Use of Auxiliary Vc7-bs in Romance Languages. \y 



After these general remarks on esse in French, let us con- 

 sider the use of the auxiliaries in the intransitive verbs in 

 French. 



Grammarians have laid down the following rule concerning 

 the use of these auxiliaries, viz. : With intransitive or neuter 

 verbs the auxiliary avoir is used when the verb is considered 

 as expressing an action, and the auxiliary etre is used when 

 the verb is considered as expressing more particularly a state 

 or condition. 



M. Chabanneau adds: "II n'y a pas a cet egard de regie 

 absolue, non plus que d'usage uniforme dans les langues 

 romanes." Does this principle hold good.' When I say, Je 

 siiis Venn vous voir ; Quand je snis entrc Ic theatre eom- 

 viencait . . . ; Les allies sont entre's dans la ville, vers les sept 

 heures, I use the auxiliary etre, although the verbs venir, 

 entrcr, do not denote state or condition, but express clearly 

 the action of coming and entering. Such a law as that stated 

 above is not satisfactory. M. Chabanneau tries to illustrate 

 the rule by the two following examples : Cette femme a 

 acconehe ee matin ; Cette femnie est aeeonchh Jieitrensenient. 

 In the first example, says our author, we have in mind the 

 action rather than the result of aeeoneher ; but in the second, 

 the result rather than the action. The dictionaries of the 

 French Academy and of Littre say the same thing. It would 

 seem bold to oppose two such authorities. Their statement 

 may be true as regards present usage, but it is not always 

 true in regard to Old French. Before showing what was the 

 case with the Old French, I shall remark that M. Chaban- 

 neau, in the two instances above given, limits the first verb 

 by an adverbial modifier, "■ ce matin,'' which time limitation 

 obliges us to think rather of the action than of the condition, 

 and modifies the second verb by an adverb of manner, " heur- 

 e?isement," pointing out a condition rather than an action. 

 The example given is evidently chosen to fit the rule. But 

 take the same example, omitting the modifiers referred to 

 above: Cette femm.e a accotiche d'line fille ; Cette femnie est 

 aceo2ichce d'tme file. Both of these expressions are, gram- 



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