-SONS IN FRENCH. 



44. DIFFERNT SORTS or VERBS. 



(1.) Thoro aro five sort* of verb* : active, passive, neater, re- 

 flective or pronominal, and impersonal. 



The active verb IB that which expresses an action per- 

 1 by the subject, and Buffered by a direct object. 

 Kvory French verb after which quelqu'un, some one, 

 quelque chose, something, may be placed, in an active verb. 

 Thus, in tint following sentences, proteger, changer, chanter, 

 etc., are active verbs, because we may say proteger quelqu'un, 

 to protect ome one; changer quelque chose, to change tome- 

 \ing : 



Dion protege I'mnocence. 



RACIHB. 

 L'habit change lea mcenrs. 



VOLT A IKE. 



l*s cygnes no chantent pas 

 lour inort. BUFFON. 



i 



! 



God protect* innocence. 

 Dress change* the manner*. 

 Stoanj do not tiny their death. 



(4.) The passive verb is the contrary of the active verb. 

 The active verb presents the subject as performing an action 

 immediately directed towards an object ; whereas the passive 

 verb presents the subject as suffering or receiving an action 

 performed by the object. The passive verb is composed of the 

 past participle of an active verb and the auxiliary ttre, to be. 

 (See 55.) 



NOB campaprnes sont fertlll- 

 Se'es par \:\ pink-. L'AcADBMIE. 



II etalt guide" par la force de 

 si a genie. MASSILLON. 



Les petits esprits sont trop 

 blesses des petites choses. 



LA EOCHEFOUCAULD. 



(5.) The neuter verb marks, like the active verb, an action 

 performed by the subject; but this action is confined to the 

 subject. Hence, a neuter verb never has a direct object, and 

 the words quelqu'un and quelque chose cannot be placed after it. 

 A neuter verb can never be used in the passive voice : 



Our fields are fertilized by the rain. 



He was guided by the force of his 

 genius. 



/.little mind* are too much vexed 

 icith trifles. 



Socrates spent the last day of his 

 life in discoursing upon the immor- 

 tality of the soul. 



Ths fire which seems extinct sleep* 

 often under its ashes. 



The Platenns summoned the Lace- 

 demonians to appear before the Am- 

 phyctwm*. 





Socrate passa lo dernier jour de 

 sa vie a disCOUlir BUT 1'immor- 

 talito de 1'aine. L'ACADKMIE. 



Le feu qui semble e'teiut, dort 

 souveut sous sa cendre. 



COKNEILLE. 



Les Flattens citerent les Lac- 

 de'moniens a comparaltre de- 

 Vant les Amphyctious. 



LE GENDRE. 



(6.) The reflective or pronominal verb is conjugated with 

 two pronouns of the same person ; je me, tu te, il se, nous nous, 

 vous vous, ils se. (See 57.) It expresses : 1st. An action per- 

 formed and suffered by the subject, and is then called pronomi- 

 nal reflective verb : 



VOUB VOU8 felicitez, you con- 

 gratulate yourselves. 



We should not allow men to de- 

 epise themselves entirely. 



Je me flatte, I flatter myself. 



II ne faut pas permettre a 

 1'homme de Be meprtser eutiere- 

 ment. BOSSUET. 



2ndly. An action reciprocated between two or more subjects, 

 and is then called pronominal reciprocal verb : 



I They have done harm to each other. 

 I These children hate one another. 



Us SO sont nui. 



Ces enfants se ddtestent. 



Srdly. An action strictly confined to the subject ; this is called 

 a naturally pronominal verb, and is expressed in English by a 

 transitive or intransitive verb, as the case may be : 



Nous nous sonvenons de ce fait. 

 Les ennemis s'enfuirent. 



We remember that fact. 

 The enemy fltd. 



(7.) The impersonal verb can only be used in the third per- 

 son singular: II pleut, it rains; il gele, it freezes ; il tonne, it 

 thunders : 



Pour bien juger les grands, 11 

 faut les approcher. AUBEHT. 



II faut remlre meilleur lo pauvre 

 qu'on soulage. SAINT-LAMBXRT. 



To judje properly of the great, it 

 is necessary to approach them. 



We should (it is necessary to) im- 

 prove the poor whom toe relieve. 





(8.) There are two verbs called auxiliary, because they serve 

 to conjugate all others. They are avoir, to haves and $tre, 

 to be. 



46. COWJJJOATIOWS. 



(1.) The French verbs are divided into (bar elssjsM or con- 

 jugations, which are chiefly distinguished by the ending of the 

 :it infinitive: 



l*t. The first conjugation comprises all verbs of whtoh the present 

 of the inttnitiva ends in er; as, parler, to speak; almsr, to IOM, eto. 



2nd. The second conjugation embraces all those of which the infini- 

 tive ends in lr ; as, cnarlr, to cherish ; punlr, to puwuh, etc. 



3rd. The third conjugation contains all Uu verbs which, in tb 

 infinitive, end in OiT ; a*, reoevolr, to receite ; ponvoir, to be able, etc. 



4th. The fourth conjugation comprises all tb verb* termiaaUoc 

 with re in the infinitive ; M, rendre, to render; prendr*, to take, etc. 



(2.) Considered as words, French verbs present two distinct 

 parts, viz., a root or item, and an ending or termination. The 

 root points out the meaning of the verb ; the ending, the tena 

 and the person. Thus, e.g., in parler, parl, the root, has the 

 force of speak ; and er, the ending, points oat the present tense 

 of the infinitive. 



(3.) The verbs are again divided into regular, irregular, and 

 defective : 



1st. The regular verbs are 'hose which, in all their tenses, preserve 

 their stem or root unaltered. 



2nd. The irregular verbs are those which oltor their root, or have not 

 the endings peculiar to their conjugation. 



3rd. The defective verbs are those which want certain tenses or 

 persons. 



46. MOODS AND TlNSBB. 



(1.) There are five moods: the infinitive, the indicative, the 

 conditional, the imperative, and the subjunctive : 



1st. The infinitive presents the signification of the verb in an un- 

 limited manner : abandonner sea enfants, to abandon one's children. 



2nd. The indicative, whatever may be the tense, indicates or de- 

 clares in a positive, absolute manner: j'abandonne, / abandon; J'al 

 abandonne, I have abandoned ; J'abandonneral, I will abandon. 



3rd. The conditional indicates a condition or a supposition : j'aban- 

 donnerais si ... I would abandon i/ . . . 



4th. The imperative is used to express a command, prayer, or ex- 

 hortation : abandonnez cet enfant, abandon that child. 



5th. Tbe subjunctive is used after clauses expressing doubt, contin- 

 gency, or necessity : 11 eat douteux que je 1'abandonne, U is not 

 certain that I may abandon him. 



(2.) The infinitive has five tenses : 



1st. The present : parler, to speak. 



2nd. The past : avoir par!6, to haw spoken. 



3rd. The present participle : parlant, 

 4th. Tbe compouud present ) &nt M 



participle : 

 5th. The post participle : parle, spoken. 



(3.) The indicative has eight tenses : 



^ rm. * i J e parle, I speak ; 



1st. The present: { j e donne, Jyice. 



2nd, The simultaneous past, \ , Q ar1ai , j 



or imperfect : ) J J 



3rd. The past definite : Je parlal, I spoke. I dd speak. 



4th. The past indefinite : J'al par!*}, I hae spoken. 



5th. The pluperfect : J'avais parle, I hod been speaking. 



6th. The past anterior : J'eus parle, / hod spoken. 



7th. The future absolute : je parleral, J shall, will speak. 



8th. The future anterior, or ) j, aural parWi j gfcoU hae spoken. 



future perfect : 



(4.) The conditional has two tenses : 



1st The present or future : Je parlerals, I should. rotOdspesk. 



2nd. The post : J'aurais parle, I should have spoken. 



(5.) The imperative has one tense : 



The present : parle, p*sk. 



(6.) The subjunctive has four tenses : 



1st. The present or future : 

 2nd. The imperfect : 

 3rd. The past : 



que je parle, 

 que Je parlasse, 

 que J'aie parle, 



(tot r 



that I me* have 



spoken. 

 4th. The pluperfect : que J'euase parW, that I iht hsw 



spoken. 



(7.) Tenses are simple or compound : 

 1st. Simple, when they are expressed in a single word: J 

 parle, I speak. 



2ndly. Compound, when they require the assistance of the verb 

 avoir or etre : j'ai parle, I haw spoken : je snis arrive, I am 

 I arrived. 



