П est midi, Il est midi et demi, Il est minuit moins cinq, A huit heures du soir, A dix heures précises, Vers sept heures, It is twelve o'clock, noon. It is twelve o'clock, midnight. It is five minutes to twelve. At eight in the evening. (a) As in English, any number of minutes may go with the preceding hour, although after half past, the next hour is usually named less (moins) the number of minutes. (b) Il est or est-il in these expressions is an impersonal verb and is therefore invariable. (c) O'clock is often omitted in English, but heure or heures is not omitted in French. Minutes may be omitted. (d) Midi and minuit are used for twelve o'clock. (e) Demi is masculine after midi and minuit; Lesson 23 (3). (2) Recall rules for dates, Lesson 24, and observe the following expressions: Quel jour du mois est-ce aujourd'hui ? C'est aujourd'hui le premier février, C'était hier le trente et un janvier, Il y a une semaine (ou huit jours),1 Samedi en quinze, En (dans) quel mois ? Au mois de septembre, En septembre, What day of the month is it to-day? It is February first. To-morrow will be the second. A fortnight from to-day. A fortnight from Saturday. In what month? In the month of September. 1 In the expressions huit jours and quinze jours, the French count as one the day from which the time is reckoned. par le train de deux heures, by the 2 o'clock train. 1. Quelle heure est-il ? 2. Il est midi cinq ou midi dix. 3. Il n'est pas encore midi et quart. 4. Elle n'est pas partie avec eux; elle est partie plus tard, à 3 heures et demie. 5. Nous avons rencontré nos amis ce matin à 9 heures moins un quart lorsque nous allions à la gare. 6. Avec qui alliez-vous à la gare ? 7. Avec mon père et ma mère; ils sont allés à la campagne pour deux ou trois mois. 8. De quelle gare sont-ils partis? 9. Ils sont partis de la gare du Nord. 10. Irez-vous à l'église dimanche prochain? 11. J'ai vu votre père il y a une quinzaine. 12. Il arrivera à cinq heures précises. 13. Il est maintenant près de neuf heures. 14. Est-elle née en 1897 ? 15. Elle est née le 7 juillet, 1899. 1 It will be noted that the tenses of aller given here correspond to those already presented in connection with regular verbs. (A) 1. We are going home to-morrow. 2. We shall be at home before noon. 3. In what month do you go to the country? 4. In the month of July. 5. What time is it? 6. It is a quarter to two. 7. It is five minutes to three. 8. It is 4.20. 9. To-day we shall go home at half-past one. 10. He started for London last evening by the 8.10 train. 11. His brother went to London too, but he was very ill. 12. He will go home a week from to-day. 13. It is already late. 14. What a beautiful night! 15. Where were you going last evening when we met you? 16. We were going to the theatre. 17. Do you often go to the theatre? 18. It is the of 190-. 19. Yesterday was the and to-morrow will be the 20. At what time did they go away? 21. They went away from the house at a quarter to eleven and from the station a half-hour later. 22. They came back by the midnight train. 23. Let us go to church next Sunday. (B) 1. What time is it? come to school this morning? go home? 2. At what time did you 3. At what hour do you 4. What day of the month is this? 5. What day of the week is it? 6. Where shall you go a week from Sunday? 7. Do you go to school every day? 8. Shall we be here a week from Friday? 9. Did you go to the country last Saturday? 10. Did you come back by the train, on foot, on horseback, or in a carriage? 11. It is already ten o'clock, is it not? 13. Shall you stay here till three ? about two o'clock, do you not? 15. this morning at exactly eight o'clock ? 12. Is it noon? 14. You go home Did you get here 16. Where were you a fortnight ago? 17. How many days are there in a week? 18. Are there seven or eight? 19. But how does one say, "A week ago"? Seasons. la saison, the season. la pluie, the rain. le vent, the wind. le tonnerre, the thunder. 51 Weather. en (dans) quelle saison, at what season? la cour, the yard, the court. Faire (irregular), to do, to make. fais, make, do. faisons, let us make or do. faites, make, do. Observe the following impersonal constructions: 1 In Lesson 48, we had le temps used as the subject of the verb être. It cannot be the subject of any form of the verb faire. Il tonne, Il éclaire, Il grêle, It thunders. It lightens. It hails. Il pleut (pres. ind. of pleuvoir, irreg.), It rains. Il pleuvait (imperf. ind.), Il pleuvra (future), It was raining, it rained. It will rain. 1. Le printemps est une belle saison. 2. C'est la saison des fleurs. 3. Quand il pleut, prenez votre parapluie. 4. D'où tombe la pluie ? 5. Quand il pleut ou quand il neige, on dit qu'il fait mauvais (temps). 6. Le temps est mauvais. 7. Voici un proverbe: après la pluie, le beau temps. 8. En quel mois sommes-nous à présent? 9. Les arbres ont des feuilles en été; mais en hiver ils n'en ont plus. 10. Combien de jours a ce mois-ci? 11. Combien en aura le mois prochain? 12. Que font les enfants d'une école ? 13. Notre cour est belle tout l'été. 14. Tout le monde aime les champs au printemps, ils sont si verts. 15. Vous faites trop de bruit; n'en faites plus. 1. Name the seasons. 2. Do you like all the seasons? 3. Why does one love the spring? 4. Where do people go in summer? 5. Does it snow in summer or in autumn? (Use ni... ni in answer.) 6. When does it snow? 7. Do you like the snow? 8. Is there much in this part of the country? 9. Is it raining? 10. Was it raining this morning when you came to school? 11. Did you open your umbrella? 12. Umbrellas are very useful when it rains, aren't they? 13. Is it cold here? 14. Is it too warm? 15. In what season is it cold? 16. What season is this (in what season are we)? 17. Is it windy to-day? 18. What kind of weather is it in July? 19. Does it often thunder in the winter? 20. What do the children do 1 at the seashore? 1 See 12th sentence in French exercise of this Lesson. |