Observe that each of the last five adjectives of this list has two forms for the masculine. The second form is used only before a noun beginning with a vowel or h mute: un bel oiseau, le nouvel opéra, mon vieil ami.3 la promenade, the walk. la nouvelle, the news. latin, Latin. flatter, to flatter. 2. Cette 1. Apportez-nous des verres d'eau fraîche. table est longue de cinq pieds et large de trois. 3. La langue grecque est plus riche que la langue latine; elle est aussi plus difficile. 4. On dit que c'est la langue la plus difficile. 5. Je n'ai jamais vu de petite bête plus 1 Also, malign, malignant, malicious, mischievous, roguish, shrewd, sly, clever. 2 Nouveau, standing before the noun, means another: j'ai acheté de nouveaux livres, I have bought some more books; une nouvelle maison, a new house (new to us). Nouveau, after the noun, means recent: j'ai acheté cinq livres nouveaux, I have bought five books that have appeared recently. Neuf means newly made, not used yet: un habit neuf, a new coat; une maison neuve, a new house (newly built). 8 Vieil is not absolutely required before a noun beginning with a vowel: mon vieil ami or mon vieux ami, my old friend. maligne que celle-ci. 6. Cette nouvelle avenue n'est-elle pas publique ? 7. Oui, c'est maintenant ma promenade favorite. 8. Tout le monde admire cette longue avenue par laquelle nous sommes venus hier. 9. Ces dames sont bien vieilles. 10. Comment trouvez-vous sa voix ? 11. Je la trouve très douce. 12. Sa sœur est la plus franche et la plus aimable des filles. 13. Mon frère a acheté un bel habit neuf, et ma sœur une robe blanche. 14. Cette nouvelle est fausse. 15. Ce bruit n'est pas moins faux. 2. Your chain is longer and 3. Is that news 5. Italian women 1. There is a fine animal. more beautiful than mine or (than) his. true? 4. It is not true; it is false. are more numerous in this country than Greek women. 6. Have you read Rostand's new work? little girl is her father's favorite. 7. This nice 8. Her voice is very 15. What a beautiful gentle. 9. Who is whistling? 10. What a sharp whistle! 11. How do you find the Greek language? 12. This lady talks a great deal, but she is not too talkative. 13. She is always very flattering. 14. She is always flattering somebody. white house! 16. Her hair is red. 17. His sisters are too frank. 18. That poor woman is beautiful muslin is as white as snow. so unhappy? mad. 19. This 20. Why is she 21. Are n't her daughters industrious? 58 Position of Adverbs and of tout, rien, and personne. (1) Adverbs generally stand after the verb in a simple tense, and before the past participle in a compound tense. Elle parle bien français, she speaks French well. Exceptions: Hier, aujourd'hui, demain, ici, là, and most adverbial phrases 1 are placed after the past participle. Ils sont partis hier, they left yesterday. Elle a fini tout à l'heure, she has just now finished. (2) As direct objects, tout (everything, all) and rien (nothing) precede the past participle, but personne (nobody) follows it. J'ai tout perdu, I lost everything. Je n'ai rien vu, I have seen nothing. Je n'ai rencontré personne, I met nobody. Rien and personne (like jamais, never) require ne before the verb; used alone or without a verb, they retain their negative meaning. 1 For example: tout de suite, immediately; sur le champ, instantly; tout à l'heure, just now; avec plaisir, with pleasure. A peine, hardly, precedes the past participle. Tout à fait, wholly, quite, generally precedes. 2 In these negative expressions, the place of pas is taken by point, jamais, etc. Personne alone follows the past participle. 8 Plus (like jamais, rien, and personne), when used without a verb has a negative meaning. Plus d'argent, no more money; plus de leçons, no more lessons. 4 Mis (past part. of mettre, to put) agrees with subject of être. 12. Saviez-vous 1. Mon frère a beaucoup pleuré ce matin. 2. Ditesmoi pourquoi. 3. Je vous l'ai déjà dit. 4. Il pensait qu'il avait perdu son argent hier soir. 5. L'avait-il vraiment perdu? 6. Il n'avait rien perdu. 7. Personne n'a rien perdu. 8. Vous avez bien écrit votre thème. 9. Qui a mal agi? 10. Il n'a guère d'argent. 11. Cette lettre est très bien écrite. alors que votre frère était déjà revenu quelle heure serez-vous ici demain ? amies sont toujours bien mises. 15. Nous sommes partis. de Paris hier soir. 16. Personne n'est encore revenu. 17. Je n'ai point réussi. 18. Avez-vous tout vu? 19. Je n'ai rien vu. 20. Quand nous étions chez eux, ils n'avaient encore rien vendu. 21. Personne n'a pris ce que vous avez perdu. 22. Personne? 23. Personne. 24. Mon ami parle bien italien. hier ? 13. A 14. Toutes ses For Oral Drill.—1. He has said nothing; he has seen nobody; he has done well. 2. They have seen everything; they have finally seen everything; they will have seen everything to-morrow. 3. Have you met no one? Have n't you met any one? 4. There is not; there was no longer anything; there will be nobody. 5. Has he lost anything? Who has lost everything? 6. He has 7. No not lost anything; he has not lost everything. body came just now; nothing has happened to-day. (A) 1. You have written your letter badly. 2. His is very well written. 3. There was nobody here yesterday at half-past five in (de) the afternoon. 4. When I met your brother just now, he had seen everything. 5. I have not seen anything yet (yet anything seen). neighbor has not had much business to-day. 7. Nobody has bought anything because everything is so dear. 6. Our 9. She laughed 8. Those ladies are always well dressed. so much that I scolded her. 10. I think that poor man has always been so sad that he has never laughed. 11. He has no money at all, and he has scarcely any friends. 12. He has lost everything. 13. No more 1 noise, please. 14. Did you meet no one this morning? 15. No one. 16. What have you for me? 18. Let us not wait any longer, let us sentences. 19. We have hardly begun. 17. Nothing. finish these 2. At what written a letter? (B) 1. Did you sleep well last night? time did you get here? 3. Has 4. Has he written it well? 5. Are you very fond of dogs (Do you like much the dogs)? 6. Have you many dogs? 7. How did you like those dogs we saw to-day? 8. Do you speak English? 9. Do you speak French well? 10. What have you lost? 11. Who has lost nothing? 12. Is there anything in this drawer ? 13. Who is knocking? 14. What were you doing a moment ago? 15. Who laughed just now? 16. Where shall you spend the night? 17. Whom do you see in the street? 18. Don't you see anybody? 19. Have you entirely finished your exercise? 20. Are there no more sentences? 59 Idioms with Avoir. (1) In the following idioms avoir is used instead of the verb to be: avoir chaud, to be warm. avoir soif, to be thirsty. avoir sommeil, to be sleepy. 1 See note, page 131. |