Page images
PDF
EPUB

Mr. B.? Yes, he is a countryman of mine. Those pictures of yours

[blocks in formation]

124. When addressing a person to whom we wish to show respect and deference, we add the expressions monsieur, madame, mademoiselle, before the pronoun preceding the noun which indicates their relative or friend.

Comment se portent monsieur votre père, madame votre mère et mademoiselle votre sœur?

How are your father, mother, and sister?

EXERCISE.

Have the kindness to present my respects to your father and* mother. How is your sister? Is your cousin well?

f.

125. When addressing relations, friends, &c., we use mon, ma, mes, &c., and repeat them before each noun.

Veuillez vous approcher, mon père, ma mère, mes frères et vous, mes amis.

Have the goodness to come near to me, father, mother, brothers, and you friends.

EXERCISE.

I wish to speak to you, brother. And so I want to speak

moi aussi avoir besoin de parler to you, sister. How do you do, father? Good day, mother. Adieu

OF RELATIVE PRONOUNS.

Qui, que, dont, lequel, quel, quoi, où.
[See ACCIDENCE, p. 16.]

Of qui.

126. QUI, who, which, and even that,† is a nominative,

*Turn, in French-And to madam your mother.

+ Besides who and which, the word that answers something to a relative (quique), to a demonstrative (ce, celui, &c), or even to a conjunction (que). It is, therefore, very necessary that every time the learner meets with that, he should attend, and ascertain what it stands for, whether a relative, a demonstrative pronoun, or a conjunction, a order that he may be able to express it properly in French.

and is applied to persons or things: it is of both genders and numbers, and should refer to its antecedent.*

L'homme ou la femme qui parle,

The man or the woman who speaks.
Les maisons qui me plaisent,
The houses which please me.

127. If attended by a preposition (de qui, &c.) it means whom, and is applied to persons only, singular or plural (see lequel).

Les messieurs et les dames à (ou avec) qui je parle,

The gentleman and the ladies to (or with) whom speak.

128. When used interrogatively, qui always refers to persons, as a nominative or accusative (who? or whom?) and admits of any preposition.

Qui fait du bruit?......... Who makes a noise?
Qui avez-vous battu?

[blocks in formation]

...

Avec qui vous promeniez-vous ?
De quit attendez-vous une lettre?

Whom have you beaten?

Whom do you speak to ?†

Whom were you walking with? +
From whom do you expect a letter?

129. Qui, in sententious, proverbial and familiar phrases, is often used elliptically, that is, when celui, or la personne, is understood. It is then used both as a nominative or accusative, and with or without a preposition. (See 162.)

Qui ose parler ainsi, ne peut avoir aucun sentiment d'humanité,
Whoever dares speak thus, cannot have any feeling of humanity.

Qui ne dit mot consent,

Silence gives consent.

Je sais qui vous voulez dire,

I know whom you mean.

Parlez à qui (or de qui) il vous plaira,
Speak to (or of) whomsoever you please.

* Qui can scarcely ever be separated from the word to which it refers without causing ambiguity. (See lequel, No. 145.)

The prepositions to, with, or any other, may, in familiar style, be placed after in English; but in French, a preposition never can be placed but before the pronoun relative, as à qui, avec qui, &c.

Take notice, that de qui means "from whom," and dont means "of whom," or" of which." See dont, p. 59.

[blocks in formation]

The man from whom I received a letter.

The man of whom I speak.

130. Instead of qui (especially in familiar style), we frequently use qui est-ce QUI? for the nominative, and qui est-ce QUE? for the accusative.

Qui est-ce qui fait du bruit?............... Who makes a noise?
Qui est-ce que vous avez* battu?

A qui est-ce que vous vous êtes adressé...

Whom have you beaten?

To whom did you apply?

131. Qui is to be repeated before every verb governed by it.

C'est un homme qui mange, qui boit, qui dort et qui ne pense qu'à | son plaisir.

He is a man who eats, drinks, sleeps, and thinks of nothing but his pleasure.

EXERCISE.

(126) The general who commands. The flocks which feed

luire

tout

paitre

in the

meadows. The sun that† shines and vivifies | every thing. | Have prairies. you seen the girl who laughs and chats so much?

131 causer *

Do you not know

the gentleman to whom I was talking? The man from whom ‡ I

127

received so many favours.

F

people

services.

The clerk you rely upon.§ The commis 127 compter sur

towards whom you behave with so much kindness, do not se conduire

gens (pl.) envers

seem

to be very grateful. Who is that? I. Whom have we met?

paraître reconnaissant. Them. Who spoke to you? He.

là?
128 130
Whom did you see? Him.

Whom 128 130

With Mr. B. Upon whom Whom have you beaten? 128 130

did you dance with yesterday evening?
do you rely? Who is that?
128 130
128 130 là

Who

is that making | a noise in the other room? To whom have you 128 130

[blocks in formation]

Remark, that qui est-ce que, being of itself an interrogative expression, does not of course admit of the following verb being again in the interrogative form therefore it should te vouz avez, not avez-vous battu ? It may be preceded by any prepositior

+ See Nowe †, p. 55.

See Note ‡, p. 56.

Whom is sometimes left out in English, when with a preposition, but it neves is so in French. See also Note †, p. 56.

OF que.

132. QUE, whom, which, and even that,* when in the affirmative, is the accusative of qui, referring to persons and things, of both genders and numbers, and should refer to its antecedent. (See lequel.)

L'homme et la femme que vous estimez,

The man and woman whom you esteem.
Le palais et la maison que vous bâtissez,
The palace and the house which you build.

133. Que is never left out in French, although whom, which, or that † often are in English.

The man you esteem (that is) the man whom you, &c.,
L'homme que vous estimez.

134. Que must not only be expressed, but repeated, before every verb that governs it.

The man you respect and esteem,

L'homme que vous respectez et que vous estimez.

INTERROGATIVELY.

135. When interrogative, and in the accusative, que means what (referring to things). It is only used before verbs requiring no preposition. See quel and quoi, p. 63, 64.

Que faites-vous?
Que dites-vous?

.......

What are you doing?
What do you say?

In familiar style WHAT in the accusative is expressed by qu'est ce que, and by qu'est-ce

Qu'est-ce que vous dites?...
Qu'est-ce que c'est que cela?

que c'est que,

What are you saying?
What is that?

136. WHAT in the nominative is not to be translated by que, but by qu'est-ce qui or qu'est ce que c'est qui; as, Qu'est-ce que c'est qui vous fait du mal? What hurts you? Qu'est-ce qui vous fait du mal?.......

EXERCISE.

The gentleman whom you know is arrived. (132.) The lady whom you saw the other day. The goods

F

which you nave bought.

marchandises

f. (pl.)

* What is said about that in Note †, p. 55, when nominative, may be applied to

that, accusative.

+ See Note †, p. 55.

The furniture that* you have sold.

meubles

m. (pl.)

The books you read, study,

134

and learn by heart will be of infinite service | to you. What have you

d'un grand

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

N.B. The above interrogative sentences should be done first with que, and then with qu'est-ce que and qu'est-ce que c'est que.

Of dont.

DONT, of whom, of which, whose (standing for de qui, duquel, &c.), is used with verbs or expressions requiring de, or when marking possession; it is applied to persons and things, of both genders and numbers, and should refer to its antecedent.†

Here follow four different cases, in the three first of which dont should be used; and in the fourth, de qui or duquel should be preferred.

FIRST CASE.

137. La personne, I dont‡ je parle, | m'a écrit,

The person of whom I speak has written to me.

That is, merely, when the verb requires de, as parler de, or marking relation.§ The order is as follows:1. Dont. 2. The nominative (je). The verb (parle).

SECOND CASE.

138. La personne, | dont l'enfant deineure chez moi, | m'a écrit, The person, whose child lives at my house, has written to me.

Le jardin dont les fleurs sont si jolies, est grand,

The garden, the flowers of which are so pretty, is large.

See Note †, p. 55.

+ See lequel. Dont is never left out, and should be repeated, as qui and que.

Dont, in French, as well as of whom, of which, whose, in English, always coming as it does the above and following examples between the nominative (la personne) and the verb (je parle), together with which verb it forms a complete phrase, being between commas, we will endeavour to point out the different constructions of which such phrases, taken by hemselves, are susceptible; they have been put between two bars (1).

Observe the differer.ce between d'où, out of, and dont, from whom; d'où expresses an idea of extraction, dont, of relation, as, La ville d'où il vient, La race dunt il vient.

[ocr errors]
« PreviousContinue »