4. They were drowned in this place three weeks ago.-Ils se sont noyés en cet endroit, il y a trois semaines. 5. Did he ask you for it ?— Vous l'a-t-il demandé? 6. He who speaks thus cannot have any feelings of humanity.— Celui qui parle ainsi ne saurait avoir aucun sentiment d'humanité. 7. These pens are not good; those of your brother are better; will you have these?-Ces plumes-ci ne sont pas bonnes; celles de votre frère sont meilleures ; voulez-vous celles-ci? 8. I have caught a cold.—Je me suis enrhumé. 9. Why don't you send for him?—Pourquoi ne l'envoyez-vous pas chercher ? 10. We supply him with books.-Nous lui fournissons des livres. [END OF THE FIRST TERM.] PRACTICAL RULES FOR TRANSLATION FROM ENGLISH INTO FRENCH. (SEE FIRST BOOK, PAGE 71, AND SECOND BOOK, Page 1.) The following rules should be thoroughly mastered before the pupils begin to study the lessons; they might be given "in toto" or in part as a holiday-task. Reference should be made to them at least once a week; this may be done either by asking the pupils to repeat some of the rules, or by giving them extempore sentences to translate into French : I.-In English the Present of the Indicative Mood is often used after certain adverbs of time, like when, as soon as, after, to denote futurity; the FUTURE or ITS COMPOUND must be used in French. Ex.: When you go out, take this parcel with you. Quand vous sortirez, prenez ce paquet avec vous. As soon as you have done with your work, come to me. REMARK. We occasionally use the Present instead of the Future tense to express an action which is to take place very soon; but in this case the sentence never begins with the above-named adverbs and conjunctive phrases. Ex.: Je vais à Londres demain, la semaine prochaine, etc. II. When two verbs express strict SIMULTANEOUSNESS, the one synonymous to "being in the act of" must be put in the Imperfect, the other in the Past or Present Perfect tense. When the verbs are NOT strictly simultaneous-that is to say, when they denote actions which are the logical result the one from the other, both verbs should be put in the Past or Present Perfect tense. Ex.: I was writing when he entered (I was in the act of, etc.). I left off writing when he entered (I left off... because he, etc.). III.-The PLUPERFECT Subjunctive Mood is often elegantly used after the Conjunction si, and without it, for the Pluperfect Indicative Mood or the Conditional Perfect. Ex.: S'il l'eût fait, c'est une autre question (for s'il l'aurait fait). Si vous eussiez seulement été là (for si vous aviez) ! Had you only been there! J'eusse préféré vous voir hier (for j'aurais, etc.). I should have preferred seeing you yesterday. IV. The FUTURE PERFECT and CONDITIONAL PERFECT are sometimes used to denote a supposition or conjecture. Ex.: Il ne le lui aura pas dit. I don't suppose he told it him. D'après vous, le roi serait parti hier. According to you, the king left yesterday. V. The Particle NE is used WITHOUT having a negative meaning in the following cases :— (a) After craindre, avoir peur, trembler, empêcher (to prevent), when used affirmatively. Ex.: Je crains qu'il ne vous entende. I am afraid he will hear you. (b) After douter, nier (to deny), désespérer (to despair), when used negatively. Ex.: Je ne doute pas que vous ne sachiez lui répondre. (c) After the following conjunctive phrases: A moins que (unless), de peur que, de crainte que (for fear that). Ex.: Je me tais de peur qu'il ne m'entende. I keep silent for fear of his overhearing me. (d) In the second clause of a sentence, when the first is affirmative and expresses a comparison of inequality. They are richer than we are. Ex.: Ils sont plus riches que nous ne le sommes. REMARK. When two negative sentences are connected with each other, the latter loses its pas, but in this case the negative means not, and is to be translated in English. Ex.: Je n'ai rien dit qu'il ne vous ait répété. I did not say anything which he did not repeat to you. |