French Verbs Made Simple(r)

343 Pages·2006·2.23 MB·English

by  David Brodsky

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French Verbs Made Simple(r)
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David Brodsky
French
V E R B S
M
A
D
E
Simple(r)
University of Texas Press Austin
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Copyright © 2006 by the University of Texas Press
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
First edition, 2006
Requests for permission to reproduce material from this work should be sent to:
Permissions, University of Texas Press, P.O. Box 7819, Austin, TX 78713-7819
www.utexas.edu/utpress/about/bpermission.html
(cid:1)(cid:2) The paper used in this book meets the minimum requirements of
ANSI/ NISO Z39.48-1992 (R1997) (Permanence of Paper).
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Brodsky, David, 1950–
French verbs made simple(r) / David Brodsky.—1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN-13: 978-0-292-71472-4
ISBN-10: 0-292-71472-6 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. French language—Verb. 2. French language—Textbooks for foreign speakers—
English. I. Title: French verbs made simple. II. Title: French verbs made simpler.
III. Title.
PC2271.B76 2006
448.2(cid:1)421—dc22 2005030902
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For Daniel, Michael, and Beatriz
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Contents
Preface ix
Introduction 1
PART I. FORMS OF VERBS
1. Present Tense 11
2. Imperfect Tense and Present Participle 39
3. Past Participle 45
4. Simple Past (Passé Simple) 55
5. Future and Conditional Tenses 63
6. Subjunctive and Imperative 69
7. Compound Verb Forms 77
8. Orthographic Modifications 83
9. Summary 96
PART II. USES OF VERBS
10. Indicative 103
11. Present and Past Subjunctive 137
12. Simple Past and Imperfect Subjunctive 163
PART III. ANNEXES
A. Model Verbs, with Complete Conjugations 175
B. Alphabetical Listing of 6,200 Verbs by Model Number 245
C. Defective Verbs 319
Selected References 329
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Preface
The fundamental aim of this book is to provide:
(a) easily understood—yet comprehensive—tools to recognize and learn the
patterns that govern the large majority of “irregular”verbs in French;and
(b) clear and systematic illustrations of the use of all the principal French verb
forms,with particular emphasis on the subjunctive.
It is intended both for the relatively new student grappling with the apparent
complexities of French verbs and for the more advanced practitioner seeking to
“perfect” his or her understanding.
Thebookisdividedintothreeparts,whichtoacertainextentareindependent:
Part Iprovides a description of the various verb tenses and forms, with a fo-
cus on establishing patterns and rules which can assist in learning (and remem-
bering) the conjugations of the so-called Class III (irregular) verbs. Chapter 8
provides a comprehensive treatment of theregular orthographic changes which
affect approximately 15 percent of-er(Class I) verbs. For example:
tu appelles versus tu appelais
je cède versus nous cédons
je pèse versus nous pesons
je lance versus nous lançons
il emploie versus vous employez
Chapter 9 provides an overall summary of verb forms and shows that (at most)
six key conjugations determine the complete conjugation of any verb. The few
exceptions are specifically highlighted.
PartIIillustratestheuseofthevariousverbtensesandforms.Specialconsid-
eration is given to two of the thorniest problems for students of French: (1)
whetheraverbistobeconjugatedwithavoirorêtre;and(2)theconditionsunder
which the past participle is variable (e.g., Marie s’est lavée, Marie s’est lavé les
mains,lesmainsqueMaries’estlavées).Chapter11isdevotedtotheuseofthesub-
junctive.WhilenolongeranelementofspokenFrench,thepassésimpleremains
animportantelementofthewrittenlanguage,anditsuseiscoveredinChapter12.
Annexes: By reviewing Annex A, the student can become familiar with
the various “model” verbs (or classes) and their unifying features. Complete