USE OF THE ARTICLE IN FRENCH-PRINCIPAL PREPOSITIONS. 57 17. Les portes et les fenêtres des maisons sont fermées. 18. Voici la casquette de Charles. 19. Voilà l'ombrelle de Caroline. 20. Nous étudions les principes de la langue française. OBSERVATIONS. 36. VII.—In translating the illustrations just given, the learner will have observed that the art. is frequently employed in F. when in E. "the" is not required. It may be here laid down as a general principle, that the French adopt the article before every noun used either as a subject or object, unless the noun is the proper name of a person or of a place (town or village): 1. L'or et l'argent sont précieux. 2. Nous apprenons l'histoire et la géographie. 3. Il prêche contre l'intempérance. 1. Gold and silver are precious. 2. We learn history and geography. 3. He preaches against intemperance. 37. VIII. The definite art. le, la, l', and les, always placed before nouns, must be distinguished from certain personal pronouns, exactly similar in spelling, which are used before or after verbs, and signify "him," "her," "it," "them" (147.):— 1. Je le vois; je la vois; je les vois. 2. Ne cherchez plus mon chapeau; je le vois. 1. I see him; I see her; I see them. 2. Do not look for my hat; I see it. 38. IX. Before proceeding farther, it may be necessary for the ready interpretation of the illustrations, to give the following list of PREPOSI Exercise II.—1. I speak (Je parle) of the king. 2. I speak of the queen. 3. He speaks (Il parle) of the child (enfant). 4. I speak of the historian (historien, h m.). 5. We speak (Nous parlons) of the kings. (43.) 6. We speak of the children. 7. I come (viens) from the wood (bois, m.). 8. I come from the forest (forêt, f.). 9. The king speaks to the queen. 10. The queen speaks to the king. 11. The master (maître) speaks to the workman (ouvrier). 12. The mistress (maîtresse) speaks to the workwoman (ouvrière). 13. The gentleman (monsieur) speaks to the watchmaker (horloger, h m.). 14. The master speaks to the workmen. 15. I speak to the clerks (commis) of the merchant (négociant). 16. The merchant has (a) a horse and a carriage (cheval, voiture, f). 17. We go (Nous allons) to a farm (ferme, f.). 18. We come (Nous venons) from a country-seat (château, m.). 19. I speak of Thomas.* 20. He speaks to Charles.* 21. John's (Jean) master. king's carriage. 23. The merchant's horse. 24. The watchmaker's shop (boutique, f.). 25. Alfred's* exercise (thème, m.) is finished (est fini). 22. The * Words followed by an asterisk are the same in French as in English. (See page 65.) Ι 58 DU, DE LA, de l', des, AND DE, USED TO DENOTE A PARTITIVE SENSE. 66 ANY.") X. THE PARTITIVE ARTICLE du, de la, de l', des, (" SOME” OR 39. Nouns used in a partitive sense, i.e., expressing a part, or a quantity or number of what the noun represents, are preceded, according to g. and n., by the compound art. (32.) du, de la, de l', or des, translated in E., if translated at all, by "some," in affirmative, and by "any," in interrogative sentences: 1. Donnez-moi † du pain.` 2. Le meunier vend de la farine. 3. Nous avons des amis. 4. Avez-vous des frères? 1. Give me some bread. 2. The miller sells flour. 3. We have friends. 4. Have you any brothers? 40. "The French, as if not admitting that any person can be either perfectly virtuous or entirely vicious, use the partitive article even before substantives expressing moral qualities," or defects.. Thus they say: 1. Cet homme a du courage. 2. Il avait de l'ambition. 1. That man has courage. 2. He had ambition. 41. When the noun used in a partitive sense is accidentally preceded by an adj. of quality, generally it does not take the art., but merely de: 1. Il a de belles maisons. 2. Elle a de mauvais frères. 1. He has some fine houses. 42. Nor does, generally, a noun used as the direct object of a negative verb take anything but de: 1. Le meunier ne vend pas de farine. 1. The miller sells no flour. TRADUCTION ET LECTURE IV. 1. J'ai du pain. 2. Tu as de la viande. 3. Il a de l'argent (m.) 4. Elle a des amies (f.) 5. Mon oncle a des jardins et des maisons. 6. Nous avons des livres français. 7. Vous avez des ennemis. 8. Ils ont de la patience. 9. Elles ont des fleurs. 10. Avez-vous de l'argent. 11. Mes oncles ont des champs et des § bois. 12. Ont-ils des chevaux. 13. Mon jardin produit des carottes, duş céleri, des choux, des navets, des fraises, des poires, des pommes, des prunes, et des pêches. 14. Avez-vous des sœurs? 1. Ses sœurs ont de jolies robes. 2. Avez-vous de belles pommes ? 3. Je n'ai pas de pain. 4. Je n'ai pas de belles pommes. 5. Rodrigue, as-tu du cœur? 6. J'ai vu de jeunes Russes. 7. Pierre-le-Grand établit des colléges, des académies, § des imprimeries et des bibliothèques. 8. De la brutalité dans ses plaisirs, § de la férocité dans ses mœurs, de la barbarie dans ses vengeances se mêlaient aux vertus de Pierre-le-Grand (V.) 9. Que mangez-vous tous les jours ?-Vous le savez bien: de la soupe, du § pain, de la viande, des légumes, &c. 10. Avez-vous fait des fautes? Exercise III.—1. Give me (Donnez-moi) some tea (thế, m.) 2. Waiter, (garçon,) bring me (apportez-moi) some mustard (moutarde, f.) 3. Give me some water (eau.) 4. Waiter, bring me some meat. 5. We have brothers and sisters. 6. Have you any cousins?" 7. Have you any apples? 8. The miller (meunier) has some horses. 9. I have some mills (moulins, m.) 10. I eat (Je mange) apples and pears. 1. Have you any (41.) good bread? 2. My (Mon) brother has (41.) pretty flowers (jolies fleurs.) 3. The miller has fine cows (belles vaches.) 4. I have no (42.) money. 5. He has excellent* cheese (fromage, m.) 6. My friend has (40.) talents.* (40.) ambition.* 8. I have no (42.) mistake (faute.) 7. You have Literally: "Give me of the bread;" ie., a part of the bread to be had." XI.-FORMATION OF THE PLURAL OF NOUNS. 43. GENERAL RULE.-The F. generally form the plural of nouns and adjectives by adding s to the sing. : Le roi, the king. Le bon père, the good father. Les rois, the kings. Des enfants, (some) children. Les bons pères, the good fathers. (102.) Remark. But the addition of s to a noun or adj. makes no difference in its pronunciation; the article-or some other expression of an inflective character-being the word that denotes whether there is unity or plurality expressed by the noun. However, when the noun or adj. in the plural is followed by a word beginning with a vowel, or h m., the final s is generally united to that word with the sound of z. Ex.-Les pères_et les mères; les bons_élèves. 44. SECOND RULE.-Words ending in s, x, or z, do not change in the plural: Un bas, a stocking. Une voix, a voice. Un nez, a nose. Des bas, stockings. Des voix, voices. Des nez, noses. 45. THIRD RULE.-Words ending with one of the compound vowels, au or eu, take x: Un tuyau, a tube. Un chapeau, a hat. Un neveu, a nephew. Des tuyaux, tubes. Des chapeaux, hats. 46. FOURTH RULE.-Nouns (and many adj.) ending in al become plural by changing al into aux :— Un cheval, a horse. Il est libéral, he is liberal. EXCEPTIONS. Des chevaux, horses. Ils sont libéraux, they are liberal. (102.) 47. EXC. TO THE FIRST RULE.-(a)-The following seven nouns in ail change ail into aux to become plural:-bail, corail, émail, soupirail, travail,† vantail, and vitrail. 48. (6) The following nouns in ou take x in the plural:—bijou, caillou, chou, genou, hibou, and joujou. 49. (c)—Aïeul, ancestor; ciel, heaven, or sky; and ail, eye, generally make aïeux, cieux, and yeux. (Vide Syntax of Nouns.) 50. EXC. TO THE THIRD RULE.-Bleu, blue; and landau, landau, take s in the plural. 51. EXC. TO THE Fourth Rule.—Aval, bal, cantal, carnaval, chacal, narval, nopal, régal, serval, and some other words ending in al seldom used, take s in the plural. Exercise IV. (For viva voce practice and writing)-Upon the Formation of the Plural. 1. Put the following in the plural:-Le droit, la loi, le succès, la croix, le moment, l'aloyau, le château, le feu, le général, la noix, le héros, le fils, le corbeau, le fléau, le discours, l'hôpital, l'étau, le vin. 2. Put the following in the sing.:-Deux éléphants, trois voix (f.), quatre neveux, cinq tableaux (m.), six perdrix (f.), sept vassaux, huit points (m.) principaux, neuf cardinaux, dix verrous (m.), onze évêques, douze apôtres. (1.) Put the following in the plural:-Le remords, le cou, le jeu, l'arsenal, le ciel (49.) un gros nez, un bijou (48.), un bal (51.), un œil (49.) bleu (50.) (2.) Put the following in the sing. :-Les aïeux, les baux (47.), les bals (51.), les bœufs, les nerfs, les gaz, les cheveux, les chevaux, les hiboux (48.) Travail meaning: 1. State reports made by ministers to the sovereign, or by government employés to their superiors; 2. Traves, (a wooden frame to confine a horse while the smith is fitting his shoes,) makes travails (43.) in the plural. Second Section.-Determinative Adjectives. 1. POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES. (159.) 52. Possessive adj. modify the nouns before which they are placed, by associating with them an idea of possession. 53. In English, possessive adj. are of the gender of the possessor, whereas in French they agree with the possessed object, and change according to g. and n., as exhibited in the following table : Singular. : Plural. mes, my. leur, leurs, his, her, its, or one's. our. your. their. (149 & 150.) 1. My father, mother, brothers, and sisters. Leur, 1. Mon père, ma mère, mes frères et mes sœurs. 2. Son ami, sa sœur, ses oncles et ses tantes. 54. For euphony's sake, mon, ton, before fem. words beginning with a vowel or h m. (15.) 1. Mon amitié (f.); ton affection (f.) 2. Son aimable cousine. 1. My friendship; thy affection. 55. Possessive adj. must be repeated before every noun to which an idea of possession is attached. This principle of repetition, as already exemplified in the illustrations on the art., is applicable to all determinative terms. Mon frère, ma sœur, et mes cousins sont à la My brother, sister, and cousins are in the campagne. country. 56. Possessive adj. are also repeated before adj. not qualifying the same object. Je lui ai montré mes beaux et mes vilains I have shown him my best and my worst habits. clothes. This sentence is elliptical, being, in its extended form, "Mes beaux (habits) et mes vilains habits. TRADUCTION ET LECTURE V. I. 1. J'ai perdu mes chevaux, mes habits, mon linge, mon manteau, mes pistolets, mon argent. 2. Henri parlait à sa sœur. 3. Henriette parle à son frère. 4. Connaissez-vous son commis? 5. Ses commis ont fini leurs lettres. 6. Leur cheval est mort. 7. Leurs aventures sont très-curieuses. 8. Votre fils, votre nièce et vos neveux sont malades. 9. Son grand-père et sa grand'mère sont morts. 10. Ma lecture est finie. II. 1. Quelle est son intention? 2. Je regrette mon ancienne condition. 3. Je vais vous raconter son histoire (f.) depuis sa naissance jusqu'à sa mort. 4. Sa beauté, sa naissance, sa fortune la rendent le premier parti de la ville. 5. Je connais madame † votre mère. 6. Bonjour, mon ‡ oncle. 7. Comment vous portez-vous, ma tante? 8. Mademoiselle votre sœur viendra ce soir. 9. Monsieur votre père désire savoir si vous avez vu son grand et son petit appartement. 10. Où peut-on (one) être plus heureux qu'au sein de sa (one's) famille? † 57. In addressing a person to inquire about his relations, it is generally the custom in France to use, as a mark of respect, one of the qualifications, MONSIEUR, MESSIEURS, MADAME, MESDAMES, MADEMOISELLE, MESDEMOISELLES, before the possessive adjective. 58. In addressing their relatives, the French generally use a possessive adj. before the name of relationship. Exercise V.—1. Waiter, call (appelez) my servant (domestique). 2. Where is my hat? It (II) is in (dans) my room (chambre, f.). 3. His daughter is amiable. 4. Her son is idle (paresseux). 5. My sister is sick. 6. She has seen (vu) her uncle. 7. He has seen his cousin Henrietta. 8. I have lost their horses. 9. He has bought (acheté) her country seat (maison de campagne, f.). 10. She has bought his mill. 11. Their dresses (robes, f.) and (55.) bonnets (chapeau, m.) are new (neufs). 12. Your father, sister, and aunt are displeased (mécontents). 13. Good morning, aunt. 14. I have seen your mother (57.) this evening (ce soir). 15. Good evening, cousin. 16. Every country (Chaque pays) has its customs, laws, and prejudices (coutume, loi, préjugé). 17. Do you know (savez-vous) his age (age, m.)? 18. Do you know her age? 19. I speak of the quality of this (ce) wine and of its age. 20. My story (histoire, f.) is finished (finie). 21. Í have seen his amiable sister. 22. Have you seen his former house? (ancienne maison, f.). II. DEMONSTRATIVE ADJECTIVES. (162.) CE, CET, CETTE, and CES, are the only demonstrative adj. Like other determinative adj., they agree in g. and n. with the nouns they point out, and must be repeated when there are several nouns in the sentence. 1. Ce, before any word, masc. sing. beginning with a cons. or h asp. 59. "This," or "that," 2. Cet, before any word, masc. sing. beginning with a vowel or h m. 3. Cette, before any word, fem. sing. 60. "These," or "those," 4. Ces, before any word in the plural. Ex. Ce vieillard, cet homme, cette femme, et ces enfants sont dignes de pitié. That old man, that man, that woman, and those children are worthy of pity. here), and Là, there, are often added, 61. The adv. CI (abridged from ICI, with a hyphen, to the noun preceded by ce, cet, cette, or ces, to point it more distinctly. (13.) 1. Ecoutez cet air-ci. 2. Ne répétez plus ce mot-là. 1. Listen to this air. 2. Do not repeat that word again. 3. Ce livre-ci est plus intéressant que ce livre- 3. This book is more interesting than that 1. Ce domestique est très-fidèle. 2. Cet oiseau est vert. 3. Cette maison est blanche. 4. Ces couteaux sont bons. 5. Ce négociant hollandais est fort riche. 6. J'ai acheté ces jolis oiseaux ce matin. 7. Ces préceptes sont dans plusieurs grammaires. 8. Ecrivez cette phrase-ci. 9. Ce moulin-là est (appartient) à mon fermier. 10. Qu'est-ce que ce bruit-là? 11. Cette horloge-là† vient de mon ancienne ferme. 12. Combien voulezvous vendre cette pendule-ci?† 13. Je me rappelle encore ce jour-là. 14. Ce manuel-ci vous sera plus utile que cette grammaire-là. Exercise VI.-1. This horse gallops (galope) well. 2. This servant is active (actif). 3. This friend is faithful. 4. This lioness (lionne) is furious (furieuse). 5. These children are happy (heureux). 6. These flowers are pretty (jolies). 7. These young ladies (jeunes personnes) are happy (heureuses). 8. This young man is well-informed (instruit). 9. This green bird (119.) is very pretty. 10. That friendship (amitié, f.) is truly astonishing (vraiment étonnante). 11. These boys and girls will be punished (seront punis). 12. Give me that hat. 13. Take (Prenez) this book. 14. This exercise is very easy (facile). † (La) pendule, ornamental clock for sitting-rooms, &c., is not to be confounded with horloge, which means, (a.), the clock of a church or public building; (b.), a common clock, such as is found in kitchens or in the dwellings of the peasantry or of the working classes.-"Pendulum" is pendule, masc. |