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The University of Western Ontario
Department of French
University College 138B

FR 002~002: Supplément de la grammaire

Chapitre 3

 

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002 Page d'accueil

   

This week we have been examining how to negotiate an unknown french city: how to ask for and understand directions, use of polite forms and use/positioning of descriptive adjectives to describe qualities such as beauty, age, goodness and size. First, as promised before let's take a look at the conditional forms of the verbs vouloir and pouvoir from which we take the polite forms we have been seeing in the text book.

vouloir (to want):
In the conditional meaning would like.

conditional root: voudr-

 pouvoir (to want):
In the conditional meaning could.

conditional root: pourr-


je voudr-ais                             "I would like"
tu voudr-ais                        "You would like"
il/elle voudr-ait         "One/he/she would like"

nous voudr-ions                  "We would like"
vous voudr-iez                   "You would like"
ils/elles voudr-aient            "They would like"
je pourr-ais                                        "I could "      
tu pourr-ais                                   "You could "
il/elle/on pourr-ait                 "One/he/she could"

nous pourr-ions                               "We could"
vous pourr-iez                                "You could"
ils/elles pourr-aient                         "They could"

Remember that we have seen these forms used especially when addressing strangers both on the telephone and in the street.

     From the à l'écoute dialogue (p.88) it being the apartment:   (Quand) Est-ce que je pourrais le voir?        OR        "Pourriez-vous me dire où est (où se trouve) le musée?
                                                                                                (When)  could I see it?                                                          Could you tell me where the museum is (is located )?

We have also looked at some irregular adjectifs that describe qualities such as beauty-B, age-A, goodness-G and size-S. In fact, B.A.G.S. is one possible cue for remembering that these adjectives may be placed before the noun that they describe. here again is the chart for these irregular adjectives. Irregular not simply because they may be placed before the noun that they describe but also because they have irregular spellings:

masculin singulier masculin pluriel féminin singulier féminin pluriel
beau beaux belle belles
nouveau nouveaux nouvelle nouvelles
bon bons bonne bonnes
vieux vieux vieille vieilles

 

Important: For further notes on the imperative forms, contracted articles and the future proche please refer to the INPRINT course material cahier pp. 11-15.