French Grammar in Context

Past participles: concernés(line 4), élaboré(line 5); présenté(line 6); paru(line 9); préoccupé (line 10) Superlative: la dispo ...

‘although... ’, e.g. Tout en reconnaissant ses qualités, je suis porté à croire que. .. = Although I recognize his qualities, I ...

c Je vois un groupe d’enfants qui jouentsur la plage. d Puisque j’aideux heures de libre cet après-midi, je vais visiter l’expos ...

à peu près quatre ans. Il ne faut pas 6 ____ le langage, qui est une fonction, avec la langue, outil de l’environnement à traver ...

Verbs + à/de in the text 1 WITH À Many verbs in French cannot be directly followed by an infinitive. A substantial number take a ...

b Of the verbs which take de, an important group takes the construction: verb + indirect object (à quelqu’un) + de + infinitive. ...

Note passer/perdre son temps à faire quelque chose where English would use a present participle, ‘to spend/waste one’s time doin ...

3 VERBS WITH TWO DIFFERENT USAGES a The verb continuer is found with both à and de. The use of de avoids hiatus after a verb for ...

b Les professeurs ont tort ____ demander aux élèves ___ répéter du par cœur. c On accuse/blâme les professeurs _____ dispenser u ...

3 Make up a pair of sentences in each of the following cases to illustrate the difference in meaning between the two verbs liste ...

24 Devoir, pouvoir, vouloir, savoir La France est hypercâblée, mais pas comme on le croit: elle est devenue un gigantesque entre ...

Devoir, pouvoirand vouloirin the text These are often referred to as ‘modal auxiliaries’ or ‘modals’. They normally express the ...

ii A moral obligation (must do x). e.g. Les intérêts individuels ne devaient pas... (lines 78–9) (Personal interests must not.. ...

Vouloir 1 USAGE Vouloir+ the infinitive expresses ‘wanting’ or ‘wishing’. e.g. La vision... qui voudrait nous faire croire(lines ...

2 POUVOIR a Pouvoircan indicate permission to do something. e.g. Tu peux partir maintenant(You may go now) b Pouvoircan indicate ...

See for further information: Coffman Crocker, pp. 289–91 Ferrar, pp. 117–22 Hawkins and Towell, pp. 274–82 Judge and Healey, (de ...

4 Translate into French. a I would like a drink. b They should wait a bit longer. c Could I leave a message? d They couldn’t tel ...

Impersonal verbs in the text 1 USAGE aFalloir, which expresses necessity, only exists in impersonal forms. It is found here foll ...

a clause introduced by que and with the following verb in the subjunctive, e.g. il a fallu que 200 personnes... s’adonnent (lin ...

Discover more about impersonal verbs 1 USAGE a In addition to the uses illustrated in the text, falloir may also occur followed ...