Franco-fun 20 novembre 2006
Les verbes modaux
Could, would, should, etc... - pouvoir, devoir, vouloir, etc....
Nous avons commencé à voir les verbes modaux en forme simple :
ABILITY
- Can = Pouvoir (present tense) + [infinitive verb]
- Could (past) = Pouvoir (imperfect) + [infinitive verb]
POSSIBILITY
- Could (present) = Pouvoir (conditional) + [infinitive verb]
- May, might = Pouvoir (conditional) + [infinitive verb]
- OR Future + peut-être (order reversible)
- OR Pouvoir (present) + [infinitive verb]
- Shall, will = French future tense
OBLIGATION
- Must = Devoir (present) + [infinitive verb]
- Can you help me? – Pouvez-vous m’aider?
- Could you help me? – Pourriez-vous m’aider?
- It may rain. – Il peut pleuvoir. OR Il pleuvra peut-être.
La différence entre la forme simple et la forme composée?
- Simple : Could you help me? – Pourriez-vous m’aider?
- Composée : Could you have helped me last night? – Auriez-vous pu m’aider hier soir?
WILL/SHALL = FUTUR SIMPLE ou FUTUR PROCHE (ALLER + INFINITIF)
The hand-out I gave in class explained that WILL and SHALL is usually rendered in French by the future tense (“future simple”), e.g.:
- I will help you. – Je vous aiderai.
Tanya brought up a very good point: why can’t it be formed with the “future proche”? It can! E.g.:
- I will help you. – Je vais vous aider.
“Je vais vous aider” is closer to “I am going to help you.”
MUST = DEVOIR (INDICATIF PRESENT) + INFINITIF
- I must leave. - Je dois partir.
- I must leave. – Il faut que je parte.
Or
- You have to leave. – Vous devez partir. (devoir à l’indicatif present + infinitif)
- Il faut que je vous partiez. (partir au subjonctif présent)
Que and the subjonctive :
I am afraid that I completely confused participants when I said that the subjunctive always follows que. The subjunctive does not always follow que, but if the subjunctive is used, que is not far!!
A good explanation in English can be found at: http://french.about.com/library/weekly/aa111799.htm
“The subjunctive mood is used to express actions which are subjective: will/wanting, emotion, doubt, possibility, necessity, judgment. It is nearly always found in dependent clauses introduced by que or qui. […]
The subjunctive is used when the main clause expresses subjectivity, as with the following cases:
- I. Verbs/expressions of will which express an order, a need, a piece of advice, or a want;
- II. Verbs/expressions of emotion or feeling which indicate fear, happiness, anger, regret, surprise, or other sentiments;
- III. Verbs/expressions of doubt, possibility, and opinion;
- IV. Some conjunctions;
- V. The verbs in sentences with the indefinite pronoun ne ... personne, ne ... rien, quelqu'un, or quelque chose as the subject of the main clause;
- VI. Main clauses which contain the words seul, unique, premier, dernier, or any superlative (optional - it depends on how concrete the speaker feels about what is being said);”
- I. Il est normal que je doive beaucoup à mes parents. (It is normal that I owe a lot to my parents.)
- II. Il est surpris qu’il doive encore tant d’argent à la banque. (He is surprised that he still owes the bank so much money.)
- III. Il se peut que nous devions aller chez le médecin avec notre bébé. (It is possible that we will have to take our baby to the doctor’s.)
- IV. Jusqu’à ce que je ne doive plus d’argent sur mon hypothèque, je ne fais pas de voyage à l’étranger. (Until I have finished owing money on my mortgage, I am not travelling abroad.)
- V. [still thinking of an example here]
- VI. C’est le dernier paiement que je doive. (It’s the last payment that I owe).
Here are examples that we looked at in class:
- Je veux que vous m’accompagniez à la gare. – I want you to accompany me to the train station.
- Je doute qu’il vienne. – I doubt that he will come.
- J’aurais dû le savoir. – I should have known that.
- Nous aurions dû être capables de le faire. – We should have been to do it.
Many ways to say “But of course!”:
- Bien sur!
- Tout a fait!
- Mais oui!
- Absolument!
