Les jeunes gens que j'ai voulu | The young men whom I wished instruire, ne m'ont pas écouté. Je l'ai vu peindre. Je l'ai entendu chanter. Je les ai entendu réciter. Je les ai vu porter. to instruct, paid no attention to me. I saw her picture drawn. RULE IV. The past participle is declinable, when preceded by its direct complement, and followed by an infinitive, expressing an action done by the person or thing spoken of.-EXAMPLES: Je l'ai vue tomber. Je l'ai vue peindre. Je l'ai entendue chanter. Je les ai entendus réciter. Je les ai vus jouer. Les soldats que j'ai vus désarmer. Les courtisans que j'ai entendus louer. I saw it fall (a house). I saw her while painting. I heard them recite. I saw them play. The soldiers I saw disarming. RULE V. The past participle is indeclinable, when preceded by its direct complement, and immediately followed by the preposition à or de, before an infinitive: we cannot, by suppressing the complement direct, place the subject of the proposition after the participle.EXAMPLES: L'histoire que j'ai commencé à lire est très-amusante. La garnison qu'il a cherché à The history which I have begun Vous me donnez des noms qui doivent me surprendre, It is contrary to the genius of the French language to say, J'ai commencé l'histoire à lire. Il a cherché la garnison à séduire. RULE VI.-The past participle is declinable, when preceded by its complement direct and immediately followed by the preposition à or de before an infinitive: we can, by suppressing the complement direct, place the name of the object spoken of after the participle. --EXAMPLES: Les ouvriers, qu'il a obligés à travailler, ne sont pas contens de lui. Les femmes, que nous avons instruites à feindre, nous ont surpassés. Les hommes que nous avons convaincus d'avoir volé, sont en prison. La simplicité, que j'ai eue de les croire, est la cause de tout mon malheur. The workmen whom he obliged to work, are not pleased with him. The women whom we have instructed to dissemble, have surpassed us. The men whom we have convicted of robbery, are in gaol. The folly that I was guilty of in believing them, is the cause of all my misfortunes. We can say, agreeably to the genius of the French language, Il a obligé les ouvriers à travailler. Nous avons instruit les femmes à feindre. Nous avons convaincu les hommes d'avoir volé. J'ai eu la simplicité de les croire. RULE VII. The past participle, preceded by the relative adverb en, without being first preceded by the complement direct, is in declinable.-ExXAMPLES: It is evident that, in the sentences above, que is not the complement direct of the past participle; it is only a conjunction, taken in an adverbial sense, which, of course, does not receive the influence of the participle, so as to become its complement direct. RULE VIII. The past participle is declinable, when preceded by en and its complement direct.-EXAMPLES: Les en avez-vous prévenus? cues. Vous parlez de ses fautes; combien n'en a-t-il pas commises! Have you informed them of it? The women whom I have convinced of it. You speak of his faults: how many has he not committed? RULE IX. When the past participle is followed by que, it is always indeclinable.-EXAMPLES: Terminez les affaires que vous avez prévu que vous auriez. Les bijous que j'ai ordonné qu'on m'envoyât. Les dépenses qu'ils ont cru que je ferais. Les terres qu'il aurait désiré que j'eusse achetées.. Put an end to the business which you foresaw you should have. The jewels which I ordered to be sent to me. The expenses which they thought The lands that he would have de- 3d. Of the past participle of reflective verbs. RULEI. The past participle of reflective verbs is always declinable, when attended by its complement direct.-EXAMPLES: Les Amazones se sont couvertes | The Amazons covered themselves de gloire. Ils se sont décidés à lui faire un procès. Elle s'est avisée de me donner un Elle s'est assise auprès de moi, Elle s'était flattée de réussir. with glory. They have determined to sue him. She took it into her head to give me a box on the ear. RULE II.-The past participle of reflective verbs, when attended by a complement indirect, is indeclinable.-EXAMPLES: Lucrèce s'est donné la mort. Les Amazones se sont acquis de Vous vous êtes dit des honnêtetés. Lucretia killed herself. She has stored chimeras in her head. The Amazons have acquired to themselves glory. You spoke to one another civilly. They have prepared themselves much trouble. Deux fois nos tristes yeux se sont vu retracer, Ce même enfant toujours tout prêt à me percer. RULE III.--The past participle of reflective verbs, when attended at the same time by two complements, one direct, and the other indirect, is declinable.-EXAMPLES: VOL. II. Y La mort que Lucrèce s'est donnée. ) The death that Lucretia her. gave Les chimères qu'elle s'est mises La gloire que se sont acquise les Les honnêtetés que vous voue êtes Les peines qu'ils se sont préparées. self. The chimeras which she has put into her brain. The glory which the Amazons acquired. The civil speeches you made one to another. The trouble they prepared for themselves. S. You have said nothing concerning the declinability of the past participle of stationary or neuter verbs, construed with avoir. M. For a good reason: you have seen, in all the above examples concerning the past participle, that, to be declinable, it must be preceded by a complement direct; and, as the stationary or neuter verbs have none, their past participle must necessarily be indeclinable, when construed with avoir.-EXAMPLES: On pourrait compter par les bien- | We may reckon the good deeds faits de cet homme rare les jours qu'il a vécu. Il faut retrancher de la vie les heures qu'on a dormi. of that extraordinary man by the days that he has lived. We must deduct from life the hours we have slept. In the two above examples, que is not a complement: it is used, in the first, instead of pendant lesquels; and, in the second, instead of pendant lesquelles. The past participle of stationary or neuter verbs, is, on the contrary, always declinable, when construed with être. ExXAMPLES: Elle est venue me parler. Elle s'est allée baigner. Cette femme est arrivée à cinq She came and spoke to mo. the coast. This woman arrived at five o'clock, and set off again at seven. I conclude this account of the declinability of the past participle, by observing, 1st. That fait is indeclinable, as well as some other past participles, when used in an abstract sense.-EXAMPLES: La pluie qu'il a fait m'a empêché | The rain which has fallen has pre de sortir. Les troupes qu'il a fallu leur envoyer ont affaibli l'armée. vented me from going out. The troops, which it has been necessary to send them, have enfeebled the army. La dépense qu'il y a eu dans cette The expense which there has been maison est effroyable in that house, is horrible. 2d. That fait, of all the past participles which may be united either to the infinitive of active, or to that of stationary or neuter verbs, is the only one that always remains indeclinable.---ExXAMPLES: But, if fait has the sense of fabriquer, créer, former, produire, &c. it is declinable.-EXAMPLE: Les bottes qu'il m'a faites sont The boots he made for me are too trop étroites. tight. 3d. That when the past participle has after it an infinitive understood, it is then indeclinable.-EXAMPLES: J'ai cité les plus beaux traits que j'ai pu. Elle a dit toutes les plaisanteries qu'elle a voulu. J'ai fait toutes les démarches que j'ai dú. I have cited the noblest traits I could. She said all the pleasantries she pleased. I took all the steps I should or ought. The infinitives citer, dire, and faire, are understood in the foregoing phrases. LESSON THE TWENTY-FIRST. ON THE PROPER CHOICE OF THE AUXILIARY Master. You have undoubtedly observed, in the course of this work, that the past participles of active verbs, having a direct complement, are combined with the auxiliary étre, in order to give passive sense to the phrase, as in the following line: Tout mortel est chargé de sa propre douleur: est chargé is used in a passive sense, because one may say, charger quelqu'un. |