La France est un beau pays. France is a beautiful country.
Les chevaux sont utiles. Horses are useful.
Je donne ces fruits au professeur, I give this fruit to the
à la femme, à l'homme, aux teacher, to the woman, to
garçons, aux petites filles, etc. the man, etc.
Les livres de la femme, du jeune The woman's books, the young
homme, de l'élève, des enfants, man's, the pupil's, etc.
des petites filles.
Où est le père de Jean? Est-il Where is John's father? Is he
chez le professeur? at the teacher's?
A-t-il un livre? Has he a book?
A. 1. Molière is going to give a sou to the beggar. 2. Honesty
is a good thing.[1] 3. He rewarded the beggar's honesty. 4.
Voltaire's name is well known. 5. He was Piron's friend. 6. He
spent some time at Piron's house.[2] 7. They[3] gave[4] a fête
on the occasion of the dauphin's birth. 8. The soldier's appetite
was prodigious. 9. The king's officers were at Molière's house.
10. The man with the insatiable stomach approaches[5] the buffet.
11. The beggar notices[6] Molière's mistake. 12. Will you be
at the dauphin's castle? 13. I shall be at the queen's castle.
14. Does he give the beggar a sou?
[Footnotes: 1: chose (f.). 2: _omit_. 3: on. 4: _past
indefinite_. 5: s'approcher de. 6: s'apercevoir _de_ (_become
aware of_).]
B. 1. The king's officers did not laugh at[1] the joke. 2. The
surprise of the old courtiers was[2] great. 3. Voltaire was a
famous author. 4. The servant's master will not be at the castle.
5. He wouldn't have[3] gone to[4] see the servant. 6. The man
with[5] the yellow mask had gone to the château. 7. The beggar
does not notice[6] the mistake at once. 8. I wondered[7] who
was the man with[5] the insatiable stomach. 9. The king winked
at[8] the prank. 10. They noticed[9] the soldier in the room
for the fifth time. 11. When he had[10] eaten, he withdrew. 12.
He is mistaken,[11] he did not see the king. 13. I have been
to[4] see John. 14. The soldiers disappear in turns.[12] 15.
The officer was put in charge of the château. 16. He will see
to the replenishment of the provisions. 17. He is the biggest
eater I have[13] ever seen.
[Footnotes 1: de. 2: _past definite_. 3: être. 4: _omit_. 5: à.
6: s'apercevoir de. 7: se demander. 8: fermer les yeux sur.
9: apercevoir (_perceive concretely_). 10: eut. 11: se tromper.
12: à tour de rôle. 13: _Why subjunctive?_]