329. Article Distributively. 1. The definite article with distributive force replaces English 'a' of weight, measure, number, when indicating price: 2. The definite article is also used distributively with names of days: Il vient le dimanche. Le bateau part tous les lundis. He comes (on) Sundays. The boat goes every Monday. 330. Omission of the definite, indefinite, or partitive, is frequently omitted. This takes place : Article. The article, whether 1. In a large number of expressions made up of a verb + a 2. In many adjectival and adverbial phrases made up of a preposition + a noun: D'après nature; devant témoins. After nature; before witnesses. 3. Before a predicate noun which qualifies in a general way the personal subject, or object, of certain verbs (cf. § 295): Ils sont Russes. Elle est modiste. Nous sommes médecins. Il paraît honnête homme. Son frère se fit soldat. They are Russians. She is a milliner. He seems an honest man. NOTE.-Nouns so used are commonly those of nationality, profession, title, etc., and their function is adjectival. Whenever a predicate noun denotes an individual or a species, it must have the article: 'La rose est une fleur,' 'The rose is a flower'; 'Les rois sont des hommes,' 'Kings are men.' a. The article is not omitted when the predicate noun has a distinctive adjunct : Son frère est un artiste de mérite. His brother is an artist of merit. Ils sont devenus des généraux They became distinguished generals. distingués. b. Observe the predicative force of a noun after traiter + de, qualifier + de: . Il m'a traité de sot. Je qualifie cela de fraude. He called me a fool. I call that fraud. c. After c'est, ce sont, the noun is logical subject, not predicate, and hence the article or some other determinating word must be used with it: C'est une Allemande. Ce sont les (mes) gants. She is (a) German. Those are the (my) gloves. 4. Before such an appositive noun as serves merely the purpose of a parenthetical explanation : L'Avare, comédie de Molière. Pâris, fils de Priam, ravit Hélène, femme de Ménélas. L'Avare, a comedy by Molière. Paris, the (a) son of Priam, carried off Helena, (the) wife of Menelaus. a. Thus is explained the omission of the article in numerical titles: James the First (the Second). Jacques premier (deux). b. An apposition which distinguishes, contrasts, compares, regularly has the article, as in English: Pierre le Grand. Peter the Great. Racine le fils et non Racine le Racine the son and not Racine the père. Montréal la plus grande ville du Montreal Canada. M. Cook, un ami de mon père. father. the largest city in Canada. Mr. Cook, a friend of my father. c. Colloquially, the article is often omitted in contrasts: Dumas père et Dumas fils. Dumas the elder and Dumas the younger. NOTE.-Pseudo-apposition (really ellipsis of de or of a de clause) is found in many cases like 'L'église (sc. de) Saint-Pierre,' 'St. Peter's Church'; 'des meubles (sc. du temps de) Louis XV,' 'Louis XV. furniture'; 'La rue (sc. de) Mirabeau,' Mirabeau Street.' 5. In condensed sentences, such as titles of books, enumerations, addresses, advertisements, proverbs, antithetical expressions, etc., and usually after ni...ni, sans.....ni, soit...soit, tant...que, jamais : Il n'a ni père ni mère. Sans amis ni argent. Tant hommes que femmes. Jamais père n'a tant aimé. He has neither father nor mother. Without friends or money. As well men as women. Never did a father love so much. 331. Unclassified Examples. The following examples show idiomatic distinctions in the use of the article which cannot conveniently be brought under general rules: Vous êtes le bienvenu. Avoir le temps. Aller à l'école (l'église). Faire la guerre. Sur (vers) les trois heures. L'année dernière (prochaine). Le vendredi saint. Les deux tiers du temps. Tous (les) deux; tous (les) trois. Tous les mois. Le ministre de la guerre. Le meilleur des amis. Il cria à l'assassin. Je l'ai dit au hasard. Prendre le deuil de quelqu'un. Je vous souhaite la bonne année. You are welcome. Ask (give) alms. To go to school (church). Fire broke out. Make war. Cast (weigh) anchor. To set fire to. Towards three o'clock. Good-bye! Last (next) year. In spring, in summer, etc. Mid-June. (The) half (of) the year. The minister of war. I said it at random. Go into mourning for somebody. I wish you a happy new year. a. The definite article is a constituent part of some surnames : Les romans de Lesage. Les fables de La Fontaine. The novels of Lesage. The fables of La Fontaine. 2. The definite article is used according to Italian analogy in the French form of a few famous Italian surnames; so also, in a very few names which are not Italian : Le Corrège; le poème du Tasse. Correggio; the poem of Tasso. Poussin; Camoens. 3. The article is used when the name has a distinctive adjunct, when it is plural, or when used as a common noun: 4. Familiarly, often in a depreciatory sense, the definite article is not uncommon, especially with names of females: Sans attendre la Barbette. Le Duval me l'a dit. Without waiting for Barbara. Duval told me so. |