Friday, January 7, 2011

How you can identify a verb in french?

How you can identify a verb in french?

when you meet the word that seem to be verb in french sentences, remember the word must be one of "stem or infinitive or p.p. (past participle)":

1) if it is a "stem": stem + ...

endings in present : (er) : e, es, e, ons, ez, ent - (ir) : is, is, it, issons, issez, issent - (re) : s, s, __ (no ending), ons, ez, ent

endings in Imperfait: ais, ais, ait, ions. Iez, aient

endings in Passé simple : ai, as, a, âmes, âtres, érent

2) if it is "infinitive": infinitive + ...

endings in futur simple : ai, as, a, ons, ez, ont

endings in Futur proche : aller (present : vais, vas, va, allons, allez, vont) + infinitive

endings in Present conditional : ais, ais, ait, ions, iez, aient

3) if it is "p.p.":

passé composé : present tense of être / avoir + p.p.

(être : suis, es, est, sommes, êtes, sont) (avoir : ai, as, a, avons, avez, ont)

Pluperfect : imperfect tense of être / avoir + p.p.

(être : êtais, êtias, êtait, êtions, êtiez, êtaient) (avoir : avais, avais, avait, avions, aviez, avaient)

Futur parfait : simple future tense of être / avoir + p.p.

(être : serai, seras, sera, serons, serez, seront) (avoir : aurai, auras, aura, aurons, aurez, auront)

Past conditional : present conditinoal tense of être / avoir + p.p.

(être : serais, serais, serait, serions, seriez, seraient) (avoir : aurais, aurais, aurait, aurions, auriez, auraient)

p.p. of être (été ) , avoir (eu)

p.p. of regular verbs : é for er, i for ir, u for re

Verbs that use être as an auxiliary verbs:

1- intransitive verbs : express mouvement or a change of state: aller, venir, arriver, partir, sortir, entrer, monter, descendre, naître, mourir, passer, rester, retourner, tomber (and the compound of those verbs like revenir. these verbs use être for auxiliary verb in some tenses)

--------agrees in gender and number with the subject that comes after verb.

2- All reflexive verbs


Verbs both use être (when they are used as intransitive with indirect object) and avoir (when they are used as transitive with direct object) as an auxiliary verbs:

monter, descendre, sortir, rentrer, retourner, passer (all mean as they need direct and indirect object (the preceeding object with or without preposition) is necessary. for more information refer to Page 102 of "French verb tenses" of McGraw Hill




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