iSIl.] Imperfect and Perftct Indefinite Te^ises, 335 
scribe the futsire progress we state of au 
action, the French aie compelled, like 
the Fngiish, to use circuinlocoLion ; but, 
in order to denote its forte,er state of pro« 
gression, the French verbs have a teirse, 
of which the F.nglish verbs are deficient; 
Itence arises tlie difi’erence between the 
two tenses in question The imperfect 
of a French verb describes an action, dec 
in a state of progression, at some period 
of time prior to the present inouient, 
I’ecessariiy implyiisg its conKricncemeiit 
before the said perioci, and leaving the 
mind generally unconscious wlieiher the 
progression docs or does not continue 
still. Tiie perl’ect itidefinite, on the con¬ 
trary, describes an action as having com¬ 
menced at a forn-er period of time, and 
implies its haviiig ceased before the pie- 
sent moment; thus, if we say, il i'ahnait^ 
lie loved lier, we point out with tlie 
tense the affection of the man as in a 
state of progression, and which, for ought, 
we know, niav still be going oit, for we 
may a<ld c,t it t'ubne encore, and he loves 
her still. Let us now chaiige the imper¬ 
fect for the perfect indefinite, and say il 
Vaima, the idea is not the saiue, for tlie 
probability of the man’s afiections conti- 
riuinsi still is entirely done away. Again, 
il hutiuiit une mabon quancl $on frere 
etait d la cun/pogne, he was building a 
house wlieo his brother was in the coun¬ 
try, does not convey the idea that the 
house was fialshecf; but, if we change the 
verb to the perfect indefinire, and say 
il built une maison. qn.and sonjrere Halt 
d la ca/npagne, it vuH decidedly imply, 
that the building was completed before 
the brother left the country. It cannot 
be denied that some verbs can scarcely 
admit the use of the imperfect tense, be¬ 
cause the_ action denoted by tlieni can 
hardly be conceived as in a slate of pro¬ 
gression, thus lor example, we could not 
say the ship was blowing, up, the light¬ 
ning was striking the steeple, &c. but 
such verbs are easily discovered. 
The next question of your corre^p/on- 
dent is, on wliat occasions are these two 
tenses employed; and this seems to me to 
be sufficiently pointed out by tiie diffe¬ 
rent imptirt of each ttjnse, for if tlie defi¬ 
nition, whicin have giveff be, as I trust 
it is, correct, it necessarily follows that 
the imperfect must be abways used, when 
we wish to denote the iormcr progressive 
state of an action. 1st. Beffre another 
action commenced, as, j'ecrmiH avant 
qii il entrOf I was writing before he came 
in. Slid. At the time that another ac¬ 
tion was going on, as, fecrivaii pendant 
Mo.mhi-s No,'219, 
qu''il lisoit, I was writing w'hilst he was 
reading. 3rd. At ihe time that another 
action took place, as, d' courait qnand il 
tomha, ha was running when he fell; and 
tluit the perfect indefinite should be em¬ 
ployed when we wdsh to expi'ess that an 
action was completed, 1st, Before ano¬ 
ther action took place, as, Je la vis avant 
quelle mevit, I saw iier before she saw 
me, 2nd. Whilst anoo:er action was 
goimj on, as, il la iua pendant qu'elle Is 
regarduity lie killed iier vd.iLt she was 
lookm.g at him. Sid. At the time that 
an; the.r action took place, as, Jeleluidis 
quund je las vis, I told it to her when I 
s.aw her. It is further to be observed in 
regard to the imperfect tense, that it is 
also used to denote actions that liave 
been reiterated, and therefore it is always 
employed to point out the customs, ern- 
fdoyment, &c. of individuals no longer 
living, or which formeriy belonged to 
per&ons now alive, provided that tlie par¬ 
ticular period of life in vvljicli they were 
practised be dearly defined; thus we say 
non 7nari Halt ojficier-y her husband was 
an officer, (aliudmg to a widow',) or, son 
ntar'i etait offLcier dans so. jennesse, her 
tiusband was an officer in Ins youth, 
(alluding to a married woman); but, if we 
wish only to say tr.at ihe husband, who 
is still living, vvas an officer, without defi¬ 
ning at what period of his life, the perfect 
definite must be liien used, as, son niari 
a, cl'c officier, her husband has been an 
ofiicer. 
Tlie next use wliich I shall notice of 
this tense is to construe the English im- 
perlect of the subjunctive, when it is 
preceded by the conjunction if\ as, if I 
were ricli, si fe'tois riche; but when the 
conjunction if is employed in the sense 
of whether, botli languages- require tlie 
subjunctive mood; as, 1 asked him if lia 
would come, yg iui demundais s’il vleri’ 
draii . 
I beg now to conclude, wishiog that in 
some future numi>3r of your Magazine i 
may have the pleasure of seeing this sub¬ 
ject discussed by S'ome native of France, 
because every shade of difference must 
unquesiiiinably be more easily perceived 
by a Fienchman than il can be by me; 
tlie observations I have made beinp' 
chiefiy suggested try tite resemblance 
there is between the French and the 
•Spanish verbs, with'the latter of which, 
I, being a Soar.iard, oiigiit to be sup¬ 
posed acquainted. 
■ L. J. As Mco Henhy, 
October 1^11. 
2 u n 
