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How Long?

(1) An action or state which began some time ago and is still going on, is expressed in French by the present tense. In such cases, how long depuis quand (literally, since when).

=

Depuis quand êtes-vous ici, how long have you been here? Je suis ici depuis trois mois, I have been here three months. Depuis quand travaille-t-elle, how long has she been working? Elle travaille depuis une demi-heure, she has been working a half hour. (a) These ideas may also be expressed by another idiom:

Combien (de temps) y a-t-il que vous êtes ici?

Il y a trois mois que je suis ici.

Combien y a-t-il (de temps) qu'elle travaille?
Il y une demi-heure qu'elle travaille.

(2) If the action or state is entirely past, how long= combien de temps with the past indefinite (perfect).

Combien de temps êtes-vous resté ici, how long did you stay here?
Je suis resté ici (pendant) trois mois, I stayed here three months.
Combien de temps a-t-elle travaillé, how long did she work?
Elle a travaillé une demi-heure, she worked half an hour.

Combien de temps may not be used with the simple imperfect to denote length of time.

Pendant expresses the whole duration of an action or state from beginning to end. In this sense it may generally be omitted. Compare with depuis quand, which denotes action still going on.

(3) If the action or state is future, how long = combien de temps with the future tense.

Combien de temps serez-vous ici, how long shall you be here?
Je serai ici trois mois, I shall be here three months.

Combien de temps travaillera-t-elle, how long will she work?
Elle travaillera une demi-heure, she will work half an hour.

surtout, above all, especially.
donc, then, therefore, pray.

seulement, only.
ensuite, afterwards, next.

1. Je demeure à Glasgow depuis quinze ou seize ans. 2. Henri y a demeuré pendant trois ans, de 1900 à 1903. 3. Il était trois heures quand j'ai commencé mes exercices. 4. Il est maintenant quatre heures et demie; je travaille donc depuis une heure et demie. 5. J'étudierai encore une demi-heure, et ensuite je visiterai ma tante qui est un peu malade depuis hier. 6. Votre cousin n'est-il pas à Londres depuis longtemps? 7. Oui, mon

sieur, mon cousin demeure à Londres depuis trois mois. 8. J'ai demeuré à Londres quinze jours, il y a bien longtemps. 9. J'étais alors très jeune, et j'aimais le plaisir plus que le travail. 10. J'ai peu voyagé depuis, mais je pense que je visiterai bientôt Paris. 11. Quand êtes-vous allé à Edimbourg? 12. Il y aura trois mois à la fin de la semaine prochaine. 13. Combien y a-t-il de temps que votre frère est revenu? 14. Il y a quinze jours qu'il est arrivé de Bruxelles. 15. Combien de temps êtes-vous restés à Paris? 16. Nous sommes restés trois jours à Marseille, deux à Lyon, deux à Dijon, et huit à Paris. 17. Combien de temps resterez-vous à Londres ? 18. Quinze jours seulement.

(A) 1. Is n't it your uncle who lives in that old house? 2. Yes, sir, it is he; he has lived in it for over twenty years. 3. How long have your father and mother been travelling in Europe? 4. They have been there for several months. 5. What cities have they visited? 6. They have visited all of the most interesting cities of

France, Germany, and Holland. 7. How long were they at the Hague ? 8. They were there two or three weeks. 9. It is there that they read Dumas's La Tulipe Noire for the first time. 10. They were there when you were, were they not? 11. When they were in Paris, they sent us a beautiful gift. 12. Have n't they been in Switzer

land yet? 13. They are there now. 14. How long

have they been there? 15. For seven or eight weeks, I think. 16. Are they fond of the Alps? 17. Very; my father, especially. 18. Where will they spend the winter? 19. They will be in Rome four months; then they will go to Naples, where they will stay from the first of April until the fifth or sixth of May. 20. They will be in America before June first.

(B) 1. At what time did you come in? 2. What time is it now? 3. How long have you been here? 4. How long shall you stay here? 5. At what time did these pupils come to school this morning? 6. Did they come yesterday? 7. How long did they stay? 8. Who stayed the longer, you or I? 9. I was here an hour ago; where were you? 10. Were you alone? 11. Where do you live? 12. Have you lived there long? 13. How long? 14. I have been looking for my pen for ten minutes; have you seen it? 16. Didn't you know it was mine? 17. You have some friends who have been travelling for a long time, have you not? 18. Have n't they always travelled a great deal? 19. How long were they in Canada last summer? 20. How long have you studied French? 21. Who studies German ? 22. How long has he studied it? 23. How long did you study the seventy-first lesson? 24. When did you study it?

15. Who took it ?

Using the above paradigms as models, learn to conjugate the past definite of any regular verb; also, of the irregu lar verbs already given: aller, j'allai, tu allas, etc.; faire, je fis, etc.; dire, je dis, etc.; savoir, je sus, etc.; voir, je vis, etc. Observe that the only change of vowel occurs in the third person plural of the first. conjugation.

Use of Past Tenses.

(1) We have seen (Lessons 10 and 67) that the conversational past tense, denoting what happened, is the past indefinite (perfect).

(2) We have also seen (Lesson 42) that the imperfect is used to express a customary or continued past action, or a description of the state of things when something took place or while it was taking place; also with si in conditional clauses (Lesson 60).

(3) The past definite is used only in a formal narrative1 or historical style to denote an action or state which was definitely completed in past time.

Study carefully the following examples:

J'ai vu votre cousine il y a quelques jours, I saw your cousin a few

days ago.

Où était-elle ? Elle était chez elle.

Where was she? She was at home.

Etes-vous allé la voir? did you go and see her?

Quand j'étais à Paris, j'allais souvent à l'opéra.

When I was in Paris, I often went (used to go) to the opera.

Le prince Edouard dans cette bataille ne perdit pas soixante hommes. Prince Edward in that battle did not lose sixty men.

Les anciens Egyptiens embaumaient les morts, les Grecs et les Romains les brûlaient.

The ancient Egyptians embalmed the dead, the Greeks and Romans burned them.

On embauma le corps d'Alexandre et on le transporta en Egypte.
They embalmed the body of Alexander and carried it to Egypt.

le libraire, the book-seller.

l'ennemi (m.), the enemy.

la bataille, the battle.

une épée, a sword.

le paysan, the peasant, countryman.

louer, to praise.

couronner, to crown.

s'écrier, to exclaim, to cry out.

1. Le roi donna dix louis au paysan et lui pardonna sa faute. 2. Un officier blessé fut transporté chez lui, où deux médecins furent appelés. 3. On demanda à un petit garçon, pourquoi il désirait du sel; c'est, répondit-il, pour la viande qu'on me donnera. 4. Aussitôt qu'il eut fini son travail, il partit pour la campagne. 5. Il me demanda pardon et m'assura qu'il me donnerait

1 The past anterior (compound of the past definite) expresses an action immediately prior to that expressed by the past definite. It is used only after quand, aussitôt que, à peine, etc.

Après qu'il eut parlé, il s'assit, after he had spoken, he sat down.

À peine fut-il arrivé que midi sonna, he had scarcely arrived when it

struck twelve.