French IV Study Guide Section 1 Grammar

French IV Study Guide - Simple Studies Section 1: Grammar Le Conditionnel Tenses Le Présent du Conditionnel - Present Conditional Tense 1. The present conditional tense is used to describe what you, someone, or other people, would do in a given situation or conditions a. For example: I would go swimming if the weather was nicer. i. I would go swimming is the conditional tense in this instance b. En français: Je nagerais si le temps était plus beau. i. Nagerais is the verb in the conditional 2. When forming the conditional tense, you take the infinitive of the verb and add the imperfect ending, with a few exceptions a. For example: i. Nager: to swim Imparfait Je nageais Nous nageons Tu nageais Vous nagiez Il / Elle / On nageait Ils / Elles nageaient Conditionnel Je nagerais Nous nagerons Tu nagerais Vous nagerais Il / Elle / On nagerait Ils / Elles nageraient 3. Some exceptions to the form of infinitive + imperfect ending still use the imperfect ending, but have different different stems besides the infinitive a. Appeler - appelle i. Applies to: épeler, rappeler, renouveler 1. Rule: add an “l” b. Appuyer - appuier i. Applies to: ennuyer, essuyer 1. Rule: switch the “y” with an “i” c. Employer - emploier i. Applies to: nettoyer, noyer, tutoyer, etc. 1. Rule: switch the “y” with an “i” d. Essayer - essaier i. Applies to: balayer, effrayer, payer 1. Rule: switch the “y” with an “i” e. Jeter - jetter i. Applies to: feuilleter, hoqueter, projeter, rejeter 1. Rule: add a “t” f. Lever - lèver i. Applies to: acheter, achever, mener, etc. 1. Rule: switch the first “e” with an “é” g. Venir - viendri. Applies to: devenir, tenir, obtenir, etc. 1. Rule: take the first letter of the verb, add “iendr” to it h. Irregular verbs with no pattern i. Aller - ir- ii. Avoir - aur- iii. Courir - courr 1. Applies to: concourir, discourir, parcourir, etc. iv. Devoir - devr v. Envoyer - enverr 1. Applies to: renvoyer too vi. Être - ser- vii. Faire - fer- viii. Falloir - faudr ix. Pleuvoir - pleuvr- x. Pouvoir - pourr- xi. Savoir - saur- xii. Valoir - vaudr- xiii. Venir - viendr- xiv. Voir - verr- xv. Vouloir - voudr- 4. Helpful hint: the conditional stem always ends in -r Le Passé du Conditionnel - Past Conditional Tense 1. The past conditional tense is used to describe/express what you would have done if something had happened. It is also used to express regret or reproach towards something. 2. Forming le passé du conditionnel: a. Le passé du conditionnel is formed as a composition of two verbs like le passé composé and le futur antérieur. i. The auxiliary verb is either être or avoir, conjugated in the present conditional ii. The auxiliary verb is followed by the past participle of the verb describing the action you would have done in the past 1. Avoir in le présent du conditionnel a. J’aurais Nous aurions b. Tu aurais Vous auriez c. Il/Elle/On aurait Ils/Elles auraient 2. Être in le présent du conditionnel a. Je serais Nous serions b. Tu serais Vous seriez c. Il/Elle/On serait Ils/Elles seraient i. Reminder: all verbs that take être in le passé composé also take être in le passé du conditionnel and must agree with the pronoun used to describe them 1. +e for femininity and +s for plurality b. Example: i. J’aurais voulu étudier plus. 1. I would have liked to study more. ii. Nous serions parti à une bonne heure. 1. We would have liked to leave earlier. 3. Le passé du conditionnel is used in a journalistic style along with le présent du conditionnel to express a statement of speculation, usually translated in English to reportedly or allegedly. a. Example: i. La tornade serait mort 200 personnes dans le Nebraska. 1. The tornado is reported to have killed 200 people in Nebraska. Si Clauses Le Présent Conditionnel Si Clauses 1. Si clauses (if clauses) are parts of sentences that are used to indicate possibilities that may or may not become reality 2. Si clauses are composed of 2 parts: the si clause and the resultant clause a. The si clause indicates the condition b. The resultant clause indicates what will be done if the condition of the si clause is met 3. For the present conditional, the verb in the si clause is in the imparfait form and the verb in the resultant clause is in the présent conditionnel a. Exemple: Si j’avais plus le temps, j’étudierais beaucoup plus. i. En Anglais: If I had more time, then I would study a lot more. 4. The word “then” is not used in si clauses Le Passé Conditionnel Si Clauses 1. Si clauses in le passé conditionnel utilize both le passé conditionnel and plus-que-parfait (covered later) a. The si clause is in the plus-que-parfait b. The resultant clause is in le passé du conditionnel 2. Example: a. Si tu m'avais aidé, j’aurais fini mes devoirs plus tôt. i. If you had helped me, then I would have finished my homework earlier. 1. M’avais aidée is in the plus-que-parfait and aurais fini is in le passé du conditionnel a. M’avais aidée is placed in the plus-que-parfait because it describes an action that would have taken place before another action. b. Aurais fini is placed in le passé du conditionnel because it describes the action that would have happened if the condition was met before it. Le Futur Simple Si Clauses 1. Si clauses in le futur simple are formed by with two different tenses: the present indicative and the future simple a. The si clause is in the present indicative b. The resultant clause is in the futur simple 2. Example: a. Si tu m’aides étudier pour l’examen, je regarderai un film avec toi. i. If you help me study for the text, then I will watch a movie with you. 1. Regarder is the action that will be done if the condition, aider étudier, is met Le Futur Tense - Future Tense Le Futur Immédiat/Proche 1. Le futur immédiat is used to describe what will happen in the immediate or near future (later, tomorrow, next week, etc.) a. It is often translates to something you are going to do, but aren’t certain of 2. Forming le futur immédiat a. Le futur immédiat is formed as a composition of two verbs: aller and the action b. Aller is conjugated according to the pronoun like any verb i. Je vais Nous allons ii. Tu vas Vous allez iii. Il/Elle/On va Ils/Elles vont c. The action verb is placed in the infinitive form 3. Exemple: Je vais faire mes devoirs plus tard. a. I am going to do my homework later. Le Futur Simple 1. Le futur simple is used to describe events that will happen in the future at a guaranteed time a. At 9 pm, this weekend, etc. 2. Le futur simple is also used to make predictions about the future a. i.e. “you’ll never finish that in one day” 3. Forming le futur simple: a. Le futur simple is formed similarly to the conditional tenses with the infinitive and an ending. For le futur simple, the ending is the same as the endings to the verb avoir (to have) i. J’ai Nous avons ii. Tu as Vous avez iii. Il/Elle/On a Ils/Elles ont b. The same spelling changes to the infinitive verbs are made as with the conditional i. All -re verbs lose the e at the end of the verb (descendre - descendr) ii. Add a letter (jeter - jetter; appeler - appeller) iii. Change “y” to “i” (essayer - essaier; essuyer - essuier; nettoyer - nettoier) iv. Accent changes (acheter - achèter) c. All irregular verb stems from the conditional are part of le futur simple 4. Avoir and être are used in the futur simple to express probability in the present in order to indicate something that is true or likely to be true. a. L’étudiant est absent. Il sera être malade. i. The student is absent. He is probably sick. 5. The futur simple can be used to express an action that takes place in the future from the perspective of the past in narration a. C’était une bonne personne, mais il mourra jeune. i. Le Futur Antérieur He was a good person, but he will die young 1. Le futur antérieur (previous future) tense is used to describe a specific event that will take place in the future that also happens before another event in the future. a. For example: They will have released a Covid-19 vaccine by the end of 2022. i. The releasing of the Covid-19 vaccine takes place before another event ii. The end of 2022 is the other event that takes place after the first event 2. Forming le futur antérieur: a. Le futur antérieur is formed similar to le passé composé with a “helping verb” and a past participle. For le futur antérieur, the helping verb is avoir and être alike to le passé composé and is accompanied by the past participle of the action that will be done. i. Avoir and être are conjugated in le futur simple tense b. Example: J’aurais étudié. i. I will have studied. 1. Avoir is in the je form of le futur simple and étudier is in the past participle form c. Example: Elles seront devenues i. The girls will have become. 1. Être is in the ils/elles form of le futur simple and devenir is in the past participle form 3. Past participles in le futur antérieur are the same as for passé composé a. There are 17 verbs and reflexive that take être in le futur antérieur like in passé composé, and all the rest take avoir 1. Devenir - to become - devenu 2. Revenir - to come back/return - revenu 3. Mourir - to die - mort 4. Retourner - to return - retourné 5. Sortir - to go out - sorti 6. Venir - to come - venu 7. Arriver - to arrive - arrivé 8. Naître - to be born - né 9. Descendre - to descend/get off - descendu 10. Entrer - to enter - entré 11. Rentrer - to return - rentré 12. Tomber - to fall - tombé 13. Rester - to remain (at home) - resté 14. Aller - to go - allé 15. Monter - to go up/get on - monté 16. Partir - to leave - parti 17. Passer - to pass by/to pass time - passé ii. The verbs that take être along with reflexive verbs must agree with the pronoun like adjectives 1. Feminine = +e 2. Plural = +s 4. Differentiating between le futur simple and le futur antérieur a. If both events will be taking place simultaneously, then both actions are put in le futur simple i. Noah t’ira chez toi quand il finira ses devoirs. 1. Noah will come to your house when he finishes his homework. b. Le futur antérieur marks anteriority (passage of time/priority) where one event happens before another i. Dès que tu auras pris ton examen, nous regarderons un film. 1. As soon as you have taken your exam, we will go watch a movie. c. Le futur antérieur marks probability of a past action while le futur simple marks probability in the present i. Ils seront allés être en retard. 1. They probably were going to be late. Conjunctions in the Indicative Mood With and Without le Futur 1. Some conjunctions are frequently used with both the futur simple and the futur antérieur, but express things that are happening in the indicative mood (statement that proposes an action, fact, or opinion) a. Aussitôt - as soon as b. Dès que - as soon as c. Lorsque - when d. Quand - when e. Tant que - as long as 2. There are other conjunctions also help to indicate actions a. Alors que - while/whereas b. Après que - after c. Comme - as, since d. Étant donné que - given, in view of e. Maintenant que - now that f. Parce que - because g. Pendant que - while h. Puisque - since i. Si - if j. Sous prétexte que - under the pretext that k. Tandis que - whereas l. Vu que - given, in view of Plus-Que-Parfait 1. The plus-que-parfait tense (pluperfect) is used to indicate actions that have happened before another action in the past, usually said in English by “had done” a. Example in English: I had taken out the trash before it started to rain. i. I had taken would be placed in the plus-que-parfait and started to rain would be placed in l’imparfait. 2. Forming the plus-que parfait: a. The plus-que-parfait is formed as a composition of an auxiliary verb and a past participle like the majority of the other tenses explained here i. The auxiliary verb will be either être or avoir placed in l’imparfait and is followed by the past participle of the action that had been done 1. As always, verbs that take être in le passé composé and pronominal (reflexive) verbs will take être in this tense. All other verbs will take avoir in the plus-que-parfait ii. Être in l’imparfait review 1. J’étais Nous étions 2. Tu étais Vous étiez 3. Il/Elle/On était iii. Ils/Elles étaient Avoir in l’imparfait review 1. J'avais Nous avions 2. Tu avais Vous aviez 3. Il/Elle/On avait Ils/Elles avaient 3. Example: a. Elle avait toujours fini ses examens avant les autres étudiants. i. She had always finished her tests before the other students. 1. Her finishing her tests takes place before the other students finish their tests b. Je m’étais lavé le visage avant je partais ma maison. i. I washed my face before I left my house. 1. Se laver is a reflexive, or pronominal verb, so it takes être in plusque-parfait. 4. Since the plus-que-parfait describes an action that had happened before another, it is usually placed with the other action. a. In the sentence in 3b, je m’étais lavé le visage is placed before je partais ma maison because I washed my face before I left my house. i. Example: 1. Je n’avais pas déjeuné, donc j’avais faim. a. I had not eaten lunch, so I was hungry. i. The action of not eating lunch comes before being hungry, so “déjeuner”is placed in the plus-queparfait and “avoir faim”is placed in l’imparfait. 5. The plus-que-parfait is used with le passé du conditionnel in si clauses where it takes the position in the si clause a. If you had helped her, then she would have finished her chores faster. i. If you had helped her would be placed in the plus-que-parfait and she would have finished her chores faster would be placed in le passé du conditionnel Le Subjonctif 1. Le subjonctif is not a tense, but is instead a mood, although there is a present and past subjunctive tense a. The mood of a verb determines how someone views an event i. For the indicative mood (present, imparfait, and future), the subject states facts that are true ii. For the conditional mood, the subject states possibilities 2. The subjunctive mood refers to what someone’s opinion of something is or with hypothetical actions. (specific uses will be discussed for the tenses) The Present Subjunctive 1. Forming the present subjunctive: a. Regular verbs: i. To find the stem of the je/tu/il/elle/on/ils/elles forms: drop the -ent from the present indicative third person plural form of the verb (ils/elles) for the je, tu, il/elle/on, and ils/elles form and conjugate it according to regular -er verbs in the present indicative form ii. To find the stem of the nous/vous forms: drop the -ons from the first person plural form of the verb (nous) and add the imparfait endings of that verb 1. In most cases, the endings will be -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent a. Example: dire (to say) i. Je dise Nous disions ii. Tu dises Vous disiez iii. Il/Elle/On dise Ils/Elles disent b. Completely irregular verbs: i. Some verbs are completely irregular in the present subjunctive, with irregular stems and endings. These verbs are être and avoir. 1. Être a. Je sois Nous soyons b. Tu sois Vous soyez c. Il/Elle/On soit Ils/Elles soient 2. Avoir a. J’aie Nous ayons b. Tu aies Vous ayez c. Il/Elle/On ait Ils/Elles aient c. Partially irregular verbs: i. Some verbs have irregular subjunctive stems, but also have regular subjunctive endings. These verbs are pouvoir, savoir, and faire 1. Pouvoir - to be able to/can a. Je puisse Nous puissions b. Tu puisses Vous puissiez c. Il/Elle/On puisse Ils/Elles puissent i. The irregular stem is puiss- and the endings follow the regular present subjunctive tense endings 2. Savoir - to know a. Je sache Nous sachions b. Tu saches Vous sachiez c. Il/Elle/On sache Ils/Elles sachent i. The irregular stem is sach- 3. Faire - to do/to make a. Je fasse Nous fassions b. Tu fasses Vous fassiez c. Il/Elle/On fasse Ils/Elles fassent i. The irregular stem is fass- d. Semi-Irregular verbs: i. Two verbs, aller and vouloir have an irregular stem in the je, tu, il/elle/on, ils/elles forms, but a regular stem in the nous and vous forms, making them semi-irregular verbs because the endings are all irregular and the stem is partially irregular 1. Aller - to go a. J’aille Nous allions b. Tu ailles Vous alliez c. Il/Elle/On aille Ils/Elles aillent i. The irregular stem for the je, tu, il/elle/on, ils/elles forms of the verb is aill- and the regular stem for the nous/vous form of the verb is all- 2. Vouloir - to want a. Je veuille Nous voulions b. Tu veuilles Vous vouliez c. Il/Elle/On veuille Ils/Elles veuillent i. The irregular stem for the je, tu, il/elle/on, ils/elles forms of the verb is veuill- and the regular stem for the nous/vous form of the verb is voul- 2. The present subjunctive is used to convey three key concepts: desire/wish, emotion, and skepticism/doubt. a. Wish/Desire: the present subjunctive tense is used after verbs that express desire or the notion of wishing, specifically when the subject of the second clause is different from the subject of the main clause i. For example: I would like you to buy me dinner 1. The main clause is saying I would like and the dependent clause (second clause) is saying you should buy me dinner a. The subject of the first clause I is different from the subject of the dependent clause you, so the subjunctive tense will be used b. In French: Je voudrais tu m’achètes le dîner. i. Voudrais is in the present conditional tense (would like) and m’achètes is in the present subjunctive tense because the desire is geared towards the action of you buying me dinner ii. Comparisons: 1. Je veux acheter le dîner. a. In the present indicative tense, this sentence means: I want to buy dinner. 2. Je veux t’acheter le dîner. a. In the present subjunctive, this sentence means: I want you to buy dinner. b. Emotion: the present subjunctive is used after expressions of emotion in order to describe why the emotion is felt. i. Example: I am sorry that your grandfather is sick. 1. The main clause I am sorry would be placed in the present indicative and the dependent clause your grandfather being sick would be placed in the present subjunctive because I am feeling the emotion about the specific event. a. En français: je suis désolé que votre grand-père soit malade. c. Doubt/Skepticism: the present subjunctive is used after expressions of doubt in order to express why the feeling of doubt is felt. This can also be interpreted as having the emotion of doubt around a particular event. i. Example: I’m not sure that he is telling the truth 1. The main clause is I am not sure and the dependent clause is he is telling the truth, which are connected by the phrase that. a. En français: je ne suis pas sûr qu’il dise la vérité. 3. Certain verbs, penser and croire, can be coupled with expressions in the present subjunctive in order to express the uncertainty or unlikelihood of an event occurring when penser and croire are in the negative or interrogative. a. Recap of negative and interrogative: i. Negative: uses ne and pas ii. Interrogative: verbs that follow adverbs such as combien, comment, où, pourquoi, quand, etc. b. Example ad comparison: i. Je ne pense pas que Noah est intelligent. 1. Present indicative: I don’t think that Noah is smart. a. This sentence is definite, so I definitely don’t think that Noah is smart ii. Je ne pense pas que Noah soit intelligent. 1. Present subjunctive: I don’t think that Noah is smart. a. This sentence is indefinite, so I am not sure whether or not Noah is smart. iii. Differentiating between present indicative and present subjunctive can be determined by context and what exactly you are trying to say in this moment. 4. Impersonal Expressions: a. Some impersonal expressions can indicate whether or not to use the present indicative or present subjunctive in a given sentence. If the expression will be followed by the subjunctive, then it will express will, emotion, doubt, obligation, and or necessity. i. Expressions followed by indicative: 1. Il est certain - it is certain 2. Il est évident - it is obvious/evident 3. Il est probable - it is probable 4. Il est sûr - it is sure 5. Il est vrai - it is true 6. Il me semble - it seems to me ii. Expressions followed by present subjunctive: 1. Il faut - one must 2. Il est essentiel - it is essential 3. Il est juste - it is fair 4. Il est important - it is important 5. Il est préférable - it is preferable 6. Il est naturel - it is natural 7. Il est rare - it is rare 8. Il est étrange - it is strange 9. Il est étonnant - it is amazing 10. Il est trieste - it is sad 11. Il est regrettable - it is unfortunate 12. Il est possible - it is possible 13. Il est indispensable - it is essential 14. Il se peut - it may be 15. Il vaut mieux - it is better 16. Il est souhaitable - it is desirable 17. Il est normal - it is normal 18. Il est utile - it is useful 19. Il est bizarre - it is odd 20. Il est surprenant - it is surprising 21. Il est dommage - it is a shame 22. Cela ne vaut pas la peine - it isn’t worth it Past Subjunctive 1. The past subjunctive is used in the same ways as the present subjunctive, the only difference is it describing desire, emotion, or doubt in the past. 2. The past subjunctive is used when the dependent clause is anterior (comes before) to the action of the main clause. a. Example: I’m proud that you won valedictorian. i. Main clause: I am proud ii. Dependent clause: you won valedictorian 3. Forming the past subjunctive: a. Like le passé composé, the past subjunctive is a composition of an auxiliary verb and a participle. For the past subjunctive, the auxiliary verb is être or avoir conjugated in the present subjunctive tense coupled with the past participle of the verb. i. ii. Partir - to leave 1. Je sois parti(e) Nous soyons parti(e)s 2. Tu sois parti(e) Vous soyez parti(e)(s) 3. Il/Elle/On soit parti(e) Ils/Elles soient parti(e)s Manger - to eat 1. J’aie mangé Nous ayons mangé 2. Tu aies mangé Vous ayez mangé 3. Il/Elle/On ait mangé Ils/Elles aient mang a. Like other composition tenses, the 17 verbs that take être in le passé composé and reflexive verbs take être in the past subjunctive. 4. Example: a. Je suis ravi qu’tu aies pu venir à ma fête. i. I am glad that you were able to come to my party. 1. Je suis ravi is the main clause 2. Tu aies pu venir à ma fête is the dependent clause. Demonstrative and Possessive Pronouns and Adjectives Demonstrative Adjectives 1. In some instances, identification of objects and things needs to be specific and comes with the use of demonstrative adjectives (this, that, these, those, etc.). Demonstrative adjectives must agree with gender and number (plurality) with the noun they modify. a. Masculine Singular Adjectives: i. Ce livre - this book ii. Cet auteur - this author iii. Cet homme - this man 1. Note: the demonstrative adjective is ce, but before an object that starts with a vowel (or h), you add -t so it becomes cet b. Feminine Singular Adjectives: i. Cette lampe - this lamp ii. Cette télévision - this television iii. Cette histoire - this story 1. Note: the demonstrative adjective cette ends with a hard t sound, so no addition is needed when the object begins with a vowel or h c. Masculine and Feminine Plural Adjectives: i. Ces cahiers - these notebooks (masculine) ii. Ces arbres - these trees (masculine) iii. Ces chemises - these shirts (feminine) iv. Ces homards - these lobsters (masculine) 1. Note: the demonstrative adjective is ces and does not change with gender or the addition of a vowel or h 2. Distinguishing between two objects/elements is indicated by the use of -ci and -là which are added to the noun following the demonstrative adjective a. Example: i. Vous préférez cette chemise-ci ou cette chemise-là? 1. Do you prefer this shirt or this shirt? a. -ci comes after the first noun and -là comes after the second noun. Demonstrative Pronouns 1. Demonstrative pronouns condense sentences to eliminate redundancy and repetition by replacing the demonstrative adjective and the noun it describes. a. Demonstrative adjectives: ce, cet, cette, ces (this, that, these, those) 2. Singular Demonstrative Pronouns: a. Celui - the one (masculine) b. Celle - the one (feminine) 3. Plural Demonstrative Pronouns: a. Ceux - the ones (masculine; masculine and feminine) b. Celles - the ones (feminine) 4. Examples: a. Tu es celui qui a un 1600 sur le SAT! i. You are the one who got a 1600 on the SAT! 1. Celui replaces the demonstrative adjective and noun cette personne 5. Compound demonstrative pronouns are used to compare two similar things or to indicate a choice between two objects/things by adding -ci or -là. a. Singular: i. Celui-ci - this one (masculine) Celui-là - that one (masculine) ii. Celle-ci this one (feminine) Celle-là - that one (feminine) b. Plural: i. Ceux-ci - these ones (masculine and masculine and feminine) ii. Ceux-là - those ones (masculine and masculine and feminine) iii. Celles-ci - these ones (feminine) iv. Celles-là - those ones (feminine) c. Example: i. Celui-ci est en argent. Celui-là est en or. 1. This one is silver. That one is gold. 6. Ce (c’) does not change and is used to convey the idea of “it”. It is usually the subject of être to refer to an idea that was previously introduced. Adjectives following ce (c’) are always masculine even if it has a feminine antecedent. a. Je ne sais pas pourquoi elle est en colère contre moi. C’est stupide! i. I don’t know why she is mad at me. It is stupid! 7. The demonstrative pronouns ceci (this), cela (that), and ça (this/that, familiar) are used to describe indefinite things in sentences. Ceci and cela are usually replaced by ça unless it is a formal piece of writing a. Mangez ceci! - Eat this! b. Ça ne fait rien. - It doesn’t matter. Possessive Adjectives 1. Possessive adjectives modify the noun they describe in order to express ownership or relationship to that noun. Like all adjectives, they must agree with gender and plurality with the noun they describe. a. Masculine Singular: i. Mon ordinateur - my computer Notre ordinateur - our computer ii. Ton ordinateur - your computer Votre ordinateur - your computer iii. Son ordinateur - his/her computer Leur ordinateur - their computer b. Feminine Singular: i. Ma vie - my life Notre vie - our life ii. Ta vie - your life Votre vie - your life iii. Sa vie - his/her life Leur vie - their life c. Masculine and Feminine Plural: i. Mes cousin(e)s - my cousins Nos cousin(e)s - our cousins ii. Tes cousin(e)s - your cousins Vos cousin(e)s - your cousins iii. Ses cousin(e)s - his/her cousins Leurs cousin(e)s - their cousins 2. Masculine Singular possessive adjectives are used in place of feminine singular possessive adjectives if the noun begins with a vowel or a silent h a. Example: mon amie Suzie est vraiment cool. i. My friend Suzie is very cool. 1. Amie is feminine, but starts with a vowel so the masculine singular possessive pronoun is used instead 3. Another way of expressing ownership of something is to use à and a noun or disjunctive pronoun a. C’est à Noah? i. Is it Noah’s? Possessive Pronouns 1. Possessive pronouns are a way of getting rid of redundancy and repetition in sentences by getting rid of the noun that possessive adjectives describe and modifying the possessive adjective so that it will agree with gender and plurality with what it is describing. a. English Example: i. If you bring your laptop, I will bring mine. 1. The use of mine limits the redundancy of saying “If you bring your laptop, I will bring my laptop,” shortening the sentence a. En Français: Si tu apporteras ton portable, j’apporterai le mien. 2. Masculine Singular Pronouns: a. Le mien - mine b. Le tien - yours c. Le sien - his/hers Le nôtre - ours Le vôtre - yours Le leur - theirs 3. Feminine Singular Pronouns: a. La mienne - mine La nôtre - ours b. La tienne - yours La vôtre - yours c. La sienne - his/hers La leur - theirs 4. Masculine Plural Pronouns: a. Les meins - mine Les nôtres - ours b. Les tiens - yours Les vôtres - yours c. Les siens - his/hers Les leurs - theirs 5. Feminine Plural Pronouns: a. Les miennes - mine Les nôtres - ours b. Les tiennes - yours Les vôtres - yours c. Les siennes - his/hers Les leurs - theirs 6. Usage Examples: a. J'apporterai mes notes et tu apportes les tiennes. i. I bring my notes and you bring yours. 1. Notice that mes notes is a possessive adjective b. Les leurs sont de grande valeur. i. Theirs are quite valuable. c. Vous prenez vos billets et nous prenons les nôtres. i. You take your tickets and we take ours. 1. Notice that vos billets is a possessive adjective 7. When a possessive pronoun is preceded by à or de, the article in front of the pronoun is contracted, when possible. a. Exemple: Il a téléphoné à son avocat et elle a téléphoné au sien. i. He called his lawyer and she called hers. 1. A le sien is contracted into au sien. b. Elle a besoin de mon aide et tu as besoin de la sienne. i. She needs your help and you need hers. 1. De la sienne cannot be contracted, so it is kept as de la sienne. 8. The most common way to express possession is to use a conjugation of être + à + the disjunctive pronoun a. Disjunctive pronouns: i. Moi - me ii. Toi - you iii. Lui - him iv. Elle - her v. Nous - us vi. Vous - you vii. Eux - them viii. Elles - them (feminine) 1. Example: a. Cette chemise est à moi. i. This shirt is mine b. Ces journaux sont à lui. i. The journals are his. b. Possessive pronouns can be used in a similar way 1. Example: a. Cette chemise est la mienne. i. The shirt is mine. b. Ces journaux sont les siens. i. The journals are his/hers. 9. Idiomatic Expressions with Possessive Pronouns: a. À la tienne! - Cheers! (informal singular) b. À la votre! - Cheers! (formal or plural) 10. Possessive pronouns can be used with aussi and non plus to confirm or negate statements a. Son appartement coûtait cher. i. Le mien aussi. - His apartment was expensive. - So was mine. b. Vos réponses ne sont pas correctes. i. Les siennes non plus. - Your answers aren’t right. Nor are his.