je cours, tu cours, il court, nous courons, vous courez, ils courent.

je meurs, tu meurs, il meurt, nous mourons, vous mourez, ils meurent.

FUTURE.

je mourrai.

PAST DEFINITE.

je mourus.

PRESENT SUBJUNCTIVE.

que je meure, que tu meures, qu'il meure, que nous mourions, que vous mouriez, qu'ils meurent.

IMPERATIVE.

meurs, mourons, mourez.

Notice the doubled r in the future and conditional of courir and mourir, distinguishing in pronunciation these forms from those of the present and imperfect.

1. Mon père a ordonné que les enfants descendissent au salon. 2. Mon père a ordonné aux enfants de descendre tout de suite au salon. 3. Elle commande que je lui achète un journal français. 4. Elle m'a commandé de lui acheter un journal français. 5. Je ne sortirai pas avant qu'il nous ait donné sa parole. 6. Je ne sortirai pas avant d'avoir obtenu votre promesse. 7. Il craint qu'elle ne meure. 8. Il craint de mourir. 9. Elle dit vous avoir écrit.

10. Elle dit que vous m'avez écrit.

11. Elle me dit de vous écrire. 12. Il prétend avoir raison. 13. Il prétend que je n'ai pas raison.

14. Il

croit avoir bien fait.

15. Il croit que vous avez bien fait. 16. Je crois vous avoir écrit. 17. Que faut-il faire pour gagner la vie? 18. Il faut travailler. 19. Combien de temps faut-il pour apprendre à parler français ? 20. Cela dépend de bien des choses. 21. Le vieux roi mourut en 1693, à l'âge de quatre-vingts ans.

1. I fear I am wrong.

2. I feared I was wrong. 3. I 4. I was sorry I

am sorry I am late (être en retard).

was late. 5. She has ordered me to punish you. 6. The doctor has ordered that I should run a little every day. 7. I think I have seen you this morning. 8. I thought I had seen you somewhere. 9. He pretends he has spoken

to you. 10. He will not try it for fear he should make a mistake. 11. I shall speak to him before I write to you. 12. I wish I were in the country that I might (pour pouvoir) rest. 13. It is time to finish your letter. 14. Is it possible to do that? 15. That is impossible to 16. Must one always do one's best?

do.
stay here long?

17. Must you

she is dead.

20. We (on)

18. He now believes 19. He says that he does not believe me. must not believe all we hear. 21. The poor old woman of whom I was speaking to you the other day died yesterday. 22. The pupils are running in the yard behind the school.

92

The Present Participle.

A present participle may be used either as an adjective or as a verb.

(1) As an adjective, a present participle follows and agrees with the noun that it modifies.

Ces hommes prévoyants ont aperçu le danger, these farsighted mex have perceived the danger.

(2) As a verb, it is invariable and usually refers to the subject.

Ces hommes, prévoyant le danger, se sont mis sur leurs gardes.
These men, foreseeing the danger, put themselves on their guard.

(3) En, in, while, by, is the only preposition that may be used with a present participle. With other prepositions, where the participle is used in English, the infinitive is required in French.

En prévoyant le danger, ces hommes se sont sauvés.
By foreseeing the danger, these men saved themselves.
Commençons par lire en (or le) français.

Let us begin by reading in (or the) French.

Tout is sometimes used before en to emphasize the continuity of the action.

Tout en mangeant, il lisait la philosophie.
Even while eating, he read philosophy.

(4) After the following verbs the present participle is generally used in English, and the infinitive in French. Instead of the infinitive, a tense of the indicative with qui may be used with all except paraître and sembler :

je lis, tu lis, il lit, nous lisons, vous lisez, ils lisent.

Past Definite, je lus.

Rire (irregular), to laugh.

PRESENT PARTICIPLE.

riant.

PAST PARTICIPLE.

ri.

PRESENT INDICATIVE.

je ris, tu ris, il rit, nous rions, vous riez, ils rient.

IMPERFECT INDICATIVE.

qui courait.

je riais,

etc.

nous riions,

etc.

PAST DEFINITE.

je ris,

etc.

nous rîmes,
etc.

rire de, to laugh at.

1. J'ai vu courir votre frère. 2. J'ai vu votre frère 3. J'entends rire ma sœur. 4. J'entends ma sœur qui rit. 5. Regardez-le marcher; est-ce qu'il ne vous semble pas boiter? 6. Ecoutez-le rire; il me semble que ce rire est peu naturel. 7. Il travaille en chantant et en causant avec tout le monde. 8. Ces mes

sieurs sont vraiment amusants. 9. Ces messieurs vous amusent, n'est-ce pas ? 10. Le champ de bataille était couvert de soldats mourants. 11. Ces photographies sont bien ressemblantes. 12. Voilà un chien qui aboie. 13. Je ne l'entends pas aboyer. 14. Tout en refusant, elle semble accepter. 15. De quoi riez-vous ? 16. Je ris des lettres que je lis. 17. Ne riez pas de moi, je vous prie. 18. Il n'y a que les âmes aimantes qui soient propres à l'étude de la nature. (Bernardin de

St. Pierre.)

1. I hear your brother speaking. 2. I heard him speaking to his friend. 3. Did you see him running with those children? 4. We have watched him eating. 5. We looked at it while [we were] eating. 6. Did I hear you singing this morning? 7. This lady is truly amusing. 8. Whom is she amusing? 9. By amusing us, she enjoys herself. 10. What a charming lady! 11. She is also a

very obliging person.

12. They came without bringing us what we asked for. 13. There they are; they are reading the papers. 14. I read while eating. 15. [One's] appetite comes while eating. 16. This woman appears to suffer [the infinitive or the adjective]. 17. The stories we read are often very amusing. 18. For two hours I have been walking here, and I have met only one person I know. That was an old friend of mine, and I was glad to see her. 19. I do not think her uncle is

dead; I think I saw him walking here yesterday. 20. Always reflect before speaking. 21. Our neighbor's daughter died this morning. 22. What are you read23. Whom are you laughing at? 24. We are

ing?

not laughing at you, I assure you.

93

The Past Participle.

(1) A past participle used as an adjective agrees with the noun or pronoun to which it relates.

(2) A past participle used with avoir agrees with a preceding direct object; with être, it agrees with the subject, except in the case of pronominal verbs (which are conjugated with être instead of avoir) when it follows the rule for avoir. (Lessons 25, 30, and 67.)

Study the following examples and state why each past participle is variable or invariable.

Qui a écrit les lettres que vous avez reçues ce matin ?

Who wrote the letters that you received this morning?

Sont-elles bien écrites? Non, madame, ce sont des lettres mal écrites.

Are they well written? No, madam, they are poorly written letters.
Votre sœur s'est-elle blessée ? Oui, elle s'est blessée au doigt.
Has your sister hurt herself? Yes, she has hurt her finger.