Language/French/Grammar/Agreement-with-a-preceding-direct-object-in-a-relative-clause-when-the-participle-is-followed-by-an-infinitive
[Updated]
Definitions[edit | edit source]
Subject-Verb Agreement[edit | edit source]
The subject-verb agreement in French is the way to choose the correct ending for verbs in terms of grammatical persons, gender and number, depending on their subject.
Agreement with Preceding Direct Object[edit | edit source]
As with the preceding direct object pronouns, when a verb is preceded by a direct object which is at the beginning of a relative clause and followed by an infinitive, the participle only agrees when this beginning is the direct object. Implicit verb containing the participle and subject of the infinitive. This means that there will be an agreement in the following cases:
Agreement[edit | edit source]
- Jérôme a vu une énorme masse de terre écraser sa maison
Jerome saw a huge mass of earth crush his house
- Voilà l'énorme masse de terre que Jérôme a vue écraser sa maison
There's the huge mass of earth which Jérôme saw crush her house
- On a entendu les voix résonner dans l'église
We heard the voices echoing in the church
- Ce sont les voix que l'on a entendues résonner dans l'église
Those are the voices we heard echoing in the church
Disagreement[edit | edit source]
But disagree with perception verbs, movement verbs and "laisser" (but not "faire"):
- Isabelle a vu écraser sa maison par une énorme roche
Isabelle saw her house crushed by a huge rock
- C'est sa maison que Isabelle a vu écraser par une énorme roche
It's her house that Isabelle saw crushed by a huge rock
- Jean a regardé raser la forêt par des tracteurs
Jean watched the forest being razed by tractors
- Voilà la forêt que Jean a regardé raser par des tracteurs
There's the forest that Jean watched being razed by tractors
Other Chapters[edit | edit source]
Other Lessons[edit | edit source]
- Plurals of nouns ending in –al
- Adjectives
- Proper nouns
- Questions
- “en” when numbers are direct objects
- Relations between verbs and their complements
- "C'est" or "Ce sont"
- Comparatives and Superlatives
- The indirect object complement
- Use of faire + partitive faire du, de la
- Direct Object Pronoun
- Adjectives used as adverbs
- Location of adverbs modifying verb phrases
- Plural indefinite article "des" VS preposition "de" and definite article "les"
- Nouns which change meaning when they change gender