(b) Verbs which indicate Making, Believing, Naming, Appointing, and the like (i.e. Factitive Verbs), may take an Object and a Complement (Predicate) of that Object: as, L'égoïste se fait le centre de tout. Le roi le créa colonel sur le champ de bataille. Je vous crois honnête homme. ments : The egotist makes himself the centrepoint of everything. The king made him colonel on the battlefield. I believe you to be an honest man. Observation.-Adjectives and Participles are frequently thus used as Predicate-Comple- Notice the use of the Singular of a Noun-Object denoting a part of the body or a mental quality::Plus de mille hommes y perdirent la vie their lives. (c) But Verbs of Teaching and Asking do not, as they do in Latin and English, take two Direct Objects; the Person taught or asked must stand as an INDIRECT Object: as, J'enseigne la grammaire à mes Je lui demandai une question. I teach my pupils grammar. I teach it them. -I asked him a question. I asked it him. Observation.-As a double Accusative is contrary to the spirit of French construction, the Person-Object must be put in the Dative whenever the following Infinitive has an Object of the Thing (see § 131): as, Alexandre laissa prendre haleine à ses troupes. Il leur laissa prendre haleine. Alexander allowed his troops to take breath. He allowed them to take breath. 127 An Accusative + Infinitive Construction is used after Verbs of Thinking, Perceiving, and Saying, but only if the Acc. is a Relative Pronoun: as, Je suivais un sentier que je supposais devoir conduire à la mer. Le phénix est un oiseau que l'on dit renaître de sa cendre. I followed a footpath which I thought must lead to the sea. The Phoenix is a bird which is said to rise again from its ashes. Caution.—The Acc. + Infinit. Constr. must be carefully avoided in French after any class of Verbs or kind of Objects other than those instanced above :I wish him to go (not— Je le désire aller); but― Je désire qu'il aille. We know them to be rich; Nous savons qu'ils sont riches; 128 B. THE DIRECT ADVERBIAL COMPLEMENT. Adverbial Phrases answering the questions when? how long? how far? how much? etc., being generally used without prepositions, may be classed here as Accusatives of Time, Place, Measure: as, La nuit tous chats sont gris. tout l'été, Ce cheval a été vendu deux mille All cats are gray in the dark. This horse has been sold for 2000 Je continuai mon chemin l'es- I walked on for a distance of six pace de six milles. miles. Observation 1. -Corresponding to the Latin Ablative Absolute, there is in French what might be termed a Nominative or Accusative Absolute; as, Quant à nous, le fusil sur l'épaule, nous montâmes toute la nuit. Les Juifs mangeaient l'agneau pascal, debout, les reins ceints et un bâton à la main. 129 II. THE NOUN-OBJECT OR NOUN-COMPLEMENT GOVERNED BY à : 'DATIVE CASE). RÉSUMÉ. INTRODUCTORY: A. The Indirect Object (a) after Verbs of Giving, Telling, etc.; (b) after Verbs of Perceiving, Attributing, etc.; (c) after Verbs of Taking, Asking, etc.; (d) after an Infinitive depending on faire, laisser, etc.; (e) after Intransitive Verbs and Adjectives or Adverbs denoting fitness, tendency, etc.; (f) after être, in answer to the questions (1) whose? (2) for whom? etc.; B. The Indirect Complement, denoting (1) Manner, Instrument, (2) Time when, (3) Place where. INTRODUCTORY :-The Preposition à has a much wider range of functions than the English to, or the Latin ad and ab (from which it is derived); it corresponds to the Prepositions at, for, from, with, in, by, on, in English; and to the Dative, Ablative, and various Prepositions in Latin. To understand this multiplicity of functions devolving upon à, it must be borne in mind that already in the classical period of Latin, the Preposition ad was doing duty for the Dative case, and that in Medieval Latin it assumed the meanings of cum and apud. (See Brachet's Etymological Dictionary, under à.) 130 A. THE INDIRECT OBJECT depending on a Verb or Adjective: [The Conj. Pers. Pron.-Obj.:-me, te, lui; nous, vous, leur; y (§ 26-30). The Dative Case is used (a) as in English, after Verbs of Giving, Adding, Telling, Showing, and the like: as, Il donne son bien aux pauvres. Faites-moi voir vos tableaux. Je lui apprendrai bien son devoir. He gives his property to the poor. She has devoted her life to him. Show me your pictures. I shall teach him his duty. (b) after Verbs of Perceiving, Believing, Attributing, etc., to denote the Possessor: as, Jamais je ne vous vis un teint si frais et si gaillard. I never saw you with such a ruddy complexion. Je trouve à votre sœur l'air It strikes me your sister looks rather un peu triste. Je lui crois de grands moyens. On ne lui connaît que peu d'ennemis. sad (lit. I perceive in your sister). I give him credit for great abilities. He is known to have but few enemies. Thus also with Verbs having for their object a Noun denoting a part of the body or a mental quality: as, Je serrai la main à votre frère. Je lui serrai la main. Elles se meurtrissaient le sein. [Cp. also Synt. of Personal I shook hands with your brother. I shook his hand. They mangled their bosoms. and Possess. Pron. § 167.] (c) contrary to English usage, after Verbs of Taking, Removing, Borrowing, Wanting, Asking, Expecting, Refusing, etc.: as, They have taken the bread from this family. On a ôté le pain à cette famille. Je lui ai acheté un volume qu'il I bought of him a volume for which 131 (d) as a Person-Object, after faire, laisser, voir, entendre, ouïr, complemented by an Infinitive with another object in the Accusative. In other words- faire (laisser, etc.) + Infinitive take either (1) an Acc. of the Person, if the Infinitive has no direct object; or (2) a Dat. of the Person, if the Infinitive has a direct object. Compare Observation 1.-Thus also when the Direct Object is a whole clause: Je leur ai fait comprendre que cela n'était I made them understand that it was not becompas de mise.-(Molière.) ing. Observation 2.-The so-called ethic Dative is of frequent use in French : On lui lia les pieds, on vous le suspendit.-(Lafontaine.) Qu'on me l'égorge, qu'on me lui fasse griller les pieds, qu'on me le mette dans l'eau bouillante.-(Mol. Avare.) [Cp. Lat.: Quid mihi Celsus agit? Germ.: Wir waren dir sehr vergnügt.] 132 (e) After any kind of INTRANSITIVE VERBS, and after ADJECTIVES and ADVERBS implying fitness, tendency, inclination, adaptation, utility, obedience, assistance, superiority, pleasing, and their contraries, the name of the person or thing for whom, or in respect of whom, the action is done, is put in the DATIVE case: as, (1) Ce chien obéit à la voix de This dog obeys the call of his Many verbs of this class require no Preposition in English : as, (2) Un vœu conforme (contraire) à A vow conformable (contrary) to la nature. nature. Conformément aux ordres Conformably to the orders given. donnés. Ils se rendirent formidables à leurs voisins. Il est bien amer à un père They made themselves formidable to their neighbours. It is very painful for a father to see that his children do not return his affection. Il m'est fort indifférent que It is all the same to me whether you vous y alliez ou non. La patrie lui est chère. go or not. His native land is dear to him. 133 (ƒ) After the Verb être, the Complement is put in the DATIVE: (1) in answer to the question whose? i.e. to denote the Possessor: as, A qui est cela ?-A vous ou .. Le moulin est à moi, tout Whose is that?—Yours or your friend's? The mill is mine, as much so, at any rate, as Prussia is the king's. C'est au maître de parler, et à It is for the master to speak, and l'élève d'écouter. On n'est point à soi, quand on prend for the pupil to listen. Thus also redundantly after the Verb avoir: as, Il n'a rien à lui; tout est à ses He has nothing of his own; everything is his friends'. (2) in answer to the question for whom? in whom? on whose part? i.e. to denote the logical Subject of an impersonal phrase: as, C'est folie à eux de croire cela. C'est très bien fait à vous. Well done! i.e. You have acted very well. For the use of Disjunctive instead of Conjunctive Pers. Pron., see §§ 32 (7), and 134 (c), Obs. |