§ 490. Perfect Past (Pluperfect). REGULAR USE. To express what its name implies, finished action or state in past time. (Compare Perfect Present and Perfect Future.) J'avais écrit la lettre avant dix heures hier au soir. I had written the letter before ten o'clock yesterday evening. J'avais écrit la lettre quand il entra. I had written the letter when he came in. IRREGULAR USE. To express at a time itself past simple past action or state. (Compare Irregular use of Perfect Present.) It has been shown. that the Perfect Present is constantly employed instead of the Simple Past (§ 487. 4). It is equally true that the form j'avais écrit is constantly employed instead of the form j'eus écrit.* Je te dirai seulement ce que j'ai vu. I shall only tell you what I saw. Je te dirais seulement ce que j'avais vu. I should only tell you what I had seen. * The form j'avais supposes unfinished past action, the form j'eus indefinite past action. This distinction is ill maintained in the compound forms, j'avais écrit, j'eus écrit; the former is commonly used, the latter exceptionally. It has therefore been omitted in the paradigms (§§ 338-349). For practical purposes it is sufficient to know that the form I had written is rendered by j'eus écrit, only after the conjunctions aussitôt que; dès que; à peine que; après que, quand, etc. ... Aussitôt que je l'eus aperçu là, je sentis qu'il avait tort. As soon as I saw him there, I felt sure that he was wrong. Dès que je l'eus entendu pleurer, je me repentis. As soon as I heard him cry, I repented. A peine eut-il monté sur l'arbre, que la branche se cassa. He had hardly climbed up the tree, when the branch broke, Après qu'il eut demandé pardon, on l'excusa. After he had begged to be forgiven, they excused him. Quand elles eurent bien dansé, elles partirent. When they had danced a great deal, they went away. § 491. Simple Future.* REGULAR USE. To express what its name implies, indefinite action or state in future time. (Compare Simple Present and Simple Past.) J'irai vous voir demain. I shall go to see you to-morrow. As an Imperative : IRREGULAR USE. Vous écrirez cette lettre, et vous la mettrez à la poste. § 492. Imperfect Future. REGULAR USE. To express what its name implies, future action or state, as unfinished, habitual, etc. (Compare Imperfect Present and Imperfect Past.) Pendant que je travaillerai vous dormirez. Whilst I (shall) work you will sleep. The periphrastic form serai à écrire is often used instead of the form j'écrirai, when it is necessary to express very accurately the action as unfinished, in progress, etc. § 493. Perfect Future. REGULAR USE. To express what its name implies, finished action or state, in future time. (Compare Perfect Present and Perfect Past.) Il aura bientôt vu toutes les peintures du Louvre. He will soon have seen all the paintings in the Louvre. IRREGULAR USE. To express supposition : Vous aurez oublié de faire enregistrer vos bagages. Perhaps you have forgotten to register your luggage. *It must be recollected the so-called Present Conditional is often a Simple Future; the Past Conditional a Perfect Future (§ 466). SUBORDINATE SENTENCE. § 494. Sequence of Tenses. The Tense in the Subordinate sentence must correspond with that of the principal sentence, so that a consistent whole may be produced. This is called the Sequence or Consecution of Tenses. Thus I think he is singing; I thought he was singing; I think he was singing; I think he will sing; I thought he would sing; etc., have correct sequence. But I thought he is singing; I thought he will sing; etc., have incorrect sequence. When the Subordinate sentence has not the Subjunctive, this Sequence of tenses is easy, and needs no special explanation. It is only when the Subjunctive is employed that difficulties arise; for several tenses are wanting in the Subjunctive, and one form has often to do double duty. The following general rules may be given: 1. If the Subordinate sentence does not require the Subjunctive Mood, that tense must be employed which would be right if the sentence were a principal sentence. 2. If the subordinate sentence requires the Subjunctive, this must be done as far as the forms will admit. (See Paradigms, SS 338-349). EXAMPLES: I know that he is there now. Je sais qu'il est là maintenant. I doubt if he is there now. Je doute qu'il soit là maintenant. I doubt if he will be there to-night. Je doute qu'il soit là ce soir. We knew that he was ill. Nous savions qu'il était malade. We doubted if he was ill. Nous doutions qu'il fût malade; etc., etc. NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS. Sequence of Tenses. The observations and rules given above are here stated at greater length : In a Simple sentence the words are dependent in various ways upon each other. To express this dependence we use the terms agreement, concord, government, etc. In a Compound sentence, not only has this dependence to be observed, but the two or more simple sentences of which it is composed must correspond, so that a consistent whole may be produced. The mutual dependence of tense upon tense, or sequence of tenses, as it is called, alone presents difficulty; for the absence of many tense-forms in the Subjunctive renders impossible the distinctions which exist in the Indicative: * (a) No distinction is possible in the Subjunctive between the Simple Past and the Imperfect Past; one form does duty for both : Je portai } Je portasse (b) No distinction is possible in the Subjunctive between the Present and the Future, one set of tenses does duty for both: Hence the guiding principle already given : 1. If the subordinate sentence has not the Subjunctive mood, that tense must be put which would be required if the sentence were a principal sentence. 2. If the subordinate sentence has the Subjunctive mood, this must be done as far as the forms will admit. A more or less close correspondence of tenses on the one hand, and a more or less exact definition of time and the relation of time on the other, are obtained by an observance of the following rules :-+ * This seems the easiest way of putting the case, though probably the converse is the true view :- the lack of demand has reduced the supply, for minute distinctions are not necessary in a subordinate sentence. † The rules marked * are exceptional, and are not included in most grammars. They are therefore supported by examples from well-known authors. Abundant examples of Consecution will be found in $$ 480-484,Subjunctive.' A. PRESENT TENSE FORMS IN PRINCIPAL SENTENCE. Present tense forms in the principal sentence are followed in the subordinate sentence 1. By the Simple Present Subjunctive to express- (b) indefinite or incomplete future action : 2. By the Perfect Present Subjunctive to express- Je doute que vous ayez écrit cette lettre. (b) finished future action : Je doute que vous ayez écrit cette lettre avant mo départ demain. 3. By the Simple Past Subjunctive to express— (a)* indefinite past action : Il y a plus de quarante ans que je dis de la prose sans que j'en susse rien. Je doute qu'on osât. (b) future conditional action (C.): (MOLIÈRE.) (ROUSSEAU.) Je ne doute pas que vous écrivissiez bien cette lettre s'il vous aide. 4. By the Perfect Past Subjunctive to express past finished conditional action (C.): Je ne doute pas que vous enssiez écrit cette lettre s'il vous avait aidé. Observations. * The form j'ai voulu may be Perfect Present with the consecution of the present tense, or Simple Past, with the consecution of the past tenses (§ 487. 4). (a) Perfect Present: L'empereur a commandé qu'il meure. (RACINE.) Vous avez beaucoup de grâces à rendre à Dieu de ce qu'il a permis qu'il ne vous soit arrivé aucun accident. (RACINE.) Dieu a dit qu'il viendra juger les hommes. (b) Simple Past: Vous m'avez dit que vous ne reviendriez pas le lende- et les morts. (WAILLY, A A |