PART V. DEFECTIVE VERBS. The defective verbs are wanting some of their tenses or persons. a) Some belong to the old language, and have been kept only in one or several of their tenses; as, Accroire, Quérir. b) Some cannot be used in all tenses, on account of the meaning they would express; as — Pouvoir, which cannot be used in the Imperative, because you cannot command some one to be powerful. c) And some others are wanting some of their tenses, and there is no reason to be accounted for, except the custom. These verbs belong either to the 1st or 2d class of irregular verbs, as it is easy to see it in the following tables, in which every one of them is fully conjugated; and even some belong to the regular conjugations. You must notice that although they may be conjugated only in some of their tenses or even persons, they are conjugated on the same principle as the conjugation given about all other verbs, and sometimes they are partly regular verbs of the conjugation to which they belong. With regard to the defective verbs, Littré remarks that, as much as possible it is to be avoided using certain forms or words fallen into desuetude and based on false ground. The word défectueux is sometimes used instead of défectif, but less correctly. Tenèbres (darkness) is a defective noun, because it is wanting the singular. 130 Some authors, and even modern, have used that verb in the above tenses. Béer à or après means to desire, to wish, to long for. Les voisins béaient aux fenêtres. (CHATEAUBRIAND.) La fosse immense béait comme un enfer. (E. SUE.) Qui ne bée point après la faveur des princes? (MONTAIGNE.) L'homme va toujours béant aux choses futures. (MONTAIGNE.) Some grammarians say that this verb is no more in use except in the Present Participle, which is a mere adjective. Le lion vint à lui la gueule béante. Bayer, to gape, is used now instead of Béer. See that verb in the next page. Des tonneaux, des futailles à gueule bée, An open cask with the head taken out. In his work "Mes Paradis" JEAN RICHEPIN has used Béer in the following This verb is a regular verb of the first conjugation. Il baye or Il baie Ils bayent or Ils baient Bayer après means to gape after, to long for. Bayer aux corneilles, to gape in the air, to stand gaping like a simpleton. Bâilleur, Bâilleuse, qui bâille, ADJ. Bâillant, Bâillante, qui bâille, gaper, gaping simpleton. yawner, gaper. Le bâillement est contagieux. Bailleur, Bailleresse, qui donne (law term), the lessor and the lessee. The ACADEMY admits the above tenses only. According to other grammarians and authors it can be conjugated regularly in all its tenses as a regular verb. Being a neuter verb it has no passive voice. It may be impersonal. FIG. ADJ. Il pue tant dans cette chambre qu'il est impossible d'y rester. Ce mot pue le Fontenelle et sa finesse. Puant, Puante, stinking. (LINGUET.) ADV. Puamment, seldom used. The compound Empuantir (to stink) belongs to the second conjugation regular. All other tenses are used by good authors. Some even have used Je défaille instead of Je défaus. Je défaille à l'instant décisif. (V. HUGO.) Et là, devant les yeux qui jamais ne défaillent Ces ombres qui seront bronze et marbre tressaillent. (V. HUGO.) Notre amour, comme notre dévouement aveugle, caduc, imparfait, s'égare et défaille à chaque instant si le genre humain n'en est pas le terme. (LAMENNAIS.) À qui le désir manque, aucun bien ne défaut (ROTROU), He who has no desire lacks nothing. According to the ACADEMY this verb is used only in the plural of the Present Indicative, the Past Imperfect Indicative, the Past Definite, the Compound Tenses. BESCHERELLES gives the same tenses as the ACADEMY. SUBST. Défaillant, ante, defaulter. Les noms des défaillants seront connus demain. (BALZAC.) Défaillance (f.), faintness, weakness. ADJ. Défaillant, Défaillante, failing, faltering. Tomber en défaillance (to faint). (Old word.) Sa main défaillante. Défaillible (m. f.), which can fail, and formerly Defaillable. |