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 Spelling 3A  3B

 

Dictées n°3A

La tristesse de Germain

Mais quand Germain marchait sur le chemin, dans la bonne odeur des feuilles, on ne l'entendait presque jamais siffler. Cela inquiétait les lutins. Et quand l’apiculteur avait fini son travail, le soir venu, il restait parfois longtemps assis, sur un tronc d'arbre abattu, en poussant des soupirs.

A  Translation

The sadness of Germain

But when Germain walked on the path, in the good smell of leaves, we never hear him wisthle. That concerned the imps. And when the beekeeper have finished his work, the evening was coming, he stayed sometime a long time seated, on the trunk of tree brought down, pushing sights.

B  Spelling observations

1)  march ait, l'entend ait, inquiét ait, rest ait, >>>> tense is " imparfait"

The imperfect tense is formed with a stem plus particular endings. The sterm  is formed by dropping the " ons" from the first person plural of the present.

What uses does it have? Use the imperfect for:

1   description: What you are describing is more important than the action

2   habitual action: See the English " used to" construction.

3  d uration or continuing action: See the English past progressive.

4   repeated action:  See the English " keep on" construction.

 

2)   la bonne odeur

Adjectives in French agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. If an adjective describes a mixed group (masculine and feminine), then the adjective is masculine plural.

Descriptive adjectives normally add " e " for the feminine and " s" for the plural. There are, however, several groups of adjectives with irregular frromes.

Normally, descriptive adjectives in French follows teh nouns. First you say what you are talking about ( a house = une maison) then you describe it ( une maison blanche). But some common adjectives are placed before teh noun : une grande maison, une petite voiture.

Most adjectives of this kind fit into one of four groups ( along with their opposites) : Size, Handsomeness, Age, Goodness. ( SHAG):

S   Size    court / long, grand / petit, haut / bas, gros / mince.

H Handsomeness : beau /  joli, laid / vilain.

A   Age: vieux / jeune

G   Goodness : bon, mauvais, méchant, pauvre ( pitfull, not penniless)

 


 

Dictées n°3 B : 

Le lait de la biche

Tous les lutins font la chaîne avec leurs petits seaux. Ils réussissent à verser dans la bouche de Petit Homme assez de lait pour le rassasier. A présent l'enfant se tait, il ferme ses yeux, respire plus doucement et s'endort. Mais quelques minutes après, voilà que le bébé s'agite de nouveau, et il se remet à pousser des cris!

 A Translation

The milk of the doa

All the imps made a line with their small buckets. They succed to pour in the mouth of Small Man enough of milk to fill him up. At present the child is silent. he close his eyes, breath more slowly and sleep himself. But some minutes after, then that the baby wriggle again, and he start again to scream.

  B  Spelling observations

"plus doucement"

Comparison of adjectives in French.

Regular French adjectives form a comparative with " plus" ( more), " aussi" ( as ,in the sense of equal), or " moins" ( less) plus the adjective:

grand,   plus grand,    aussi grand,    moins grand.

Superlatives are formed with the correct definite article plus the comparative ( le plus grand, la moins petite ....)

un grand garçon >>> un plus grand garçon >>> le plus grand garçon.

un bus rapide >>>un bus moins rapide>>>le bus le moins rapide.

 

The most common irregular comparison are:

bon, meilleur, le meilleur ( good, better, the best)

mauvais, pire, le pire. ( bad, worse, worst)

 

Adjectives that cannot be compared include absolutes, which are by definition superlative  >>> unique, parfait.

Since uniqueness and perfection cannot be brought to a highter degree, we cannot use "le ( la, les) plus" with them.

 

When the comparison is make between two elements, use " que" or " de" to link them:

Jean est plus grand que Marie ( comparative)

Marie est la plus grande de la famille ( superlative)

 

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