a refresher course: Claude est mon frère et Anne est mon amie. (Claude is my brother, and Anne is my friend.) Il travaille avec sa mère et son père. (He works with his mother and father.) Elle aide sa tante et son oncle. (She helps her aunt and uncle.) Les Leduc aiment leurs enfants et leur chien. (The Leducs love their children and their dog.) ■ Possessive pronouns are used to replace a possessive adjective + a
noun. The pronoun must agree in number and gender with the noun it replaces. Definite articles contract with the prepositions à and de when used before a possessive pronoun. Use Table 2-2, at the end of this list, to select the appropriate possessive pronoun: Mes cheveux sont plus longs que les tiens. (My hair is longer than yours.) Ses idées et les miennes sont vraiment différentes. (His [or her] ideas and mine are really different.) Voilà ma voiture. Où est la vôtre? (There’s my car. Where’s yours?) Tu ressembles à tes parents et je ressemble aux miens. (You resemble your parents, and I resemble mine.)
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CliffsQuickReview French II
Table 2-2
Possessive Adjectives
Used before all masculine singular nouns and any feminine singular nouns beginning with a vowel
Used only before singular feminine nouns beginning with a consonant
Used before all plural nouns
English
mon
ma
mes
my
ton
ta
tes
your
son
sa
ses
his, her, its
notre
notre
nos
our
votre
votre
vos
your
leur
leur
leurs
their
Table 2-3
Possessive Pronouns
Masc. Sing.
Fem. Sing.
Masc. Pl.
Fem. Pl.
English
le mien
la mienne
les miens
les miennes
mine
le tien
la tienne
les tiens
les tiennes
yours (familiar)
le sien
la sienne
les siens
les siennes
his, hers, its
le nôtre
la nôtre
les nôtres
les nôtres
ours
le vôtre
la vôtre
les vôtres
les vôtres
yours
le leur
la leur
les leurs
les leurs
theirs
Pronouns Learning to use pronouns well and naturally is key to become a fluent speaker of French. Subject pronouns A subject pronoun replaces a subject noun (the noun performing the action of the verb) and is given a person and a number (singular or plural), as shown in Table 2-4.
Chapter 2: Basic Articles, Nouns, and Pronouns Plus
Table 2-4
31
Subject Pronouns
Person
Singular
Plural
First
je (I)
nous (we)
Second
tu (you)
vous (you)
il (he, it)
ils (they)
elle (she, it)
elles (they)
Third
on (one, you, we, they)
Object pronouns Object pronouns replace object nouns to allow for more free-flowing expression. There are direct object pronouns and indirect object pronouns. ■ Direct object nouns or pronouns refer to “whom” or “what” the
subject is acting upon: people, places, things, or ideas: Cette chemise? Je la prends! (That shirt? I’ll take it!) Ils vont m’ aider. (They are going to help me.) Attends-nous. (Wait for us.) ■ Indirect object nouns or pronouns refer to “to” or “for” whom the
subject is doing something and refer only to people. As a clue, look for a form of the preposition à (to, for) followed by the name or reference to a person: J’écris à Luc. Je lui écris. (I write to Luke. I write to him.) Il va te donner un paquet. (He’s going to give you a package.) Lis-moi. (Read to me.) Keep the following in mind about object pronouns: ■ Make the conjugated verb agree with the subject rather than with the
object pronoun. ■ Place the object pronoun before the verb to which its meaning is tied,
usually before the conjugated verb. ■ When a sentence contains two verbs, place the object pronoun before
the infinitive.
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■ In an affirmative command, place an object pronoun immediately
after the verb and join it to the verb with a hyphen. In an affirmative command only, me changes to moi and te changes to toi. The minitable below shows direct and indirect object pronouns: Direct
Indirect
me [m’] (me)
me [m’] (to me)
te [t’] (you)
te [t’] (to you)
le [l’] (he, it)
lui (to him)
la [l’] (her, it)
lui (to her)
se [s’] (himself, herself, itself )
se [s’] (to himself, to herself )
nous (us)
nous (to us)
vous (you)
vous (to you)
les (them)
leur (to them)
se [s’] (themselves)
se [s’] (to themselves)
The adverbial pronoun y The adverbial pronoun y means “there” when the place has already been mentioned. Y can also mean “it,” “them,” “in it/them,” “to it/them,” or “on it/them.” Y usually replaces the preposition à + the noun object of the preposition, but it may also replace other prepositions of location or position, such as chez (at the house [business] of ), dans (in), en (in), sous (under), or sur (on) + noun. In familiar affirmative commands (the tu form), -er verbs retain their final -s: Ils vont au musée. They are going to the museum.
Ils y vont. They are going there.
Réponds-tu à la lettre? Are you answering the letter?
Y réponds-tu? Are you answering it?
Reste chez moi. Stay at my house.
Restes-y. Stay there.
Chapter 2: Basic Articles, Nouns, and Pronouns Plus
33
The adverbial pronoun en The pronoun en refers to previously mentioned things or places. En usually replaces de + noun and may mean “some,” “any,” “of it/them,” “about it/them,” “from it/them,” or “from there.” In familiar affirmative commands (the tu form), -er verbs retain their final -s: Je ne bois pas de café. I don’t drink coffee.
Je n’en bois pas. I don’t drink any [of it].
Tu veux parler du futur. You want to speak about the future.
Tu veux en parler. You want to speak about it.
Il sort du restaurant. He leaves the restaurant.
Il en sort. He leaves [from] it.
Mange de la glace. Eat some ice cream.
Manges-en. Eat some.
Double object pronouns Two pronouns may be used in a sentence at the same time. The following examples show how double object pronouns are used before the conjugated verb, before the infinitive when there are two verbs, in the past tense, and in a negative command. In the past tense, past participles agree in number and gender with the preceding direct object pronoun. Note the different order of the pronouns in the affirmative command: Il te l’ offre. (He offers it to you.) Va-t-elle m’en donner? (Is she going to give me any?) Je la leur ai achetée. (I bought it for them.) Ne nous les montrez pas. (Don’t show them to us.) But note the difference in an affirmative command, where moi + en and toi + en become m’en and t’en, respectively: Dites-le-nous, s’il vous plaît. (Please tell it to us.) Donne-m’en. (Give me some.) Va t’en. (Go away.)
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CliffsQuickReview French II
Table 2-5
Double Object Pronouns
Order Before the Verb me te se
le (l’ )
lui
nous
la (l’ )
leur
vous
les
y
en
+ verb
se Order After the Verb (Affirmative Commands) -moi -toi
verb +
-le
-lui
-la
-nous
-les
-vous
-y
-en
-leur
The invariable le The pronouns le, la, and les are variable, meaning that they change according to gender and number when used to replace a previously mentioned modified noun: Es-tu la petite amie de Raymond? Oui, je la suis. (Are you Raymond’s girlfriend? Yes, I am.) BUT: The invariable le replaces a previously mentioned infinitive, clause, adjective, or unmodified noun, as the four examples below show: J’espère gagner le prix. Je l’espère aussi. (I hope to win the prize. I hope so, too.) Je pars tout de suite si tu le veux. (I’ll leave immediately if you like.) Est-il occupé? Non, il ne l’est pas. (Is he busy? No, he isn’t.) Êtes-vous actrices? Oui, nous le sommes. (Are you actresses? Yes, we are.) Independent pronouns Independent pronouns (see Table 2-6) may stand alone or follow a verb or a preposition. They are used to emphasize a fact and to highlight or replace nouns or pronouns.
Chapter 2: Basic Articles, Nouns, and Pronouns Plus
Table 2-6
35
Independent Pronouns
Singular
Plural
moi (I, me)
nous (we, us)
toi (you)
vous (you)
lui (he, him)
eux (masc. they, them)
elle (she, her)
elles (fem. they, them)
soi (oneself)
Independent pronouns are used as follows: ■ To stress the subject:
Lui, il est vraiment sérieux. (Him, he’s really serious.) ■ When the pronoun has no verb:
Qui parle? Elle. (Who is speaking? She is.) ■ After prepositions to refer to a person or persons:
Dinons chez eux. (Let’s eat at their house.) ■ After c’est:
C’est moi qui paie. (I’m paying.) ■ After the following verbs: avoir affaire à (to have dealings with),
être à (to belong to), faire attention à (to pay attention to), penser à (to think about [of ]), se fier à (to trust), and s’intéresser à (to be interested in). Je pense à lui. (I think about him.) ■ In compound subjects:
Elle et moi (nous) allons au café. (She and I [we] are going to the café.) Marie et toi (vous) partez? (Are you and Marie [you plural] leaving?) ■ With -même(s) to reinforce the subject:
Je suis allé au concert moi-même. (I went to the concert by myself.)
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CliffsQuickReview French II
Relative pronouns A relative pronoun (“who,” “which,” or “that”) joins a main clause to a dependent clause. This pronoun introduces the dependent clause that describes someone or something mentioned in the main clause. The person or thing the pronoun refers to is called the antecedent. A relative clause may serve as a subject, a direct object, or an object of a preposition. Table 2-7 summarizes the use of relative pronouns. Table 2-7
When the Relative Pronoun Is the Subject
Antecedent
Relative Pronoun
Example
Translation
Person
qui
Voilà la fille qui parlait.
There’s the girl who was speaking.
Thing
qui
Je lis un livre qui me plaît.
I’m reading a book that I like.
Place/time
qui
C’est un pays qui intrigue.
That’s a country that’s intriguing.
Clause
ce qui
Sais-tu ce qui arrive?
Do you know what’s happening?
Table 2-8
When the Relative Pronoun Is the Direct Object
Antecedent
Relative Pronoun
Person
Example
Translation
que (qu’ )
C’est l’homme que je cherchais.
That’s the man who I was looking for.
Thing
que (qu’ )
J’ai trouvé l’argent qu’il a perdu.
I found the money that he lost.
Place/Time
que (qu’ )
C’est un état que j’aime beaucoup.
That’s a state I like a lot.
Clause
ce que (ce qu’ )
Je ne sais pas ce que tu veux.
I don’t know what you want.
Chapter 2: Basic Articles, Nouns, and Pronouns Plus
Table 2-9
37
When the Relative Pronoun Is the Object of de
Antecedent
Relative Pronoun
Person
Example
Translation
dont
Anne est la fille dont il parlait.
Anne is the girl he was talking about.
Thing
dont
C’est le livre dont j’ai besoin.
That’s the book I need.
Place/time
dont
Voici le café dont elle parlait.
Here is the café she was talking about.
Clause
ce dont
Voilà ce dont j’ai besoin.
Here’s what I need.
Table 2-10
When the Relative Pronoun Is the Object of All Other Prepositions
Antecedent
Relative Pronoun
Person
Example
Translation
qui (lequel )
C’est le garçon avec qui elle sort.
That’s the boy she’s going out with.
Thing
lequel, laquelle, lesquels, lesquelles
C’est la porte par laquelle il est sorti.
That’s the door from which he left.
Place/time
où or lequel
C’est la boutique où (dans laquelle) je fais du shopping.
That’s the shop where I go shopping.
The form of lequel must agree with the antecedent (the preceding noun to which it refers). For example, you are in a store and speaking about a feminine singular article: La chemise bleue est très chic (The blue shirt is very stylish). If I wanted to know to which blue shirt you were referring, I would have to use the feminine, singular form: Laquelle? Select the proper form of lequel after consulting Table 2-11. Table 2-11
Forms of Lequel Singular
Plural
Masculine
lequel
lesquels
Feminine
laquelle
lesquelles
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Lequel and its forms contract with the prepositions à and de, as shown in Table 2-12: Table 2-12
Lequel with Prepositions
Singular
Plural
Masculine
Feminine
Masculine
Feminine
auquel
à laquelle
auxquels
auxquelles
duquel
de laquelle
desquels
desquelles
Some examples of lequel + preposition are: Ce sont les problèmes auxquels je pense. (Those are the problems I’m thinking about.) C’est la voiture de laquelle (dont) il rêvait. (That’s the car he was dreaming about.) Interrogative pronouns An interrogative pronoun is used to form a question. These pronouns may be invariable (their forms never change) or variable (their forms change to agree in gender and number with a noun or pronoun). Interrogative pronouns may be used as the subject or object of a verb, or the object of a preposition, as shown in Table 2-13 and 2-14. Table 2-13
Invariable Interrogative Pronouns
Subject of a verb
Direct object of a verb
Person
Thing
qui, qui est-ce qui
qu’est-ce qui
Qui (Qui est-ce qui ) vient?
Qu’est-ce qui se passe?
Who is coming?
What’s happening?
qui, qui est-ce que
que, qu’est-ce que
Qui (Qui est-ce que) tu cherches?
Que (Qu’est-ce que) tu cherches?
Whom are you looking for?
What are you looking for?
Chapter 2: Basic Articles, Nouns, and Pronouns Plus
Object of a preposition
39
Person
Thing
qui, qui est-ce que
quoi, quoi est-ce que
À qui penses-tu?
À quoi penses-tu?
About whom are you thinking?
About what are you thinking?
The variable interrogative pronouns shown in Table 2-14 express “which one?” in the singular and “which ones?” in the plural: Table 2-14 Singular
Plural
Variable Interrogative Pronouns Masculine
Feminine
lequel
laquelle
Lequel de ces livres achètes-tu?
Laquelle de ces robes préfères-tu?
Which one of these books are you buying?
Which one of these dresses do you prefer?
lesquels
lesquelles
Lesquels de ces livres achètes-tu?
Lesquelles de ces robes préfères-tu?
Which ones of these books are you buying?
Which ones of these dresses do you prefer?
Contractions occur when à and de are used before the interrogative forms of lequel: Auquel de ces musées es-tu allé? (To which one of these museums did you go?) De laquelle de ses filles parle-t-il? (About which of his daughters is he talking?) Demonstrative pronouns Demonstrative pronouns agree with the nouns to which they refer. They express “this/that/the one” in the singular and “these/those/the ones” in the plural, as shown in Table 2-15:
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CliffsQuickReview French II
Table 2-15
Demonstrative Pronouns Masculine
Feminine
Singular
celui
celle
Plural
ceux
celles
Demonstrative pronouns cannot stand alone and are generally followed by the tags -ci (this/the latter) or -là (that/the former); by de or où; or by the relative pronouns qui, que, or dont (which may be the object of a preposition): Donnez-moi ces fruits-ci and ces légumes-là. (Give me these fruits and those vegetables.) Jean et Paul sont frères. Celui-ci est docteur et celui-là est dentiste. (John and Paul are brothers. The latter is a doctor and the former is a dentist.) Ma voiture est sportive. Celle de mon ami est plus sportive. (My car is sporty. My friend’s car [that of my friend] is sportier.) À quel magasin vas-tu? À celui où il y a de bons soldes. (Which store do you go to? To the one where there are good sales.) Ceux qui étudient réussissent. (Those [the ones] who study succeed.) Ces cravates sont celles que je préfère. (These ties are those [the ones] that I prefer.) Cet outil? C’est celui dont j’ai besoin. (This tool? It’s the one I need.) Cette femme est celle pour qui je travaille. (This woman is the one for whom I work.) The demonstrative pronouns ceci (this) and cela (that) (abbreviated as ça, which is often used conversationally) refer to objects, facts, or ideas that have been indicated but not named. Ceci generally introduces an idea, while cela refers to something already mentioned: Ceci m’intéresse. (This interests me.) Qu’est-ce que c’est que cela? (What’s that?) Ceci est important: nos invités arriveront demain. (This is important: Our guests will arrive tomorrow.) Nos invités arriveront demain; cela est important. (Our guests will arrive tomorrow; that is important.)
Chapter 2: Basic Articles, Nouns, and Pronouns Plus
Chapter Checkout
Select the correct completion for each sentence. 1. J’adore ma famille et tu adores ______. a. toi b. la tienne c. te d. ta 2. Il donne des cadeaux à ma meilleure amie. Il ______ donne. a. lui en b. la leur c. me les d. le lui 3. Il pense à ______. a. je b. mon c. moi d. me 4. C’est un film ______ j’aime beaucoup. a. dont b. qui c. où d. que 5. ______ est tombé? a. Que b. Quoi c. Laquelle d. Qu’est-ce qui 6. J’ai besoin d’un stylo. Donnez-moi ______. a. celui-là b. celle-là c. ceux-là d. celles-là
Answers: 1. b 2. a 3. c 4. d 5. d 6. a
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Chapter 3 BASIC VERBS Chapter Check-In ❑ Using verbs in the present tense ❑ Negating verbs and asking questions ❑ Giving commands and making requests
he present tense of a verb explains what is happening, what does happen, or what happens at the current time. The present is also someT times used to express an action that will occur in the near future. Expressing oneself in the present requires a knowledge and understanding of verb conjugation—changing the verb to make it agree with the subject noun or pronoun. Although this is done automatically by native speakers, it requires a certain amount of practice and drill on the part of those learning a second language. This chapter will review the regular -er, -ir, and -re families, verbs with spelling changes, and basic irregular verbs that must be memorized. More advanced irregularities will also be presented. A complete explanation on negating sentences and question formation is also included.
Verbs in the Present Tense A verb expresses an action or a state of being and is generally shown in its “to” form, called the infinitive. Verbs are used in the present tense as follows: ■ To express what is or does happen now:
Je travaille. (I work. I’m working. I do work.) ■ To imply the immediate future:
Il arrive ce matin. (He’s arriving this morning.)
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■ To show that an action began in the past and is continuing in the
present, using one of the following two formulas: present + depuis + an expression of time il y a (or voilà or ça fait) + expression of time + que + present Both of the expressions below mean “We’ve been living here for two years.” Nous habitons ici depuis deux ans. Il y a (or Voilà) (or Ça fait) deux ans que nous habitons ici.
Regular Verbs In French, there are three main infinitive families: -er, -ir, and -re. Once you memorize the pattern of endings for the specific infinitive family, you can conjugate any regular verb within that family. Simply drop the infinitive ending and add the appropriate ending for each subject. Table 3-1 shows the conjugations for regular verbs in the present tense. Table 3-1
Regular Verb Conjugation
Danser (to dance)
Choisir (to choose)
Rendre (to return)
je danse
je choisis
je rends
tu danses
tu choisis
tu rends
il/elle/on danse
il/elle/on choisit
il/elle/on rend
nous dansons
nous choisissons
nous rendons
vous dansez
vous choisissez
vous rendez
ils/elles dansent
ils/elles choisissent
ils/elles rendent
The verb rompre (to break) and other verbs that include rompre in their stems, such as corrompre (to corrupt) and interrompre (to interrupt), add t to the third person singular form: il rompt, il corrompt, il interrompt.
Verbs with Spelling Changes Regular verbs with spelling changes are often referred to as “shoe” verbs because their changes often occur in the je, tu, il, and ils forms, creating the effect of a shoe:
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There are five categories of verbs that require spelling changes: ■ Verbs ending in -cer: Change c to ç before a or o to maintain a soft
sound. In the present, this occurs only in the nous form: placer (to place): je place, tu places, il place, nous plaçons, vous placez, ils placent Other -cer verbs include annoncer, avancer, commencer, effacer (to erase), lancer (to throw), menacer, prononcer, remplacer (to replace), and renoncer à (to give up). ■ Verbs ending in -ger: Insert a silent e between g and a and g and o to
maintain a soft sound. In the present, this occurs only in the nous form: nager (to swim): je nage, tu nages, il nage, nous nageons, vous nagez, ils nagent Other -ger verbs include arranger, changer, corriger (to correct), déménager (to move), déranger (to disturb), diriger (to direct), manger (to eat), obliger, partager (to divide), plonger (to dive), ranger (to tidy), songer à (to think about), and voyager. ■ Verbs ending in -yer: Change y to i before silent e in all “shoe” forms:
envoyer (to send): j’envoie, tu envoies, il envoie, nous envoyons, vous envoyez, ils envoient Other -yer verbs include employer, ennuyer (to bother), essuyer (to wipe), nettoyer (to clean), and renvoyer (to fire). Verbs that end in -ayer may or may not change the y to i before a silent e. These verbs include essayer (to try) and payer.
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■ Verbs ending in -e + consonant + er: Change the silent e before the
infinitive ending to è for all forms within the “shoe”: peser (to weigh): je pèse, tu pèses, il pèse, nous pesons, vous pesez, ils pèsent Other e + consonant + er verbs include acheter (to buy), achever (to finish), amener (to bring), élever (to bring up, to raise), emmener (to lead away), enlever (to remove), geler (to freeze), lever (to raise), and promener (to walk). Two common verbs, appeler (to call) and jeter (to throw), along with any related verbs, such as rappeler (to recall), rejeter (to reject), projeter (to project), double the consonant before the infinitive ending in all forms within the “shoe”: appeler: j’appelle, tu appelles, il appelle, nous appelons, vous appelez, ils appellent jeter: je jette, tu jettes, il jette, nous jetons, vous jetez, ils jettent ■ Verbs ending in é + consonant + er: Change é to è within the “shoe”:
préférer (to prefer): je préf ère, tu préf ères, il préf ère, nous préférons, vous préférez, ils préf èrent Other é + consonant + er verbs include célébrer, espérer (to hope), posséder (to possess), protéger (to protect), and répéter (to repeat).
Irregular Verbs Irregular verbs follow no rules and, therefore, must be memorized. The most commonly used irregular verbs include: ■ aller (to go): je vais, tu vas, il va, nous allons, vous allez, ils vont ■ asseoir (to seat, to sit): j’assieds, tu assieds, il assied, nous asseyons, vous
asseyez, ils asseyent asseoir can also be conjugated: j’assois, tu assois, il assoit, nous assoyons, vous assoyez, ils assoient ■ avoir (to have): j’ai, tu as, il a, nous avons, vous avez, ils ont ■ battre (to beat): je bats, tu bats, il bat, nous battons, vous battez, ils battent ■ boire (to drink): je bois, tu bois, il boit, nous buvons, vous buvez, ils
boivent
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■ conduire (to drive): je conduis, tu conduis, il conduit, nous conduisons,
vous conduisez, ils conduisent Verbs like conduire include construire (to construct), inscrire (to register), produire (to produce), and traduire (to translate). ■ connaître (to know, to be acquainted with): je connais, tu connais, il
connaît, nous connaissons, vous connaissez, ils connaissent Verbs like connaître include paraître (to appear), disparaître (to disappear), and reconnaître (to recognize). ■ courir (to run): je cours, tu cours, il court, nous courons, vous courez, ils
courent ■ craindre (to fear): je crains, tu crains, il craint, nous craignons, vous
craignez, ils craignent Verbs like craindre include atteindre (to reach), éteindre (to extinguish), joindre (to join), peindre (to paint), and plaindre (to pity). ■ croire (to believe): je crois, tu crois, il croit, nous croyons, vous croyez,
ils croient ■ devoir (to have to, to owe): je dois, tu dois, il doit, nous devons, vous
devez, ils doivent ■ dire (to say, to tell): je dis, tu dis, il dit, nous disons, vous dites, ils disent ■ dormir (to sleep): je dors, tu dors, il dort, nous dormons, vous dormez,
ils dorment Verbs like dormir keep the consonant before the -ir ending in all plural forms: endormir (to put to sleep), mentir (to lie), partir (to go away), sentir (to feel, to smell), servir, sortir (to go out). ■ écrire (to write): j’ecris, tu écris, il écrit, nous écrivons, vous écrivez, ils
écrivent ■ être (to be): je suis, tu es, il est, nous sommes, vous êtes, ils sont ■ faire (to make, to do): je fais, tu fais, il fait, nous faisons, vous faites,
ils font ■ falloir (to be necessary): il faut ■ lire (to read): je lis, tu lis, il lit, nous lisons, vous lisez, ils lisent
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■ mettre (to put [on]): je mets, tu mets, il met, nous mettons, vous mettez,
ils mettent Verbs like mettre include commettre (to commit), permettre (to permit), promettre (to promise), and remettre (to put back). ■ offrir (to offer): j’offre, tu offres, il offre, nous offrons, vous offrez, ils
offrent ■ ouvrir (to open): j’ouvre, tu ouvres, il ouvre, nous ouvrons, vous ouvrez,
ils ouvrent ■ plaire (to please): je plais, tu plais, il plaît, nous plaisons, vous plaisez,
ils plaisent ■ pleuvoir (to rain): il pleut ■ pouvoir (to be able to): je peux, tu peux, il peut, nous pouvons, vous
pouvez, ils peuvent ■ prendre (to take): je prends, tu prends, il prend, nous prenons, vous
prenez, ils prennent Verbs like prendre include apprendre (to learn), comprendre (to understand), reprendre (to take back), and surprendre (to surprise). ■ recevoir (to receive): je reçois, tu reçois, il reçoit, nous recevons, vous
recevez, ils reçoivent Verbs like recevoir include apercevoir (to notice) and concevoir (to conceive). ■ rire (to laugh): je ris, tu ris, il rit, nous rions, vous riez, ils rient
A verb like rire is sourire (to smile). ■ savoir (to know [a fact]): je sais, tu sais, il sait, nous savons, vous savez,
ils savent ■ suivre (to follow): je suis, tu suis, il suit, nous suivons, vous suivez, ils
suivent A verb like suivre is poursuivre (to pursue). ■ tenir (to hold): je tiens, tu tiens, il tient, nous tenons, vous tenez, ils
tiennent Verbs like tenir include appartenir à (to belong to), obtenir (to obtain), and retenir (to retain).
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■ valoir (to be worth): je vaux, tu vaux, il vaut, nous valons, vous valez,
ils valent. Note: il vaut is by far the most common form. ■ venir (to come): je viens, tu viens, il vient, nous venons, vous venez, ils
viennent Verbs like venir include devenir (to become) and revenir (to come back). ■ vivre (to live): je vis, tu vis, il vit, nous vivons, vous vivez, ils vivent
A verb like vivre is survivre (to survive). ■ voir (to see): je vois, tu vois, il voit, nous voyons, vous voyez, ils voient ■ vouloir (to wish, to want): je veux, tu veux, il veut, nous voulons, vous
voulez, ils veulent
Reflexive Verbs A reflexive verb shows that the subject is performing the action upon itself and, therefore, the subject and the reflexive pronoun refer to the same person or thing. A reflexive verb infinitive is identified by the reflexive pronoun se, which is placed before the infinitive. This pronoun may serve as a direct or indirect object pronoun (see Chapter 2 for more on pronouns) as in je me lave (I wash myself ). Here are a couple examples of reflexive verbs in sentences: La cliente se demande si elle peut regarder la carte du jour. (The client wonders if she can see today’s menu.) Ne vous y trompez pas, il ne trompe personne. (Make no mistake, he doesn’t fool anybody.) Use the pronoun that corresponds to the subject and follow the rules for conjugating regular verbs, verbs with spelling changes, and irregular verbs, as shown in Table 3-2. Table 3-2
Present Tense Reflexive Verb Conjugation
Subject
Pronoun
Example
je
me (m’ ) [myself]
je me dépêche
tu
te (t’ ) [yourself]
tu te lèves
Chapter 3: Basic Verbs Subject
Pronoun
Example
il/elle/on
se (s’ ) [him/her/itself]
il s’appelle
nous
nous [ourselves]
nous nous couchons
vous
vous [yourself/yourselves]
vous vous asseyez
ils/elles
se (s’ ) [themselves]
ils s’endorment
Common reflexive verbs include: ■ s’amuser (have fun, to have a good time) ■ s’appeler (to be named) ■ s’approcher de (to approach) ■ s’arrêter de (to stop) ■ s’asseoir (to sit) ■ se baigner (to bathe, to swim) ■ se blesser (to hurt) ■ se bronzer (to tan) ■ se brosser (to brush) ■ se brûler (to burn) ■ se cacher (to hide) ■ se casser (to break) ■ se coiffer (to do one’s hair) ■ se conduire (to behave) ■ se coucher (to go to bed) ■ se couper (to cut) ■ se décider à (to decide) ■ se demander (to wonder) ■ se douter de (to suspect) ■ se dépêcher (to hurry) ■ se déshabiller (to undress)
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■ se détendre (to relax) ■ s’échapper (to escape) ■ s’éloigner de (to move away from) ■ s’endormir (to go to sleep) ■ s’entendre (to get along with) ■ s’exprimer (to express) ■ se fâcher (to get angry) ■ s’habiller (to dress) ■ s’habituer à (to get used to) ■ s’impatienter (to become impatient) ■ s’inquiéter de* (to worry about) ■ se laver (to wash) ■ se lever* (to get up) ■ se maquiller (to apply makeup) ■ se mettre à (to begin) ■ s’occuper de (to take care of ) ■ se passer (to happen) ■ se peigner (to comb) ■ se plaindre de (to complain about) ■ se préparer (to prepare) ■ se présenter (to introduce oneself ) ■ se promener* (to take a walk) ■ se rappeler* (to recall) ■ se raser (to shave) ■ se rencontrer (to meet) ■ se reposer (to rest) ■ se retrouver (to meet again) ■ se réunir (to meet)
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■ se réveiller (to wake up) ■ se sauver (to run away) ■ se sentir (to feel) ■ se servir de (to use) ■ se tromper (to make a mistake) ■ se trouver (to be) ■ se vanter de (to boast)
* denotes a “shoe verb” spelling change within the infinitive Some verbs may or may not be reflexive, depending on whether the pronoun used refers to the subject or to another person: Je me parle. (I speak to myself.) Je leur parle. (I speak to them.) Some verbs are always reflexive: ■ s’écrier (to exclaim, to cry out) ■ s’écrouler (to collapse) ■ s’efforcer de (to strive to) ■ s’en aller (to leave, to go away) ■ s’enfuir (to flee) ■ s’évanouir (to faint) ■ se fier à (to trust) ■ se méfier de (to distrust) ■ se moquer de (to make fun of ) ■ se soucier de (to care about) ■ se souvenir de (to remember)
The meanings of some verbs may change depending on whether or not the verb is used reflexively, as shown in Table 3-3.
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Table 3-3
Different Meanings for Reflexive Verbs
Non-Reflexive Meaning
Reflexive Meaning
agir (to act)
s’agir de (to be a question of)
apercevoir (to notice)
s’apercevoir de (to realize)
attendre (to wait for)
s’attendre à (to expect)
battre (to beat)
se battre (to fight)
changer (to change)
se changer en (to change into)
demander (to ask)
se demander (to wonder)
douter de (to doubt)
se douter de (to suspect)
occuper (to occupy)
s’occuper de (to take care of)
passer (to spend time)
se passer de (to do without)
servir (to serve)
se servir de (to use)
tromper (to deceive)
se tromper (to make a mistake)
Negation In French, a negative is generally made up of two parts. The negative may or may not include the word non (no). Consider the following examples: Je ne danse pas bien. (I don’t dance well.) Il ne chante jamais. (He never sings.) The list below shows the most common French negatives: Negative
English Translation
ne . . . aucun(e)
no, none
ne . . . jamais
never
ne . . . guère
hardly
ne . . . ni . . . ni
neither . . . nor
ne . . . nulle part
nowhere
ne . . . pas
not
ne . . . pas du tout
not at all
ne . . . personne
no one, nobody, anyone, anybody
Chapter 3: Basic Verbs
Negative
English Translation
ne . . . plus
no more, no longer
ne . . . point
not, not at all
ne . . . que
only
ne . . . rien
nothing
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Note the following about negatives: ■ Ne . . . pas is the most frequently used. ■ Rien and personne may be used as subjects of a verb. In such
cases, ne retains its place before the conjugated verb: Rien ne m’énerve. (Nothing bothers me.) Personne n’est en retard. (Nobody is late.) ■ Double negatives are generally not used in French. Multiple
negatives, however, are used (although infrequently) only with plus or jamais + another negative: Il ne voit plus personne. (He no longer sees anybody.) Elle ne dit plus rien. (She says nothing more.) Je ne le verrai plus jamais. (I’ll never see him anymore.) Tu ne crois jamais personne. (You never believe anyone.) Il n’accomplit jamais rien. (He never accomplishes anything.) Je ne le verrai jamais plus. (I’ll never see him anymore.) ■ Some words used in questions produce a logical negative
response, as shown below: Words in the Question
Negative Response
quelqu’un (someone, somebody)
ne . . . personne
quelquefois (sometimes)
ne . . . jamais
quelque chose (something)
ne . . . rien
quelque part (somewhere)
ne . . . nulle part
quelques (some)
ne . . . aucun(e)
toujours (always)
ne . . . jamais
toujours (still)
ne . . . plus
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■ Jamais, when used completely alone or with ne and a verb, means
“never”; when used with a verb but without ne, jamais means “ever”: Tu fumes? (Do you smoke?) Jamais. (Never.) Je ne chante jamais. (I never sing.) As-tu jamais voyagé en France? (Have you ever traveled to France?) Forming the Negative In simple tenses, ne precedes the conjugated verb and any object pronouns, and the second part of the negative follows the conjugated verb: Tu lui téléphones quelquefois? (Do you call him/her sometimes?) Je ne lui téléphone jamais. (I never call him/her.) Tu veux manger quelque chose? (Do you want to eat something?) Je ne veux rien manger. (I don’t want to eat anything.) Je ne mange ni fruits ni légumes. (I eat neither fruits nor vegetables.) In compound tenses, ne precedes the conjugated helping verb and any object pronouns, and the second part of the negative follows the conjugated helping verb (except for personne, nulle part, and aucun [always used in the singular], which follow the past participle when they are used as objects): Tu l’as vu? (Did you see him?) Non, je ne l’ai pas vu. (No, I didn’t see him.) Je n’ai vu personne. (I didn’t see anyone.) Il n’est allé nulle part. (He didn’t go anywhere.) Elle n’a fait aucune faute. (She didn’t make any mistakes.) Que and ni . . . ni precede the word(s) stressed: Je ne vais le faire qu’une fois. (I’m only going to do it once.) Il n’a ni bu ni mangé. (He neither drank nor ate.) Il n’a bu ni le jus ni l’eau. (He drank neither the juice nor the water.) Ne or the second part of the negative may be omitted as follows:
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■ Ne is often used without pas with pouvoir, savoir, cesser, and oser before
an infinitive: Il ne pouvait le faire. (He couldn’t do it.) Elle ne cesse de travailler. (She doesn’t stop working.) ■ Ne is used without pas when il y a (or voici or voilà) . . . que is followed
by a compound tense: Il y a un an que je ne t’ai vu. (I haven’t seen you for a year.) ■ The second part of the negative may stand alone:
Qu’est-ce que tu fais? (What are you doing?) Rien. (Nothing.) Qui va travailler? (Who is going to work?) Ni lui ni moi. (Neither he nor I.) Some common negative expressions include: ■ ça ne fait rien (it doesn’t matter) ■ de rien (you’re welcome) ■ jamais de la vie (not on your life) ■ il n’y a pas de quoi (you’re welcome) ■ ni . . . non plus (not . . . either) ■ ni l’un ni l’autre (neither one or the other) ■ n’en pouvoir plus (to be exhausted) ■ n’importe (it doesn’t matter) ■ n’importe où (no matter where) ■ n’importe quand (no matter when) ■ n’importe qui (no matter who) ■ pas du tout (not at all) ■ pas encore (not yet) ■ pas maintenant (not now)
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Asking Questions Ways to ask questions Yes or no questions can be posed in one of four ways: ■ Simply raise your voice at the end of the sentence and you have
the most colloquial way of asking this type of question. This is called intonation: Tu viens? (Are you coming?) ■ Use the tag n’est-ce pas (isn’t that so? right?) at the end of the
sentence: Tu viens, n’est-ce pas? (You’re coming, right?) ■ Use est-ce que (which has no literal translation) at the beginning of
the thought. This is the common conversational way to ask a question: Est-ce que tu viens? (Are you coming?) ■ Change the word order of the subject pronoun and the conju-
gated verb and join them with a hyphen. This is called inversion. Inversion is generally used more formally, in writing rather than in conversation: Viens-tu? (Are you coming?) Using inversion Inversion is the most complicated way to ask a question. The rules for inversion are as follows: ■ Avoid inverting with je, which is awkward and rarely used except:
ai-je . . .? (do I have . . .?) suis-je . . .? (am I . . .?) dois-je . . .? (must I . . .?) puis-je . . .? (may I . . .? [permission]) ■ Inversion occurs in all tenses, but only with subject pronouns and
conjugated verbs: Ont-ils préparé le repas? (Did they prepare the meal?) Travaillez-vous? (Do you work?)
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Ont-ils préparé le repas? (Did they prepare the meal?) L’as-tu fini? (Did you finish it?) ■ Inverted questions can be made negative by putting the first part
of the negative phrase before conjugated verb, and the second part of the negative after the subject pronoun: Ne travaillez-vous jamais? (Don’t you ever work?) ■ When the third person singular of the verb (il, elle, on) ends in a
vowel, a -t- is inserted between the verb and the subject pronoun to prevent having two vowels sounds together: Travaille-t-il? (Is he working?) A-t-elle fini? (Did she finish?) ■ With a noun subject, a double-subject construction is used: noun
+ verb + third person pronoun (with the verb and pronoun joined by a hyphen). The third person pronoun agrees in number and gender with the corresponding subject noun: Jeanne est-elle brune? (Is Jeanne a brunette?) Les livres ne sont-ils pas bons? (Aren’t the books good?) Interrogative adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns Use interrogative adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns to ask for information. The interrogative adjective quel (which? what?), shown in Table 3-5, agrees in number and gender with the noun it modifies. Table 3-5
Interrogative Adjectives
Number
Masculine
Feminine
Singular
quel
quelle
Plural
quels
quelles
Quel may be followed by est-ce que or inversion: Quel genre de film est-ce qu’il préfère? (Which type of film does he prefer?) Quel genre de film préfère-t-il? (Which type of film does he prefer?)
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In colloquial French, quel + a noun may be placed at the end of the phrase to form the question: Tu préfères quel genre de film? (Which type of film do you prefer?) Quel may also be preceded by a preposition: De quel film est-ce qu’il parle? (Which film is he talking about?) Être is the only verb that may separate quel from its noun: Quel est ton nom? (What’s your name?) Quelles sont tes coordonnées? (What’s your name and address?) The interrogative adverbs comment (how?), combien (how much/how many?), quand (when?), où (where?), d’où (from where?), and pourquoi (why?) can be used before est-ce que or inversion to ask questions. In colloquial spoken French, however, they are often placed after the verb: Combien est-ce que cette jupe coûte? Combien cette jupe coûte-t-elle? Cette jupe coûte combien? The three examples above all ask, “How much does this skirt cost?” With combien, comment, où, d’où, and quand (but not with pourquoi), a question may be formed by inverting a noun subject with a verb that has no object: Combien coûte cette jupe? Invariable and variable interrogative pronouns are discussed in Chapter 2. Qui is used for people, while qu’est-ce qui (the subject of the sentence), and que/quoi (the object of the sentence) are used for things. The i from qui is never dropped, whereas que becomes qu’ before a vowel or vowel sound: Qui est tombé? (Who fell?) Qu’est-ce qui est tombé? (What fell?) Qui aimes-tu? (Whom do you love?) Qu’aimes-tu? (What do you love?) Tu aimes quoi? (What do you love?) The variable interrogative pronoun lequel (laquelle, lesquels, lesquelles) must agree in number and gender with the noun to which it is referring: Laquelle de ces jupes achète-t-elle? (Which of these skirts is she buying?)
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Contractions are used with the prepositions à (to) and de (of, from): Auxquelles de ces pièces es-tu allé? (To which of these plays have you gone?) Duquel de ces hommes parle-t-elle? (About which of those men is she speaking?)
Commands The command form is also known as the imperative. “You” is the understood subject of a command and is, therefore, omitted as it is in English. (Tu and vous are the two ways to say “you” in French.) Use tu, the familiar command, when speaking to one friend or family member. Use vous, the polite command, when speaking formally or when directing the command to more than one person, no matter what their relationship to you. Forming commands To form a command, simply drop the subject pronoun and use the proper verb form that would match the pronoun you are dropping, as shown in Table 3-6. Regarde cette vue! (Look at that view!) Choisis ton dessert! (Choose your dessert!) Descendez du bus! (Get off the bus!) The nous form of the verb (without the subject) may be used to suggest “let’s”: Allons à la plage! (Let’s go to the beach!). Table 3-6
Regular Verb Commands
Familiar ( Tu)
Formal ( Vous)
Suggestion ( Nous)
danse (dance)
dansez (dance)
dansons (let’s dance)
finis (finish)
finissez (finish)
finissons (let’s finish)
attends (wait)
attendez (wait)
attendons (let’s wait)
Note that the tu command of -er verbs (and verbs conjugated like -er verbs) drops the final -s from the conjugated verb in both regular and irregular verbs, except when followed by the adverbial pronouns y (there) and en (some, of, about, from, it, or them). See Chapter 2 for more about y and en.
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Mange du pain. Manges-en. (Eat some bread. Eat some.) Va à l’école. Vas-y. (Go to school. Go there.) Offre-lui une boisson. (Offer him/her a drink.) Ouvre la porte. (Open the door.) Three common irregular verb commands are shown in Table 3-7. Table 3-7
Irregular Verb Commands Avoir
Être
Savoir
tu
aie
sois
sache
vous
ayez
soyez
sachez
nous
ayons
soyons
sachons
Here are examples of the irregular commands in sentences: Aie confiance! (Have confidence!) N’ayez pas peur! (Don’t be afraid!) Sois gentil! (Be nice!) Ne soyez pas méchant! (Don’t be nasty!) Sache la vérité! (Know the truth!) Negating commands To negate a command, put ne and the negative word around the verb and any pronouns that may precede it: Ne parle pas. (Don’t speak.) Ne lui parle pas. (Don’t speak to him/her.) N’y va pas. (Don’t go there.) Chapter Checkout
Write the question you would need to ask in order to get the information provided. 1. Daniel ne joue pas au foot parce qu’il est très petit. 2. Marianne arrive à la fête à neuf heures. 3. Je ne fume jamais.
Chapter 3: Basic Verbs
4. Je m’appelle Michel. 5. Nous venons en ville en bus.
Answers: 1. Pourquoi Daniel ne joue-t-il pas au foot? 2. Marianne arrive à la fête à quelle heure? 3. Tu fumes quelquefois? 4. Tu t’appelles comment? 5. Comment venez-vous en ville?
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Chapter 4 ADJECTIVES, ADVERBS, AND PREPOSITIONS Chapter Check-In ❑ Adding color with adjectives and exclamations ❑ Using adverbs correctly ❑ Making comparisons ❑ Using prepositions
djectives and adverbs are the colorful words that make sentences in any language interesting and informative. Without them, our conA versations would be limited indeed, and all we would learn about are the actions of people. Adjectives are used to describe nouns: people, places, things, or ideas. Adverbs tell us how an action is performed, and they are used to modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. Adjectives, adverbs, and nouns can be used to make comparisons. Prepositions are words that relate elements in a sentence: nouns to nouns and verbs to verbs. They may be modifiers and are often used before and after certain nouns and verbs. Prepositions may be used to indicate location and are quite useful when traveling or looking for something.
Adjectives and Exclamations Unlike English, French adjectives agree in number and gender with the nouns they modify. It is, therefore, important to know whether a French noun is masculine or feminine and singular or plural.
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Forming singular adjectives The rules for the formation of singular adjectives in French are: ■ The feminine singular form of most adjectives is formed by
adding an -e to the masculine singular form. If the masculine singular form ends in an unpronounced consonant, that consonant is pronounced in the feminine form: Il est intelligent.
Elle est intelligente.
■ Masculine singular adjectives that end in a silent -e do not change
in the feminine. Both forms are spelled and pronounced in the same manner: Il est sincère.
Elle est sincère.
■ If the masculine singular adjective ends in an -é, the feminine
singular adjective adds another -e: Il est occupé.
Elle est occupée.
■ Masculine singular adjectives ending in -x form the feminine by
changing -x to -se: Il est curieux.
Elle est curieuse.
■ Masculine singular adjectives ending in -f form the feminine
by changing -f to -ve: Il est actif.
Elle est active.
■ Masculine singular adjectives ending in -er form the feminine by
changing -er to -ère: Il est fier (proud).
Elle est fière.
■ Some masculine singular adjectives form the feminine by doubling
the final consonant before the -e ending: ancien (ancient, old)
ancienne
bas (low)
basse
bon (good)
bonne
cruel (cruel)
cruelle
européen (European)
européenne
gentil (nice, kind)
gentille
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gros (fat, big)
grosse
sot (silly)
sotte
■ Some adjectives are irregular and follow no rules. They must be
memorized: beau (beautiful)
belle
blanc (white)
blanche
complet (complete)
complète
doux (sweet, gentle)
douce
faux (false)
fausse
favori (favorite)
favorite
fou (crazy)
folle
frais (fresh)
fraîche
franc (frank)
franche
inquiet (worried)
inquiète
long (long)
longue
mou (soft)
molle
nouveau (new)
nouvelle
public (public)
publique
sec (dry)
sèche
secret (secret)
secrète
travailleur (hardworking)
travailleuse
vieux (old)
vieille
The French use special forms of beau (bel ), fou (fol ), mou (mol ), nouveau (nouvel), and vieux (vieil) before masculine nouns beginning with a vowel or vowel sound. If, however, the adjective comes after the noun, the regular masculine form is used: un bel appartement (a beautiful apartment): L’appartement est beau. (The apartment is beautiful.)
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Forming plural adjectives The rules for the formation of plural adjectives in French are as follows: ■ Adding -s to the singular of the masculine or feminine adjective
forms the plural of most adjectives: Ils sont intelligents.
Elles sont intelligentes.
■ An adjective modifying two or more nouns of different genders
uses the masculine plural: Le garçon et la fille sont contents. (The boy and the girl are happy.) ■ If a masculine singular adjective ends in -s or -x, the singular and
plural are identical: Il est sérieux.
Ils sont sérieux.
■ Most masculine adjectives ending in -al change the -al to -aux in
the plural: Il est loyal.
Ils sont loyaux.
■ Both masculine singular forms of beau (bel), fou (fol), mou (mol),
nouveau (nouvel), and vieux (vieil) have one and the same plural form: un beau monument
de beaux monuments
un bel hôtel
de beaux hôtels
■ The adjective tout (all) is irregular in the masculine plural:
tout le sandwich
tous les sandwiches
Placement of adjectives Unlike in English, most adjectives in French follow the nouns they modify: ■ une fille heureuse (a happy girl) ■ un ciel bleu (a blue sky)
A few short, descriptive adjectives, usually expressing beauty, age, goodness, and size (you can remember this with the acronym BAGS), generally precede the nouns they modify:
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■ Beauty: beau (beautiful, handsome), joli (pretty) ■ Age: nouveau (new), vieux (old), jeune (young) ■ Goodness (or lack of it): bon (good), gentil (nice), mauvais (bad) ■ Size: grand (large, big), petit (small, little), court (short), long (long),
gros (fat, thick), large (wide) Other common adjectives that precede the noun (but do not fall into the BAGS categories) include the following: ■ autre (other) ■ chaque (each, every) ■ dernier (last) ■ plusieurs (several) ■ premier (first) ■ quelques (a few) ■ tel (such) ■ tout (all, whole, every)
In addition, tout precedes both the noun and the definite article (le, la, l’, les): ■ tous les hommes (all the men) ■ toutes les femmes (all the women)
To use more than one adjective in a description, place each adjective according to its normal position before or after the noun. Two adjectives in the same position are joined by et (and): ■ une longue et mauvaise histoire (a long, bad story) ■ une grande maison blanche (a big, white house)
Past participles may be used as adjectives and, therefore, must agree with the nouns they modify: ■ C’était une surprise inattendue. (It was an unexpected surprise.) ■ Ces places sont prises. (These seats are taken.)
The meaning of some adjectives changes depending on the placement of the adjective before or after the noun it modifies. Before a noun, the adjective has a figurative sense; after a noun, the adjective is used literally:
Chapter 4: Adjectives, Adverbs, and Prepositions
une tradition ancienne
une ancienne tradition
(an old tradition)
(a former tradition)
un homme brave
un brave homme
(a brave man)
(a good man)
une voiture chère
une chère voiture
(an expensive car)
(a valued car)
le mois dernier
le dernier mois
(last month)
(the last month)
une femme honnête
une honnête femme
(an honest woman)
(a virtuous woman)
un patron méchant
un méchant patron
(a mean boss)
(a bad boss)
la chose même
la même chose
(the very thing)
(the same thing)
un homme pauvre
un pauvre homme
(a poor man)
(an unfortunate man)
ma maison propre
ma propre maison
(my clean house)
(my own house)
un chien sale
un sale chien
(a dirty dog)
(a nasty dog)
une femme seule
une seule femme
(a woman alone)
(one single woman)
un garçon triste
un triste garçon
(a sad boy)
(a sorry boy)
Irregular adjectives Be careful to use the following irregular adjectives correctly: bon(ne)(s) (good) meilleur(e)(s) (better) le (la/les) meilleur(e)(s) (the best)
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and mauvais(e)(s) (bad) mauvais(e)(s) (worse) le (la/les) plus mauvais(e)(s) (the worst) Exclamations Use the adjective quel when exclaiming: ■ Quelle belle maison! (What a beautiful house!) ■ Quelles histoires intéressantes! (What interesting stories!)
Quel must agree with the noun it modifies, as shown in Table 4-1. Table 4-1
Exclamations
Number
Masculine
Feminine
Singular
quel
quelle
Plural
quels
quelles
Adverbs In French, many adverbs are formed by adding -ment, the equivalent of -ly in English, to the masculine or feminine form of the related adjective. Other adverbs are totally distinct in nature and must be memorized. Because adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs (and not nouns or pronouns), they do not agree with any other words in the sentence. Forming adverbs To form an adverb: ■ Add -ment to the masculine singular form of an adjective that
ends with a vowel: rapide
rapidement
■ If the masculine singular form ends in a consonant, add -ment to
the feminine singular form of the adjective: sérieux (masc.) becomes sérieuse (fem.) = sérieusement
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69
Two exceptions include gentil (nice), which is gentille in its feminine adjective form but gentiment (nicely) as an adverb, and bref (brief ), which is brève in its feminine adjective form but brièvement (briefly) as an adverb. ■ For a few adjectives with a silent -e ending, add -é before -ment:
aveugle (blind)
aveuglément (blindly)
énorme (enormous)
énormément (enormously)
intense (intense)
intensément (intensely)
précis (precise)
précisément (precisely)
profond (profound)
profondément (profoundly)
■ Adjectives with -ant and -ent endings have adverbs ending in
-amment and -emment, respectively. An exception is lent (slow), which becomes lentement (slowly) in its adverbial form: constant (constant)
constamment (constantly)
courant (everyday)
couramment (fluently)
différent (different)
différemment (differently)
évident (evident)
évidemment (evidently)
récent (recent)
récemment (recently)
■ Some adverbs have forms that are distinct from adjectives and
must be memorized: Adjective
Adverb
bon (good)
bien (well)
mauvais (bad)
mal (badly)
meilleur (better)
mieux (better)
petit (little, small)
peu (little)
■ Some adverbs are not formed from adjectives:
ainsi (thus, so) alors (then) après (afterward)
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CliffsQuickReview French II
assez (enough) aujourd’hui (today) auparavant (before) aussi (also, too) beaucoup (much) bientôt (soon) cependant (however) comme (as) davantage (more) dedans (inside) dehors (outside) déjà (already) demain (tomorrow) encore (still, yet, again) enfin (finally, at last) ensemble (together) ensuite (then, afterward) environ (about) exprès (on purpose) hier (yesterday) ici (here) là (there) loin (far) longtemps (a long time) maintenant (now) même (even) parfois (sometimes) partout (everywhere)
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71
peut-être (perhaps, maybe) plus (more) plutôt (rather) près de (near) presque (almost) puis (then) quelquefois (sometimes) si (so) souvent (often) surtout (especially) tant (so much) tard (late) tôt (soon, early) toujours (always, still) tout (quite, entirely) très (very) trop (too much) vite (quickly) Use and placement of adverbs Adverbs are generally placed after the verbs they modify: Elle parle rapidement. (She speaks quickly.) Il a conduit lentement. (He drove slowly.) In the passé composé (see Chapter 8), small, common adverbs (bien, mal, souvent, toujours, déjà, and encore) precede the past participle: Il a bien parlé. (He spoke well.) J’ai déjà lu ce livre. (I already read that book.) Longer adverbs may be placed at the beginning of the sentence: D’habitude nous mangeons tard. (Generally, we eat late.)
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CliffsQuickReview French II
Note that a few adjectives (in the masculine singular form) are used adverbially in common expressions: ■ aller droit (to go straight ahead) ■ coûter cher (to cost a lot) ■ parler bas (to speak in a low voice) ■ parler fort/haut (to speak in a loud voice) ■ payer cher (to cost a lot) ■ s’arrêter net (to stop short) ■ travailler dur (to work hard)
Adverbial expressions may be formed by combining the following: ■ preposition + noun
à la fin (finally) à la fois (at the same time) à merveille (marvelously) à peine (hardly, scarcely) à présent (now) à temps (in time) d’avance (in advance) de rigueur (required) par hasard (by chance) ■ preposition + adjective (+ noun)
de bon appétit (with a hearty appetite) de nouveau (again) par conséquent (consequently) ■ preposition + adverb
à jamais (forever) d’ailleurs (besides)
Chapter 4: Adjectives, Adverbs, and Prepositions
73
■ preposition + several words
et ainsi de suite (and so on and so forth) tant mieux (so much the better) tout à (d’un) coup (suddenly) tout à fait (entirely) tout de même (just the same) tout de suite (immediately) Adverbs expressing quantity are followed by the preposition de (without any other article): ■ assez de (enough) ■ autant de (as much, many) ■ beaucoup de (a lot of ) ■ combien de (how much, how many) ■ moins de (less, fewer) ■ peu de (little, few) ■ plus de (more) ■ tant de (so much, so many) ■ trop de (too much, too many)
Irregular adverbs Note the following irregular adverbs: bien (well) mieux (better) le mieux (the best) and mal (badly) plus mal (worse) le plus mal (the worst)
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CliffsQuickReview French II
Comparisons More than or less than Follow these formulas to make comparisons: plus + adjective (or adverb or noun) + que = more . . . than moins + adjective (or adverb or noun) + que = less . . . than Here are some examples: ■ Louise est plus petite que sa soeur. (Louise is smaller than her sister.) ■ Il court moins vite que moi. (He runs less fast than I do.) ■ Il est plus sportif que nous croyions. (He is more athletic than we
believed.) ■ Je suis plus triste que fâchée. (I’m more sad than angry.) ■ Elle est moins contente qu’avant. (She less happy than before.)
Superlatives The superlative expresses the quality of something or someone at the highest or lowest degree in comparison with a set group. Follow this formula to express the superlative: le (or la or les) plus (or moins) + adjective (or adverb or noun) + de For example: ■ Louise est la plus petite de la famille. (Louise is the smallest of the family.) ■ Il court le moins vite de tous. (He runs the least fast of everybody.)
Equality To express “as . . . as” use the French expression: aussi + adjective (or adverb) + que: ■ Elle est aussi intelligente que moi. (She is as intelligent as I am.) ■ Il parle aussi couramment que Luc. (He speaks as fluently as Luke.)
Chapter 4: Adjectives, Adverbs, and Prepositions
75
Use the following formulas to express “as much” or “as many”: autant de + noun + que + noun (or pronoun) autant que + noun (or pronoun) ■ J’ai autant d’argent que lui. (I have as much money as he does.) ■ Il travaille autant que son frère. (He works as much as his brother.)
Prepositions Prepositions relate elements in a sentence: noun to noun, verb to verb, or verb to noun/pronoun. Prepositions may contract when followed by an article: à + le = au, à + les + aux, de + le = du, de + les = des. ■ Noun to noun:
C’est le livre de ma soeur. (That’s my sister’s book.) ■ Verb to verb:
Il apprend à danser. (He’s learning to dance.) ■ Verb to noun:
Elle joue avec son chien. (She’s playing with her dog.) ■ Verb to pronoun:
Il s’est assis à côté de moi. (He sat next to me.) The most common prepositions (or groups of words used as prepositions) are: ■ à (to) ■ à cause de (because of ) ■ à côté de (next to) ■ à demain (see you tomorrow) ■ à droite (to the right) ■ à gauche (to the left) ■ à partir de (beginning with) ■ à peu près (nearly) ■ à propos de (about, concerning)
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CliffsQuickReview French II
■ à travers (across, through) ■ à vrai dire (to tell the truth) ■ afin de (in order to) ■ après (after) ■ au (en) bas de (at the bottom of ) ■ au bout de (at the end of ) ■ au-dessous de (below, beneath) ■ au-dessus de (above, over) ■ au fond de (at the bottom/back of ) ■ au lieu de (instead of ) ■ au milieu de (in the middle of ) ■ au sujet de (about, concerning) ■ autour de (around) ■ avant (before) ■ avec (with) ■ chez (at the house of ) ■ contre (against) ■ d’abord (at first) ■ d’accord (okay) ■ d’ailleurs (besides) ■ dans (in) ■ de (about, from, of ) ■ de bonne heure (early) ■ depuis (since) ■ derrière (behind) ■ devant (in front of ) ■ en (in) ■ en bas (downstairs)
Chapter 4: Adjectives, Adverbs, and Prepositions
■ en face de (opposite) ■ en haut (upstairs) ■ en ville (downtown) ■ entre (between) ■ loin de (far from) ■ malgré (despite) ■ par (by, through) ■ parmi (among) ■ pendant (during) ■ pour (for) ■ près de (near) ■ sans (without) ■ sauf (except) ■ selon (according to) ■ sous (under) ■ sur (on) ■ vers (toward)
Chapter Checkout
Complete the sentence with the correct word. 1. Cet animal est ________. a. b. c. d.
gentille gentils gentilles gentil
2. J’adore ce ________ hôtel. a. b. c. d.
vieux vieil vieilles vieille
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CliffsQuickReview French II
3. Ils ont un ________ appartement. a. b. c. d.
petit blanc spécial mol
4. Elle chante ________ que moi. a. b. c. d.
bonne la meilleure mieux la plus mauvaise
5. Le professeur marche ________ la salle de classe. a. b. c. d.
chez à travers parmi entre
Answers: 1. d 2. b 3. a 4. c 5. b
Chapter 5 SPECIAL USES OF CERTAIN VERBS Chapter Check-In ❑ Using the most common irregular verbs ❑ Knowing other important irregularities
ome verbs may be defined in a variety of ways depending on how they are used in a sentence. The meaning of other verbs may change in difS ferent tenses. To use French properly, it is important to know how to correctly use these special verbs. The irregular verbs devoir, faire, falloir, pouvoir, savoir, and vouloir merit special mention because of the various meanings they may convey.
Devoir The irregular verb devoir is a “shoe verb” in the present tense: je dois tu dois il (elle, on) doit
nous devons vous devez ils (elles) doivent
Devoir may express the following: ■ Obligation
Devoir shows that the subject “must,” “has to,” or “is supposed to” do something. Il doit travailler. (He must work or He has to work or He is supposed to work.) Il devait travailler mais il était malade. (He had to work but he was sick or He was supposed to work but he was sick.)
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CliffsQuickReview French II
When used in the conditional, devoir means “ought to” or “should (have).” Je devrais le faire. (I should do it or I ought to do it.) J’aurais dû le faire. (I should have done it or I ought to have done it.) ■ Probability or supposition
Elle doit être contente. (She must be happy or She is probably happy.) Elle a dû pleurer. (She must have cried.) ■ Debt
Devoir means “to owe” when it is followed by a noun: Il me doit cent dollars. (He owes me $100.)
Faire The verb faire can be used in a causative construction, which means that the subject causes an action to be done by someone or something else. Faire is followed by the infinitive expressing the action to be completed. Note that you have to pay particular attention when thinking of an appropriate English translation, as the following examples show: Le prof fait rire ses élèves. (The teacher makes his students laugh.) Elle a fait laver sa voiture. (She had her car washed.) Je fais faire une robe. (I’m having a dress made.) Note the following about the causative faire: ■ Faire + infinitive forms a unit that is not separated by nouns or
pronouns. When there is one object, it is a direct object. Direct object nouns follow the infinitive and direct object pronouns precede faire: Il fait venir le médecin. (He has the doctor come.) Il le fait venir. (He has him come.) ■ When there are two nouns or pronouns, one is the direct object
and the other is the indirect object. The person or thing receiving the action is the indirect object: Les parents font envoyer le chèque à leur fils. (The parents have the check sent to their son.)
Chapter 5: Special Uses of Certain Verbs
81
Les parents le font envoyer à leur fils. (The parents have it sent to their son.) Les parents lui font envoyer le chèque. (The parents have the check sent to him.) Les parents le lui font envoyer. (The parents have it sent to him.) ■ The person or thing performing the action can be introduced by
par instead of à to avoid ambiguity. Note the two possible meanings of Il fait lire le poème à sa petite amie. He has his girlfriend read the poem. He has the poem read to his girlfriend. BUT Il fait lire le poème par sa petite amie. (He has his girlfriend read the poem.) ■ In compound tenses, the past participle of faire + infinitive does
not agree with the preceding direct object: Il a fait danser la fille. (He made the girl dance.) Il l’a fait danser. (He made her dance.) ■ A reflexive pronoun (used as an indirect object) can be used in a
causative faire construction. Elle se fait couper les cheveux. (She has her hair cut.) Elle s’est fait couper les cheveux. (She had her hair cut.) Elle se les est fait couper. (She had it cut.)
Falloir The verb falloir is used only in the third person singular (il) form. It generally expresses necessity. Although falloir and devoir often express the same idea, falloir is the stronger of the verbs. “I have to go to the bank” or “I must go to the bank” can be expressed in any of the following ways: Je dois aller à la banque. Il faut que j’aille à la banque. Il me faut aller à la banque.
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Falloir is used: ■ With the infinitive
Il faut arriver à l’heure. (It is necessary to arrive on time or One has to arrive on time or One must arrive on time.) Il ne faudrait pas faire cela. (One shouldn’t do that.) ■ With the infinitive and an indirect object
Il me faut étudier. (I have to study.) Il lui fallait travailler. (He [she] had to work.) ■ With que followed by the subjunctive
Il faudra que je parte. (I will have to leave.) ■ To express need
Il me faudra beaucoup d’argent. (I’ll need a lot of money.)
Pouvoir The irregular verb pouvoir (to be able to, can) is a shoe verb in the present tense and has two forms for je. Puis-je is often used in questions: je peux (puis) tu peux il peut
nous pouvons vous pouvez ils peuvent
The use of the verb pouvoir: ■ May express ability or success or the lack thereof
Je peux cuisiner. (I can cook.) Il n’a pas pu réussir. (He couldn’t succeed or He wasn’t able to succeed.) Pourras-tu conduire? (Will you be able to drive?) ■ May express possibility or permissibility
Est-ce que je peux y aller? (May I go there? or Am I allowed to go there?) Puis-je aller au cinéma? (May I go to the movies?) Il peut le faire maintenant. (He may be able to do it now.)
Chapter 5: Special Uses of Certain Verbs
83
■ May express a suggestion
Je pourrais venir te chercher. (I could come pick you up.) ■ May express obligation when an infinitive is negated
Tu peux ne pas venir. (You don’t need to come or You aren’t obligated to come.) ■ Expresses “might” or “could” in the conditional
Je pourrais l’aider. (I could help him [her] or I might help him [her].) ■ Can be idiomatic
n’en pouvoir plus (to be exhausted) Je n’en peux plus. (I’m exhausted.) n’y pouvoir rien (to be unable to do something about it) On n’y peut rien. (It can’t be helped.) Je n’y peux rien. (I can’t do anything about it.)
Savoir and Connaître In French, two irregular verbs express “to know”: connaître and savoir. Connaître means “to know” in the sense of being acquainted with someone or something. Use the verb connaître when you can substitute the words “to be familiar with”: Je connais Luc. (I know Luke [meaning: I am acquainted with Luke].) Je connais cette chanson. (I know this song [meaning: I have heard this song before or I am familiar with this song].) Savoir means “to know” in the sense of knowing how to do something or knowing something by heart, through mental ability or through a learning process. Savoir expresses the knowledge of facts or reasons about certain things: Je sais danser. (I know how to dance.) Je sais cette chanson. (I know this song [meaning: I can sing the words].) Je sais ton adresse. (I know your address.)
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Savoir is used: ■ To express know-how or the lack thereof.
Il sait lire mais il ne sait pas écrire. (He knows how to read, but he does not know how to write.) ■ In the passé composé to express “to find out” or “to learn about
something.” Je l’ai su hier. (I found out about it yesterday.) ■ Idiomatically in the conditional to express “could” or “would.”
Il ne saurait pas cacher son bonheur. (He couldn’t hide his happiness or He wouldn’t be able to hide his happiness.)
Vouloir The irregular verb vouloir is a shoe verb in the present tense. Vouloir means “to wish,” “to want,” or “will”: je veux tu veux il veut
nous voulons vous voulez ils veulent
Vouloir is used: ■ In the present tense to express strong will
Il veut le faire. (He wants to do it or He will do it.) Je ne veux pas te suivre. (I don’t want to follow you or I won’t follow you.) ■ In the passé composé to express “trying” or “refusal” to do some-
thing Il a voulu le faire. (He tried to do it.) Il n’a pas voulu le faire. (He refused to do it.) ■ In the conditional to express a wish or desire in a more cour-
teous manner Je voudrais t’accompagner. (I would like to go with you.)
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■ In the imperative (command) form to express a polite command
Veuillez fermer la fenêtre. (Please shut the window [meaning: Would you shut the window?].) ■ Idiomatically in the expression vouloir bien, which means “to be
good enough to” or “to be willing to” Voulez-vous bien m’aider? (Will you be good enough to help me? or Are you willing to help me?)
Other Important Irregularities Habiter, demeurer, and vivre all mean “to live.” Habiter and demeurer mean “to live” or “to dwell” and are used with a place. Habiter may or may not be followed by the preposition à. Vivre means “to live” or “to be alive.” J’habite (à) Nice. Je demeure à Nice. I live in Nice. Je vis à cent à l’heure. I live in the fast lane. Jouer means “to play.” When followed by the preposition à or any of its forms, jouer refers to playing a sport or game. When followed by the preposition de or any of its forms, jouer refers to playing a musical instrument. Nous jouons aux cartes. (We’re playing cards.) Il joue du piano. (He plays the piano.) Penser à and penser de mean “to think about,” but penser de is used only in a question that requests an opinion about something. À qui penses-tu? (About whom are you thinking?) Je pense à mon fils. (I’m thinking about my son.) Je pense à lui. (I’m thinking about him.) Que penses-tu de lui? (What do you think of him? or What is your opinion of him?) Passer means “to spend time.” Used reflexively, se passer means “to happen” or “to take place.” And the reflexive expression se passer de means “to do without.”
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Je vais passer un mois en France. (I’m going to spend a month in France.) Qu’est-ce qui s’est passé? (What happened? [meaning: What took place?]) On ne peut pas se passer d’eau. (One can’t do without water.) Servir means “to serve,” while se servir de means “to use.” On se sert d’une louche pour servir de la soupe. (One uses a ladle to serve soup.) Venir + de + infinitive in the present tense means “to have just”; in the imperfect, venir + de + infinitive means “had just.” Elle vient d’arriver. (She [has] just arrived.) Elle venait d’arriver. (She had just arrived.) There are five ways to express “to leave”: partir, sortir, s’en aller, quitter, and laisser. ■ Partir means “to go away.”
Je pars. (I’m leaving or I’m going away.) ■ Sortir means “to go (come) out of a place,” “to go out with some-
one,” or “to take something out.” Il sort souvent. (He goes out often.) Il sort de la pièce. (He leaves the room.) Il sort avec moi. (He’s going out with me.) Il sort son argent. (He takes out his money.) ■ S’en aller means “to go away.”
Je m’en vais. (I’m going away.) ■ Quitter means “to leave a person (or place),” and the person or
place must be mentioned. Je te quitte. (I’m leaving you.) Je quitte la maison. (I’m leaving the house.) ■ Laisser means “to leave a person (or thing) behind.”
J’ai laissé mes clefs à la maison. (I left my keys at home.)
Chapter 5: Special Uses of Certain Verbs
Chapter Checkout
Choose the word that best completes the sentence. 1. Elle le _________. (She’s leaving him.) a. b. c. d.
laisse quitte sort part
2. Tu ________ nager? (Do you know how to swim?) a. b. c. d.
connais peux sais veux
3. Je __________ voyager. (I would like to travel.) a. b. c. d.
veux voulais voudrai voudrais
4. Il me __________ de l’argent. (He owes me money.) a. b. c. d.
doit dois devais devrais
5. Ils __________ le faire aujourd’hui. (They might do it today.) a. b. c. d.
pouvaient pourraient peux pourront
Answers: 1. b 2. c 3. d 4. a 5. b
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Chapter 6 THE INFINITIVE Chapter Check-In ❑ Used as a subject and in a command ❑ Used in interrogatives and exclamations ❑ Used after certain verbs and prepositions ❑ Using the infinitive when it’s preceded by adjectives and nouns ❑ Knowing how to negate an infinitive
he infinitive of the verb is the unconjugated verb form whose English meaning expresses “to”—to sing, to dance, to laugh, and so on. T Although the infinitive is a verb form, it may be used as a subject, as a command, and as part of interrogative and exclamatory phrases. Certain French verbs are followed directly by the infinitive, while others require a preposition before the infinitive. Almost all prepositions are followed by an infinitive. Adjectives and nouns that are modified by an infinitive require a preposition before the infinitive.
The Infinitive Used as a Subject The infinitive may be used as the subject noun of a verb and may be translated as an English gerund (the -ing form of the verb) or an English infinitive (the to form of the verb): ■ Cuisiner est un art. (Cooking is an art.) ■ Voir c’est croire. (Seeing is believing.) ■ Dire la vérité est important. (To tell the truth is important.)
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Note that ce is used before être + infinitive. In the following example, the infinitive vouloir follows c’est: ■ Vouloir c’est pouvoir. (To want to is to be able to.)
The Infinitive Used in a Command The typical way to give a command in French is to use the tu or vous form of the verb without using those subject pronouns (because the subject of a command is understood to be “you”), but the infinitive can also be used. The infinitive command is usually seen on signs and in recipes. ■ À louer. (For rent.) ■ Ne pas toucher. (Don’t touch.) ■ Laisser cuire à petit feu. (Simmer.) ■ Faites bouillir pendant cinq minutes. (Boil for five minutes.)
The Infinitive Used in Interrogatives and Exclamations The infinitive may be used in an interrogative phrase expressing deliberation: ■ Quoi faire? (What are we going to do?) ■ Quoi lui dire? (What are we going to tell him?) ■ Où aller? (Where shall we go?)
The infinitive may be used in exclamations: ■ Oh, être jeune encore! (Oh, to be young again!) ■ Oh, être riche! (Oh, to be rich!)
The Infinitive Used After Certain Verbs The infinitive is most often used as the complement of another verb. Some verbs are followed immediately by the infinitive and do not require a preposition. These may be categorized as follows: ■ Verbs of motion and perception. For example:
Je le regarde travailler. (I watch him work.)
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Nous les entendons crier. (We hear them shouting.) Elle voit ses enfants jouer. (She sees her children playing.) The verbs that most often are used this way are: apercevoir (to notice) écouter (to listen) entendre (to hear) paraître (to appear) regarder (to watch) voir (to see) ■ Verbs indicating thought or most declarative verbs. For example:
Il espère pouvoir venir. (He hopes to be able to come.) Elle nie connaître ce garçon. (She denies knowing that boy.) The verbs most often used this way are: affirmer (to affirm) croire (to believe) espérer (to hope) nier (to deny) ■ Other common verbs:
Je préfère lire. (I prefer reading.) Il faut écouter attentivement. (It is necessary to listen attentively.) The verbs most often used this way are: aimer mieux (to prefer) aller (to go) compter (to intend) désirer (to desire) devoir (to have to) envoyer (to send)
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91
faire (to make, to do) falloir (to be necessary) laisser (to allow, to let) oser (to dare) pouvoir (to be able to) préférer (to prefer) savoir (to know) sembler (to seem) souhaiter (to wish) valoir mieux (to be worth) vouloir (to wish, to want)
The Infinitive Used After Certain Prepositions The infinitive is used after all prepositions but en, which takes the present participle (see Chapter 8), and après, which is followed by the past infinitive (see the section at the end of this chapter). Par expresses “by” when followed by the verbs commencer or finir. Pour expresses “in order to” when followed by the infinitive: ■ Il parle sans réfléchir. (He speaks without thinking.) ■ Elle commence par danser. (She begins by dancing.) ■ Ils finissent par rire. (They end up laughing.) ■ Il faut souffrir pour réussir. (It is necessary to suffer to succeed.)
Many verbs require the preposition à before the infinitive. These include verbs showing tendency, yearning, and aim. For example: ■ Je m’attends à gagner. (I expect to win.) ■ Elle tarde à arriver. (She is late in arriving.)
The verbs most often used this way are: ■ s’accoutumer à (to become accustomed to)
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■ aider à (to help) ■ s’amuser à (to have fun by) ■ apprendre à (to teach) ■ arriver à (to succeed in) ■ s’attendre à (to expect) ■ autoriser à (to authorize) ■ avoir à (to have to) ■ chercher à (to seek) ■ commencer à (to begin) ■ consentir à (to consent) ■ continuer à (to continue) ■ se décider à (to decide) ■ se disposer à (to be disposed) ■ encourager à (to encourage) ■ enseigner à (to teach) ■ s’habituer à (to become accustomed to) ■ hésiter à (to hesitate) ■ inciter à (to incite) ■ s’intéresser à (to be interested in) ■ inviter à (to invite) ■ se mettre à (to begin) ■ persister à (to persist) ■ renoncer à (to renounce) ■ réussir à (to succeed in) ■ songer à (to think about) ■ tarder à (to delay, to be late in) ■ tenir à (to be anxious)
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93
Most verbs require the preposition de before the infinitive. These include verbs of asking, permitting, and forbidding. For example: ■ Elle a oublié de me téléphoner. (She forgot to call me.) ■ Ils refusent de travailler. (They refuse to work.)
Verbs most commonly used this way are: ■ accuser de (to accuse) ■ s’agir de (to be a question of ) ■ s’arrêter de (to stop) ■ blâmer de (to blame) ■ cesser de (to stop) ■ complimenter de (to compliment) ■ convenir de (to be fitting) ■ craindre de (to fear) ■ décider de (to decide) ■ défendre de (to forbid) ■ demander de (to ask) ■ se dépêcher de (to hurry) ■ dire de (to tell) ■ écrire de (to write) ■ s’efforcer de (to strive) ■ empêcher de (to prevent) ■ essayer de (to try to) ■ éviter de (to avoid) ■ féliciter de (to congratulate) ■ finir de (to finish) ■ menacer de (to threaten) ■ mériter de (to deserve) ■ négliger de (to neglect)
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■ s’occuper de (to take care of ) ■ offrir de (to offer) ■ ordonner de (to order) ■ oublier de (to forget to) ■ parler de (to speak about) ■ permettre de (to permit) ■ persuader de (to persuade) ■ promettre de (to promise) ■ proposer de (to propose) ■ rappeler de (to remind) ■ recommander de (to recommend) ■ refuser de (to refuse) ■ regretter de (to regret) ■ remercier de (to thank) ■ reprocher de (to reproach) ■ rêver de (to dream) ■ se souvenir de (to remember) ■ suggérer de (to suggest) ■ venir de (to have just)
Some verbs require à (quelqu’un) de before an infinitive where quelqu’un can be replaced by the name of a person, a noun, or a pronoun which refers to a person. For example: ■ Il demande à son fils de laver la voiture. (He asks his son to wash
the car.) ■ Je promets à mon amie de garder son secret. (I promise my friend to
keep her secret.) The most common verbs of this type are: ■ commander (to order) ■ conseiller (to advise)
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95
■ défendre (to forbid) ■ demander (to ask) ■ dire (to tell) ■ écrire (to write) ■ interdire (to forbid) ■ ordonner (to order) ■ permettre (to permit) ■ promettre (to promise) ■ suggérer (to suggest)
The Infinitive Preceded by Adjectives and Nouns In the majority of cases, adjectives and nouns that are modified by an infinitive are followed by de before the infinitive: Je n’ai pas le temps de t’attendre. (I don’t have the time to wait for you.) Je suis ravi de vous revoir. (I’m delighted to see you again.) Est-il capable de le faire? (Is he capable of doing it?) De + infinitive is used after que in the second part of a comparison: Je préfère lire que de regarder la télévision. (I prefer to read rather than to watch television.) The preposition à is used in the following instances: ■ If the infinitive conveys a passive meaning (the subject is acted
upon): Donnez-moi quelque chose à manger. (Give me something to eat [to be eaten].) J’ai une lettre à écrire. (I have a letter to write [to be written].) ■ After le dernier (the last), le seul (the only), le premier (the first), and
other numerals, and after a few adjectives showing tendency, fitness, and purpose, such as habile (skillful), lent (slow), prêt (ready): Elle était la première à partir. (She was the first to leave.) Nous sommes prêts à commencer. (We are ready to begin.)
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■ With certain nouns to express purpose or function:
un fer à friser (a curling iron) une chambre à coucher (a bedroom) Note the following: ■ Impersonal expressions beginning with il + être + adjective require de
before the infinitive, which is really the subject: Il est difficile de comprendre. (It is difficult to understand or To understand [Understanding] is difficult.) ■ In the construction ce + être + adjective + à + infinitive, ce (ceci, cela)
is the subject of the infinitive and conveys a passive meaning: C’est difficile à comprendre. (It is difficult to understand.)
Negating an Infinitive A present infinitive is negated by putting the entire negative expression before the infinitive: ■ Je lui ai dit de ne pas fumer. (I told him not to smoke.) ■ Il a décidé de ne rien manger. (He decided not to eat anything.) ■ Ne pas marcher sur le gazon. (Don’t walk on the grass.)
The Past Infinitive The past infinitive is formed by using the correct helping verb (avoir or être) in its infinitive form and the past participle of the verb showing the action (see Chapter 7). The past infinitive is used: ■ To express a previous action regardless of the English translation:
Il est parti sans avoir dit “au revoir.” (He left without saying goodbye.) Elle a été renvoyée pour avoir menti. (She was fired for lying [having lied].) ■ After the preposition après:
Après être rentrée, je me reposerai. (After returning [having returned] home, I’ll relax.)
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97
Je te téléphonerai après avoir mangé. (I’ll call you after eating [having eaten].) Chapter Checkout
Make new sentences by adding the verbs in parentheses and any necessary prepositions: Example:
(compter) Je vais au cinéma. Je compte aller au cinéma.
1. (décider) Je fais de mon mieux.
_____________________________ 2. (savoir) Il nage.
_____________________________ 3. (commencer) Elle chante.
_____________________________ 4. (s’accoutumer) Ils parlent français.
_____________________________ 5. (arrêter) Elles fument.
_____________________________ Answers: 1. Je décide de faire de mon mieux. 2. Il sait nager. 3. Elle commence à chanter. 4. Ils s’accoutument à parler français. 5. Elles arrêtent de fumer.
Chapter 7 PARTICIPLES Chapter Check-In ❑ Using present participles ❑ Using past participles ❑ Using perfect participles
n French, the present participle of a verb (the -ing form) may be used the preposition en (while, on, upon, by, in, when) to form a gerund I(awith noun that, in English, ends in -ing). When used without en, the present participle may act as an adjective and is also used to express the -ing form of the verb in English. The past participle serves to form compound verb tenses, but it may also serve as an adjective. If the past participle is used as an epithet or attribute, it follows the noun it describes. The perfect participle is used to show that one action was completed before another action took place.
Present Participles The present participle of all French verbs ends in -ant, the English equivalent of -ing. Forming the Present Participle The present participle of most French verbs (regular and irregular) is formed by dropping the -ons ending from the nous form of the present tense and simply adding -ant, as shown in the table below. The line through the -ons part of the nous form indicates that it is removed to form the present participle.
Chapter 7: Participles
Table 7-1
99
Forming the Present Participle
Infinitive
Nous Form of Present
Present Participle
parler (to speak)
nous parlons
parlant (speaking)
obéir (to obey)
nous obéissons
obéissant (obeying)
perdre (to lose)
nous perdons
perdant (losing)
aller (to go)
nous allons
allant (going)
boire (to drink)
nous buvons
buvant (drinking)
dire (to say, to tell)
nous disons
disant (saying)
faire (to do)
nous faisons
faisant (doing)
sortir (to go out)
nous sortons
sortant (going out)
venir (to come)
nous venons
venant (coming)
voir (to see)
nous voyons
voyant (seeing)
Note how this affects spelling-change and shoe verbs: c→ç
placer (to place)
nous plaçons
plaçant (placing)
g → ge
manger (to eat)
nous mangeons
mangeant (eating)
y remains
payer (to pay)
nous payons
payant (paying)
no accent
acheter (to buy)
nous achetons
achetant (buying)
single letter
appeler (to call)
nous appelons
appelant (calling)
single letter
jeter (to throw)
nous jetons
jetant (throwing)
double é
préférer (to prefer) nous préférons
préférant (prefering)
There are only three irregular present participles in French: Verb
Nous Form
Present Participle
avoir (to have)
nous avons
ayant (having)
être (to be)
nous sommes
étant (being)
savoir (to know)
nous savons
sachant (knowing)
English uses many more gerunds than French; therefore, the present participle is used much less in French and is often replaced with an infinitive: J’adore le cyclisme. (I love cycling.) Danser me plaît beaucoup. (Dancing gives me great pleasure.)
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Using the Present Participle The present participle is primarily used: ■ With the preposition en to imply simultaneous actions:
Il parle en mangeant. (He speaks while eating.) Elle est arrivée en courant. (She arrived running.) Il est tombé en dansant. (He fell [while, when, upon, on, as he was] dancing.) Tout may be used before en to add emphasis: Elle pleure tout en souriant. (She cries even while smiling.) En + present participle may mean “by.” With the verbs commencer and finir, par + infinitive is used, provided there is no direct object: Il gagne beaucoup en travaillant. (He earns a lot by working.) Il commence par chanter. (He begins by singing.) Il finit par danser. (He ends by dancing.) BUT: Il finit l’histoire en riant. (He finishes the story by laughing.) ■ Without the preposition en to show a cause, a reason, a motive,
a condition, a result, an incidental circumstance, or an action that took place at the same moment as or immediately before the action of the main verb. When used as a verb, the present participle is invariable—meaning that there is no agreement of the present participle with the subject: Étant occupé, je l’ai ignoré. (Being busy, I ignored him.) Elle est partie, oubliant ses clefs. (She left, forgetting her keys.) Regardant la télé, je me suis endormi. (Watching TV, I fell asleep.) Il étudie en écoutant la radio. (He studies while listening to the radio.) Il est entré criant. (He arrived screaming.) In addition, the present participle can be used as follows:
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■ Some present participles may be used as adjectives and must,
therefore, agree in number and gender with the nouns or pronouns they modify. They generally follow the noun or pronoun: Je trouve ces filles charmantes. (I find those girls charming.) Ce sont des films amusants. (They are amusing films.) ■ The present participle can, but rarely does, replace a relative
clause (qui + verb): Je vois des gens qui portent des sacs. (I see some people who are carrying bags.) Je vois des gens portant des sacs. (I see some people carrying bags.) The present participle CANNOT be used: ■ To express “to be” + present participle (the English progressive
form). To express that an action is in progress, use the present tense or être en train de + infinitive: Il dort. (He is sleeping.) Il est en train de dormir. (He is sleeping.) ■ To replace an English gerund (a noun ending in -ing). A French
present participle can only be used as a verb and not as a noun. The following examples show you some correct ways to replace an English gerund: Je préfère la natation. (I prefer swimming.) La pâtisserie est un art. (Pastry making is an art.) Je le ferai sans qu’il le sache. (I’ll do it without his knowing it.)
Past Participles The past participle is used to form compound tenses and may also be used as an adjective. Forming the Past Participle The past participle of regular verbs is formed as follows:
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Verb Family
Infinitive
Past Participle
-er
parler
parlé (spoke or spoken)
-ir
finir
fini (finished)
-re
vendre
vendu (sold)
Some verbs that are irregular in the present form have regular past participles: Infinitive
Past Participle
accueillir (to welcome)
accueilli
aller (to go)
allé
battre (to beat)
battu
convaincre (to convince)
convaincu
cueillir (to pick)
cueilli
dormir (to sleep)
dormi
interrompre (to interrupt)
interrompu
mentir (to lie)
menti
partir (to leave)
parti
rompre (to break)
rompu
sentir (to feel, to smell)
senti
servir (to serve)
servi
sortir (to go out)
sorti
vaincre (to vanquish)
vaincu
Irregular past participles may be placed in the following groups: ■ Those ending in -i:
rire (to laugh) → ri suffire (to suffice) → suffi suivre (to follow) → suivi ■ Those ending in -is:
acquérir (to acquire) → acquis asseoir (to seat) → assis
Chapter 7: Participles
conquérir (to conquer) → conquis mettre (to put) → mis prendre (to take) → pris ■ Those ending in -it:
conduire (to drive) → conduit construire (to construct) → construit cuire (to cook) → cuit détruire (to destroy) → détruit dire (to say, to tell) → dit écrire (to write) → écrit produire (to produce) → produit traduire (to translate) → traduit ■ Those ending in -u:
apercevoir (to notice) → aperçu avoir (to have) → eu boire (to drink) → bu connaître (to know) → connu courir (to run) → couru croire (to believe) → cru devoir (to have to) → dû lire (to read) → lu paraître (to appear) → paru plaire (to please) → plu pouvoir (to be able to) → pu recevoir (to receive) → reçu savoir (to know) → su se taire (to be quiet) → tu tenir (to hold) → tenu
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valoir (to be worth) → valu venir (to come) → venu vivre (to live) → vécu vouloir (to want) → voulu ■ Those ending in -ert:
ouvrir (to open) → ouvert offrir (to offer) → offert souffrir (to suffer) → souffrir ■ Those ending in -int:
atteindre (to attain) → atteint craindre (to fear) → craint éteindre (to extinguish) → éteint joindre (to join) → joint peindre (to paint) → peint plaindre (to pity) → plaint ■ Those totally irregular:
être (to be) → été faire (to make, to do) → fait mourir (to die) → mort naître (to be born) → né Any related infinitive forms its past participle according to the list above, for example: sourire (to smile)
souri
promettre (to promise)
promis
apprendre (to learn)
appris
reconstruire (reconstruct)
reconstruit
reconnaître (to recognize)
reconnu
retenir (to retain)
retenu
découvrir (to discover)
découvert
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105
Using the Past Participle The past participle is used: ■ With a preceding helping (auxiliary) verb (avoir or être) to form com-
pound tenses (see Chapter 8 for more details): J’ai fait de mon mieux. (I did my best.) Je suis allée en ville. (I went downtown.) Il avait fini son travail. (He had finished his work.) Il était rentré tard. (He had arrived home late.) Nous aurions gagné. (We would have won.) Nous serions sortis. (We would have gone out.) Elle aura attendu longtemps. (She will have waited a long time.) Elle sera partie avant lui. (She will have left before him.) ■ As an adjective, which, therefore, must agree in number and gender
with the noun or pronoun it modifies: Elle est épuisée. (She is exhausted.) Ils sont des hommes distingués. (They are distinguished men.) In the passé composé (see Chapter 8), past participles that use avoir as their helping verb agree in number and gender with a preceding direct object noun or pronoun: Voici la lettre qu’elle a écrite. (Here is the letter that she wrote.) Les filles? Je les ai vues lundi. (The girls? I saw them on Monday.)
Perfect Participles The perfect participle is formed by using the present participle of the appropriate helping verb (avoir = ayant, être = étant) and then adding the past participle. The perfect participle shows that one action was completed before another action took place: Ayant fini mon travail, je me suis détendue. Having finished my work, I relaxed. Étant parti de bonne heure, il est arrivé à l’heure. Having left early, he arrived on time.
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Chapter Checkout
Complete the first part of each sentence with the present participle of the verb and the second part with the past participle of the verb: 1. (avoir) ______ faim, il a (prendre) ______ un sandwich. 2. En (ranger) ______ sa chambre, elle a (recevoir) ______ un coup de
téléphone. 3. En (faire) ______ un voyage en avion, ils ont (voir) ______ un film. 4. (être) ______ en retard, il a (conduire) ______ trop vite. 5. En (prononcer) ______ le mot, elle a (faire) ______ une faute. Answers: 1. Ayant, pris 2. rangeant, reçu 3. faisant, vu 4. Étant, conduit 5. prononçant, fait
Chapter 8 PAST TENSES Chapter Check-In ❑ Using the passé composé and the passé simple ❑ Using the passé antérieur, the imparfait, and the plus-que-parfait ❑ Knowing the correct tense to use
he passé composé (compound past tense) is used to refer to an action or event that began and was completed at a particular moment of time in T the past. Two elements are required to form the passé composé: a helping verb (either avoir or être) and a past participle (usually the -ed form of an English verb). The passé simple is a literary past tense, most often used in writing, and also refers to an action or event that was completed in the past. The passé anterieur, which is very limited in use, is the compound form of the passé simple. (The passé simple of the correct helping verb is followed by the past participle of the verb indicating the action.) The imperfect (l’imparfait) is a simple tense used to refer to an ongoing or habitual action in the past and describes incomplete actions, situations, or events in the past. The plus-que-parfait is the compound form of the imperfect (the imperfect of the correct helping verb is followed by the past participle of the verb indicating the action) and indicates what had been going on in the past. This chapter will explain how to use each of these tenses correctly when referring to actions, situations, or events that took place in the past.
The Passé Composé The passé composé (compound past tense), also referred to as the past indefinite, is made up of two parts, a helping verb and a past participle.
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It is formed by using the present tense of the helping verb avoir (j’ai, tu as, il/elle a, nous avons, vous avez, ils/elles ont) or être (je suis, tu es, il/elle est, nous sommes, vous êtes, ils/elles sont) and adding a past participle. The passé composé with avoir The past participle of regular verbs is formed by dropping the infinitive ending and adding -é for -er verbs, i for -ir verbs, and u for -re verbs. The past participles of irregular verbs must be memorized (see Chapter 7). J’ai travaillé hier. (I worked yesterday.) Il a choisi un bon livre. (He chose a good book.) Ils ont vendu leur maison. (They sold their house.) Past participles of verbs that use avoir as their helping verb agree in number and gender with a preceding direct-object noun or pronoun. This is done by adding an -e to indicate a feminine noun or pronoun and an -s to indicate a plural noun or pronoun. No -s is added to a participle that already ends in -s: La mousse? Je l’ai préparée hier. (The mousse? I prepared it yesterday.) Voici les trophées que mon fils a reçus. (Here are the trophies that my son received.) Je ne me rappelle pas les bus que nous avons pris. (I don’t remember the buses we took.) The passé composé with être Only 17 verbs use être as their helping verb. These verbs generally, but not always, express motion or a change of place, state, or condition, such as going up, going down, going in, going out, or remaining. The verbs are: ■ descendre (to go down) ■ rester (to remain) ■ mourir (to die) ■ retourner (to return) ■ sortir (to go out) ■ venir (to come) ■ arriver (to arrive) ■ naître (to be born)
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■ devenir (to become) ■ entrer (to enter) ■ rentrer (to return) ■ tomber (to fall) ■ revenir (to come back) ■ aller (to go) ■ monter (to go up) ■ partir (to leave) ■ passer (to pass by)
When être is the helping verb, the past participle must agree in number and gender with the subject; this is done by adding -e for a feminine subject and -s for a plural subject: Il est rentré. (He returned home.) Elle est née en juin. (She was born in June.) Nous sommes revenus hier. (We came back yesterday.) Elles sont tombées. (They fell.) Verbs that use être or avoir The verbs descendre (to go down), monter (to go up), passer (to pass by), rentrer (to return home), retourner (to return), and sortir (to go out) generally use être as their helping verb. They may use avoir when the sentence contains a direct object. In these cases, their meaning changes: descendre (to take down), monter (to take up), passer (to spend time), rentrer (to bring in), retourner (to turn over), and sortir (to take out): Je suis descendu. (I went downstairs.) Je suis descendu du train. (I got off the train.) J’ai descendu le livre. (I took the book down.) Il est monté. (He went upstairs.) Il a monté ses bagages. (He took his luggage upstairs.) Il est passé par l’école. (He passed by the school.) Il a passé une heure là-bas. (He spent an hour there.) Ils sont rentrés tard. (They came home late.)
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Ils ont rentré le chien. (They brought in the dog.) Elle est retournée à Nice. (She returned to Nice.) Elle a retourné la lettre. (She turned over the letter.) Je suis sortie. (I went out.) J’ai sorti mon argent. (I took out my money.) The passé composé with reflexive verbs Reflexive verbs use être as their helping verb. When the reflexive pronoun is also the direct object, the past participle agrees with the reflexive pronoun. When the reflexive pronoun is the indirect object (and, thus, the direct object comes after the verb), there is no agreement of the past participle with the reflexive pronoun. Il s’est levé à six heures. (He got up at six o’clock.) Elle s’est lavée. (She washed herself.) Elle s’est lavé la figure. (She washed her face.) Negating in the passé composé To negate a sentence in the passé composé, put the negative expression around the conjugated helping verb and any pronouns that precede it: Je n’ai pas fini mon dîner. (I haven’t finished my dinner.) Il n’a rien découvert. (He discovered nothing.) Elle n’y est pas restée longtemps. (She didn’t stay there a long time.) Elles ne se sont jamais maquillées. (They never put on makeup.) Questions in the passé composé To form a question in the passé composé, invert the conjugated helping verb (with any pronouns related to it preceding it) with the subject pronoun, and add a hyphen. In general, avoid inverting with je; instead, use est-ce que to form the question (see Chapter 3). With avoir, a -t- must be added when the subject is il or elle. Negatives surround the hyphenated inverted forms: As-tu oublié? (Did you forget?) Lui a-t-elle parlé? (Did she speak to him?) Y est-elle arrivée? (Did she arrive there?) Est-ce que j’ai tort? (Am I wrong?) N’a-t-il pas vu ce film? (Hasn’t he seen this movie?)
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Vous êtes-vous préparé(e)(s)? (Did you prepare yourself [yourselves]?) Ne s’est-elle pas levée? (Didn’t she get up?)
The Passé Simple The passé simple (past definite) is used primarily in formal, literary, and historical writings to express a completed past action, event, or situation. In conversation and informal writing, the passé composé is used instead of the passé simple to express the past. Here are two examples of the passé simple. Il aida les pauvres. (He helped the poor.) Les soldats perdirent la bataille. (The soldiers lost the battle.) The passé simple of regular verbs The passé simple of regular verbs is formed by dropping the infinitive endings (-er, -ir, -re) and adding the endings illustrated in Table 8-1. Table 8-1
The Passé Simple of Regular Verbs -er Verbs
-ir Verbs
-re Verbs
aider
finir
défendre
je (j’)
aidai
finis
défendis
tu
aidas
finis
défendis
il
aida
finit
défendit
nous
aidâmes
finîmes
défendîmes
vous
aidâtes
finîtes
défendîtes
ils
aidèrent
finirent
défendirent
The following spelling changes occur in the passé simple: ■ Verbs ending in -cer change c to ç before a to maintain the sound
of soft c: avancer: j’avançai, tu avanças, il avança, nous avançâmes, vous avançâtes, ils avancèrent
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■ Verbs ending in -ger change -g to -ge before -a to maintain the
sound of soft g: voyager: je voyageai, tu voyageas, il voyagea, nous voyageâmes, vous voyageâtes, ils voyagèrent The passé simple of irregular verbs Verbs with irregular stems in the passé simple generally end in -i or -u and have the following endings: je:
-s
nous:
-ˆmes
tu:
-s
vous:
-ˆtes
il:
-t
ils:
-rent
For example: Jeanne d’Arc naquit en 1412 à Domrémy. (Joan of Arc was born in 1412 in Domrémy.) En 1066 Guillaume le Conquérant devint roi de l’Angleterre. (In 1066, William the Conqueror became the king of England.) Table 8-2 lists the most common irregular verbs in the passé simple and their stems. Note that many of these stems are the same as, or closely resemble, the past participle of the verb. Table 8-2
Passé Simple Irregular Verb Stems
Verb Infinitive
Passé Simple Stem
avoir (to have)
eu-
boire (to drink)
bu-
connaître (to know)
connu-
construire (to build)
construis-
courir (to run)
couru-
craindre (to fear)
craigni-
croire (to believe)
cru-
devoir (to have to)
du-
dire (to say, to tell)
di-
écrire (to write)
écrivi-
Chapter 8: Past Tenses Verb Infinitive
Passé Simple Stem
être (to be)
fu-
faire (to do)
fi-
joindre (to join)
joigni-
lire (to read)
lu-
mettre (to put)
mi-
mourir (to die)
mouru-
naître (to be born)
naqui-
ouvrir (to open)
ouvri-
peindre (to paint)
peigni-
plaire (to please)
plu-
pouvoir (to be able to)
pu
prendre (to take)
pri-
recevoir (to receive)
reçu-
rompre (to break)
rompu-
savoir (to know)
su-
tenir (to hold)
tin-
traduire (to translate)
traduisi-
vaincre (to vanquish)
vainqui-
venir (to come)
vin-
vivre (to live)
vécu-
voir (to see)
vi-
vouloir (to wish, to want)
voulu-
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Note: There are special nous and vous forms for tenir, venir, and their related verbs: nous tînmes, nous vînmes, vous tîntes, vous vîntes.
The Passé Antérieur The passé antérieur is used after conjunctions of time—aussitôt que and dès que (as soon as), quand and lorsque (when), and après que (after)—to show that an action was completed before another action (expressed by the passé simple) took place.
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The passé antérieur is the compound form of the passé simple and is formed by using the passé simple of the appropriate helping verb (avoir or être) + the past participle of the verb. Just like the passé simple, the passé antérieur is primarily used in formal and literary writings. Its English equivalent is “had” + past participle: Aussitôt que le président eut signé le document, sa secrétaire l’emporta. (As soon as the president had signed the document, his secretary took it away.) Dès que ses ennemis eurent envahi la France, Napoléon se retira à Elbe. (As soon as his enemies had invaded France, Napoleon retired to Elba.)
The Imparfait The imperfect (l’imparfait) expresses or describes continued, repeated, habitual actions or incomplete actions, situations, or events in the past. The imperfect describes what was going on at an indefinite time in the past or what used to happen. The imperfect can be translated by “would” when it implies “used to.” The imperfect is a simple tense that does not require a helping verb. The imperfect is formed by dropping the -ons ending from the present tense nous form of the verb and adding the following endings: je:
-ais
nous:
-ions
tu:
-ais
vous:
-iez
il:
-ait
ils:
-aient
The imparfait of regular verbs Table 8-3 shows how the imparfait is formed with regular verbs. Table 8-3
Forming the Imparfait
Jouer
Finir
Vendre
nous jouons
nous finissons
nous vendons
je jouais
je finissais
je vendais
tu jouais
tu finissais
tu vendais
il jouait
il finissait
il vendait
nous jouions
nous finissions
nous vendions
vous jouiez
vous finissiez
vous vendiez
ils jouaient
ils finissaient
ils vendaient
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Here are two examples: Pendant mon enfance, je lisais beaucoup. (During my childhood I read [used to read, would read] a lot.) Je regardais la télé quand le téléphone a sonné. (I was watching TV when the phone rang.) Verbs such as étudier (to study), rire (to laugh), sourire (to smile), and vérifier (to check) already end in -ions in the present. In the imperfect, an extra i is necessary in the nous and vous forms: Nous étudiions pendant des heures. (We were studying for hours.) Vous riiez trop. (You were laughing too much.) The following verbs have spelling changes in the imperfect: ■ Verbs ending in -cer change -c to -ç before -a to maintain the soft
c sound in the je, tu, il, and ils forms: La voiture avançait lentement. (The car was advancing slowly.) Commenciez-vous à vous inquiéter? (Were you beginning to get worried?) ■ Verbs ending in -ger insert a silent -e between -g and -a to main-
tain the soft g sound in the je, tu, il, and ils forms: Il mangeait si vite. (He was eating so quickly.) Nous mangions toujours dans ce restaurant. (We always ate at that restaurant.) The imparfait of irregular verbs Irregular verbs follow the same rules for the formation of the imperfect as do regular verbs. The following is a list of the nous form of the most common irregular verbs. To form the imperfect, simply drop the -ons and add the imperfect endings given earlier: ■ aller (to go): nous allons ■ avoir (to have): nous avons ■ boire (to drink): nous buvons ■ conduire (to drive): nous conduisons ■ connaître (to know): nous connaissons ■ courir (to run): nous courons
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■ craindre (to fear): nous craignons ■ croire (to believe): nous croyons ■ devoir (to have to): nous devons ■ dire (to say, to tell): nous disons ■ dormir (to sleep): nous dormons ■ écrire (to write): nous écrivons ■ faire (to make, to do): nous faisons ■ lire (to read): nous lisons ■ mettre (to put): nous mettons ■ offrir (to offer): nous offrons ■ ouvrir (to open): nous ouvrons ■ plaire (to please): nous plaisons ■ pouvoir (to be able to): nous pouvons ■ prendre (to take): nous prenons ■ recevoir (to receive): nous recevons ■ savoir (to know): nous savons ■ suivre (to follow): nous suivons ■ tenir (to hold): nous tenons ■ valoir (to be worth): nous valons ■ venir (to come): nous venons ■ vivre (to live): nous vivons ■ voir (to see): nous voyons ■ vouloir (to wish, to want): nous voulons
Note: Falloir (to be necessary) and pleuvoir (to rain) are used only in the il form: il fallait (it was necessary) and il pleuvait (it was raining). Note: The only verb that does not follow the rule for the formation of the imperfect is être (to be), whose imperfect stem is ét-: j’étais, tu étais, il était, nous étions, vous étiez, ils étaient.
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The Plus-Que-Parfait The plus-que-parfait (the pluperfect) indicates that an action had taken place and had been completed before another past action took place. The plus-que-parfait is the compound form of the imperfect and is formed by using the imperfect of the appropriate helping verb (avoir or être) + the past participle of the verb. Its English equivalent is “had” + past participle: J’avais mal à l’estomac parce que j’avais trop mangé. (I had a stomachache because I had eaten too much.) Il marchait avec peine parce qu’il était tombé. (He walked with difficulty because he had fallen.) Elle s’était préparée avant de donner sa présentation. (She had prepared herself before giving her presentation.) Remember that the past participle must agree in number and gender with a preceding direct-object noun or pronoun: Voici les livres que j’avais écrits il y a longtemps. (Here are the books I had written a long time ago.) Cette robe? Elle l’avait achetée quand elle était à Paris. (That dress? She had bought it when she was in Paris.)
The Correct Tense to Use This section will help you understand when to use the various past tenses. Passé composé Use the passé composé: ■ To express specific actions or events that were started and
completed at a definite time in the past (even if the time isn’t mentioned): Je suis allé au centre commercial. (I went to the mall.) ■ To express a specific action or event that occurred at a specific
point in past time: Je suis allé au centre commercial hier. (I went to the mall yesterday.) ■ To express a specific action or event that was repeated for a stated
number of times: Je suis allé au centre commercial deux fois. (I went to the mall twice.)
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The following words and expressions often require the use of the passé composé because they specify a definite past time: ■ l’année passée (last year) ■ avant-hier (the day before yesterday) ■ d’abord (at first) ■ enfin (finally) ■ ensuite (then, next) ■ l’été passé/l’hiver passé (last summer/last winter) ■ finalement (finally) ■ une fois (one time) ■ hier (yesterday) ■ hier soir (last night) ■ l’autre jour (the other day) ■ ce jour-là (that day) ■ un jour (one day) ■ le mois passé (dernier) (last month) ■ la semaine passée (dernière) (last week) ■ soudain (suddenly) ■ tout à coup (suddenly)
Passé simple The passé simple is used in the same manner as the passé composé; however, it is not used conversationally or in informal writing. Imparfait Use the imparfait: ■ To describe continuous, ongoing, habitual, or repeated actions or
events in the past (which may or may not have been completed): J’allais au centre commercial tous les jours. (I used to [would] go to the mall every day.)
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■ To describe what was going on when something else happened:
J’allais au centre commercial quand Marie m’a téléphoné. (I was going to the mall when Marie called me.) ■ To describe a person, place, thing, or state of mind:
Le centre commercial était magnifique. (The mall was magnificent.) ■ To express the day, the month, or the time of day:
C’était vendredi. (It was Friday.) C’était le mois de juin. (It was June.) Il était midi. (It was noon.) ■ With depuis + an expression of time to describe an action or event
that began in the past and continued for some time in the past: Depuis combien de temps habitait-il à Paris avant son mariage? (How long had he been living in Paris before his marriage?) Il y habitait depuis deux ans. (He had been living there for two years.) ■ With il y avait (or cela [ça] faisait . . . que) + expression of time
+ que to describe an action or event that began in the past and continued for some time in the past: Combien de temps y avait-il qu’il habitait à Paris avant son mariage? Ça faisait combien de temps qu’il habitait à Paris avant son mariage? How long had he been living in Paris before his marriage? Il y avait deux ans qu’il y habitait. Ça faisait deux ans qu’il y habitait. He had been living there for two years. The following words and expressions often require the use of the imperfect because they usually imply repetitious or habitual past actions: ■ autrefois (formerly) ■ chaque jour (semaine, mois, année) (each [every] day [week, month,
year])
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■ de temps à autre (from time to time) ■ de temps en temps (from time to time) ■ d’habitude (usually) ■ d’ordinaire (usually, generally) ■ en ce temps-là (at that time) ■ en général (generally) ■ fréquemment (frequently) ■ généralement (generally) ■ habituellement (habitually) ■ parfois (sometimes) ■ quelquefois (sometimes) ■ souvent (often) ■ toujours (always) ■ tous les jours (mois) (every day [month]) ■ tout le temps (all the time)
Verbs that indicate a state of mind in the past are generally used in the imperfect. When the state of mind occurred at a specific time in the past, however, the passé composé is used: ■ aimer (to like, to love) ■ croire (to believe) ■ désirer (to desire) ■ espérer (to hope) ■ être (to be) ■ penser (to think) ■ pouvoir (to be able to) ■ préférer (to prefer) ■ regretter (to regret, to be sorry) ■ savoir (to know [how]) ■ vouloir (to want)
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Here are two examples of the imparfait used correctly: Je ne voulais pas aller au gymnase. (I didn’t want to go to the gym.) Je n’ai pas voulu aller au gymnase hier soir. (I didn’t want to go to the gym last night.) Passé antérieur and plus-que-parfait The passé antérieur and the plus-que-parfait both express “had” + past participle. Remember that the passé antérieur is seen only in formal writing and is never used conversationally. Normally, it may not be used with any tense other than the passé simple. The passé antérieur indicates that an action has taken place and was completed once or a specific number of times. The plus-que-parfait is used when an action has recurred an unspecified number of times or may be considered habitual: One particular occurrence: Aussitôt que le président eut signé le document, sa secrétaire l’emporta. (As soon as the president had signed the document, his secretary took it away.) A customary occurrence: Aussitôt que le président avait signé un document, sa secrétaire l’emportait. (As soon as the president had signed a document, his secretary would take it away.) Chapter Checkout
Rewrite the paragraph, changing the words in bold to the passé composé or to the imparfait. C’est le mois de décembre. Il fait mauvais. Il neige. Je n’ai rien à faire quand, tout d’un coup quelqu’un frappe à la porte. J’y réponds. C’est ma copine, Christine. Elle me demande si je veux aller au cinéma avec elle. Je dis: “Bien sûr!” Alors nous partons tout de suite et nous allons en ville en bus. Answers: C’était le mois de décembre. Il faisait mauvais. Il neigeait. Je n’avais rien à faire quand, tout d’un coup quelqu’un a frappé à la porte. J’y ai répondu. C’était ma copine, Christine. Elle m’a demandé si je voulais aller au cinéma avec elle. J’ai dit: “Bien sûr!” Alors nous sommes parti(e)s tout de suite et nous sommes allé(e)s en ville en bus.
Chapter 9 FUTURE TENSES Chapter Check-In ❑ Using the near future ❑ Using the future tense ❑ Using the futur antérieur
he near future expresses what is going to take place or what the subject is going to do in the not-too-distant future. In some instances, the T present tense is used to imply a near future event or action. In other instances, the verb aller (to go) is used to speak about something that will happen soon. The future tense expresses what will happen or what the subject will do at some time in the future. The future tense is also used after conjunctions of time to refer to future actions. The futur antérieur is the compound form of the future tense and expresses what shall or will have been entirely completed at a given time or what will have been completed before another future action takes place.
The Near Future Events or actions that will take place in the immediate future may be expressed in the following manner: ■ By using the present:
Je te rappelle dans cinq minutes. (I’ll call you back in five minutes.) ■ By using the conjugated form of the verb aller (je vais, tu vas, il
va, nous allons, vous allez, ils vont) + an infinitive to express what the subject is going to do:
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Je vais te téléphoner à huit heures. (I am going to call you at eight o’clock.) Negating the near future In a negative sentence, put the negative expression around the conjugated form of aller: Ils ne vont pas nous attendre. (They aren’t going to wait for us.) Je ne vais jamais fumer. (I’m never going to smoke.) Questions in the near future In an inverted question, invert the conjugated form of aller and the subject pronoun and join them with a hyphen: Vas-tu sortir ce soir? (Are you going out tonight?) Vont-ils aller au musée? (Are they going to go to the museum?) To negate an inverted question, put the negative expression around the entire inverted form: Ne vas-tu jamais visiter la France? (Aren’t you ever going to visit France?)
The Future Tense The future tense is used to express a future action or state, that is, what will happen in a future time. Future tense of regular verbs The future tense of regular verbs is formed by adding the endings shown in Table 9-1. Note that the ending for the je, tu, il, and ils form is the present tense of avoir. The nous form is formed by adding -ons; the vous form is formed by adding -ez. Table 9-1
The Future of Regular Verbs
Subject
Ending
-er Verbs
-ir Verbs
-re Verbs
je
-ai
jouerai
finirai
rendrai
tu
-as
joueras
finiras
rendras
il/elle/on
-a
jouera
finira
rendra
nous
-ons
jouerons
finirons
rendrons (continued)
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Table 9-1
(continued)
Subject
Ending
-er Verbs
-ir Verbs
-re Verbs
vous
-ez
jouerez
finirez
rendrez
ils/elles/on
-ont
joueront
finiront
rendront
Note the following about forming the future tense of regular verbs: ■ Endings are added to the complete infinitive of -er and -ir verbs. ■ For -re verbs, drop the final e before adding the appropriate future
ending: rendre: ils rendront ■ For -er verbs, if the stem has two consecutive pronounced conso-
nants before -er, the e of the -er infinitive ending is pronounced: parler: il parlera ■ If the stem has one pronounced consonant before -er, the e of the
-er infinitive is silent: diner: nous dînerons Spelling changes in the future tense All verbs that require spelling changes form the future in the same way as regular verbs: infinitive + future ending. The following are exceptions to this rule: ■ For verbs ending in -yer (except envoyer, which is irregular and
has enverr- as its stem), change y to i in all forms of the future tense. Verbs ending in -ayer may or may not make this change: je nettoierai, nous nettoierons (I will clean, we will clean) j’essaierai or j’essayerai (I will try) ■ For verbs ending in e + consonant + -er (but not é + consonant +
-er), change the silent e before the infinitive ending to è in all forms of the future tense: tu amèneras, vous amènerez (you will bring) ■ With appeler and jeter, double the consonant in the future tense:
vous appellerez (you will call) vous jetterez (you will throw)
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Future Tense of Irregular Verbs Verbs that are irregular in the future (and the derivatives of these verbs) have future stems (verb forms to which endings are added) ending in -r or -rr. Add the future endings to these stems to get the correct future form, as shown in the list below. Infinitive
Future Stem
aller (to go)
ir-
apercevoir (to notice)
apercevr-
asseoir (to seat)
assiér- or assoir-
avoir (to have)
aur-
courir (to run)
courr-
cueillir (to pick)
cueiller-
devoir (to have to)
devr-
envoyer (to send)
enverr-
être (to be)
ser-
faire (to make, to do)
fer-
falloir (to be necessary)
faudr-
mourir (to die)
mourr-
pleuvoir (to rain)
pleuvr-
pouvoir (to be able to)
pourr-
recevoir (to receive)
recevr-
savoir (to know)
saur-
tenir (to hold)
tiendr-
valoir (to be worth)
vaudr-
venir (to come)
viendr-
voir (to see)
verr-
vouloir (to wish, to want)
voudr-
For example: J’irai en ville cet après-midi. (I’ll go downtown this afternoon.) Tu recevras une surprise. (You’ll receive a surprise.)
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Irregularities in the future also occur in related verbs: Je te reverrai demain. (I’ll see you tomorrow.) Negating in the future tense To negate a sentence in the future, simply put ne and the negative word around the conjugated verb: Nous ne saurons pas tout de suite les résultats. (We won’t know the results immediately.) Il ne fera rien demain. (He won’t do anything tomorrow.) Remember that pronouns remain before the conjugated verb: Elle ne t’enverra pas le paquet avant mercredi. (She won’t send you the package before Wednesday.) Questions in the future To form a question using inversion, reverse the order of the subject pronoun and the verb and join them with a hyphen: Fera-t-il une partie de tennis ce matin? (Will he play a game of tennis this morning?) Travaillerez-vous pendant le week-end? (Will you work on the weekend?) To negate an inverted question, put ne and the negative expression around the inverted form. Remember that all object and adverbial pronouns must remain before the conjugated form of the verb: Ne lui direz-vous pas la vérité? (Won’t you tell him [her] the truth?) N’y iront-elles pas? (Won’t they go there?) Uses of the future Note the following about when and when not to use the future in French: ■ Be careful to distinguish “will” as used to form the future and the
verb vouloir (to wish, to want), which translates as “will” when it expresses “willingness”: Je t’aiderai. (I will help you.) Veux-tu m’aider? (Will you [do you wish, are you willing to] help me?)
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■ The future tense is NOT used in French in a subordinate clause
requiring the subjunctive (see Chapter 11): Je doute qu’il réussisse. (I doubt he will succeed.) ■ When the main clause is in the present tense, the future or the pres-
ent may be used after croire que (to believe that), penser que (to think that), savoir que (to know that), espérer que (to hope that), and ne pas savoir si (to not know if ) to express a future action: Je pense qu’il vient. Je pense qu’il viendra. I think he is coming (is going to come, will come). ■ The future may be used conversationally to express probability
or supposition, especially with avoir and être: Elle ne mange rien. Elle sera malade. (She isn’t eating anything. She must be sick.) Il crie de toutes ses forces. Il aura peur. (He’s screaming at the top of his lungs. He must be afraid.) ■ The future tense is used after the following conjunctions of time
when the verb in the main clause is in the future tense, even if the present tense is used in English: quand, lorsque, au moment où (when) Je lui parlerai quand (lorsque, au moment où) il arrivera. (I will speak to him when he arrives.) dès que, aussitôt que (as soon as) Dès que (Aussitôt que) tu me téléphoneras, je viendrai te chercher. (As soon as you call me, I’ll come get you.) pendant que, tandis que (while) Je lirai pendant que (tandis que) mon mari jouera au golf. (I’ll read while my husband is playing golf.)
The Futur Antérieur The futur antérieur (future perfect) is used to express a future action or event that will be completed before another future action or to describe a future action or event that will have been completed in the future.
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Forming the futur antérieur The futur antérieur is formed by using the future tense of the helping verb (avoir or être) + the past participle of the action being performed. The futur antérieur tells what the subject will or shall have done: Ils auront fini avant mon départ. (They will have finished before my departure.) Nous serons déjà partis quand vous arriverez. (We will have already left when you arrive.) Les enfants se seront déjà couchés quand leurs parents reviendront. (The children will have already gone to bed when their parents return.) Demain à cette heure, il sera revenu de son voyage. (Tomorrow at this time, he will have come back from his trip.) Negating the futur antérieur To negate a sentence in the futur antérieur, simply put ne and the negative word around the conjugated helping verb: Je n’aurai pas fini mon travail avant minuit. (I will not have finished my work before midnight.) Il n’aura rien accompli. (He will have accomplished nothing.) Remember that pronouns remain before the conjugated verb: Je n’y serai pas allé avant lundi. (I will not have gone there before Monday.) Questions in the futur antérieur To form a question using inversion, reverse the order of the subject pronoun and the verb and join them with a hyphen. Use -t- to link two vowels: Sera-t-elle revenue avant la fin de mai? (Will she have returned before the end of May?) To negate an inverted question, put ne and the negative expression around the inverted form. Remember that all object and adverbial pronouns must remain before the conjugated form of the verb: N’aura-t-il pas fini le travail? (Won’t he have finished the work?) Ne l’aura-t-il pas fini? (Won’t he have finished it?)
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Uses of the futur antérieur The futur antérieur is used after the conjunctions quand (when), lorsque (when), aussitôt que (as soon as), dès que (as soon as), and après que (after) when the future is used in the main clause: Après que nos invités seront partis, nous nous coucherons. (As soon as our guests have left, we will go to bed.) The futur antérieur is also used to express probability or supposition in the past: Il n’est pas venu. Il aura oublié notre rendez-vous. (He didn’t come. He must have forgotten our appointment.) Elle est en retard. Il sera arrivé quelque chose. (She’s late. Something must have happened.) Chapter Checkout
Complete each sentence by using the future tense in the main clause and the futur antérieur after the conjunction. 1. Le (faire) ____-tu après que nous (rentrer) _____________? 2. Aussitôt que je (j’) (manger) ____________, nous (aller) _______ faire
une balade. 3. Ils (être) __________ contents lorsqu’ils (comprendre) ______ le livre. 4. Elle (envoyer) ________ la lettre dès qu’elle l’ (écrire) _______________. 5. Quand elle (partir) _____________, nous (se lever) ________________. Answers: 1. feras, serons rentré(e)s 2. aurai mangé, irons 3. seront, auront compris 4. enverra, aura écrite 5. sera partie, nous lèverons
Chapter 10 THE CONDITIONAL AND CONDITIONAL SENTENCES Chapter Check-In ❑ The conditional ❑ The conditionnel passé ❑ Conditional sentences
he conditional is not a tense because it does not relate to a period in time. Rather, the conditional is a mood that expresses or implies that an T action or event would happen given certain circumstances or suppositions. The conditionnel passé (past conditional) is the compound form of the conditional and expresses what would have taken place had something else happened or had something else not interfered. Conditional sentences are composed of condition and result clauses. These types of sentences express real and contrary-to-fact conditions and require certain sequences of tenses in their clauses.
The Conditional The conditional is used to express what would happen given certain events or actions. Forming the conditional of regular verbs The conditional of regular verbs is formed using the same stem (the infinitive) that is used for the future tense and by adding the imperfect endings shown in Table 10-1. Note that for -re regular verbs, the final -e from the infinitive ending is dropped before adding the conditional ending.
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Table 10-1
The Conditional of Regular Verbs
Subject
Ending
-er Verbs
-ir Verbs
-re Verbs
je
-ais
jouerais
finirais
rendrais
tu
-ais
jouerais
finirais
rendrais
il/elle/on
-ait
jouerait
finirait
rendrait
nous
-ions
jouerions
finirions
rendrions
vous
-iez
joueriez
finiriez
rendriez
ils/elles/on
-aient
joueraient
finiraient
rendraient
Forming the conditional of irregular verbs For irregular verbs and verbs with spelling changes, you simply add conditional endings to the stems used for the future, as shown in the following list. Infinitive
Future Stem
acheter (to buy)
achèter-
aller (to go)
ir-
apercevoir (to notice)
apercevr-
appeler (to call)
appeller-
asseoir (to seat)
assiér- or assoir-
avoir (to have)
aur-
courir (to run)
courr-
cueillir (to pick)
cueiller-
devoir (to have to)
devr-
ennuyer (to bother)
ennuier-
envoyer (to send)
enverr-
être (to be)
ser-
faire (to make, to do)
fer-
falloir (to be necessary)
faudr-
jeter (to throw)
jetter-
mourir (to die)
mourr-
payer (to pay)
paier- or payer-
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Infinitive
Future Stem
pleuvoir (to rain)
pleuvr-
pouvoir (to be able to)
pourr-
recevoir (to receive)
recevr-
savoir (to know)
saur-
tenir (to hold)
tiendr-
valoir (to be worth)
vaudr-
venir (to come)
viendr-
voir (to see)
verr-
vouloir (to wish, to want)
voudr-
Irregularities in the conditional also occur in verbs derived from the ones listed above: Je le rappellerais.
I would call him back.
Negating in the conditional To negate a sentence in the conditional, simply put ne and the negative word around the conjugated verb: Je ne défendrais pas cet homme. (I wouldn’t defend that man.) Il ne ferait jamais ce travail. (He would never do that work.) Remember that pronouns remain before the conjugated verb: Elle ne le verrait plus. (She would never see him again.) Questions in the conditional To form a question using inversion, reverse the order of the subject pronoun and the verb, and join them with a hyphen: Visiterais-tu la Chine? (Would you visit China?) To negate an inverted question, put ne and the negative expression around the inverted form. Remember that all object and adverbial pronouns must remain before the conjugated form of the verb: N’y travailleriez-vous pas? (Wouldn’t you work there?) Ne la consulterait-il pas? (Wouldn’t he consult her?)
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Uses of the conditional Note the following about when and when not to use the conditional in French: ■ Be careful to distinguish between “would” as used in the conditional
and “would” as used in the imperfect to express “used to”: J’irais à Paris. (I would go to Paris.) J’allais fréquemment à Paris. (I would [used to] go to Paris frequently.) ■ Be careful to distinguish between “would” as used to form the con-
ditional and the verb vouloir in the imperfect or in the passé composé to express “would” in the sense of “to be willing”: Sous ces conditions, il signerait le contrat. (Under those conditions, he would sign the contract.) Il ne voulait pas signer le contrat or Il n’a pas voulu signer le contrat. (He wouldn’t [wasn’t willing to] sign the contract.) ■ The conditional of the verb pouvoir (to be able to) is used when
“could” means “should be able to”: Il pourrait gagner. (He could [should be able to] win.) Il ne pouvait pas gagner or Il n’a pas pu gagner. (He couldn’t [wasn’t able] to win.) ■ The conditional is used after the following conjunctions of time
when the verb in the main clause is in the conditional, even if English uses the past tense: quand, lorsque, au moment où (when) dès que, aussitôt que (as soon as) pendant que, tandis que (while) Elle lirait l’article lorsqu’ (quand, au moment où) elle aurait le temps. (She would read the article when she had the time.) Dès que (Aussitôt que) vous le lui expliqueriez, elle le comprendrait. (As soon as you explained it to her, she would understand it.) ■ The conditional is used after au cas où (in case) even if English uses
the present:
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Je ne sortirai pas au cas où il téléphonerait. (I won’t go out in case he calls.) ■ The conditional is used to soften a request, a desire, or a demand:
Pourrais-tu m’aider? (Could you help me?) J’aimerais voyager. (I would like to travel.) Je voudrais vous parler. (I would like to speak to you.) ■ The conditional is used to express a possible action or condition in
the present: Quel temps ferait-il? Il ferait froid. (What could the weather be like? It could be cold.) ■ The conditional may be used by reporters and journalists to describe
an action that is unsure or not known to be true: Le président voyagerait en Afrique. (It is rumored [alleged, said] that the president will travel to Africa.)
The Conditionnel Passé The conditionnel passé (past conditional) is used to express what would have taken place in the past had some other action, event, or situation occurred. Forming the conditionnel passé The conditionnel passé is formed by using the conditional of the helping verb (avoir or être) + the past participle of the action being performed. Conditionnel passé observes the same rules of agreement as the passé composé. The past conditional tells what the subject would have done: Je l’aurais salué, mais je ne l’ai pas vu. (I would have greeted him, but I didn’t see him.) Elles seraient arrivées à l’heure, mais leur voiture était en panne. (They would have arrived on time, but their car broke down.) Anne se serait déjà réveillée, mais son réveil n’a pas marché. (Anne would have already awakened, but her alarm clock didn’t work.) Negating the conditionnel passé To negate a sentence in the conditionnel passé, simply put ne and the negative word around the conjugated helping verb:
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Même avec plus de temps, il n’aurait jamais fini cet examen. (Even with more time, he would never have finished that test.) Je n’aurais plus dansé parce que j’avais mal aux pieds. (I wouldn’t have danced any more because my feet hurt.) Remember that pronouns remain before the conjugated verb: Ces chaussures? Il ne les aurait jamais achetées. (Those shoes? He never would have bought them.) Questions in the conditionnel passé To form a question using inversion, reverse the order of the subject pronoun and the verb, and join them with a hyphen: Serait-elle venue sans son mari? (Would she have come without her husband?) To negate an inverted question, put ne and the negative expression around the inverted form. Remember that all object and adverbial pronouns must remain before the conjugated form of the verb: N’auriez-vous pas aidé ces gens? (Wouldn’t you have helped those people?) Uses of the conditionnel passé Like the conditional, the conditionnel passé is used to express a possible action in the past: Serait-il arrivé pendant mon absence? (Could he have arrived during my absence?) Also like the conditional, the conditionnel passé is used by reporters and journalists to describe an action that is unsure: Deux accidents de voiture auraient eu lieu hier. (It is reported [alleged, rumored, said] that two car accidents took place yesterday.)
Conditional Sentences A conditional sentence is made up of a si clause (also known as a condition clause) and a result, or main, clause. Only four tenses of the indicative mood (the mood that states a fact) may normally be used in French in the si clause: the present, the passé composé, the imperfect, and the plusque-parfait. The tense used in the main clause is the same in both French and English. In a conditional sentence, si generally means “if.”
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Real conditions A condition that describes what is possible or likely in the present or past is called a “real” condition: Si tu me téléphones, je te parlerai. (If you call me, I will speak to you.) The sequence of tenses for a real condition is shown in Table 10-2. Table 10-2
Sequence of Tenses for Real Conditions The Tense in the Si Clause
The Tense/Mood in the Main Clause
A real possibility in the present or future
Present
Present Future (perfect) Imperative (command)
A real possibility in the past
Passé composé
The same tense as one would use in English
The Condition
In the examples below, note that either clause may begin the sentence, but in the si clause, the subject must be followed by the present or the passé composé. Note that si elides with il or ils to become s’il and s’ils, respectively, but does not elide with elle (si elle) or elles (si elles). Si followed by the present: Si j’ai soif, je bois de l’eau. (If I’m thirsty, I drink water.) Tu réussiras, si tu étudies beaucoup. (You will succeed, if you study a lot.) S’il ne commence pas immédiatement, il n’aura pas fini avant midi. (If he doesn’t start immediately, he will not have finished before noon.) Si je suis en retard, attends-moi. (If I’m late, wait for me.) Si followed by the passé composé: Le vol n’est pas encore arrivé, si j’ai bien entendu. (The flight hasn’t arrived yet, if I heard correctly.) Si j’ai bien compris, elle a changé d’avis. (If I understood correctly, she changed her mind.) S’il s’est trompé, il perdra beaucoup d’argent. (If he made a mistake, he will lose a lot of money.) Elle ne savait pas les détails, si elle vous a dit cela. (She didn’t know the details, if she told you that.) Si tu l’as appris, n’en dis rien. (If you heard about it, don’t say anything.)
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Contrary-to-fact conditions A conditional sentence that describes a situation or event that is unlikely is called “contrary-to-fact” or “unreal”: You might say the following if you’re not expecting snow: S’il neigeait, je ne sortirais pas. (If it snowed, I wouldn’t go out.) The sequence of tenses for a contrary-to-fact condition is shown in Table 10-3. Table 10-3
Sequence of Tenses for Contrary-to-Fact Conditions The Tense in the Si Clause
The Tense/Mood in the Main Clause
Unrealized, unreal, contrary-to-fact, or unlikely in the present or future
Imperfect
Generally the conditional, but may be the same as in English
Unrealized, unreal, contrary-to-fact, or unlikely in the past
Plus-que-parfait
Generally the past conditional, but may be the same as the tense used in English
The Condition
Once again, either clause may begin the sentence, but in the si clause, the subject must be followed by the imperfect or the plus-que-parfait. Si followed by the imperfect: Si j’étais riche, je m’achèterais un château. (If I were rich, I’d buy myself a castle.) Je t’enverrais de l’argent, si tu en avais besoin. (I would send you money, if you needed some.) S’il avait eu le temps, il t’aurait aidé. (If he had had the time, he would have helped you.) J’aurais fait un gâteau, si j’avais su que tu venais. (I would have baked a cake, if I had known you were coming.) In conditional sentences, si always means “if.” When si means “whether,” it may be followed by any tense, just as in English: Savez-vous si elle travaillera demain? (Do you know if she will work tomorrow?) Je ne savais pas s’il le ferait. (I didn’t know whether he would do it.)
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Chapter Checkout
Complete the sentence by giving the correct form of the verb in parentheses. 1. Si je suis libre, je (j’) (faire) _____ les courses. 2. Je (j’) (devenir) _____ chef, si j’avais aimé cuisiner. 3. S’il (pleuvoir) _____, nous ne sortirions pas. 4. Il avait tort, s’il (dire) _____ cela. 5. S’il faisait beau, je (j’) (aller) _____ à la plage.
Answers: 1. ferai 2. serais devenu 3. pleuvait 4. a dit 5. irais
Chapter 11 THE SUBJUNCTIVE Chapter Check-In ❑ Using the present subjunctive and past subjunctive ❑ Using the imperfect and pluperfect subjunctive ❑ Knowing how to avoid using the subjunctive
he subjunctive is an indispensable means of expression in French. Its use is much more prevalent in French than in English, where an infiniT tive is often used instead. The subjunctive is a mood used to express an action that is dependent on a subjective idea, opinion, or condition. The subjunctive is used after verbs and impersonal expressions showing opinion, doubt, need, want, emotion, denial, disbelief, preference, desire, permission, prohibition; after a request or a command; after certain conjunctions; after superlative expressions; after certain indefinites; in relative clauses; and in third-person commands. The present subjunctive is used to express both present and future time, while the past or perfect subjunctive is used to express an action that has already taken place. Although the imperfect and pluperfect subjunctive do exist, they have disappeared from the spoken language and are used and seen only in very formal writing.
The Present Subjunctive The present subjunctive is used much more frequently in French than in English (where it has been largely replaced by the indicative) and, therefore, needs special attention. Note: Here are a few examples of the subjunctive in English:
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I demand that he see a doctor. If the apple were ripe, it would be delicious. She looks as if she were sick. Forming the present subjunctive The present subjunctive of regular verbs and of many irregular verbs is formed by dropping the -ent from the third person plural (ils/elles) form of the present tense (see Chapter 3) and adding the endings shown in Table 11-1. Table 11-1
The Present Subjunctive of Regular Verbs
Subject
Ending
-er Verbs
-ir Verbs
-re Verbs
parlent
finissent
vendent
je
-e
parle
finisse
vende
tu
-es
parles
finisses
vendes
il/elle/on
-e
parle
finisse
vende
nous
-ions
parlions
finissions
vendions
vous
-iez
parliez
finissiez
vendiez
ils/elles
-ent
parlent
finissent
vendent
Some irregular verbs and some verbs with spelling changes use two different stems (the verb form to which endings are added) to form the present subjunctive: ■ The ils stem of the present tense for je, tu, il/elle/on, ils/elles. ■ The nous form of the present tense for nous and vous.
The list below gives examples of verbs that use two different stems: Verb
Ils Stem
Nous Stem
apercevoir
aperçoiv-
apercev-
appeler
appell-
appel-
acheter
achèt-
achet-
boire
boiv-
buv-
croire
croi-
croy-
Chapter 11: The Subjunctive
Verb
Ils Stem
Nous Stem
devoir
doiv-
dev-
ennuyer
ennui-
ennuy-
jeter
jett-
jet-
manger
mange-
mang-
mourir
meur-
mour-
préférer
préfèr-
préfér-
prendre
prenn-
pren-
recevoir
reçoiv-
recev-
tenir
tienn-
ten-
venir
vienn-
ven-
voir
voi-
voy-
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The following verbs are completely irregular and must be memorized: ■ Verbs with one stem:
faire: je fasse, tu fasses, il fasse, nous fassions, vous fassiez, ils fassent falloir: il faille pleuvoir: il pleuve pouvoir: je puisse, tu puisses, il puisse, nous puissions, vous puissiez, ils puissent savoir: je sache, tu saches, il sache, nous sachions, vous sachiez, ils sachent ■ Verbs with two stems:
aller: j’aille, tu ailles, il aille, nous allions, vous alliez, il aillent avoir: j’aie, tu aies, il ait, nous ayons, vous ayez, ils aient être: je sois, tu sois, il soit, nous soyons, vous soyez, ils soient valoir: je vaille, tu vailles, il vaille, nous valions, vous valiez, ils vaillent vouloir: je veuille, tu veuilles, il veuille, nous voulions, vous vouliez, ils veuillent
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Using the present subjunctive The present subjunctive refers to actions in the present or the future. For example: Il est nécessaire que je finisse mon travail. (It’s necessary that I finish my work.) The subjunctive is needed when all of the following conditions are met: ■ The sentence contains two different clauses (a dependent and a main
clause) with two different subjects. ■ The clauses are joined by que (that) or, in special instances, by qui
(who). ■ One of the clauses shows a wish, want, need, necessity, emotion,
doubt, or denial, or one of the clauses requires the subjunctive in some other respect (see the corresponding sections below). After impersonal expressions The subjunctive is used after impersonal expressions that show doubt, emotion, need, or opinion: Il faut que tu ailles chez le docteur. (It is necessary that you go to the doctor.) The expressions below are all followed by que and require the subjunctive in the clause that follows: ■ il est absurde (it is absurd) ■ il est amusant (it is amusing) ■ il est bon (it is good) ■ il est curieux (it is curious) ■ il est dommage (it is a pity) ■ il est douteux (it is doubtful) ■ il est essentiel (it is essential) ■ il est étonnant (it is amazing) ■ il est étrange (it is strange) ■ il est gentil (it is nice) ■ il est impératif (it is imperative)
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■ il est important (it is important) ■ il est impossible (it is impossible) ■ il est indispensable (it is indispensable) ■ il est injuste (it is unfair) ■ il est intéressant (it is interesting) ■ il est ironique (it is ironic) ■ il est juste (it is fair) ■ il est naturel (it is natural) ■ il est nécessaire (it is necessary) ■ il est normal (it is normal) ■ il est possible (it is possible) ■ il est préférable (it is preferable) ■ il est rare (it is rare) ■ il est regrettable (it is regrettable) ■ il est surprenant (it is surprising) ■ il est temps (it is time) ■ il est urgent (it is urgent) ■ il est utile (it is useful) ■ il convient (it is fitting) ■ il faut (it is necessary) ■ il semble (it seems) ■ il suffit (it is enough) ■ il vaut mieux (it is better)
For many impersonal expressions, c’est may be used in place of il est: C’est étrange qu’il ne vienne pas. (It’s strange that he isn’t coming.) After verbs and expressions of doubt, denial, and disbelief The subjunctive is used after verbs and expressions of doubt, denial, and disbelief. When doubt is negated, certainty or probability exists and the
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indicative tenses (present, passé composé, imperfect, future) are used. Many verbs and expressions show certainty and probability. When these verbs and expressions, shown in Table 11-2, are used in the negative or the interrogative, they imply uncertainty or doubt and require the subjunctive. ■ Subjunctive is used: Je ne suis pas sûre qu’elle parte en vacances. (I’m
not sure that she will be going away on vacation.) ■ Future tense is used: Je suis sûre qu’elle partira en vacances. (I’m sure
that she will be going away on vacation.) Table 11-2
The Subjunctive and the Indicative after Impersonal Expressions
Expressions of Certainty: Use the Indicative after Them
Expressions of Uncertainty: Use the Subjunctive after Them
je sais (I know)
je doute (I doubt) je ne sais pas (I do not know)
je suis sûr(e) (I am sure)
je ne suis pas sûr(e) (I am not sure)
je suis certain(e) (I am certain)
je ne suis pas certain(e) (I am not certain)
il est certain (it is certain)
il n’est pas certain (it is not certain) il est douteux (it is doubtful)
il est clair (it is clear)
il n’est pas clair (it is not clear)
il est évident (it is evident)
il n’est pas évident (it is not evident)
il est exact (it is exact)
il n’est pas exact (it is not exact)
il paraît (it appears)
il semble (it seems)
il est vrai (it is true)
il n’est pas vrai (it is not true)
il est sûr (it is sure)
il n’est pas sûr (it is not sure)
il est probable (it is probable)
il est improbable (it is improbable) il est possible (it is possible) il est impossible (it is impossible) il se peut (it is possible)
The subjunctive expresses a potential action whose realization is in doubt or is uncertain. The desired purpose or end may never be met. There is a distinct difference in mental outlook between the indicative il est probable (it is probable) and the subjunctive il est possible (it is possible):
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Il est probable qu’il vendra sa voiture. (It is probable that he will sell his car.) Il est possible qu’il vende sa voiture. (It is possible that he will sell his car.) That same difference exists between the indicative il paraît (it appears) and the subjunctive il semble (it seems): Il paraît que tu sais la réponse. (It appears that you know the answer.) Il semble que tu saches la réponse. (It seems that you know the answer.) After declarative verbs or verbs of opinion or knowledge—such as penser (to think), croire (to believe), espérer (to hope), affirmer (to affirm), assurer (to assure), remarquer (to notice), and estimer (to esteem)—the indicative or the subjunctive is selected depending on the degree of certainty or uncertainty that the speaker wishes to convey or on the speaker’s attitude toward the statement contained in the clause: If the action is viewed as potentially happening, use the subjunctive, and if it is an accomplished fact, use the indicative. Used affirmatively, these verbs of opinion or knowledge usually require the indicative because they show belief, conviction, or knowledge on the part of the speaker: Je crois qu’elle recevra le prix (I believe she’ll receive the prize). Used negatively or interrogatively, these verbs usually (but not always) take the subjunctive because they convey doubt or uncertainty: ■ The speaker has no doubt, so the indicative is used: Pensez-vous
qu’elle peut réussir? (Do you think she can succeed?) ■ The speaker has doubts, so the subjunctive is used: Pensez-vous
qu’elle puisse réussir? (Do you think she can succeed?) After a wish or a command The subjunctive is used in the clause following verbs that express a wish, request, command, permission, prohibition, preference, or desire. For example: Mon père défend que nous allions voir ce film. (My father forbids us to see that film.) Il préfère que nous fassions nos devoirs. (He prefers that we do our homework.) Here is a list of such verbs: ■ aimer mieux (to prefer) ■ commander (to order)
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■ conseiller (to advise) ■ consentir (to consent) ■ demander (to ask) ■ défendre (to forbid) ■ désirer (to desire) ■ empêcher (to prevent) ■ exiger (to demand) ■ insister (to insist) ■ interdire (to forbid) ■ ordonner (to order) ■ permettre (to permit) ■ préférer (to prefer) ■ souhaiter (to wish) ■ suggérer (to suggest) ■ vouloir (to want)
After adjectives, nouns, verbs, and expressions of emotion and feeling The subjunctive is used after adjectives, nouns, verbs, and expressions of emotion and feeling. To express emotions using adjectives, use the subject pronoun + être (conjugated) + adjective + que + the subjunctive: Il est ravi que vous veniez le voir. (He is delighted that you are coming to see him.) The following adjectives follow the verb être (to be): ■ content(e) (content) ■ désolé(e) (sorry) ■ embarrassé (embarrassed) ■ enchanté(e), ravi(e) (delighted) ■ ennuyé(e) (annoyed)
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■ étonné(e) (astonished) ■ fâché(e) (angry) ■ fier (fière) (proud) ■ flatté(e) (flattered) ■ furieux(euse) (furious) ■ gêné(e) (bothered) ■ heureux(euse) (happy) ■ irrité(e), énervé(e) (irritated) ■ malheureux(euse) (unhappy) ■ mécontent(e) (displeased) ■ surpris(e) (surprised) ■ triste (sad)
The following nouns follow the verb avoir (to have): ■ honte (shame) ■ peur (afraid)
For example: Il a peur qu’elle le laisse. (He is afraid she will leave him.) The following verbs require the subjunctive: ■ craindre (to fear) ■ regretter (to be sorry) ■ s’étonner (to be astonished, to be surprised) ■ se fâcher (to become angry) ■ se réjouir (to rejoice, to be happy)
For example: Elle s’étonne qu’il soit si intelligent. (She is astonished that he is so intelligent.)
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After certain conjunctions Conjunctions are words that connect and relate words, phrases, and clauses within a sentence. Conjunctions are invariable—their spelling never changes. The subjunctive is used after conjunctions that express the following: ■ Time: jusqu’à ce que (until), avant que (before), en attendant que
(until), aussi loin que (far from) Tu partiras avant que je puisse te dire “au revoir.” (You’re going to leave before I can say goodbye to you.) ■ Purpose or result: pour que (in order that), afin que (in order that),
de manière que (so that), de sorte que (so that), de façon que (so that) Il crie pour que tu l’entendes. (He screams so that you can hear him.) ■ Concession: bien que (although), quoique (although), encore que
(although), malgré que (although) Quoiqu’elle soit à la maison, elle ne répond pas au téléphone. (Although she’s at home, she doesn’t answer the phone.) ■ Condition: à condition que (provided that), pourvu que (provided
that), à moins que (unless) Je t’aiderai à condition que tu fasses attention. (I’ll help you provided that you pay attention.) ■ Fear: de crainte que (for fear that), de peur que (for fear that)
Le bébé pleure de crainte que le docteur ne lui fasse mal. (The baby cries for fear that the doctor will hurt him.) ■ Negation: sans que (without)
Il est arrivé sans qu’elle le sache. (He arrived without her knowing it.) The conjunctions à moins que, avant que, de peur que, de crainte que, de manière que, and de sorte que may be followed by ne before the verb in an affirmative sentence. Ne + another negative word are used in the negative: Il court vite de peur que l’ homme ne le batte. (He runs quickly for fear that the man will beat him.) The following conjunctions take the indicative:
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■ après que (after) ■ aussitôt que (as soon as) ■ dès que (as soon as) ■ parce que (because) ■ pendant que (while) ■ peut-être que (perhaps) ■ puisque (since) ■ tandis que (while, whereas)
For example: Je l’aime parce qu’il est très gentil. (I like him because he is very nice.) After superlative expressions The subjunctive is used after superlative expressions and l’unique (the only), le seul (the only), le premier (the first), le dernier (the last), and ne . . . que (only) when these expressions show opinion, emotion, or exaggeration: C’est la meilleure pièce qu’on puisse voir. (That’s the best play you can see.) Il n’y a qu’une personne qui sache jouer de la clarinette. (There is only one person who knows how to play the clarinet.) After certain indefinites The subjunctive is used after certain indefinite words: ■ de quelque manière que (however) ■ où que (wherever) ■ quel(le)(s) que (whatever) ■ quelque . . . que (however) ■ qui que (whoever) ■ quoi que (whatever) ■ si . . . que (however) ■ soit que . . . soit que (whether . . . or)
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For example: Soit que tu viennes, soit que tu ne viennes pas, j’irai. (Whether or not you come, I’ll go.) Quelles que soient vos intentions, il les ignorera. (Whatever your intentions may be, he will ignore them.) In relative clauses The subjunctive is used in relative clauses if the person or thing mentioned in the main clause is indefinite, nonexistent, or desired but not yet found. Compare the following sentences: Je cherche un mari qui soit patient. (I’m looking for a patient husband). [I may never find one.] J’ai un mari qui est patient. (I have a husband who is patient.) [He exists.] Connaissez-vous quelqu’un qui sache parler grec? (Do you know someone who speaks Greek?) [There may not be anyone.] Elle connaît quelqu’un qui sait parler grec. (She knows someone who knows how to speak Greek.) [There is such a person.] In third-person commands The subjunctive is used in third-person (il, elle, ils, elles) commands or wishes: Vive le président! (Long live the president!) Qu’elle entre! (Let her come in!) Qu’ils aient de la chance! (May they be lucky!)
The Past Subjunctive The past subjunctive is formed by using the subjunctive of the helping verb (avoir or être) + the past participle of the action being performed. The past subjunctive is used like the passé composé to express an action that has already taken place in the past: Il est regrettable qu’il n’ait pas réussi. (It is a shame that he didn’t succeed.) Il est douteux qu’ils soient partis. (It is doubtful that they left.) Il est important qu’elles se soient bien amusées. (It is important that they had a very good time.)
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The Imperfect and the Pluperfect Subjunctive Although these tenses are not used in speaking, it is possible that they will appear in literature. The imperfect subjunctive is formed by dropping the final letter of the je form of the passé simple (see Chapter 8) and adding the endings shown in Table 11-3. Table 11-3
The Imperfect Subjunctive
Subject
Ending
-er Verbs
-ir Verbs
-re Verbs
parlai
finis
vendis
je
-sse
parlasse
finisse
vendisse
tu
-sses
parlasses
finisses
vendisses
il
-^t
parlât
finît
vendît
nous
-ssions
parlassions
finissions
vendissions
vous
-ssiez
parlassiez
finissiez
vendissiez
ils
-ssent
parlassent
finissent
vendissent
The pluperfect subjunctive is formed by combining the imperfect subjunctive of the helping verb (avoir [eusse, eusses, eût, eussions, eussiez, eussent]) or être [fusse, fusses, fût, fussions, fussiez, fussent]) + the past participle of the verb denoting the action. The pluperfect subjunctive is used in literature only when the main clause is in any other time but the present: Je ne croyais pas qu’il fût revenu. (I didn’t think he had come back.)
Avoiding the Subjunctive The subjunctive may be avoided in the following ways: ■ If the subjects of both clauses in the sentence are exactly the same
in meaning, que is omitted and the subjunctive is replaced by the infinitive: J’aimerais faire du shopping. (I would like to go shopping.) BUT:
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J’aimerais que nous fassions du shopping. (I would like for us to go shopping.) Note that the same subject pronoun can indicate different subjects and il can be impersonal: Il faut qu’il vienne. (He must come.) Il doute qu’il vienne. (He [Pierre] doubts that he [Marc] will come.) BUT: Il doute qu’il viendra. (He [Marc] doubts that he [Marc] will come.) ■ When conjunctions are used, if the subjects of the two clauses are
the same, an infinitive construction is used: Je lui téléphonerai avant de partir. (I’ll call him before leaving.) BUT: Je lui téléphonerai avant que tu partes. (I’ll call him before you leave.) ■ A clause can be replaced with a noun:
Tu me verras avant que je ne parte. (You will see me before I leave.) Tu me verras avant mon départ. (You will see me before my departure.) ■ Que + clause can be replaced with à + person + de + infinitive with
verbs indicating a command, permission, or refusal of permission: Il permet que le garçon sorte. (He permits the boy to leave.) Il permet au garçon de sortir. (He permits the boy to leave.) Chapter Checkout
Complete the sentence with the correct form of the indicative or the subjunctive. 1. Quels que (être) _____ tes défauts, je t’aime à la folie. 2. J’ai trouvé une maison qui me (plaire) ______. 3. Je le ferai de sorte que tu (pouvoir) _____ être fier de moi.
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4. Elle nettoiera la maison avant de (partir) ______. 5. Il est le seul qui (savoir) _____ le faire. 6. Qu’il ne (revenir) ______ pas. 7. Elle regrette que ses fils ne (faire) ______ pas ce voyage. 8. Je suis certaine que l’avion (partir) ______ à l’heure. 9. Il est dommage que cet élève n’ (obéir) ______ pas au prof. 10. Il faut que j’ (aller) ______ chez le dentiste.
Answers: 1. soient 2. plaît 3. puisses 4. partir 5. sache 6. revienne 7. fassent 8. partira 9. obéisse 10. aille
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Chapter 12 INDEFINITES AND THE PASSIVE VOICE Chapter Check-In ❑ Using indefinite adjectives and indefinite pronouns ❑ Using the passive voice
n French, indefinites can be adjectives, pronouns, or both. The most common indefinite adjectives express “any,” “no,” “other,” “certain,” I“some,” “each,” “the same,” “several,” “some,” “all,” and “every.” The most common indefinite pronouns express “any,” “no one,” “none,” “other(s),” “other one(s),” “certain one(s),” “some,” “each one,” “everyone,” “the same one(s),” “one,” “several,” “someone,” “anyone,” “some,” “something,” “anything,” “nothing,” “all,” and “everything.” The rules governing indefinites vary and must be studied on an individual basis. The other topic of this chapter is the passive voice. In the passive voice, the subject is acted upon. In the active voice, which is more frequently used, the subject performs the action. The passive is used less frequently in French than it is in English, and there are ways to avoid its use.
Indefinite Adjectives The most commonly used indefinite adjectives are shown in the following list. Adjective
Meaning
aucun(e)
any, no
autre(s)
other
certain(e)(s)
certain, some
chaque
each, every
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Adjective
Meaning
différent(e)(s)
several, various
divers(e)(es)
several, various
maint(e)(s)
several, various
le (la/les) même(s)
the same
n’importe
no matter
plusieurs
several
quelconque(s)
just any
quelque(s)
a little, some, a few
tel(le)(s)
such, such a, like, as
tout(e)(s), tous
all, every
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Aucun(e) Aucun(e) is used only in the singular and has a masculine and feminine singular form. It is used with a noun to emphasize a negative: Il a travaillé sans aucun effort. (He worked without any effort.) Elle a accepté l’invitation sans aucune hésitation. (She accepted the invitation without any hesitation.) Il n’y a aucun problème. (There is no problem.) Autre(s) Unlike most French adjectives, autre comes before the noun it describes, and may or may not be used with a definite or indefinite article: Donnez-moi une autre tranche de gâteau, s’il vous plaît. (Give me another piece of cake, please.) Ça c’est autre chose. (That’s another story.) The plural of un autre is always d’autres: Il a un problème. Moi, j’ai d’autres problèmes. (He has a problem. Me, I have other problems.) In spoken French, autre may be used to reinforce the subject pronouns nous and vous: Nous autres, nous partirons. (As for us, we’ll leave.) Note: The word encore may be used before un(e) to express “an additional”:
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Apportez-moi encore une tasse de café, s’il vous plaît. (Please bring me another cup of coffee.) Certain(e)(s) The indefinite article un(e) is used when certain is singular. No article is required in the plural: Elle a un certain sourire. (She has a certain smile.) Une certaine Mme. Dupont vous attend. (A certain Mrs. Dupont is waiting for you.) Certains tableaux dans ce musée sont très beaux. (Certain pictures in that museum are very pretty.) Certaines choses sont difficiles à comprendre. (Certain things are difficult to understand.) Chaque The invariable adjective chaque is used only in the singular: Chaque région française a sa propre spécialité. (Each French region has its own specialty.) Différent(e)(s), divers(e)(es), and maint(e)(s) Divers(e)(s) and maint(e)(s) generally stand alone, while différent(e)(s) may be preceded by a preposition. The indefinite adjectives différent(e)(s) and divers(e)(es) are only used in the plural. Maint(e)(s), which is generally used in literary works and not in everyday conversation, may be used in the singular but is usually used in the plural. Diverses personnes m’ont parlé du problème. (Various people told me about the problem.) Il s’est trompé à différentes reprises. (He made a mistake on several different occasions.) Je vous en ai déjà parlé maintes fois. (I have already spoken to you about it many times.) Il m’a donné maints exemples. (He gave me many examples.) Le (la)(les) même(s) Before a noun, le (la) (les) même(s) means “the same.” After a noun, le (la) (les) même(s) means “itself,” “very,” or “even” and can also refer to a quality that is innate. After a pronoun, même is used without a definite article (le, la, les) and is used to identity the person.
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Nous portons les mêmes chaussures. (We’re wearing the same shoes.) C’est toujours la même chose. (It’s always the same thing.) Il est la générosité même. (He is generosity itself.) Ses parents mêmes ne la croient pas. (Even her parents don’t believe her.) J’ai fait le travail moi-même. (I did the work myself.) N’importe N’importe can be followed by quel(le)(s) (no matter which) to show that something doesn’t matter: Téléphone-moi à n’importe quelle heure. (Call me at any time.) N’importe quel docteur te dira la même chose. (Any doctor will tell you the same thing.) Plusieurs Plusieurs is invariable and is always plural: Il a plusieurs amis. (He has several friends.) Quelconque(s) Quelconque(s) is an adjective that usually follows the noun. Quelconque has more or less the same meaning as n’importe quel(le)(s) but with some emphasis on the idea of “any sort” or “any kind”: When quelconque precedes the noun, it has a negative connotation. Choisis un stylo quelconque. (Choose any pen.) Avez-vous une idée quelconque de l’endroit où ça se trouve? (Do you have any idea where it may be?) Quelque(s) In the singular, quelque means “some” or “a little” and is mainly found in literary texts. In the plural, it may have any of the meanings attributed to the singular and may also mean “a small number of.” J’habite à quelque distance d’ici. (I live some distance from here.) Elle ne peut rester que quelques instants. (She can only stay a few minutes.) Quelque can be used as an invariable adverb before a number, and means “about”: Il est âgé de quelque vingt ans. (He is about 20 years old.)
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Tel(le)(s) Tel(le)(s) means “like” or “such.” Tel(le)(s) is replaced by si in expressions containing an adjective: Tel père, tel fils. (Like father, like son.) Je n’ai jamais vu un tel film. (I never saw such a film.) Il faut parler français tel que les Français le parlent. (You have to speak French as the French do.) As-tu jamais lu un si beau livre? (Have you ever read such a beautiful book?) Tout(e)(s) and tous In the singular, when tout is used without an article, it means “each,” “every,” or “any” and is the equivalent of n’importe quel. When tout is followed by an article, it means “the whole” or “the entire.” In certain expressions, tout means “only”: Nous cherchons tout indice qui pourrait nous être utile. (We are looking for any clue that might be useful.) Il a mangé tout le gâteau! (He ate the whole cake!) Pour toute réponse, elle pleurait. (Her only answer was to cry.) In the plural, tous and toutes mean “all” or “every”: Je vais en ville tous les jours. (I go to the city every day.) Toutes les places sont occupées. (All the seats are taken.) Tout can be used as an adverb meaning “completely” or “entirely.” Tout (adverb) is invariable in the following circumstances: ■ When followed by a masculine adjective or past participle:
Jean et Paul sont tout contents d’avoir terminé leurs études. (Jean and Paul are very happy to have finished their studies.) Ils ont tout compris. (They understood everything.) ■ Before a feminine adjective or past participle beginning with a
vowel or silent unaspirated h (no air escapes upon pronunciation): Elle est tout heureuse. (She is very [extremely] happy.) Elle a tout entendu. (She heard everything.) ■ When followed by another adverb:
Continuez tout droit. (Continue to go completely straight.)
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Tout (adverb) must agree in gender and number with a feminine adjective beginning with a consonant or an aspirate h (in which air escapes upon pronunciation): Toute petite, elle aimait la montagne. (As a small child, she loved the mountains.)
Indefinite Pronouns The most commonly used indefinite pronouns are shown in the following list. Pronoun
Meaning
aucun(e)
any, no one, none
autre(s)
other(s), other one(s)
autrui
others
certain(e)(s)
certain one(s), some
chacun(e)
each one, everyone
grand-chose
much
le (la/les) même(s)
the same one(s)
n’importe qui
anyone
n’importe quoi
anything
nul
no one
on
we, you, they, people, one
personne
no one
plusieurs
several
quelqu’un(e)
someone, anyone
quelques-un(e)s
some, a few
quelque chose (m.)
something, anything
quiconque
anyone
qui que ce soit
who(m)ever
quoi que ce soit
whatever
rien (ne)
nothing
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Pronoun
Meaning
tel(le)
designates an undetermined person
tout, tous
all, everything, anything
Aucun(e) As a pronoun, aucun(e) may stand alone or be followed by de + noun or pronoun + ne: Je n’ai lu aucun de ces romans. (I haven’t read any of those novels.) Aucune de ses amies n’est arrivée. (None of her friends have arrived.) Quelle voiture as-tu choisie? Aucune. (Which car did you choose? None.) Autre(s) An article precedes autre when it is used as a pronoun. The indefinite article used with autres is d’: Luc est parti. Les autres sont restés. (Luke left. The others remained.) J’ai perdu mon parapluie, mais j’en ai d’autres. (I lost my umbrella, but I have others.) The following expressions with autre are used to show reciprocal action, especially with reflexive verbs: l’un(e) l’autre (each other) les un(e)s les autres (one another [of more than two]) Here they are in sentences: Ils s’aident l’un l’autre. (They help each other.) Elles s’aident les unes les autres. (They help one another.) Autre is used in the following expressions: les un(e)s . . . les autres
some . . . others
l’un(e) et l’autre
both, both of them
l’un(e) ou l’autre
either one
ni l’un(e) ni l’autre
neither one
l’un(e) à l’autre
to each other
l’un(e) pour l’autre
for each other
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For example: Les uns chantent; les autres dansent. (Some sing; others dance.) Elles sont arrivées l’une et l’autre. (They both arrived.) Montrez-moi l’un ou l’autre. (Show me either one.) Je n’aime ni l’un ni l’autre. (I don’t like either one.) Elles téléphonent l’une à l’autre. (They call each other.) Ils travaillent l’un pour l’autre. (The work for each other.) Note the expression autre chose, which means “something else”: Donnez-moi autre chose, s’il vous plaît. (Please give me something else.) Autrui Autrui is generally used in a literary context and is used most frequently after prepositions: Respectez le bien d’autrui. (Respect the property of others.) Certain(e)(s) As a pronoun, certain is used only in the plural. For clarification, d’entre nous, d’entre vous, d’entre eux, or d’entre elles may be added: Certains n’ont pas encore commencé. (Some haven’t started yet.) Certains d’entre vous termineront vos études cette année. (Some of you will finish your studies this year.) Certains d’entre nous ont reçu de bonnes notes. (Some of us received good grades.) Certaines d’entre elles voulaient partir. (Some of them wanted to leave.) Chacun(e) Used only in the singular, this indefinite refers to individuals. The stressed pronoun soi is used with chacun(e): Chacune fait de son mieux. (Everyone does her best.) Chacun pour soi. (Every man for himself.) Grand-chose Note that there is no agreement of the adjective grand with the feminine word chose: Je n’ai pas grand-chose à te dire. (I don’t have anything much to tell you.)
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Le (la/les) même(s) Le (la/les) mêmes is used as a pronoun in order to identify something or someone or to insist on the permanence of something, as follows: C’est le même. (It’s the same one.) Les mêmes coûtent cent dollars. (The same ones cost $100.) Ce sont toujours les mêmes qui préparent le repas. (It is always the same people who prepare the meal.) Ma mère? Elle est toujours la même. (My mother? She is always the same.) N’importe qui N’importe qui requires de before an adjective: Je parlerai à n’importe qui. (I’ll speak to anyone.) Je parlerai à n’importe qui d’intelligent. (I’ll speak to anyone intelligent.) N’importe quoi N’importe quoi requires de before an adjective: Je peux faire n’importe quoi. (I can do anything.) Donnez-moi n’importe quoi de froid. (Give me anything cold.) Nul Nul is invariable as a pronoun and the negative is implied. Nul has the same sense as personne (personne is favored in informal situations). Nul ne sait cette chanson. (Nobody knows that song.) On The subject on refers to an indefinite person or persons (no antecedent is mentioned) and is always followed by a verb in the third person singular (the il form). On may have many different translations depending on the meaning intended. When the passive is used in English, French often uses on + an active construction. The possessive adjectives for on are son, sa, and ses. On is frequently used in a question to ask for a suggestion. The stressed pronoun soi is used with on. For the sake of pronunciation, l’on often replaces on before monosyllabic words ending in a pronounced vowel sound: et (and), ou (or), où (where), and si (if ): On ne doit en faire qu’ à sa tête. (One should do as one pleases.) On va au cinéma? (Shall we go to the movies?)
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On ne doit pas toujours penser à soi. (You should not always think of yourself.) Si l’on veut, on peut tout faire. (If you want to, you can do anything.) Personne (ne) Personne is always singular and considered to be masculine even if it refers to a woman. Depending upon the context of the sentence, personne may mean “no one” or “anyone.” Elle est plus gentille que personne. (She is nicer than anyone.) Il n’écoute personne. (He listens to no one.) Personne n’est arrivé. (Nobody has arrived.) Qui est arrivé? Personne. (Who has arrived? No one.) Plusieurs Plusieurs is invariable and is always plural. Plusieurs may be followed by d’entre eux or d’entre elles for clarification: Il en a plusieurs. (He has several of them.) Plusieurs d’entre elles sont très gentilles. (Many of them are very nice.) Quelqu’un(e) and quelques-un(e)s Quelqu’un(e) is used in the singular and quelques-un(e)s is used in the plural. The pronoun en is used when quelques-un(e)s is used as a direct object: Quelqu’un a sonné à la porte. (Someone rang the bell.) Quelques-unes de ses amies travaillent en ville. (Some of his [her] friends work in the city.) Il m’a donné quelques-uns de ses bonbons. (He gave me some of his candies.) Il m’en a donné quelques-uns. (He gave me some of them.) Quelque chose (m.) and rien (ne) These two pronouns are opposite in meaning. De precedes the adjective that refers to quelque chose or rien. Rien can stand alone or be used with the negative ne: Tu cherches quelque chose? (Are you looking for something?) Tu cherches quelque chose de spécial? (Are you looking for something special?) Non, je ne cherche rien. (No, I’m not looking for anything.)
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Qu’est-ce que tu cherches? Rien (de spécial). (What are you looking for? Nothing [special].) Quiconque Quiconque is the equivalent of n’importe qui or personne: Elle ne veut recevoir d’ordres de quiconque. (She won’t receive orders from anyone [anybody].) Je comprends mieux que quiconque. (I understand better than anyone [anybody].) Qui que ce soit Qui que ce soit refers only to people and is the equivalent of “whoever” or “anyone”: Il a interdit à qui que ce soit de parler. (He forbade anyone to talk.) Quoi que ce soit Quoi que ce soit refers only to things and is the equivalent of “whatever” or “anything”: Si tu révèles quoi que ce soit à qui que ce soit, tu le regretteras. (If you reveal anything at all to anyone at all, you will regret it.) Tel(le) Tel(le) is used in the masculine or feminine singular: Tel vous dira qu’il faut travailler dur pour réussir. (One will tell you that you have to work hard to succeed.) Tel qui rit vendredi, dimanche pleurera. (You can be laughing on Friday but crying by Sunday.) Telle vous dira qu’il faut voter oui, telle autre vous dira qu’il faut voter non. (One [woman] will tell you to vote yes, the other will tell you to vote no.) Tout and tous Tout, used in the singular, always takes the masculine form. Although in English we may refer to “all of them,” de is never used with tout. In compound tenses, tout precedes the past participle: Tout est bien qui finit bien. (All’s well that ends well.) Tous étaient absents. (Everyone was absent.)
Chapter 12: Indefinites and the Passive Voice
165
Les cartes? Je les ai toutes. (The cards? I have all of them.) Ces films? Nous les avons tous vus. (Those films? We saw all of them.) Note the use of tout with ce qui and ce que: J’ai besoin de tout ce qui est sur la table. (I need everything that is on the table.) J’ai besoin de tout ce que vous avez dans ce sac. (I need everything you have in that bag.) Common expressions with tout include: à moi tout seul
all to myself
en tout cas
in any case, at any rate
pas du tout
not at all
tout à (d’un) coup
suddenly, all of a sudden
tout à fait
entirely, quite
tout à l’heure
a little while ago, in a little while
tout de même
all the same
tout de suite
immediately
tous/toutes (les) deux
both
tout le monde
everybody
tout le temps
all the time
For example: Je te verrai tout à l’heure. (I’ll see you in a little while.) Il est tout à fait content. (He is completely happy.) Je fais de mon mieux tout le temps. (I always do my best.) Note that tout le monde is a collective noun and, as such, uses the third person singular (il form) of a verb: Tout le monde vient à ma soirée. (Everybody is coming to my party.)
The Passive Voice The passive voice is used to show that the subject of the verb does not perform the action, but rather undergoes the action or is acted upon. In French, unlike in English, a verb may be used in the passive voice only if
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its subject could become a direct object of that verb when used in the active voice. (An indirect object cannot be the subject of a passive verb.) Look at some examples: Passive: I was congratulated by my friends. (“I” is the subject.) Active: My friends congratulated me. (“Me” is the direct object.) The sentences above can be passive in both French and English. Active: My husband bought me a new car. (“Me” is the indirect object.) The sentence above cannot be passive in French (although the passive English sentence “A new car was bought for me by my husband” is acceptable) because it is impossible to convert the indirect object to a passive subject. If there is no direct object of the verb in French, the sentence may not be passive: Passive: The letters were answered. Who answered the letters? This sentence cannot be passive in French because there is no direct object. The passive with être The passive is formed as follows: subject + form of être + past participle + par + agent (if the agent is mentioned) Because the past participle is conjugated with être, it must agree in number and gender with the subject. The agent is generally, but not always, preceded by par. Ce livre est écrit en français. (This book is written in French.) La maison sera bâtie bientôt. (The house will be built soon.) Ce livre a été écrit par Gail Stein. (This book was written by Gail Stein.) La voiture avait été vendue par son père. (The car had been sold by his [her] father.) With verbs expressing condition or emotion, par may be replaced by de: Elle est respectée de tous ses collègues. (She is respected by all her colleagues.) Nous serons accompagnés de nos parents. (We will be accompanied by our parents.)
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167
Ils sont aimés de tous. (They are loved by all.) La terre est couverte de neige. (The ground is covered with snow.) The passive with se Some passive constructions may be formed by using the reflexive pronoun se with the third person singular form (il) of the verb. This construction, although not always possible, is most commonly used when an action is ongoing or when the person by whom the action is performed (the agent) is not important: Il s’appelle Michel. (He is called Michael.) Cela ne se fait pas. (That is not done.) Ce livre se compose de 12 chapitres. (This book is composed of 12 chapters.) La glace se vend ici. (Ice cream is sold here.) Les bouquinistes se voient le long de la Seine. (The booksellers are seen along the Seine.) Avoiding the passive The passive should be avoided if possible. This is easily done if the agent is expressed. Simply rewrite the sentence in the active voice: Passive: Ce livre a été écrit par Gail Stein. Active: Gail Stein a écrit ce livre. If the agent is not expressed, the passive voice can be replaced by on + the third person singular (il) of the verb: Passive: Le français se parle ici. (French is spoken here.) Active: Ici on parle français. (French is spoken here.) Chapter Checkout
Complete the paragraph with the missing words. (Nothing) _____ d’extraordinaire ne s’est passé hier. Jean a fini son projet pour sa classe de français sans (any) _______ difficulté. (Each one) _____ de ses soeurs l’ont aidé. Quand il a apporté son projet en classe, (several) ______ étudiants l’ont regardé avec admiration. (Others) _____ ont applaudi!
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Answers: 1. Rien 2. aucune 3. Chacune 4. plusieurs 5. D’autres Change the sentences from the passive to the active voice. 1. L’anglais se parle ici. 2. La robe est achetée par une fille. 3. Le Penseur a été sculpté par Auguste Rodin. 4. Le poème sera lu par ce garçon. 5. Il est admiré de toutes les filles.
Answers: 1. On parle anglais ici. 2. Une fille achète la robe. 3. Auguste Rodin a sculpté Le Penseur. 4. Ce garçon lira le poème. 5. Toutes les filles l’admirent.
Appendix A SYNONYMS AND ANTONYMS Synonyms Nouns l’adresse f
l’habileté f
skill
l’affiche f
l’enseigne f
sign
l’angoisse f
l’inquiétude f
worry
l’aliment m
la nourriture
food
le brouillard
la brume
fog
le but
l’intention f
goal
le chagrin
la douleur
grief, pain
le début
le commencement
beginning
le dédain
le mépris
scorn
la faute
l’erreur f
mistake
l’haleine f
le souffle
breath
le métier
la profession
occupation
l’opinion f
l’avis m
opinion
l’orage m
la tempête
storm
le songe
le rêve
dream
la teinte
la couleur
color
la vague
l’onde f
wave
le voeu
le souhait
wish
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Adjectives bête
stupide
stupid
bizarre
étrange
strange
ennuyeux
embêtant
annoying
épouvantable
affreux
frightful
inattendu
imprévu
unexpected
net
propre
clean
obstiné
têtu
stubborn
pareil
semblable
similar
achever
finir
to finish
aquérir
obtenir
to obtain
briser
casser
to break
craindre
redouter
to fear
enchanter
ravir
to delight
établir
fonder
to set up
frémir
trembler
to tremble
inquiéter
troubler
to worry
interdire
défendre
to forbid
lancer
jeter
to throw
lutter
combattre
to fight
mêler
mélanger
to mix
mener
diriger
to lead
réduire
diminuer
to reduce
remuer
bouger
to move
répandre
distribuer
to spread
résonner
retentir
to resound
réussir à
arriver à
to succeed in
Verbs
Appendix A: Synonyms and Antonyms soulager
calmer
to soothe
tâcher
tenter
to try
vouloir dire
signifier
to mean
aussitôt
sur-le-champ
immediately
autrefois
jadis
formerly
d’avantage
plus
more
pourtant
cependant
however
Adverbs
Antonyms Nouns la honte
shame
l’orgeuil m
pride
la joie
joy
la tristesse
sadness
la veille
eve
le lendemain
next day
la vente
sale
l’achat m
purchase
la vitesse
speed
la lenteur
slowness
aîné
eldest
cadet
youngest
avare
miserly
dépensier
extravagant
clair
light
foncé
dark
courageux
brave
lâche
cowardly
doux
sweet
amer
bitter
ennuyeux
boring
amusant
fun
humide
moist
sec
dry
mince
thin
épais
thick
Adjectives
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Verbs acheter
to buy
vendre
to sell
attirer
to attract
repousser
to repel
augmenter
to increase
diminuer
to decrease
avancer
to advance
reculer
to retreat
économiser
to save
dépenser
to spend
lever
to raise
baisser
to lower
mépriser
to scorn
estimer
to esteem
permettre
to allow
défendre
to forbid
remplir
to fill
vider
to empty
Appendix B THEMATIC VOCABULARY The tables of thematic vocabulary in this appendix give you advanced, high-frequency words from which to choose when you find yourself in a variety of different situations. Les nationalités (Nationalities) africain
African
allemand
German
américain
American
anglais
English
canadien(ne)
Canadian
chinois
Chinese
espagnol
Spanish
français
French
francophone
French-speaking
grec(que)
Greek
haïtïen(ne)
Haitian
indien(ne)
Indian
italien(ne)
Italian
japonais
Japanese
La famille (Family) l’aîné
oldest
le beau-fils
son-in-law
le beau-frère
brother-in-law
le beau-père
father-in-law, stepfather (continued)
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La famille (Family) (continued) la belle-fille
daughter-in-law, stepdaughter
la belle-mère
mother-in-law, stepmother
la belle-soeur
sister-in-law
le benjamin
youngest child
le cadet
youngest
le demi-frère
stepbrother
la demi-soeur
stepsister
la femme
wife
la fille unique
only daughter
le fils unique
only son
le gendre
son-in-law
le jumeau (la jumelle)
twin
le mari
husband
le nom de famille
last name
le neveu
nephew
la nièce
niece
le prénom
first name
le surnom
nickname
le veuf
widower
la veuve
widow
Les caractéristiques physiques (Physical Characteristics) âgé
old
aveugle
blind
beau (belle)
beautiful, handsome
chauve
bald
faible
weak
grand
tall
gros(se)
stout
handicapé
handicapped
Appendix B: Thematic Vocabulary jeune
young
joli
pretty
laid
ugly
maigre
thin
mignon(ne)
cute
petit
short
sourd
deaf
vieux (vieille)
old
avoir . . . ans
to be . . . years old
avoir les cheveux . . .
to have . . . hair
blonds
blond
châtains
brown
noirs
black
roux
red
bouclés
curly
frisés
curly
raides
straight
avoir les yeux . . .
175
to have . . . eyes
bleus
blue
bruns
brown
marron
brown
noirs
black
noisette
hazel
verts
green
Les caractéristiques psychologiques (Psychological Characteristics) agréable
nice
agressif
aggressive
aimable
friendly
ambitieux(-se)
ambitious (continued)
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Les caractéristiques psychologiques (Psychological Characteristics) (continued) amusant
fun
antipathique
nasty
audacieux
daring
avare
stingy
aventureux(-se)
adventurous
bavard
talkative
bien élevé
well brought up
consciencieux(-se)
conscientious
coquette
fashion-conscious
curieux(-se)
curious
drôle
funny
égoïste
selfish
fier(-ère)
proud
franc(he)
frank
gentil(le)
kind
heureux(-se)
happy
honnête
honest
impulsif(-ve)
impulsive
inquiet(-ète)
worried
intéressant
interesting
intuitif(-ve)
intuitive
jaloux(-se)
jealous
mal élevé
badly brought up
maladroit
clumsy
malheureux(-se)
unhappy
malin
nasty
méchant
mean
naïf(-ve)
naïve
orgueilleux(-se)
proud
Appendix B: Thematic Vocabulary ouvert
open
paresseux(-se)
lazy
poli
polite
prudent
wise
raisonnable
reasonable
renfermé
quiet, shy
sage
wise
soupçonneux
suspecting
sportif(-ve)
athletic
taciturne
quiet
tendre
tender
tolérant
tolerant
Les émotions et les sentiments (Emotions and Feelings) l’amour m.
love
le bonheur
happiness
la haine
hate
la honte
shame
la joie
joy
le malheur
unhappiness
la peine
pain
la peur
fear
le plaisir
pleasure
la tristesse
sadness
Le logement et les pièces (Lodging and Rooms) le grenier
attic
la salle de séjour
living room
les toilettes f.
toilet
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Les meubles et les appareils ménagers (Furniture and Appliances) l’aspirateur m.
vacuum cleaner
la baignoire
bathtub
le cendrier
ashtray
la douche
shower
l’évier
sink
le four à micro-ondes
microwave oven
la glace
mirror
la glacière
freezer
le lavabo
basin
la moquette
carpet
l’ordinateur m.
computer
la pendule
clock
le poêle
stove
le réveil(-matin)
alarm clock
le robinet
faucet
le store
shade
la table de nuit
night table
La ville (City) l’arrêt de bus m.
bus stop
la banque
bank
le bâtiment
building
le carrefour
intersection
le citadin
city dweller
la confiserie
candy shop
le cordonnier
shoemanker
le gratte-ciel
skyscraper
l’hypermarché m.
large supermarket
la maison des jeunes
youth center
Appendix B: Thematic Vocabulary le marchand de jouets
toy salesman
le marchand de meubles
furniture salesman
le marché
market
la parfumerie
perfume shop
la pâtisserie
pastry shop
la piscine
swimming pool
le pont
bridge
le quartier
neighborhood
la quincaillerie
hardware store
le salon de beauté
beauty shop
la station de métro
subway stop
la teinturerie
dry cleaner’s
le théatre
theater
le trottoir
sidewalk
l’usine f.
factory
le voisinage
neighborhood
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La nature (Nature) l’arbre m.
tree
les bois m.
woods
la campagne
country
le champ
field
le ciel
sky
la colline
hill
la côte
coast
le désert
desert
l’étoile f.
star
la feuille
leaf
la fleur
flower
le fleuve
river (continued)
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La nature (Nature) (continued) la forêt
forest
l’herbe f.
grass
l’île f.
island
le lac
lake
la lune
moon
la mer
sea
le monde
world
la montagne
mountain
le paysage
landscape
la plage
beach
la pluie
rain
la rive
bank, shore
le ruisseau
stream
la rivière
stream
le sable
sand
le soleil
sun
la terre
earth
le vent
wind
Les animaux (Animals) l’abeille m.
bee
l’agneau m.
lamb
l’alouette f.
lark
l’âne m.
donkey
la baleine
whale
le boeuf
ox
le cerf
deer
le chameau
camel
la chèvre
goat
la cigogne
stork
Appendix B: Thematic Vocabulary le coq
rooster
le cygne
swan
l’écureuil m.
squirrel
le hibou m.
owl
le loup
wolf
la mouche
fly
le moustique
mosquito
le mouton
sheep
la panthère
panther
le papillon
butterfly
la souris
mouse
le serpent
snake
le taureau
bull
le tigre
tiger
la tortue
turtle
le zèbre
zebra
Les repas (Meals) le bol
bowl
la poivrière
pepper shaker
la salière
salt shaker
la soucoupe
saucer
le sucrier
sugar holder
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Appendix C VERB CHARTS Use these charts as a quick reference when you are searching for the correct form of a regular verb or a high-frequency irregular verb.
Regular Verbs -er verbs Danser (to dance)
Present participle: dansant; past participle: dansé Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
danse
dansais
danserai
danserais
danse
tu
danses
dansais
danseras
danserais
danses
il
danse
dansait
dansera
danserait
danse
nous
dansons
dansions
danserons
danserions
dansions
vous
dansez
dansiez
danserez
danseriez
dansiez
ils
dansent
dansaient
danseront
danseraient
dansent
-ir verbs Punir (to punish)
Present participle: punissant; past participle: puni Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
punis
punissais
punirai
punirais
punisse
tu
punis
punissais
puniras
punirais
punisses
il
punit
punissait
punira
punirait
punisse
Appendix C: Verb Charts
183
Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
nous
punissons
punissions
punirons
punirions
punissions
vous
punissez
punissiez
punirez
puniriez
punissiez
ils
punissent
punissaient
puniront
puniraient
punissent
-re verbs Rendre (to return)
Present participle: rendant; past participle: rendu Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
rends
rendais
rendrai
rendrais
rende
tu
rends
rendais
rendras
rendrais
rendes
il
rend
rendait
rendra
rendrait
rende
nous
rendons
rendions
rendrons
rendrions
rendions
vous
rendez
rendiez
rendrez
rendriez
rendiez
ils
rendent
rendaient
rendront
rendraient
rendent
-er Verbs with Spelling Changes -cer verbs Lancer (to throw)
Present participle: lançant; past participle: lancé Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
lance
lançais
lancerai
lancerais
lance
tu
lances
lançais
lanceras
lancerais
lances
il
lance
lançait
lancera
lancerait
lance
nous
lançons
lancions
lancerons
lancerions
lancions
vous
lancez
lanciez
lancerez
lanceriez
lanciez
ils
lancent
lançaient
lanceront
lanceraient
lancent
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-ger verbs Nager (to swim)
Present participle: nageant; past participle: nagé Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
nage
nageais
nagerai
nagerais
nage
tu
nages
nageais
nageras
nagerais
nages
il
nage
nageait
nagera
nagerait
nage
nous
nageons
nagions
nagerons
nagerions
nagions
vous
nagez
nagiez
nagerez
nageriez
nagiez
ils
nagent
nageaient
nageront
nageraient
nagent
-yer verbs Nettoyer (to clean)
Present participle: nettoyant; past participle: nettoyé Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
nettoie
nettoyais
nettoierai
nettoierais
nettoie
tu
nettoies
nettoyais
nettoieras
nettoierais
nettoies
il
nettoie
nettoyait
nettoiera
nettoierait
nettoie
nous
nettoyons
nettoyions
nettoierons
nettoierions
nettoyions
vous
nettoyez
nettoyiez
nettoierez
nettoieriez
nettoyiez
ils
nettoient
nettoyaient
nettoieront
nettoieraient
nettoient
-e + Consonant + er Verbs Lever (to raise, lift)
Present participle: levant; past participle: levé Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
lève
levais
lèverai
lèverais
lève
tu
lèves
levais
lèveras
lèverais
lèves
Appendix C: Verb Charts
185
Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
il
lève
levait
lèvera
lèverait
lève
nous
levons
levions
lèverons
lèverions
levions
vous
levez
leviez
lèverez
lèveriez
leviez
ils
lèvent
levaient
lèveront
lèveraient
lèvent
-er Verbs with Double Consonants Appeler (to speak)
Present participle: appelant; past participle: appelé Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
j’
appelle
appelais
appellerai
appellerais
appelle
tu
appelles
appelais
appelleras
appellerais
appelles
il
appelle
appelait
appellera
appellerait
appelle
nous
appelons
appelions
appellerons
appellerions
appelions
vous
appelez
appeliez
appellerez
appelleriez
appeliez
ils
appellent
appelaient
appelleront
appelleraient appellent
Jeter (to throw)
Present participle: jetant; past participle: jeté Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
jette
jetais
jetterai
jetterais
jette
tu
jettes
jetais
jetteras
jetterais
jettes
il
jette
jetait
jettera
jetterait
jette
nous
jetons
jetions
jetterons
jetterions
jetions
vous
jetez
jetiez
jetterez
jetteriez
jetiez
ils
jettent
jetaient
jetteront
jetteraient
jettent
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-é + Consonant + er Verbs Préférer (to prefer)
Present participle: préférant; past participle: préféré Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
préfère
préférais
préfèrerai
préfèrerais
préfère
tu
préfères
préférais
préfèreras
préfèrerais
préfères
il
préfère
préférait
préfèrera
préfèrerait
préfère
nous
préférons
préférions
préfèrerons
préfèrerions
préférions
vous
préférez
préfériez
préfèrerez
préfèreriez
préfériez
ils
préfèrent
préféraient
préfèreront
préfèreraient préfèrent
Irregular Verbs Aller* (to go)
Present participle: allant; past participle: allé Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
vais
allais
irai
irais
aille
tu
vas
allais
iras
irais
ailles
il
va
allait
ira
irait
aille
nous
allons
allions
irons
irions
allions
vous
allez
alliez
irez
iriez
alliez
ils
vont
allaient
iront
iraient
aillent
*Conjugated with être in the past tense Asseoir (to seat, sit)
Present participle: asseyant; past participle: assis Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
assieds
asseyais
assiérai
assiérais
asseye
tu
assieds
asseyais
assiéras
assiérais
asseye
Appendix C: Verb Charts
187
Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
il
assied
asseyait
assiéra
assiérait
asseye
nous
asseyons
asseyions
assiérons
assiérions
asseyions
vous
asseyez
asseyiez
assiérez
assiériez
asseyiez
ils
asseyent
asseyaient
assiéront
assiéraient
asseyent
Avoir (to have)
Present participle: ayant; past participle: eu Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
j’
ai
avais
aurai
aurais
aie
tu
as
avais
auras
aurais
aies
il
a
avait
aura
aurait
ait
nous
avons
avions
aurons
aurions
allions
vous
avez
aviez
aurez
auriez
alliez
ils
ont
avaient
auront
auraient
aient
Boire (to drink)
Present participle: buvant; past participle: bu Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
bois
buvais
boirai
boirais
boive
tu
bois
buvais
boiras
boirais
boives
il
boit
buvait
boira
boirait
boive
nous
buvons
buvions
boirons
boirions
buvions
vous
buvez
buviez
boirez
boiriez
buviez
ils
boivent
buvaient
boiront
boiraient
boivent
188
CliffsQuickReview French II
Conduire* (to drive)
Present participle: conduisant; past participle: conduit Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
conduis
conduisais
conduirai
conduirais
conduise
tu
conduis
conduisais
conduiras
conduirais
conduises
il
conduit
conduisait
conduira
conduirait
conduise
nous
conduisons conduisions conduirons
conduirions
conduisions
vous
conduisez
conduisiez
conduiriez
conduisiez
ils
conduisent
conduisaient conduiront
conduiraient
conduisent
conduirez
*Conjugated with être in the past tense Connaitre (to know)
Present participle: connaissant; past participle: connu Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
connais
connaissais
connaîtrai
connaîtrais
connaisse
tu
connais
connaissais
connaîtras
connaîtrais
connaisses
il
connaît
connaissait
connaîtra
connaîtrait
connaisse
nous
connaissons connaissions connaîtrons connaîtrions
connaissions
vous
connaissez
connaissiez
ils
connaissent connaissaient connaîtront
connaissiez
connaîtrez
connaîtriez
connaîtraient connaissent
Courir (to run)
Present participle: courant; past participle: couru Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
cours
courais
courai
courrais
coure
tu
cours
courais
couras
courrais
coures
il
court
courait
coura
courrait
coure
nous
courons
courions
courons
courrions
courions
vous
courez
couriez
courez
courriez
couriez
ils
courent
couraient
couront
courraient
courent
Appendix C: Verb Charts
189
Craindre (to fear)
Present participle: craignant; past participle: craint Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
crains
craignais
craindrai
craindrais
craigne
tu
crains
craignais
craindras
craindrais
craignes
il
craint
craignait
craindra
craindrait
craigne
nous
craignons
craignions
craindrons
craindrions
craignions
vous
craignez
craigniez
craindrez
craindriez
craigniez
ils
craignent
craignaient
craindront
craindraient
craignent
Cueillir (to pick)
Present participle: cueillant; past participle: cueilli Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
cueille
cueillais
cueillerai
cueillerais
cueille
tu
cueilles
cueillais
cueilleras
cueillerais
cueilles
il
cueille
cueillait
cueillera
cueillerait
cueille
nous
cueillons
cueillions
cueillerons
cueillerions
cueillions
vous
cueillez
cueilliez
cueillerez
cueilleriez
cueilliez
ils
cueillent
cueillaient
cueilleront
cueilleraient
cueillent
Devoir (to have to)
Present participle: devant; past participle: dû Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
dois
devais
devrai
devrais
doive
tu
dois
devais
devras
devrais
doives
il
doit
devait
devra
devrait
doive
nous
devons
devions
devrons
devrions
devions
vous
devez
deviez
devrez
devriez
deviez
ils
doivent
devaient
devront
devraient
doivent
190
CliffsQuickReview French II
Dire (to say, tell)
Present participle: disant; past participle: dit Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
dis
disais
dirai
dirais
dise
tu
dis
disais
diras
dirais
dises
il
dit
disait
dira
dirait
dise
nous
disons
disions
dirons
dirions
disions
vous
dites
disiez
direz
diriez
disiez
ils
disent
disaient
diront
diraient
disent
Dormir (to sleep)
Present participle: dormant; past participle: dormi Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
dors
dormais
dormirai
dormirais
dorme
tu
dors
dormais
dormiras
dormirais
dormes
il
dort
dormait
dormira
dormirait
dorme
nous
dormons
dormions
dormirons
dormirions
dormions
vous
dormez
dormiez
dormirez
dormiriez
dormiez
ils
dorment
dormaient
dormiront
dormiraient
dorment
Écrire (to write)
Present participle: écrivant; past participle: écrit Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
j’
écris
écrivais
écrirai
écrirais
écrive
tu
écris
écrivais
écriras
écrirais
écrives
il
écrit
écrivait
écrira
écrirait
écrive
nous
écrivons
écrivions
écrirons
écririons
écrivions
vous
écrivez
écriviez
écrirez
écririez
écriviez
ils
écrivent
écrivaient
écriront
écriraient
écrivent
Appendix C: Verb Charts
191
Etre (to be)
Present participle: étant; past participle: été Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
suis
étais
serai
serais
sois
tu
es
étais
seras
serais
sois
il
est
était
sera
serait
soit
nous
sommes
étions
serons
serions
soyons
vous
êtes
étiez
serez
seriez
soyez
ils
sont
étaient
seront
seraient
soient
Faire (to make, do)
Present participle: faisant; past participle: fait Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
fais
faisais
ferai
ferais
fasse
tu
fais
faisais
feras
ferais
fasses
il
fait
faisait
fera
ferait
fasse
nous
faisons
faisions
ferons
ferions
fassions
vous
faites
faisiez
ferez
feriez
fassiez
ils
font
faisaient
feront
feraient
fassent
Falloir (to be necessary)
Past participle: fallu Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
il
faut
fallait
faudra
faudrait
faille
192
CliffsQuickReview French II
Lire (to read)
Present participle: lisant; past participle: lu Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
lis
lisais
lirai
lirais
lise
tu
lis
lisais
liras
lirais
lises
il
lit
lisait
lira
lirait
lise
nous
lisons
lisions
lirons
lirions
lisions
vous
lisez
lisiez
lirez
liriez
lisiez
ils
lisent
lisaient
liront
liraient
lisent
Mettre (to put)
Present participle: mettant; past participle: mis Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
mets
mettais
mettrai
mettrais
mette
tu
mets
mettais
mettras
mettrais
mettes
il
met
mettait
mettra
mettrait
mette
nous
mettons
mettions
mettrons
mettrions
mettions
vous
mettez
mettiez
mettrez
mettriez
mettiez
ils
mettent
mettaient
mettront
mettraient
mettent
Mourir* (to die)
Present participle: mourant; past participle: mort Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
meurs
mourais
mourrai
mourrais
meurs
tu
meurs
mourais
mourras
mourrais
meurs
il
meurt
mourait
mourra
mourrait
meurt
nous
mourons
mourions
mourrons
mourrions
mourions
vous
mourez
mouriez
mourrez
mourriez
mouriez
ils
meurent
mouraient
mourront
mourraient
meurent
*Conjugated with être in the past tense
Appendix C: Verb Charts
193
Naitre* (to be born)
Present participle: naissant; past participle: né Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
nais
naissais
naîtrai
naîtrais
naisse
tu
nais
naissais
naîtras
naîtrais
naisses
il
nait
naissait
naîtra
naîtrait
naisse
nous
naissons
naissions
naîtrons
naîtrions
naissions
vous
naissez
naissiez
naîtrez
naîtriez
naissiez
ils
naissent
naissaient
naîtront
naîtraient
naissent
*Conjugated with être in the past tense Ouvrir (to open)
Present participle: ouvrant; past participle: ouvert Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
j’
ouvre
ouvrais
ouvrirai
ouvrirais
ouvre
tu
ouvres
ouvrais
ouvriras
ouvrirais
ouvres
il
ouvre
ouvrait
ouvrira
ouvrirait
ouvre
nous
ouvrons
ouvrions
ouvrirons
ouvririons
ouvrions
vous
ouvrez
ouvriez
ouvrirez
ouvririez
ouvriez
ils
ouvrent
ouvraient
ouvriront
ouvriraient
ouvrent
Partir* (to leave)
Present participle: partant; past participle: parti Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
pars
partais
partirai
partirais
parte
tu
pars
partais
partiras
partirais
partes
il
part
partait
partira
partirait
parte
nous
partons
partions
partirons
partirions
partions
vous
partez
partiez
partirez
partiriez
partiez
ils
partent
partaient
partiront
partiraient
partent
*Conjugated with être in the past tense
194
CliffsQuickReview French II
Plaire (to please)
Present participle: plaisant; past participle: plu Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
plais
plaisais
plairai
plairirais
plaise
tu
plais
plaisais
plairas
plairirais
plaises
il
plaît
plaisait
plaira
plairirait
plaise
nous
plaisons
plaisions
plairons
plairirions
plaisions
vous
plaisez
plaisiez
plairez
plaiririez
plaisiez
ils
plaisent
plaisaient
plairont
plairiraient
plaisent
Pleuvoir (to rain)
Past participle: plu Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
il
pleut
pleuvait
pleuvra
pleuvrait
pleuve
Pouvoir (to be able to, can)
Present participle: pouvant; past participle: pu Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
peux, puis
pouvais
pourrai
pourrais
puisse
tu
peux
pouvais
pourras
pourrais
puisses
il
peut
pouvait
pourra
pourrait
puisse
nous
pouvons
pouvions
pourrons
pourrions
puissions
vous
pouvez
pouviez
pourrez
pourriez
puissiez
ils
peuvent
pouvaient
pourront
pourraient
puissent
Appendix C: Verb Charts
195
Prendre (to take)
Present participle: prenant; past participle: pris Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
prends
prenais
prendrai
prendrais
prenne
tu
prends
prenais
prendras
prendrais
prennes
il
prend
prenait
prendra
prendrait
prenne
nous
prenons
prenions
prendrons
prendrions
prenions
vous
prenez
preniez
prendrez
prendriez
preniez
ils
prennent
prenaient
prendront
prendraient
prennent
Recevoir (to receive)
Present participle: recevant; past participle: reçu Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
reçois
recevais
recevrai
recevrais
reçoive
tu
reçois
recevais
recevras
recevrais
reçoives
il
reçoit
recevait
recevra
recevrait
reçoive
nous
recevons
recevions
recevrons
recevrions
recevions
vous
recevez
receviez
recevrez
recevriez
receviez
ils
reçoivent
recevaient
recevront
recevraient
reçoivent
Rire (to laugh)
Present participle: riant; past participle: ri Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
ris
riais
rirai
rirais
rie
tu
ris
riais
riras
rirais
ries
il
rit
riait
rira
rirait
rie
nous
rions
riions
rirons
ririons
riions
vous
riez
riiez
rirez
ririez
riiez
ils
rient
riaient
riront
riraient
rient
196
CliffsQuickReview French II
Savoir (to know)
Present participle: sachant; past participle: su Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
sais
savais
saurai
saurais
sache
tu
sais
savais
sauras
saurais
saches
il
sait
savait
saura
saurait
sache
nous
savons
savions
saurons
saurions
sachions
vous
savez
saviez
saurez
sauriez
sachiez
ils
savent
savaient
sauront
sauraient
sachent
Sentir (to feel, smell)
Present participle: sentant; past participle: senti Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
sens
sentais
sentirai
sentirais
sente
tu
sens
sentais
sentiras
sentirais
sentes
il
sent
sentait
sentira
sentirait
sente
nous
sentons
sentions
sentirons
sentirions
sentions
vous
sentez
sentiez
sentirez
sentiriez
sentiez
ils
sentent
sentaient
sentiront
sentiraient
sentent
Servir (to serve)
Present participle: servant; past participle: servi Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
sers
servais
servirai
servirais
serve
tu
sers
servais
serviras
servirais
serves
il
sert
servait
servira
servirait
serve
nous
servons
servions
servirons
servirions
servions
vous
servez
serviez
servirez
serviriez
serviez
ils
servent
servaient
serviront
serviraient
servent
Appendix C: Verb Charts
197
Sortir* (to go out)
Present participle: sortant; past participle: sorti Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
sors
sortais
sortirai
sortirais
sorte
tu
sors
sortais
sortiras
sortirais
sortes
il
sort
sortait
sortira
sortirait
sorte
nous
sortons
sortions
sortirons
sortirions
sortions
vous
sortez
sortiez
sortirez
sortiriez
sortiez
ils
sortent
sortaient
sortiront
sortiraient
sortent
*Conjugated with être in the past tense Tenir (to hold)
Present participle: tenant; past participle: tenu Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
tiens
tenais
tiendrai
tiendrais
tienne
tu
tiens
tenais
tiendras
tiendrais
tiennes
il
tient
tenait
tiendra
tiendrait
tienne
nous
tenons
tenions
tiendrons
tiendrions
tenions
tous
tenez
teniez
tiendrez
tiendriez
teniez
ils
tiennent
tenaient
tiendront
tiendraient
tiennent
Valoir (to be worth)
Present participle: valant; past participle: valu Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
vaux
valais
vaudrai
vaudrais
vaille
tu
vaux
valais
vaudras
vaudrais
vailles
il
vaut
valait
vaudra
vaudrait
vaille
nous
valons
valions
vaudrons
vaudrions
valions
vous
valez
valiez
vaudrez
vaudriez
valiez
ils
valent
valaient
vuadront
vaudraient
vaillent
198
CliffsQuickReview French II
Venir* (to come)
Present participle: venant; past participle: venu Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
viens
venais
viendrai
viendrais
vienne
tu
viens
venais
viendras
viendrais
viennes
il
vient
venait
viendra
viendrait
vienne
nous
venons
venions
viendrons
viendrions
venions
vous
venez
veniez
viendrez
viendriez
veniez
ils
viennent
venaient
viendront
viendraient
viennent
*Conjugated with être in the past tense Vivre (to live)
Present participle: vivant; past participle: vécu Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
vis
vivais
vivrai
vivrais
vive
tu
vis
vivais
vivras
vivrais
vives
il
vit
vivait
vivra
vivrait
vive
nous
vivons
vivions
vivrons
vivrions
vivions
vous
vivez
viviez
vivrez
vivriez
viviez
ils
vivent
vivaient
vivront
vivraient
vivent
Voir (to see)
Present participle: voyant; past participle: vu Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
vois
voyais
verrai
verrais
voie
tu
vois
voyais
verras
verrais
voies
il
voit
voyait
verra
verrait
voie
nous
voyons
voyions
verrons
verrions
voyions
vous
voyez
voyiez
verrez
verriez
voyiez
ils
voient
voyaient
verront
verraient
voient
Appendix C: Verb Charts
199
Vouloir (to want)
Present participle: voulant; past participle: voulu Subj.
Present
Imperfect
Future
Conditional
Subjunctive
je
veux
voulais
voudrai
voudrais
veuille
tu
veux
voulais
voudras
voudrais
veuilles
il
veut
voulait
voudra
voudrait
veuille
nous
voulons
voulions
voudrons
voudrions
voulions
vous
voulez
vouliez
voudrez
voudriez
vouliez
ils
veulent
voulaient
voudront
voudraient
veuillent
CQR REVIEW Use this CQR Review to practice what you’ve learned in this book. After you work through the review questions, you’re well on your way to achieving your goal of mastering French.
Chapter 1 1. Answer the problem: Quatre-vingts moins cinq font _____.
a. soixante-cinq b. soixante-quinze c. quatre-vingt-cinq d. quatre vingt-quinze
Chapter 2 2. Complete the sentence: Cette voiture est _____.
a. le sien. b. la sienne c. les siens d. les siennes 3. Complete the sentence: Je vais au restaurant avec _____.
a. lui b. le c. tu d. le sien
Chapter 3 4. Answer the question: Qu’est-ce que tu vois?
a. Personne. b. Aucun. c. Pas. d. Rien.
CQR Review
5. Respond: Merci.
a. Il n’y a pas de quoi. b. Jamais de la vie. c. Je n’en peux plus. d. Pas maintenant.
Chapter 4 6. Complete the sentence: Ma grand-mère est _____.
a. européen b. européens c. européenne d. européennes 7. Complete the sentence: C’est un _____ hôtel.
a. nouveau b. nouvelle c. nouveaux d. nouvel
Chapter 5 8. Complete the sentence: Je _____ ce garçon.
a. connais b. sais c. peux d. dois 9. Complete the sentence: Je pense _____ mon ami.
a. à b. de c. que d. où
Chapter 6 10. Complete the sentence: J’ai décidé _____ faire de mon mieux.
a. à b. de c. sans d. pour
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11. Complete the sentence: Je _____ suggère d’étudier encore plus.
a. lui b. il c. le d. la
Chapter 7 12. Complete the sentence: En _____ le travail je suis tombé.
a. faire b. fais c. faisant d. avoir fait
Chapter 8 13. Complete the sentence: Les dates? Elle les a _____.
a. oublié b. oubliée c. oubliés d. oubliées 14. Give the correct word in French: I was sleeping when the alarm rang.
Je ____ quand le réveil a sonné. a. dormais b. a dormi c. avais dormi d. dors
Chapter 9 15. Complete the sentence: Dès qu’il _____, il te téléphonera.
a. arrive b. arrivera c. était arrivé d. arriverait
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Chapter 10 16. Complete the sentence: Je te paierais si tu m’______.
a. aiderais b. aides c. aidais d. as aidé 17. Complete the sentence: S’il avait parlé à Joseph, il _______ son
problème. a. aurait compris b. avait compris c. a compris d. comprendrait
Chapter 11 18. Complete the sentence: Je veux que tu ______ le ménage demain.
a. feras b. fasses c. ferais d. fais 19. Complete the sentence: Je suis sûr qu’il ______ le paquet hier.
a. ait reçu b. a reçu c. recevais d. reçoit 20. Complete the sentence: Certains élèves étudient beaucoup tandis que
______ sont très paresseux. a. quelques b. maintes c. diverses d. d’autres
Scenarios (all chapters) 21. You are planning a trip to St. Martin. Write a letter to a friend con-
vincing him/her to go with you.
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22. Everyone has hopes and dreams. Write an essay explaining what you
would do if you could do anything you wanted.
Critical Thinking (all chapters) 23. Write a list of things you must do during the upcoming week. 24. List opinions about things that are important to you.
Practice Project (all chapters) 25. Plan a trip to a French speaking country. Use websites to find all the
information you need. Then write a travel brochure in French advertising the country you have chosen. Make sure to include information about tourist attractions and things to do. Answers: 1. b 2. b 3. a 4. d 5. a 6. c 7. d 8. a 9. a 10. b 11. a 12. c 13. d 14. a 15. b 16. c 17. a 18. b 19. b 20. d 21. (sample) Chère Christine, Je compte faire un voyage à St. Martin cet été. J’ irai au mois de juillet pour fêter mon trentième anniversaire. Je voudrais t’inviter à m’y accompagner. Nous pourrions rester dans un hôtel qui donne sur la mer. Les plages y sont vraiment formidables et les restaurants servent des repas extraordinaires. Ce serait une bonne occasion de pratiquer notre français. Je t’assure que ce voyage ne coûtera pas très cher. Que penses-tu de cette idée? J’espère que tu diras “oui.” J’attends ta réponse avec impatience. Ton amie, Gisèle. 22. (sample) Si je pouvais faire tout ce que je voulais, je m’achèterais une nouvelle voiture de sport et je ferai le tour des États-Unis. Je rendrais visite à mes enfants et à tous les membres de ma famille. Je visiterais tous les endroits célèbres. Après, je ferais le tour du monde. J’achèterais une villa en France pour pouvoir pratiquer mon français à mon gré. J’y inviterai tous mes amis et j’aurai souvent des soirées élégantes. Naturellement, je ne travaillerais pas et je passerais mes journées libres à lire, à aller au gymnase m’exercer, et à apprendre à cuisiner.
CQR RESOURCE CENTER This CQR Resource Center offers the best resources available in print and online to help you study and review the core concepts of the French language. You can find additional resources, plus study tips and tools to help test your knowledge, at www.cliffsnotes.com.
Books This CliffsQuickReview book is one of the many great books about the study of French. If you want some additional resources, check out these other publications: CliffsQuickReview French I, by Gail Stein, is the best course supplement on the market for studying elementary French. It contains extensive grammatical explanations, self-testing exercises, and a glossary for quick and easy reference of key terms and phrases. Wiley Publishing, Inc. $12.99. Street French 1: The Best of French Slang, by David Burke, is filled with slang and colloquialisms that will have you conversing like a native in no time. The first in a series of slang/idiom books, Street French 1 teaches you how to speak and understand the real language used daily on the streets and in the homes, offices, and stores of France. Wiley Publishing, Inc. $16.95. 750 French Verbs and Their Uses, by Jan R. Zamir, Sonia Nelson Zamir, Jean-Philippe Mathy, and Rosemary McCluskey, gives you the backbone of language study—correct verb usage—by showing verb conjugations in their context. This book gives you all the correct variations and grammatical interrelationships so that you won’t have to guess how a verb is used properly in a sentence. 750 French Verbs is perfect for students and travelers as a text, grammar, and reference book. Wiley Publishing, Inc.$17.95 Wiley Publishing, Inc. also has three Web sites that you can visit to read about all the books we publish: ■ ■ ■
www.cliffsnotes.com www.dummies.com www.wiley.com
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Internet Visit the following Web sites for more information: French language: Visit www.francophonie.hachette-livre.fr/ for an authentic online French dictionary. Type in any French word and you will instantaneously be given all the possible definitions, in French. French travel: If you’re looking for specific information on special events, maps, pictures, or general information on how to plan a trip to Paris, “the city of lights,” go to www.paris-touristoffice.com. Information is given in both English and French. French food: Learn the secrets of French cuisine at www.ffcook.com. There you’ll find recipes and information about different types of French foods. If you need a special gadget, this is the site you want to visit.
Newspapers and Magazines You can find out more about life in France by reading the following: Elle is a popular French magazine that can be purchased in the United States. Visit the Web site at www.elle.fr for the latest and greatest on style, beauty, and health. Libération is one of the three big daily newspapers in France. Visit it at www.liberation.fr for up-to-date information on what’s happening in the country. FranceWeb, an online French magazine that gives excellent information about the best French Web sites, is located at www.francenet.fr.
GLOSSARY active voice when the subject performs an action. adjective a word that modifies a noun or a pronoun. adverb a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. antecedent a word or group of words to which a relative pronoun refers. articles small words that are generally classified as adjectives. They indicate that a noun or noun substitute will follow. auxiliary verb one of two elements needed to form a compound tense. Also called a helping verb. cardinal numbers the numbers we use for counting. cognates words that are the same or similar in both French and English. conditional a mood that expresses what a subject would do under certain circumstances. conditionnel passé a mood that expresses what a subject would have done under certain circumstances. conjugation the action of changing the ending of the verb so that it agrees with the subject noun or pronoun performing the task. definite article an article that indicates a specific person or thing: the house.
demonstrative adjective an adjective that precedes nouns to indicate or point out the person, place, or thing referred to: this, that, these, or those. demonstrative pronoun a pronoun that stands alone to indicate or point out the person or thing referred to. direct object answers the question whom or what the subject is acting upon and may refer to people, places, things, or ideas. May be a noun or pronoun. exclamation a word or phrase used to show surprise, delight, incredulity, emphasis, or other strong emotion. false friends words that are spelled the same or almost the same in both languages but have entirely different meanings and can be different parts of speech. future a tense that expresses what the subject will do or is going to do or what action will or is going to take place in a future time. futur antérieur a tense that expresses what the subject will have done by a future time. gender indicates whether a word is masculine or feminine. idiom a particular word or expression whose meaning cannot be readily understood by either its grammar or the words used. imperative a verb form used to give commands or make requests.
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imperfect a past tense that expresses a continuous, repeated, habitual or incomplete action, situation, or event in the past that was going on at an indefinite time or what used to happen in the past. indefinite adjective expresses any, no, other, certain, some, each, the same, several, some, all, etc. indefinite article refers to persons and objects not specifically identified. indefinite pronoun expresses any, no one, none, other(s), other one(s), certain one(s), some, each one, everyone, the same one(s), one, several, someone, anyone, some, a few, something, anything, nothing, all, everything, anything, etc. independent (stress) pronoun a pronoun used to emphasize a fact and to highlight or replace nouns or pronouns. indicative a verb tense that states a fact. indirect object answers the question to or for whom the subject is doing something and refer only to people. May be a noun or pronoun. infinitive the basic “to” form of the verb. intonation the act of asking a question by inserting a rising inflection at the end of the statement. inversion the reversal of the word order of the subject pronoun and the conjugated verb in order to form a question. noun a word used to name a person, place, thing, idea, or quality. partitive an article asking for an indefinite quantity (part of a whole: some or any). passé composé a tense that expresses an action or event completed in the past.
passé simple a past tense that occurs primarily in formal, literary, and historical writings expressing a completed action. passive voice when the subject is acted upon. past conditional a tense that expresses what the subject would have done under certain conditions. past participle a verb form expressing an action that has occurred in the past. pluperfect or plus-que-parfait a tense that expresses what the subject had done. preposition a word used to relate elements in a sentence: noun to noun, verb to verb, or verb to noun/pronoun. present participle a verb form ending in -ing that expresses an action that is taking place. present tense a tense that expresses what is happening now. pronoun a word that is used to replace a noun (a person, place, thing, idea, or quality). reflexive verb a verb that shows that the subject is performing the action upon itself. relative pronoun a pronoun that joins a main clause (a clause that can stand alone) to a dependent clause. subject the noun performing the action of the verb. subjunctive a mood expressing wishing, emotion, doubt, denial. verb a word that shows an action or state of being.
Index A active voice, defined, 207 acute accent (´), 18 addition (arithmetic), 8 adjectives, 62 antonyms, 171 defined, 207 indefinite, 154–159 interrogative, questions and, 57–59 irregular, 64, 67–68 placement, 65–67 plural, 65 possessive, 29–30 preceding infinitives, 95–96 present subjunctive and, 146–147 singular, 63–64 synonyms, 170 advanced cognates, 13–15 adverbial pronouns en, 33 y, 32 adverbs defined, 207 forming, 68–71 interrogative, questions and, 57–59 irregular, 73 placement, 71–73 synonyms, 171 use, 71–73 agreement, object pronouns, 31 aller usage, 45 verb chart, 186 animals vocabulary, 180–181 antecedent defined, 207 pronouns and, 36 antonyms, 171–172 appliances vocabulary, 178 arithmetic, numbers and, 8 articles contractions and, 25 defined, 207 definite articles, 24 demonstrative articles, 24
indefinite articles, 24 noun markers, 23 nouns and, 25–28 nouns of quantity and, 25–28 partitive, 24 asking questions, 56–59 asseoir usage, 45 verb chart, 186–187 aucun(e) indefinite adjective, 155 indefinite pronoun, 160 autre(s) indefinite adjective, 155–156 indefinite pronoun, 160–161 autrui, indefinite pronoun, 161 auxiliary verbs, 207 avoir passé composé and, 108 usage, 45 verb chart, 187 verbs with, 109–110
B battre, usage, 45 boire usage, 45 verb chart, 187 books for further reading, 205 borrowed expressions, 15–16
C cardinal numbers, 3 conjunctions and, 5 defined, 207 table, 3–5 causative construction, faire, 80 ce (cet)(cette), quantity, 24 -cer verbs, spelling changes, 44, 183 certain(e)(s) indefinite adjective, 156 indefinite pronoun, 161 chacun(e), indefinite pronoun, 161 chaque, indefinite adjective, 156
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circumflex accent (^), 18 city vocabulary, 178–179 cognates advanced, 13–15 defined, 207 commands infinitives in, 89 object pronouns, 32 present subjunctive and, 145–146 verbs and, 59–60 comparisons equality, 74–75 more than or less than, 74 superlatives, 74 compound nouns, 27 compound subject, independent pronouns and, 35 conditional sentences, 135 contrary-to-fact conditions, 137 real conditions, 136 tenses, 136 conditionals defined, 207 irregular verbs, 131–132 negatives in, 132 questions in, 132 regular verbs, 130–131 when to use, 133–134 conditionnel passé defined, 207 forming, 134 negatives, 134–135 questions, 135 when to use, 135 conduire usage, 46 verb chart, 188 conjugation defined, 207 regular verbs, 43 conjunctions cardinal numbers and, 5 present subjunctive and, 148–149 connaître special usage, 46, 83–84 verb chart, 188 contractions, articles and, 25 contrary-to-fact conditions, 137 courir usage, 46 verb chart, 188 craindre usage, 46 verb chart, 189
croire, 46 cueillir verb chart, 189
D de possession and, 28–29 relative pronoun as object of, 36 definite articles, 24, 207 demeurer, 85–86 demonstrative articles, 24, 207 demonstrative pronouns, 39–40, 207 denial, present subjunctive and, 143–145 devoir usage, 46 usage, special, 79–80 verb chart, 189 différent, indefinite adjective, 156 dire usage, 46 verb chart, 190 direct object defined, 207 nouns/pronouns, 31 relative pronoun as, 36 disbelief, present subjunctive and, 143–145 divers(e)(es), indefinite adjective, 156 division (arithmetic), 8 dormir usage, 46 verb chart, 190 double negatives, 53 double object pronouns, 33–34 doubt, present subjunctive and, 143–145
E é + consonant + er verbs chart, 186 -e + consonant + er verbs chart, 184–185 écrire, usage, 46 Elle magazine, 206 emotion present subjunctive and, 146–147 vocabulary, 177 en (adverbial pronoun), 33 equality, 74–75 -er verbs, 14 chart, 182 with double consonants chart, 185 spelling change charts, 183–184 être usage, 46 verb chart, 191
Index
exceptions, ordinal numbers, 8 exclamations, 62, 68 defined, 207 infinitives in, 89 expressions borrowed into English, 15–16
F faire usage, 46 usage, special, 80–81 verb chart, 191 falloir usage, 46 usage, special, 81–82 verb chart, 191–192 false friends, 16–18, 207 family vocabulary, 173 faux amis, 16–18 feelings, vocabulary, 177 feminine nouns cardinal numbers and, 5 quantity and, 25–26 fractions, 9–10 FranceWeb online magazine, 206 furniture vocabulary, 178 further reading resources, 205–206 futur antérieur, 122, 127–128 defined, 207 negatives, 128 questions, 128 when to use, 129 future tense, 122 defined, 207 futur antérieur, 122, 127–128 irregular verbs, 125–126 negatives, 126 questions, 126 regular verbs, 123–124 spelling changes, 124 when to use, 126–127
G gender defined, 207 nouns and, 25–26 ordinal numbers and, 8 -ger verbs, spelling changes, 44, 184 gerunds infinitives and, 99–100 present participle and, 99–100 grand-chose, indefinite pronoun, 161
211
H–I habiter, 85 idioms, 207 imperative (commands), 56–59, 207 imperfect, defined, 208 imperfect subjunctive, 151 impersonal expressions indicative, 144 subjunctive and, 142–143 indefinite adjectives, 154–159, 208 indefinite articles, 24, 208 indefinite pronouns, 159–165, 208 indefinites, present subjunctive and, 149–150 independent pronouns, 34–35 defined, 208 subject and, 35 indicative defined, 208 impersonal expressions and, 144 indirect object defined, 208 nouns/pronouns, 31 infinitives adjectives preceding, 95–96 in commands, 89 defined, 208 in exclamations, 89 in interrogatives, 89 negating, 96 nouns preceding, 95–96 past infinitives, 96–97 after prepositions, 91–95 reflexive verbs, 48 as subject, 88–89 after verbs, 89–91 interrogatives, 56–59. See also questions infinitives in, 89 interrogative adjectives, 57–59 interrogative adverbs, 57–59 interrogative pronouns, invariable, 38–39 interrogative pronouns, questions and, 57–59 interrogative pronouns, variable, 39 intonation, 208 invariable interrogative pronouns, 38–39 invariable pronoun (le), 34 inversion asking questions, 56–57 defined, 208
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-ir verbs, 15, 182–183 irregular adjectives, 64, 67–68 irregular adverbs, 73 irregular present participles, 99 irregular verbs commands, 60 conditionals, 131–132 future tense, 125–126 l’imparfait, 115–116 passé simple and, 112–113 verb charts, 186–199
L la famille vocabulary, 173–174 la nature vocabulary, 179–180 la ville vocabulary, 178–179 last names, plurals, 27 le (invariable pronoun), 34 le (la)(les) indefinite adjective, 156–157 indefinite pronoun, 162 quantity, 24 le logement et les pièces vocabulary, 177 lequel forms of, 37 prepositions and, 38 les animaux vocabulary, 180–181 les caractéristiques physiques vocabulary, 174–175 les caractéristiques psychologiques vocabulary, 175–177 les émotions et les sentiments vocabulary, 177 les meubles et les appariels ménagers vocabulary, 178 les nationalités vocabulary, 173 les repas vocabulary, 181 Libération newspaper, 206 l’imparfait, 107, 118–121 irregular verbs and, 115–116 regular verbs, 114–115 lire usage, 46 verb chart, 192 lodging and rooms vocabulary, 177
M magazines for further reading, 206 maint(e)(s), indefinite adjective, 156 masculine nouns, quantity and, 25–26 meals vocabulary, 181
même(s), 156–157 indefinite adjective, 156–157 indefinite pronoun, 162 mettre usage, 47 verb chart, 192 more than/less than comparison, 74 mourir verb chart, 192 multiple numbers, 10 multiplication (arithmetic), 8
N naitre verb chart, 193 names, last names, plurals, 27 nationalities vocabulary, 173 nature vocabulary, 179–180 near future tense, 122–123 negatives commands, 60 in conditionals, 132 conditionnel passé, 134–135 futur antérieur, 128 future tense, 126 infinitives and, 96 near future tense, 123 passé composé and, 111 questions and, 53 verbs, 52–55 newspapers for further reading, 206 N’importe, 157 N’importe qui, indefinite pronoun, 162 noun markers. See articles nouns antonyms, 171 articles and, 25–28 compound nouns, 27 defined, 208 direct object, 31 gender and, 25–26 indirect object, 31 plurals, 26–27 preceding infinitives, 95–96 present subjunctive and, 146–147 of quantity, 6–7 quantity, articles and, 25–28 synonyms, 169 nul, indefinite prounoun, 162 numbers arithmetic, 8 cardinal numbers, 3–5 fractions, 9–10 multiple numbers, 10 nouns of quantity and, 6–7
Index
ordinal numbers, 8–9 titles of rulers, 10
O object pronouns, 31–32 commands, 32 double object pronouns, 33–34 offrir, 47 on, indefinite pronoun, 162–163 ordinal numbers, 8–9 ouvrir usage, 47 verb chart, 193
P participles past, 101–105 perfect, 105 present, 98–101 partir verb chart, 193 partitive, defined, 208 partitive articles, 24 passé antérieur, 107, 113–114, 121 passé composé, 117–118 with avoir, 108 defined, 208 with être, 108–109 negatives and, 111 questions and, 111 reflexive verbs and, 111 passé simple, 107, 118 defined, 208 irregular verbs and, 112–113 regular verbs, 111–112 passive voice, 165–166 avoiding, 167 defined, 208 with être, 166–167 se and, 167 past conditional, 208 past infinitives, 96–97 past participles, 101–105, 208 past subjunctive, 150 past tense l’imparfait, 107, 114–116 passé antérieur, 107, 113–117 passé composé, 107–111 passé simple, 107, 111–113 plus-que-parfait, 117 selecting correct usage, 117–121 perfect participles, 105 personne (ne), indefinite pronoun, 163
213
physical characteristics vocabulary, 174–175 placement adjectives, 65–67 adverbs, 71–73 plaire usage, 47 verb chart, 194 pleuvoir verb chart, 47, 194 pluperfect, defined, 208 pluperfect subjunctive, 151 plurals, 26–27, 65 plusieurs indefinite adjective, 157 indefinite pronoun, 163 plus-que-parfait, 107 defined, 208 passé antérieur and, 121 usage, 117 possession possessive adjectives, 30 possessive pronouns, 28–30 pouvoir, 47 usage, 82–83 verb chart, 194 practice project, 204 prendre verb chart, 47, 195 prepositions defined, 208 independent pronouns and, 35 infinitives after, 91–95 lequel and, 38 list, 75–77 present participle and, 99–100 relative pronoun as object of, 36 present participles, 98–101, 208 present subjunctive, 139 adjectives and, 146–147 commands and, 145–146 conjunctions, 148–149 emotion and, 146–147 forming, 140–142 impersonal expressions and, 142–143 indefinites and, 149–150 nouns and, 146–147 regular verbs, 140–142 relative clauses and, 150 superlatives and, 149 verbs and, 146–147 when to use, 142 present tense defined, 208 reflexive verb conjugation, 48–49 verbs, 42–43
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pronouns adverbial pronoun en, 33 adverbial pronoun y, 32 antecedent, 36 defined, 208 demonstrative, 39–40 direct object, 31 double object pronouns, 33–34 indefinite pronouns, 159–165 independent pronouns, 34–35 indirect object, 31 interrogative, 38–39 le (invariable pronoun), 34 object pronouns, 31–32 possessive, 28–30 questions and, 57–59 relative pronouns, 36–38 subject pronouns, 30–31 psychological characteristics vocabulary, 175–177
Q quantity articles and, 25–28 nouns of, 6–7 ordinal numbers and, 8 quelconque(s), indefinite adjective, 157 quelque(s), indefinite adjective, 157 quelque chose (m), indefinite pronoun, 163–164 quelques-un(e)(s), indefinite pronoun, 163 quelqu’un(e), indefinite pronoun, 163 questions. See also interrogation asking, 56 in conditionals, 132 conditionnel passé, 135 futur antérieur, 128 future tense, 126 inversion, 56–57 near future tense, 123 negatives and, 53 passé composé and, 111 qui que ce soit, indefinite pronoun, 164 quiconque, indefinite pronoun, 164
R -re verb chart, 183 recevoir verb chart, 47, 195 reflexive verbs defined, 208 list of, 49–51
passé composé and, 111 present tense conjugation, 48–49 regular verbs commands, 56–59 conditionals, forming, 130–131 conjugation, 43 -er verbs, 182 future tense, 123–124 -ir verbs, 182–183 l’imparfait, 114–115 passé simple and, 111–112 present subjunctive, 140–142 -re verbs, 183 verb charts, 182–186 relative clauses, present subjunctive and, 150 relative pronouns defined, 208 as direct object, 36 as object of all other prepositions, 37 as object of de, 37 as subject, 36 resources books, 205 Web sites, 206 review questions, 200–203 rien (ne), indefinite pronoun, 163–164 rire verb chart, 47, 195 rooms and lodging vocabulary, 177 rulers’ titles (numbers), 10
S savoir, 47 special usage, 83–84 verb chart, 196 scenarios for writing exercises, 203–204 se, passive voice and, 167 sentir verb chart, 196 servir verb chart, 196 shoe verbs, 79, 99 singular adjectives, 63–64 sortir verb chart, 197 spelling changes -cer verbs, 44, 183 -er verbs, 183–184 future tense, 124 -ger verbs, 44, 184 present participle, 99 verbs, 43–45 -yer verbs, 44, 184 subject defined, 208 independent pronouns and, 35
Index
infinitives as, 88–89 relative pronoun as, 36 subject pronouns, 30–31 subjunctive avoiding, 151–152 defined, 208 imperfect, 151 impersonal expressions and, 144 past subjunctive, 150 pluperfect, 151 present subjunctive, 139–150 subtraction (arithmetic), 8 suivre, 47 superlatives, 74, 149 synonyms, 169–171
T tel(le)(s) indefinite adjective, 158 indefinite pronoun, 164 telling time, 10–13 tenir verb chart, 47, 197 tense conditions, 136 verbs, present tense, 42–43 thematic vocabulary la famille (family), 173–174 la nature (nature), 179–180 la ville (city), 178–179 le logement et les pièces (lodging/rooms), 177 les animaux (animals), 180–181 les caractéristiques physiques (physical characteristics), 174–175 les caractéristiques psychologiques (psychological characteristics), 175–177 les émotions et les sentiments (emotions/feelings), 177 les meubles et les appareils ménagers (furniture/appliances), 178 les nationalités (nationalities), 173 les repas (meals), 181 time, 10–13, 113–114 titles, rulers (numbers), 10 tous indefinite adjective, 158–159 indefinite pronoun, 164–165 tout(e)(s) indefinite adjective, 158 indefinite pronoun, 164–165
215
U–V un (une), quantity, 24 valoir verb chart, 48, 197 variable interrogative pronouns, 39 venir verb chart, 48, 198 verb charts -e + consonant + er verbs, 184–185 -é + consonant + er verbs, 186 -er verb spelling changes, 183–184 -er verbs with double consonants, 185 irregular verbs, 186–199 regular verbs, 182–186 verbs. See also irregular verbs; reflexive verbs; regular verbs antonyms, 172 avoir and, 109–110 commands and, 59–60 connaître, 83–84 defined, 208 demeurer, 85–86 devoir, 79–80 faire, 80–81 falloir, 81–82 habiter, 85–86 independent pronouns and, 35 infinitives after, 89–91 interrogation, 56–59 negation, 52–55 present subjunctive and, 143–147 present tense, 42–43 questions, 56–59 shoe verbs, 79 special uses, 79–86 spelling changes, 43–45 synonyms, 170–171 vivre, 85–86 vouloir, 84–85 vivre, 48 special usage, 85–86 verb chart, 198 voir verb chart, 48, 198 vouloir, 48 special usage, 84–85 verb chart, 198
W–Z Web sites, 206 wishes, present subjunctive and, 145–146 writing exercises, 203–204 y (adverbial pronoun), 32 -yer verbs, spelling changes, 44, 184
Notes
