Editing Language/French/Grammar/Agreement-of-past-participles-with-direct-objects-placed-before-in-relative-clauses
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<div | <div style="font-size:200%">Agreement of past participles with direct objects placed before in relative clauses</div> | ||
[modified] | [modified] | ||
==Definitions== | ==Definitions== | ||
=== Subject-verb agreement === | === Subject-verb agreement === | ||
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. | 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. | ||
=== Past participle=== | === Past participle=== | ||
The past participle is a verb form with several roles. It’s essential in the creation of compound verb tenses/moods and the passive voice, and it can also be used as an adjective. The French past participle usually ends -é, -i, or -u, and is equivalent to -ed or -en in English. | The past participle is a verb form with several roles. It’s essential in the creation of compound verb tenses/moods and the passive voice, and it can also be used as an adjective. The French past participle usually ends -é, -i, or -u, and is equivalent to -ed or -en in English. | ||
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==Agreement of past participles with direct objects placed before in relative clauses== | ==Agreement of past participles with direct objects placed before in relative clauses== | ||
When the start of a relative clause is the implied direct object of that clause and it is placed before the verb, a past participle agrees with it in gender and number: | When the start of a relative clause is the implied direct object of that clause and it is placed before the verb, a past participle agrees with it in gender and number: | ||
*Voilà l'homme que j'ai rencontré au super-marché avant-hier | *Voilà l'homme que j'ai rencontré au super-marché avant-hier | ||
There's the man I met at the supermarket the day before yesterday | |||
*Voilà la femme que j'ai rencontrée au super-marché avant-hier | *Voilà la femme que j'ai rencontrée au super-marché avant-hier | ||
There's the woman I met at the supermarket the day before yesterday | |||
*Voilà les enfants que j'ai rencontrés au super-marché avant-hier | *Voilà les enfants que j'ai rencontrés au super-marché avant-hier | ||
There are the children I met at the supermarket the day before yesterday | |||
*Voilà les jeunes filles que j'ai rencontrées au super-marché avant-hier | *Voilà les jeunes filles que j'ai rencontrées au super-marché avant-hier | ||
There are the girls I met at the supermarket the day before yesterday | |||
Note: The past participles of impersonal verbs, like "il y a" (there is / there are), never agree with a complement placed before: | |||
*II y a eu des incidents | *II y a eu des incidents | ||
There were incidents | |||
*Les incidents qu'il y a eu (NOT "eus") ont été vite corrigés | *Les incidents qu'il y a eu (NOT "eus") ont été vite corrigés | ||
The incidents that there were were quickly corrected | |||
It's important to differentiate between this impersonal use and the personal use where the agreement would take place: | It's important to differentiate between this impersonal use and the personal use where the agreement would take place: | ||
*Les incidents qu'il a eus ont été vite réparés | *Les incidents qu'il a eus ont été vite réparés | ||
The incidents which he had have been quickly corrected | |||
==Other Chapters== | ==Other Chapters== | ||
{{French-Grammar-Course-Menu}} | {{French-Grammar-Course-Menu}} | ||