REMARK.-A neuter verb cannot become passive. As we say: pardonner à quelqu'un, permettre à quelqu'un, ordonner à quelqu'un, plaire à quelqu'un, succéder à quelqu'un, these verbs are neuter, and we cannot say: quelqu'un est pardonné, permis, ordonné, plu, succédé. A reflective verb is always used in the infinitive with the pronoun se, as: se moquer, to mock; se promener, to take a walk; s'abstenir, to abstain, etc.; and it is conjugated with two pronouns of the same person, as: Je me moque, tu te moques, il se moque, etc. Many active and neuter verbs are also used with the pronoun se, and are then called reflective, as: se flatter, se louer, se blesser, s'amuser, se réjouir, etc.-se rire, se nuire, se plaire, se convenir, se succéder, se suffire, etc. These verbs are called reflective, because the action is reflected on the person who does it, as: Je me blesse, I wound myself. All the reflective verbs take être in their compound tenses. PRESENT. PAST. (se flatt-er, to flatter one's (s'être flatt-é, to have flattered self.) one's self.) REMARKS.-1. The Verb must is translated by falloir, followed by the infinitive, or by que, and the subjunctive, as:-il me faut écrire, or il faut que j'écrive, I must write; il lui faut partir, or il faut qu'il parte, he must go. 2. The verb to want, avoir besoin, may be translated also by falloir, as:-I want a pen, J'ai besoin d'une plume, or il me faut une plume, etc. DIFFERENT FORMS OF CONJUGATING VERBS. Besides the affirmative form, there are other forms of conjugating verbs:-1. Negatively; 2. interrogatively; 3. negatively and interrogatively; 4. with c'est moi qui, it is I who ; affirmatively, negatively, interrogatively, etc. 1.-NEGATIVE VERB. The negatives no and not are expressed in French by ne, placed after the subject, and by pas, placed after the verb in the simple tenses, and between the auxiliary and the participle in the compound tenses. Conjugation of a Negative Verb. INDICATIVE PRESENT. (I do not speak.) Je ne parl-e pas. ils ne parl-ent pas. PAST INDEFINITE. (I have not spoken.) Je n'ai pas parlé. il n'a pas parlé. nous n'avons pas parlé. The pupil may conjugate the other tenses in the same way. Instead of ne-pas, the negative is expressed, according to the sense, by ..point, not at all. ne.... ne.... ne... plus, no more. ..jamais, never. ne....rien, nothing. ne.... guère, not much, not often. ne....personne, nobody. ne.... aucun, or nul, (adj.), no, not any. ne....aucunement, nullement, by no means. |