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Agreement Of Tenses - Subjunctive

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Auta) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 10:31:00 +0000

The present subjunctive is used in the subordinate clause when the verb in the main clause is in the present or future indicative:

je redoute qu'il vienne
je lui dirai qu'il ne vienne pas
The perfect subjunctive is commonly used when the verb in the main clause is in a past tense:

je redoutais qu'il ne soit parti sans moi
je souhaitais qu'il ait réussi

This is only possible if the action in the subordinate clause takes place before that of the main clause, as in the examples above.
Otherwise the present subjunctive is used, even when the verb in the main clause is in a past tense:

il voulait que je le fasse (he wanted me to do it)
je craignais qu'il ne soit pas d'accord (I was afraid he wouldn't agree)

Conclusion:

j'attends/j'attendrai que le train parte (present/future + present)
j'attendais que le train parte (past + present - action in the subordinate clause does not take place before that of the main clause)
je redoutais que le train ne soit déjà parti (past + perfect - action in the subordinate clause takes place before that of the main clause)

Votre adresse est-elle correcte?

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Auta) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 07:53:00 +0000

When you receive mail from stores, you can sometimes see something like this on the envelope : is your address correct?

It's a good exercise to try to translate the small paragraph that follows. It's full of very useful vocabulary. Let's try it, ok?

Well, here is the text :

Si vous déménagez ou si vous remarquez qu'une erreur s'est glissée dans votre adresse, veuillez indiquer vos coordonnées exactes ci-dessous. Remettez cette enveloppe entière (avec l'adresse imprimée au recto) dans votre magasin Bio-Planet ou renvoyez-la-nous. Nous apporterons immédiatement les corrections nécessaires. Merci.

And here is all the vocabulary :

si : if
vous déménagez : you move (out of a house)
ou : or
vous remarquez que : you notice that
une erreur : a mistake
s'est glissée dans : has slipped (or crept) into
votre adresse : your address

veuillez : (will you) please
indiquer : write (down)
vos coordonnées : your name, address, etc
exactes : exact, accurate
ci-dessous : (here) below

remettez : hand over
cette enveloppe : this envelope
entière : whole, entire
avec l'adresse : with the address
imprimée : printed
au recto : on the front of the envelope
dans votre magasin : in your store
ou : or
renvoyez-la-nous : send it back to us

nous apporterons : we will bring forth
immédiatement : immediately
les corrections : corrections
nécessaires : necessary

Verbs

déménager, remarquer, se glisser, indiquer, imprimer, renvoyer, and apporter all belong to the first group of French verbs.

vouloir and remettre belong to the third group.

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noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Auta) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 04:32:00 +0000

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How do you say, "I am happy today" in French?

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Auta) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 09:33:00 +0000

The meaning of happy is "heureux".

But you don't really say "Je suis heureux aujourd'hui" in French.

You could say "Aujourd'hui je suis content", but again we don't say that.

What we say, although this is not a litteral translation of your question, is :

Aujourd'hui je suis en forme
Aujourd'hui je suis de bonne humeur
Aujourd'hui j'ai le moral

French Word abeille bee

noreply@blogger.com (Patrick Auta) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 09:17:00 +0000

abeille bee
gender une abeille
plural des abeilles

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