French for Reading Knowledge

Chapter 02

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Commentary §§10-13

§10. Adjectives

Personally, being a “glass half full” kind of guy, I like to think of a descriptive adjective as adding a quality, not limiting the members of a group.

§11. Position of Adjectives

Yes, it’s true, descriptive adjectives (adjectifs qualificatifs) follow the noun in French. However, I like to give a little more information than just that; in particular, what it means when two or more descriptive adjectives follow the noun. For which:

§12. Agreement of Adjectives

Adding an s to a noun or an adjective changes the spelling, but the not pronunciation of the word.

Adding an e changes the spelling and the pronunciation. This particular e, called the e muet (mute e), e sourd (muffled e), e caduc (practically-not-there e), or e instable, for which the phonetic symbol is [ә], has very little to it and may not be pronounced at all, but it does make you pronounce the immediately preceding consonant and release on it.

• grand [grɑ̃], as opposed to: grande [grɑ̃d or grɑ̃d^ә]

This final e that is sign of the feminine gender comes from a Latin final a that was also a sign of the feminine.

• Latin rosa > French rose
• Latin villa > French ville
• Latin domina > French dame
• Latin bella > French belle

A. Adjectives with final e in the basic form

However, other conditions could lead to a final e, in particular, a consonant cluster requiring a “support vowel” to be pronounced at the end.

• Latin iuvenis > iuvn + support e > French jeune

B. Adjectives with final s or x in the basic form

In these adjectives the masculine singular and plural forms are identical.

§13. Learn these Prepositions

Which are: avec, sans, par, vers, entre, à, de, pour, and contre. Here are their Latin ancestors:

After studying §§10-13, do the corresponding exercises and test, and correct your translations against mine in the following key.

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Exercises Series A

A. p13

When the noun is preceded by des, I assume the plural partitive article is meant, and I do not translate it. When the noun is preceded by the definite article (le la l’ les) and can be interpreted as referring to the entire group or concept, I do not translate the article.

1. an historical possibility
2. historical possibilities
3. a useful goal
4. useful goals
5. pathological cases
6. linear programming
7. a magnetic disk
8. a geometrical plane
9. a Gothic cathedral
10. an automatic machine
11. automatic machines
12. a physical experiment
13. an enigmatic economist
14. an identical case
15. a cylindrical tube
16. an assembly program (?)
17. metallic minerals
18. a contradictory theory
19. a natural consequence
20. a computer system
21. an American computer
22. enormous difficulties
23. a critical diameter
24. extreme cases
25. frequent contrasts
26. an interesting fact
27. an effective means
28. a compiler
29. a complicated structure
30. (the) musical theory
31. political theories
32. classical music
33. the National Institute
34. the exterior construction
35. (the) current theories
36. a practical plan

B. p13

The Author now has you graduate from mere noun phrases to prepositional phrases.

37. through/by means of nuclear science

38. of/from/about Newton’s hypothesis

39. Of, etc., Byzantine architecture
40. through/by means of political means
41. without mathematical errors

42. to the complete collection
43. with a vertical pressure
44. difficult choices
45. through/by means of computer science
46. without precise indications
47. for or against examinations
48. of, etc., the natural state
49. in the scientific movement
50. photoelectric cells
51. from¹ the Atlantic Ocean…
52. …towards the Pacific Ocean
53. of, etc., the ancestral form
54. for missile guidance²
55. at once=at the same time
56. for technical calculations
57. from Rome to Paris / between Paris and Berlin
58. variable results
59. of, etc., Kepler’s First Law
60. without (any) satisfying result
61. with the political revolution
62. moneyless (literally: without money)
63. in (the) organic molecules
64. the active part of the solution
65. against the Communist Party
66. for the new parties
67. the atomic weight
68. through/by means of (OR thanks to) an empirical means
69. next to the library
70. the upper part of the building

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Commentary §§14-19

§14. Preceding Expressions

5. Normally Preceding Adjectives

As the Author says, learn these adjectives.

You will observe that the adjectives in this list are all short (most of them a single syllable).

They are also, used this way, not very descriptive; that is, the qualities they refer to are general (good, bad, tall, short, pretty, etc.). They do not add anything very concrete or precise. (Some of these adjectives can also appear after the noun, in which case they take on a more concrete meaning; the Author speaks of them on p136, §74, Chapter 14.)

Learn the various meanings of même:

• le même roi = “the same king”
• le roi même = “the king himself”
• même le roi = “even the king”

Note that some of these adjectives have unusual feminine forms; also, some of them have an alternate masculine form. For the latters, the alternate masculine form sounds the same as the feminine:

• vieil / vieille [vjej]
• bel / belle [bɛl]
• nouvel / nouvelle [nuvɛl]
• cet / cette [sɛt]

§16. Expressions of Quantity

Learn them!

Whereas plusieurs and quelques behave like normal adjectives (though they do precede the noun), you will notice that the other expressions here are all followed by the preposition de.

Two of them will normally (actually, always) be followed by the contractible form of de and the definite article:

la plupart (+ de + definite article)

• la plupart des artistes = literally the greater (or greatest) part of (all) artists = most artists, the majority of artists
  Commentary. If the les contained in the des is serving only to indicate that the entire category is meant, then don’t use “the” in your translation. See here.
• la plupart du temps = the greater (greatest) part of the time = most of the time

bien (+ de + definite article)

• bien des artistes = many artists
  Commentary. I believe the bien here is the equivalent of “definitely, certainly, really” (see Bien, the Many Uses of) followed by the partitive plural des + noun, meaning: “really some artists = many artists.”

The others, typically, will just have a simple de:

• beaucoup de lapins; beaucoup de talent (many [a lot of] rabbits; much [a lot of] talent)
• assez de lapins; assez de talent (enough rabbits; enough talent)
• trop de lapins; trop de talent (too many rabbits; too much talent)
• peu de lapins; peu de talent (not many [= few] rabbits; not much talent)
• plus de lapins; plus de talent (more rabbits; more talent)
• moins de lapins; moins de talent (fewer rabbits; less talent)

The above six words can be used by themselves, as adverbs modifying verbs. They will normally come right after the (principal) verb. Except for “beaucoup,” they can also modify adjectives or other adverbs.

Beaucoup

• ♬ Darling, je vous aime beaucoup. ♫ (Darling, I love you a lot.)
• Elle a beaucoup bu. (She drank a lot.)

Assez

• J’ai assez parlé. (I have spoken enough.)
• Ce plat n’est pas assez chaud. (This dish is not hot enough.)
• Est-ce que je parle assez lentement? (Am I speaking slowly enough?)

Trop

• Tu parles trop. (You speak too much.)
• J’ai trop bu! (I drank too much.)
• Cette histoire est trop triste! (This story is too sad!)
• Vous parlez trop vite. (You speak too quickly.)

Peu

• Il étudie peu. (He studies little = He doesn’t study very much.)

More on Peu

Peu can be used with negative meaning (the equivalent of in-).

• Vous êtes peu sincère. (You are “little” sincere = You are not very sincere = You are insincere.)
• Cette remarque est peu importante. (This remark is not very important = This remark is unimportant.)

• Je bois peu. (I don’t drink very much.) Je bois un peu. (I drink a little.)
• J’ai peu d’argent. (I don’t have very much money.) J’ai un peu d’argent. (I have a little money.)
• Ses fautes de français sont peu fréquentes. (Her French grammar mistakes are infrequent.)
• Elle parle un peu mieux l’espagnol. (She speaks Spanish a little better.)

Plus (with verbs and adjectives)

• Elle parle plus que moi. (She speaks more than I.)
• Elle est plus intelligente que moi. (She is more intelligent than I.)
• Elle parle plus lentement que moi. (She speaks more slowly than I.)
• Elle parle moins que moi, etc.

§17. Possessive Adjectives

The Author fears to give you all the possessive adjectives at once. To see 1st and 2nd person forms, go to p137, §75, Chapter 14. Alternatively, see this page in Tex’s French Grammar.

I like to say that the first part of a possessive adjective tells you about the possessor, and the second part tells you about the thing possessed. So, with the first person singular possessive, mon ma mes,

mon: m = the possessor is 1st person singular, unknown gender. on = the possessed is masculine singular
ma: m = same as above. a = the possessed is feminine singular
mes: m = same as above. es = the possessed is plural, either masculine or feminine

§18. Numbers

Learn them!

§19. Contractions

Very important.

Keep in mind that du (de la, de l’) can be either a combination of the preposition de and the definite article, with the de having all its possible meanings, or, when used with a non-count noun, the partitive article.

Preposition (+ definite article):

• la question du talent de cet homme (the question of the talent of this man = the question of this man’s talent)
• Je ne parle pas du talent de cet homme. (I am not speaking about the talent of this man.)
• De la mer Méditerrannée à la mer Baltique… (from the Mediterranean to the Baltic…)

Partitive article:

• Incontestablement, cet homme a du talent. (Incontestably, this man has [some] talent.)

After studying §§14-19, do the corresponding exercises, for which the key follows.

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Exercises Series B

A. p16

In this exercise, when des serves as a plural partitive article, I insert a “(some”) in front of the noun.

1. this big city
2. the new style
3. of, etc., the new program
4. (some) computers (OR: of, etc., [the] computers)
5. long programs³
6. (some) new developments³
7. of, etc., the third equation
8. this (or that) new program

9. this old man
10. this supersonic airplane
11. (some) medicine (=drugs), or of, etc.…
12. many disks
13. too many lectures
14. three lovely trees
15. the sixth building
16. a long boulevard
17. several interesting results
18. a few small faults
19. too much energy
20. less diffraction
21. fewer trees
22. a lovely city
23. a wide street
24. another case
25. another theory
26. three other experiments
27. a long lesson
28. (some) long, interesting stories
29. an old car
30. a clever minister
31. (some) chemical elements; of, etc., …
32. seven little animals
33. five centuries of progress
34. (some) small libraries³
35. a lovely tree
36. a handsome man
37. of, etc., the imminent danger
38. (some) important buildings; OR: of, from…
39. (some) natural obstacles; OR: of, from…
40. the same long street
41. on the same intellectual level
42. this important building
43. this other contemporary building
44. in OR to the United States of America

45. of OR from the current state
46. by means of the fixed stars
47. a fixed limit
48. (some) (of/from [the]) hydraulic presses
49. large automatic presses
50. other compilers (compiling programs)
51. of, from, the physical universe
52. (some) (of/from [the]) lyric poems
53. of, from the new edition
54. (some) new experiments
55. in OR to the new chemical states
56. of, from the Middle Ages
57. of, from the great attraction
58. (some) high towers
59. of, from the active part of the air
60. (some) (of, from [the]) industrial crises

B. p18

61. (some) computers – article partitif
62. of (the) computers – contraction
63. from the computers – contraction
64. of the pyramids – contraction
65. from the pyramids – contraction
66. about the new style – contraction
67. from the gothic style – contraction
68. of the economic system – contraction
69. from the present system – contraction
70. of the instruments – contraction
71. (some) instruments – article partitif
72. from the theater – contraction
73. of the theater – contraction
74. to the theater
75. at the theater
76. curves (=sinuous lines) – article partitif!
77. to the isolated phenomena

C. p18

78. several detective novels
79. many historical novels
80. enough linear programs
81. fewer characteristic elements
82. a significant amount

83. many books
84. many technical books
85. not very much money (“little” money)
86. a little money, some money

87. most (of the) experiments
88. the ninth theory
89. a week

90. Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony
91. seven pleasant months
92. a fortnight
93. three red feathers
94. four roses
95. two hundred and ten pages

D. p19

96. Einstein: his physical theories
97. Mme Curie: her physical theories
98. water: its solid state
99. the press: its vertical pressure
100. these architects: their modern concept
101. the authors: their literary goals
102. the generals: their strategic goal
103. the Westinghouse Company: its computer
104. the minister: his political party
105. the students: their advanced studies
106. the sales assistants (salesmen): their samples
107. Jean-Paul: his little house
108. Mendelssohn: his Fourth Symphony
109. the soldiers: their unexpected action
110. the old lady: her apartment

1. “From” seems indicated here, because numbers 51 and 52 are supposed to go together.[↩]
2. Literally, of course, “for the guidance of the missiles.”[↩]
3. The de here I take to be the partitive article and the equivalent of des. If you insist on knowing what is behind this substitution, you can see here or here, but it is probably better than you don’t.[↩][↩][↩]