Appendix D
Le Pronominal
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The Pronominal Format (General and Detailed Discussion)
Le Format Pronominal |
General comments on verb "Direction"
French verbs can operate in three different "Directions", or "Voices". The Actif, Passif, and Pronominal.
Actif
The "format actif" is the basic or usual format of the verb when accompanied by a subject, and is used when the subject is actually 'doing' the action, or is 'driving' the verb.
It is also called "la voix active" (Active Voice). It is simply referred to as "actif (Basic format)" throughout the site where it appears in the Verb Title tables.
Passif
On the other hand, when the subject of the verb is not doing the action, but is rather receiving the action, we call it "la voix passive" (simply "passif" in this manual). (See Appendix C - Le Passif – The Passive Formats for more details about the passif.)
Pronominal
Thirdly, the "format pronominal" combines the actif and the passif structure and/or meanings.
It represents a verb whose action is first sent by the doer to the receiver, and is then sent right back to the doer.
Sometimes the verb has no real reflexive or reciprocal meaning (as in essential and idiomatic pronominals – fully explained below), and sometimes it does have a real reflexive or reciprocal meaning (as in optional, or accidental pronominals – fully explained below).
Let's now look at:
1) the basic pronominal Mechanics,
2) the pronominal Categories, and
3) the Agreement of the Participe passé.
1.0) Basic Pronominal Mechanics |
1.1) The "Format pronominal" (Pronominal format) uses a subject (noun or pronoun), its mirror pronoun (like the reflection in a mirror), and the verb.
1.2) The subject pronouns and their respective "mirror" pronouns are shown in the table below:
Singular |
Plural |
||
|
Subject pronoun |
Mirror pronoun |
Subject pronoun |
Mirror pronoun |
|
je |
"me"(m' in front of a vowel) |
nous |
"nous" |
|
tu |
"te" (t' in front of a vowel) |
vous |
"vous" |
|
il, elle, on |
"se" (s' in front of a vowel) |
ils, elles |
"se" (s' in front of a vowel) |
|
Of course, nouns can also be used as the subjects. |
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1.3) "Mirror-pronoun" placement:
The placement of the mirror pronouns varies according to whether the the verb tense itself is a "temps simple" (a simple tense), a "temps composé" (a compound tense), or a "temps combiné" (general term on this sitefor any combination of a temps simple, temps composé, or Infinitif – with or without special added word(s).
- In a "temps simple", the mirror pronoun is placed before the single conjugated verb. (Examples shown below.)
- In a "temps composé", the auxiliary verb is always "être", and the mirror pronoun is placed before the conjugated verb "être".
- In a "temps combiné", the mirror pronoun is usually placed before the main verb.
Below are examples of each placement possibility with the mirror pronoun in bold-underlined type.
Examples:
Temps simple |
Temps composé |
Temps combiné |
|
(Présent indicatif) |
(Passé composé) |
(Futur proche) |
|
– s'efforcer – (to try hard) |
– s'absenter – (to be absent) |
– se réfugier – (to take refuge) |
|
je m'efforce |
je me suis absenté(e) |
je vais me réfugier |
|
tu t'efforces |
tu t'es absenté(e) |
tu vas te réfugier |
|
il s'efforce |
il s'est absenté |
il va se réfugier |
|
elle s'efforce |
elle s'est absentée |
elle va se réfugier |
|
on s'efforce |
on s'est absenté(e)(s) |
on va se réfugier |
|
nous nous efforçons |
nous nous sommes absenté(e)s |
nous allons nous réfugier |
|
vous vous efforcez |
vous vous êtes absenté(e)(s) |
vous allez vous réfugier |
|
ils s'efforcent |
ils se sont absentés |
ils vont se réfugier |
|
elles s'efforcent |
elles se sont absentées |
elles vont se réfugier |
2.0) The Pronominal Categories |
Although the pronominal format is very popular in French, it is not the easiest concept to teach or learn. The mechanics are rather straightforward, but there are several subtle features that are rarely well explained, and less often well understood.
So, with that little warning, let's begin.
There are actually 8 categories of pronominal verbs, which can make it a little tricky to get them all straight. It is not usually the conjugation of the verb that is challenging, as the verbs follow all the normal rules presented throughout this site.
The two key challenges are:
1) Where exactly to place the mirror pronoun, and
2) Whether or not, when using compound tenses, to apply participe passé (p.p.) agreement.
We'll now look at all eight categories of pronominal verbs in the following sections, along with examples of each one, but to get good at them the student will need effective practice exercises. These will soon be found here at verbexpress.net.
First, let's identify the eight categories of pronominal verbs, and then we'll return to each one for a more extensive discussion.
The 8 categories of pronominal verbs are:
2.1) Essential pronominals (Sample list – Appendix E),
2.2) Idiomatic pronominals (Sample list – Appendix F),
2.3) Optional pronominal – Reflexive direct (Sample list – Appendix G)
2.4) Optional pronominal – Reflexive indirect (Sample list – Appendix G)
2.5) Optional pronominal – Reciprocal direct (Sample list – Appendix G)
2.6) Optional pronominal – Reciprocal indirect (Sample list – Appendix G)
2.7) Passive pronominals (Sample list – Appendix H)
2.8) Impersonal pronominals (Passive) (Sample list – Appendix H)
Let's look at each category along with a very short description of each one:
2.1) Les verbes "essentiellement" pronominaux (essential pronominals). These are verbs that exist ONLY in the pronominal form. The mirror pronouns must be included when using the verb, but they carry absolutely no reflexive or reciprocal meaning.
2.2) Les verbes pronominaux "idiomatiques" (idiomatic pronominals – ie the meaning of the verb actually changes from its normal meaning)
2.3) to 2.6) Les verbes "optionnellement" pronominaux (optional pronominals – also called accidental pronominals). These are normal verbs which, while preserving their normal meanings can also be handled using the pronominal format. They can be "réfléchi" (reflexive) or "réciproque" (reciprocal). In each of these, the verb can act on direct or on indirect objects. More on direct and indirect objects below.
2.7) Then there is the pronominal "passif" (passive pronominal) where the inanimate subject of the pronominal verb is not doing any action, but is actually only receiving the action of the main verb.
2.8) Finally, there is the pronominal "impersonnel" (impersonal pronominal) which creates a passive meaning, always uses the impersonal subject "il" and the mirror pronoun "se" or "s'" in front of a vowel .
The 'pronominal impersonnel' is easy to do, has an advanced flair, but is also much less frequently used in everyday communication.
Now let's go back and take a closer look at each of the pronominal verb categories listed above and take a look at some examples for each one.
2.1) Les verbes "essentiellement pronominaux" (essential pronominal verbs). This is a collection of verbs that exist exclusively in the pronominal form (with a mirror pronoun included in its construction). Although these particular verbs must include a subject as well as the mirror pronoun of that subject, the action being described is neither reflexive nor reciprocal. The mirror pronoun does not receive any action whatsoever.
(A sample list of member verbs of this category is shown in Appendix E.)
Note: Although certain verb tenses do not require a subject, such as the Impératif, the Infinitif used as a subject of another verb, and the Gérondif présent and Gérondif passé, etc., they must still use the mirror pronoun when handling any of the "essential pronominal" verbs. The correct usage is presented in each of their respective sections throughout the site.
Let's now look more closely at a few examples of this category below. The verbs s'absenter, s'infiltrer, and se réfugier are shown in a "temps simple", a "temps composé", and in a "temps combiné".(See definitions of these formats in Appendix A)
Notice in the translations below how the French mirror pronoun carries no reflexive or reciprocal meaning!
Examples:
* In the temps composés (compound tenses), the participe passé (p.p.) of this category of pronominal verbs (ie. the essential pronominals) agrees in gender and number with the subject of the verb. This agreement is represented in this chart by the optional agreement letters (between parentheses). The letters which are not inside the parentheses are mandatory.
** Note: Although the pronoun "on" can have several different meanings, in the table below I have used the "we" meaning for the purpose of illustration.
|
Temps simple (Présent indicatif) - s'absenter – (to be absent) |
Temps composé (Passé composé) - s'infiltrer – (to infiltrate) |
Temps combiné (Futur proche) - se réfugier – (to take refuge) |
|
je m'absente (le mercredi) I am absent (on Wednesdays) |
je me suis infiltré(e)* ... I infiltrated ... |
je vais me réfugier I am going to take refuge |
|
tu t'absentes (le mercredi) you are absent (on Wednesdays) |
tu t'es infiltré(e)* ... you infiltrated ... |
tu vas te réfugier you are going to take refuge |
|
il s'absente (le mercredi) he is absent (on Wednesdays) |
il s'est infiltré* ... he infiltrated ... |
il va se réfugier he is going to take refuge |
|
elle s'absente (le mercredi) she is absent (on Wednesdays) |
elle s'est infiltrée* ... she infiltrated ... |
elle va se réfugier she is going to take refuge |
|
**on s'absente (le mercredi) we are absent (on Wednesdays) |
**on s'est infiltré(e)(s)* ... we infiltrated ... |
**on va se réfugier we are going to take refuge |
|
nous nous absentons (le mercredi) we are absent (on Wednesdays) |
nous nous sommes infiltré(e)s* ... we infiltrated ... |
nous allons nous réfugier we are going to take refuge |
|
vous vous absentez (le mercredi) you are absent (on Wednesdays) |
vous vous êtes infiltré(e)(s)* ... you infiltrated ... |
vous allez vous réfugier you are going to take refuge |
|
ils s'absentent (le mercredi) they are absent (on Wednesdays) |
ils se sont infiltrés* ... they infiltrated ... |
ils vont se réfugier they are going to take refuge |
|
elles s'absentent (le mercredi) they are absent (on Wednesdays) |
elles se sont infiltrées* ... they infiltrated ... |
elles vont se réfugier they are going to take refuge |
2.2) Les verbes "pronominaux idiomatiques", also called "verbes pronominaux à sens idiomatique" (idiomatic pronominal verbs). These are verbs whose normal meaning actually changes when used in the pronominal format. A list of some member verbs of this category is provided in Appendix F.
Two examples from this category are:
- s'ennuyer (to be/get bored – but the normal meaning of ennuyer is to annoy someone)
- se perdre (to become lost, to get lost, to lose one's way – but the normal meaning is to lose something)
First, let's consider the verb s'ennuyer in context, with a temps simple, a temps composé, and a temps combiné:
Temps simple: (Présent indicatif)
"Je m'ennuie quand je n'ai rien à faire."
"I am bored when I have nothing to do."
"I get bored / I become bored when I don't have anything to do."
Temps composé: (Passé composé)
"Est-ce que vous vous êtes ennuyé(e)(s)* au party?"
"Were you bored at the party?"
"Did you get / Did you become bored at the party?"
* In the temps composés, the participe passé of the idiomatic pronominals agrees in gender and number with the subject of the verb. This agreement is represented in this example by the possible agreement letters (shown above in parentheses).
Temps combiné: (Futur proche)
"Tu vas t'ennuyer si tu abandonnes ton projet."
"You are going to be bored / You are going to become bored if you drop your project."
Now, let's consider our second example of an idiomatic pronominal: the verb 'se perdre' in context, also with a temps simple, a temps composé, and a temps combiné:
Temps simple: (Présent indicatif)
"Je me perds facilement dans les grandes villes."
"I get lost easily in big cities."
Temps composé: (Passé composé)
"Est-ce que tu t'es perdu(e)* en cherchant ton chien?"
"Did you get lost while looking for your dog?"
* In the temps composés, the participe passé of the idiomatic pronominals agrees in gender and number with the subject of the verb. This agreement is represented in this example by the possible agreement letters (shown above in parentheses).
Temps combiné: (Futur proche)
"Le chasseur va se perdre dans la forêt s'il ne fait pas attention."
"The hunter is going to get lost in the forest if he is not careful."
2.3) to 2.6) Les verbes "optionnellement pronominaux" (optionally pronominal verbs).
These are normal verbs that keep their usual meanings when handled in the pronominal format, and create a reflexive or reciprocal effect.
Note: This section is a little longer because of the in-depth illustrations provided! |
In these cases, the action is "boomeranged" in either of two ways: reflexively ("réfléchi") or reciprocally ("réciproque").
- Les verbes pronominaux réfléchis (reflexive):
Reflexive action means that the doer of the action is doing it to himself/herself/(themselves). The subject can be either singular or plural. (je, tu, il/elle/on, nous, vous, ils/elles).
The mirror pronoun can be either a direct or an indirect object.
Examples of each will be given in the illustrations further below.
- Les verbes pronominaux réciproques (reciprocal):
In this case, a minimum of two (2) action-doers is required. One subject (or more) does an action to the other (or more), and the latter does the same action back to the first subject – exactly like a game of tennis where the first player hits the ball to the other side of the court and the second player does "the same action", returning the ball to the first player, who then returns it again, etc. That is, they're "reciprocating".
So, to use the pronominal reciprocal format, the subject must be plural (nous, vous, ils, elles, or the plural meaning of "on"), and it must be matched with its respective mirror pronoun (nous, vous, se, se, or se, respectively).
- Important: The mirror pronoun can be either a direct or an indirect object.
Examples of each will be given in the illustrations below.
Whether a pronominal verb is réfléchi or réciproque, the action receiver (the mirror pronoun) can be either a direct object or an indirect object. So in all there are four possible arrangements:
Réfléchi direct
Réfléchi indirect
Réciproque direct
Réciproque indirect
Let's look at the details of each option in turn. Then we'll take an extensive look at some examples in our "Scenario" below.
2.3) Pronominal 'Réfléchi direct'
(Here, the mirror pronoun is a direct object - the verb that is being used takes a direct object).
This will be fully illustrated below. - See "Scenario"
When the pronominal format is being used in one of the "Temps composés" (Compound Tense – defined in Appendix A), the direct object (in the form of the mirror pronoun) comes before the participe passé (p.p.) of the main verb, and for that reason, it forces the participe passé of the main verb to agree in gender and number with that direct-object mirror pronoun)
2.4) Pronominal 'Réfléchi indirect'
(Here, the mirror pronoun is an indirect object)
This will be fully illustrated below. - See "Scenario"
An indirect-object mirror pronoun also comes before the participe passé of the main verb when used in any "Temps composé" (Compound Tense – Appendix A), but because it is an indirect object, it has NO effect on the participe passé – that is, the participe passé does not agree with an indirect-object mirror pronoun).
2.5) Pronominal 'Réciproque direct'
(In this case, the mirror pronoun is a direct object - the verb that is being used takes a direct object)
This will be fully illustrated below. - See "Scenario"
If the pronominal format is being used in one of the "Temps composés" (Compound Tense – Appendix A), the direct object (in the form of the mirror pronoun) comes before the participe passé (p.p.) of the main verb, and for that reason, it forces the participe passé of the main verb to agree in gender and number with that direct-object mirror pronoun)
2.6) Pronominal 'Réciproque indirect'
(Here, the mirror pronoun is an indirect object)
This will be fully illustrated below. - See "Scenario"
An indirect-object mirror pronoun also comes before the participe passé (p.p.) of the main verb when used in any "Temps composé" (Compound Tense – Appendix A), but because it is an indirect object, it has NO effect on the participe passé – that is, the participe passé does not agree with an indirect-object mirror pronoun).
In-Depth Illustration of "optional" pronomial verbs:
(Applying the pronominal construction to ordinary verbs to easily create reflexive and reciprocal effects.)
The following illustration is going to be quite detailed. I encourage visitors to take the time to go through the illustrations patiently, as the understanding of this powerful set of tools will significantly increase the ability to communicate well and with style.
- First, let's select a few verbs that can illustrate all four of the possibilities mentioned above. And to help it stick, let's use all four of the above pronominal formats in an easy-to-imagine scenario.
Scenario:
Let's picture an upcoming Class Reunion where Sylvie will look for, locate, and interact with Martine, an old friend that she hasn't seen in twenty years.
In our illustration, we'll use the following normal verbs, but we'll use them all in the pronominal format:
habiller, regarder, promettre, voir, and parler.
Before we begin, let's consider the way these verbs interact with their "objects" (action receivers) in light of the way we want to use them in the illustration – that is, whether the action will be direct or indirect.
If the action is "direct", that will automatically make the action receiver a "direct object".
If the action is "indirect", the action receiver will be called an "indirect object".
P.S. An object is considered to be a direct object if the verb does NOT have to make a "detour" around a preposition to get to its action receiver. By far, the most commonly used "indirect preposition" is "à"
So to find out if the verbs I will use for my illustrations behave directly or indirectly, I need to look for the way I want to use the verb in context. A good English-French or French dictionary will usually give the different combinations or arrangements that the verb can be used in.
The table below shows the "filter" I will use to determine if the action receivers (objects) in my examples will be indirect or direct.
indirect / direct-object Filter |
|
(A) Indirect relationship: When I search for the verb "parler" in the dictionary, one combination possibility that I will find is "parler à quelqu'un (to speak or talk to someone). This is how I want to use the verb "parler" in my scenario. According to the dictionary description, the "quelqu'un" in this kind of arrangement is preceded by the preposition "à", which makes it an indirect object (because the verb needs to make a detour around the preposition "à" to connect with the action receiver). |
|
(B) Direct relationship: When I search for the verb "regarder" in the dictionary, one combination possibility that I will find is "regarder quelqu'un". This is how I want to use the verb "regarder" in my scenario. According to the dictionary description, the "quelqu'un" in this arrangement is not preceded by the preposition "à", which therefore makes it a direct object. (the verb heads directly to the action receiver, and does not need to make a detour around the preposition "à"). This "direct route" means that the action receiver is a direct object.
Important: Whenever a direct object comes before the participe passé (p.p.) of the main verb, the participe passé (p.p.) must agree in gender and number with that direct object. This happens everywhere in French, and also in optional pronominal verbs in the compound-tense format whenever the mirror pronoun (me/m', te/t', se/s', nous, vous, se/s') also happens to function as a direct object. More on this below. |
- In the dictionary description, we look for the verb as we intend to use it our context.
- Then we look for an "à" between the verb and the object. If there is an "à" in the context-appropriate combination, the object (the action receiver) is indirect. If, however, there is no "à" between the verb and the object in the context-appropriate combination, that means that the object is direct. I'll show this dynamic in action with each of the verbs I've chosen for our scenario below.
|
The three versions of the Scenario will be shown using a future timeframe (with a temps combiné), a present timeframe (with a temps simple), and a past timeframe (with a temps composé) to show the application of the optional pronominal format along with participe passé (p.p.) agreement when and where applicable. The English version of the scenario in each timeframe is presented as a 'chronological' list before each set of examples. |
Here are the verbs that I will apply in the pronominal form as an in-depth illustration of the reflexive and reciprocal use of the pronominal format. In these combinations, the "qn" means quelqu'un (somebody), and the "qch" means quelque chose (something).
| Note: The abbreviation 'qn' stands for 'quelqu'un' (someone) |
|
habiller qn (to dress someone) The "qn" in this arrangement is a direct object (See B in the indirect-direct object filter above) |
|
regarder qn (to look at someone) The "qn" in this arrangement is a direct object (See B in the indirect-direct object filter above) |
|
promettre à qn de faire qch (to promise someone to do something) The "qn" in this arrangement is an indirect object (See A in the indirect-direct object filter above) |
|
voir qn (to see someone) The "qn" in this arrangement is a direct object (See B in the indirect-direct object filter above) |
|
parler à qn (to speak to speak or talk to someone) The "qn" in this arrangement is an indirect object (See A in the indirect-direct object filter above) |
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dire qch à qn (to say or tell something to someone) The "qn" in this arrangement is an indirect object (See A in the indirect-direct object filter above) |
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revoir qn (to see someone again) The "qn" in this arrangement is a direct object (See B in the indirect-direct object filter above) |
Let's now apply our optional pronominal constuction to the verbs listed above using the Class Reunion Scenario in 3 timeframes for the sake of comparison:
I) In the Future (before the actions happen)
II) In the Present (while the actions happen / are happening)
III) In the Past (after the actions have happened)
| I) In The Future: (Using a "Temps combiné")
First, the Future – We'll use the "Futur proche" to illustrate the pronominal construction with a temps combinéin each statement. The 'temps combiné'is the general term on this site for any combination of a temps simple, temps composé, or Infinitif – with or without special added word(s). (Every possible configuration of the Futur proche is shown in the Futur proche section of the site.) |
- Each use of the Futur proche pronominal in the sentences below is underlined.
| English: (Future timeframe scenario - Chronological List of Actions) |
|
1. First of all, Sylvie is going to get dressed/going to dress herself. 2. She is going to look at herself in the mirror. 3. She is going to promise herself to look for Martine at the reunion. 4. Then, at the reunion, Sylvie and Martine are going to see each other, 5. they are going to speak to each other, 6. and before saying good-bye to each other, (Infinitive) 7. they are going to promise each other 8. to see each other again next summer. (Infinitive) |
Now let's look at the sentence-by-sentence French version of the same scenario.
- The Futur proche pronominal and the mirror pronouns are underlined in each example:
- D'abord, Sylvie va s'habiller.
(Réfléchi direct – the mirror pronoun " s' " is a direct object – because according to the dictionary, the verb "habiller" in my context-appropriate combination is shown as "habiller qn" – there is no "à" in the combination.)
- Elle va se regarder dans le mirroir.
(Réfléchi direct – the mirror pronoun " se " is a direct object – because according to the dictionary, the verb "regarder" in my context-appropriate combination is shown as "regarder qn" – there is no "à" in the combination.)
- Elle va se promettre de chercher Martine à la réunion.
(Réfléchi indirect – the mirror pronoun " se " is an indirect object – because according to the dictionary, the verb "promettre" in my context-appropriate combination is shown as "promettre à qn de faire qch " – the preposition "à" is included in the combination.)
- Puis, à la réunion, Sylvie et Martine vont se voir,
(Réciproque direct – the mirror pronoun " se " is a direct object – because according to the dictionary, the verb "voir" in my context-appropriate combination is shown as "voir qn" – there is no "à" in the combination.)
- elles vont se parler,
(Réciproque indirect – the mirror pronoun " se " is an indirect object – because according to the dictionary, the verb "parler" in my context-appropriate combination is shown as "parler à qn" – the preposition "à" is included in the combination.)
- et avant de se dire (Infinitif) au revoir,
(Réciproque indirect – the mirror pronoun " se " is an indirect object – because according to the dictionary, the verb "dire" in my context-appropriate combination is shown as "dire qch à qn" – the preposition "à" is included in the combination.)
- elles vont se promettre
(Réciproque indirect – the mirror pronoun " se " is an indirect object – because according to the dictionary, the verb "promettre" in my context-appropriate combination is shown as "promettre à qn de faire qch " – the preposition "à" is included in the combination.)
- de se revoir (Infinitif) l'été prochain.
(Réciproque direct – the mirror pronoun " se " is a direct object – because according to the dictionary, the verb "revoir" in my context-appropriate combination is shown as "revoir qn" – there is no "à" in the combination.)
| II) In The Present: (Using a "Temps simple")
Now let's do the same entire scenario in the Present timeframe, as if we're watching the action unfold right before us. We'll use the "Présent indicatif" to illustrate the pronominal construction with a temps simple in each statement. A temps simple is a single-word verb tense) (Every possible configuration of the Présent-Indicatif is shown in the Présent-Indicatif section of the site.) |
Each use of the Présent-Indicatif pronominal in the sentences below is underlined.
| English: (Present timeframe scenario - Chronological List of Actions) |
|
1. First, Sylvie gets dressed/dresses herself) 2. She looks at herself in the mirror. 3. She promises herself to look for Martine at the reunion. 4. Now, at the reunion, Sylvie and Martine see each other, 5. they speak to each other, 6. and before saying good-bye to each other, (Infinitive) 7. they promise each other 8. to see each other again next summer. (Infinitive) |
Now let's look at the sentence-by-sentence French version of the same scenario.
- The Présent-Indicatif and the mirror pronouns are underlined in each example:
- D'abord, Sylvie s'habille.
(Réfléchi direct – the mirror pronoun " s' " is a direct object – because according to the dictionary, the verb "habiller" in my context-appropriate combination is shown as "habiller qn" – there is no "à" in the combination.)
- Elle se regarde dans le mirroir.
(Réfléchi direct – the mirror pronoun " se " is a direct object – because according to the dictionary, the verb "regarder" in my context-appropriate combination is shown as "regarder qn" – there is no "à" in the combination.)
- Elle se promet de chercher Martine à la réunion.
(Réfléchi indirect – here, the mirror pronoun " se " is an indirect object – because according to the dictionary, the verb "promettre" in my context-appropriate combination is shown as "promettre à qn de faire qch " – the preposition "à" is included in the combination.)
- Maintenant, à la réunion, Sylvie et Martine se voient,
(Réciproque direct – the mirror pronoun " se " is a direct object – because according to the dictionary, the verb "voir" in my context-appropriate combination is shown as "voir qn" – there is no "à" in the combination.)
- elles se parlent,
(Réciproque indirect – here, the mirror pronoun " se " is an indirect object – because according to the dictionary, the verb "parler" in my context-appropriate combination is shown as "parler à qn" – the preposition "à" is included in the combination.)
- et avant de se dire (Infinitif) au revoir,
(Réciproque indirect – here, the mirror pronoun " se " is an indirect object – because according to the dictionary, the verb "dire" in my context-appropriate combination is shown as "dire qch à qn" – the preposition "à" is included in the combination.)
- elles se promettent
(Réciproque indirect – here, the mirror pronoun " se " is an indirect object – because according to the dictionary, the verb "promettre" in my context-appropriate combination is shown as "promettre à qn de faire qch " – the preposition "à" is included in the combination.)
- de se revoir (Infinitif) l'été prochain.
(Réciproque direct – the mirror pronoun " se " is a direct object – because according to the dictionary, the verb "revoir" in my context-appropriate combination is shown as "revoir qn" – there is no "à" in the combination.)
| III) In The Past: (Using a "Temps composé")
Now let's do the Class Reunion Scenario in the Past timeframe, as though we're looking back at what took place on the evening of the reunion. This time, we'll use the "Passé composé" to illustrate how the pronominal construction is handled with a temps composé, as well as (which is tricky, but very important) if and when the participe passé (p.p.) does and does not agree in gender and number with other words). Remember (from Appendix A) that a Temps composé (Compound tense) = Subject + auxiliary verb "être" or "avoir" + participe passé (p.p.) (of the main verb). IMPORTANT: A temps composé used in the pronominal format uses the verb "être" exclusively as its auxiliary verb).
(Every possible configuration of the Passé composéis shown in the Passé composé section of the site.) |
When using any "Temps composé", the agreement of the "participe passé" (p.p.) is really all about direct objects.
Here's the universal rule:
If a direct object of the p.p. exists in the phrase, AND it comes ahead of the p.p., the p.p. must agree in gender and number with that direct object.
If there is no direct object, or there is one, but it comes after the p.p., there is no agreement.
Keep an eye out for any direct objects. If there aren't any, the p.p. doesn't agree with anything – it remains in its basic unaltered form.
| Exceptions:
If there are other grammatical objects (action receivers) in the sentence, two things must be checked: 1) Are they direct or indirect objects?, and 2) Where are they located relative to the p.p., before or after? If there is a direct object of the participe passé (p.p.) and it comes before the p.p., the p.p. must agree with it in gender and number. If there is a direct object of the main verb but it comes after the p.p., the p.p. does not agree with that direct object. If, however they are indirect objects, the p.p. never agrees with them, regardless of whether they come before or after the p.p. |
Now back to our Class Reunion Scenario.
Here's the English version of our story, looking backwards in time, after the class reunion has taken place.
| English: (Past timeframe scenario - Chronological List of Actions) |
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1. First, Sylvie got dressed/dressed herself) 2. She looked at herself in the mirror. 3. She promised herself to look for Martine at the reunion. 4. Later, at the reunion, Sylvie and Martine saw each other, 5. they spoke to each other, 6. and before saying good-bye to each other, (Infinitive) 7. they promised each other 8. to see each other again next summer. (Infinitive) |
Now let's look at the sentence-by-sentence French version of the scenario.
- The Passé composé pronominal form and the mirror pronouns are underlined in each example:
- Special Comments are included with each sentence to discuss the agreement or non-agreement of the participe passé (p.p.)in each example:
- D'abord, Sylvie s'est habillée. ( ... dressed herself ...)
- "habiller qn" (to dress someone) – "qn" in this arrangement is a direct object – that is, she dressed someone; the someone in this arrangement is a direct object (see B in the indirect-direct object filter above), and the someone that she dressed is herself – she is both the doer and the receiver of the direct action. So the mirror pronoun " s' " that means "herself" is, grammatically speaking, a direct object.
- Because this is the pronominal form, the auxiliaire "être" (conjugated) is used along with the participe passé (p.p.) of the main verb "habiller".
- Réfléchi direct – because the mirror pronoun " s' " is functioning here as a direct object (habiller qn), and is also appearing before the participe passé of the main verb, the participe passé agrees in gender and number with the mirror pronoun (which in this case represents Sylvie – féminin singulier).
- That's the "direct" rule of participe passé agreement in action.
- Elle s'est regardée dans le mirroir. ( ... looked at herself ...)
- "regarder qn" (to look at someone) – "qn" in this arrangement is a direct object (see B in the indirect-direct object filter above), and the someone that she looked at is herself – she is both the doer and the receiver of the direct action. So the mirror pronoun " s' " that means "herself" is, grammatically speaking, a direct object.
- Because this is the pronominal form, the auxiliaire "être"(conjugated) is used along with the participe passé (p.p.) of the main verb "regarder".
- Réfléchi direct – because the mirror pronoun " s' " is functioning here as a direct object (regarder qn), and is also appearing before the participe passé of the main verb, the participe passé agrees in gender and number with the mirror pronoun (which in this case represents Sylvie – féminin singulier).
- That's the "direct" rule of participe passé agreement in action.
- Elle s'est promis de chercher Martine à la réunion. ( ... made a promise to herself ...) (= elle a promis à elle-même de ...)
- "promettre à qn de faire qch" (to promise someone to do something) – "qn" in this arrangement is an indirect object (see A in the indirect-direct object filter above); the "à qn" in this phrase is the indirect-object mirror pronoun " s' ".
- Because this is the pronominal form, the auxiliaire "être"(conjugated) is used along with the participe passé (p.p.) of the main verb "promettre".
- Réfléchi indirect – because the mirror pronoun " s' " is functioning here as an indirect object (promettre à qn de faire qch) the participe passé does NOTagree with the mirror pronoun " s' " – the participe passé NEVER agrees with indirect objects.
- That's the "indirect" rule of participe passé agreement in action.
- Plus tard, à la réunion, Sylvie et Martine se sont vues, (= Sylvie saw Martine AND Martine saw Sylvie = Sylvie and Martine saw each other = reciprocal = ... se sont vues)
"voir qn" (to see someone) – "qn" in this arrangement is a direct object (see B in the indirect-direct object filter above); the "qn" in this phrase is the direct-object mirror pronoun " se ".
- Because this is the pronominal form, the auxiliaire "être"(conjugated) is used along with the participe passé (p.p.) of the main verb "voir".
- Réciproque direct – because the mirror pronoun " se " is functioning here as a direct object (voir qn), and is also appearing before the participe passé of the main verb, the participe passé agrees in gender and number with the mirror pronoun (which in this case represents Sylvie AND Martine – féminin pluriel)
- That's the "direct" rule of participe passé agreement in action.
- elles se sont parlé, (= Sylvie spoke to Martine AND Martine spoke to Sylvie = Sylvie and Martine spoke to each other = reciprocal = ... se sont parlé)
"parler à qn" (to speak to speak or talk to someone) – "qn" in this arrangement is an indirect object (see A in the indirect-direct object filter above); the "à qn" in this phrase is the indirect-object mirror pronoun " se ".
- Because this is the pronominal form, the auxiliaire "être"(conjugated) is used along with the participe passé (p.p.) of the main verb "parler".
- Réciproque indirect – because the mirror pronoun " se " is functioning here as an indirect object (parler à qn) the participe passé does NOT agree with the mirror pronoun " se " – the participe passé NEVER agrees with indirect objects.
- That's the "indirect" rule of participe passé agreement in action.
- et avant de se dire (Infinitif) au revoir, ( ... before saying good bye to each other ...)
- "dire qch à qn" (to say or tell something to someone) – "qn" in this arrangement is an indirect object (see A in the indirect-direct object filter above); the "à qn" in this phrase is the indirect-object mirror pronoun " se ".
- Réciproque indirect – the mirror pronoun " se " is an indirect object (dire qch à qn)
- There is no participe passé in this phrase to discuss in this sentence.
- elles se sont promis (= Sylvie made a promise to Martine AND Martine made a promise to Sylvie = Sylvie and Martine made a promise to each other = reciprocal = ... se sont promis)
- "promettre à qn de faire qch" (to promise someone to do something) – "qn" in this arrangement is an indirect object (see A in the indirect-direct object filter above); the "à qn" in this phrase is the indirect-object mirror pronoun " se ".
- Because this is the pronominal form, the auxiliaire "être"(conjugated) is used along with the participe passé (p.p.) of the main verb "promettre".
- Réciproque indirect – because the mirror pronoun " se " is functioning here as an indirect object (promettre à qn) the participe passé does NOT agree with the mirror pronoun " se " – the participe passé NEVER agrees with indirect objects.
- That's the "indirect" rule of participe passé agreement in action.
- de se revoir (Infinitif) l'été prochain. (…to see each other again)
"revoir qn" (to see someone again) – the "qn" in this arrangement is a direct object (see B in the indirect-direct object filter above); the "qn" in this phrase is the direct-object mirror pronoun " se ".
Réciproque direct – the mirror pronoun " se " is a direct object (revoir qn)
(There is no participe passé in this phrase to discuss.)
2.7) Les verbes "pronominaux passifs" (The pronominal format with a passive meaning).
Next, we come to the "pronominal passif" (Passive pronominals).
In French, there are three ways to represent "passive" meaning (where the subject of the verb is the receiver rather than the doer of that verb). These forms are discussed in detail in Appendix C.
The "third way" is the one we are interested in here, because it operates in the pronominal format. This approach describes an action that is done to an action-receiver, but with no indication about who or what actually did the action.
The mechanics of the pronominal passif are straightforward.
- The subject is always in the third person and is usually an inanimate thing (non-living).
- The mirror pronoun is always " se " or " s' ".
Examples:
With a temps simple (Futur simple in this example):
"Cette maison se vendra avant demain!"
"That house will be sold before tomorrow!"
"That house will get sold before tomorrow!"
"That house will sell before tomorrow!"
With a temps composé (Passé composé in this example):
"Une lumière s'est allumée* dans le salon."
"A light was turned on in the living room."
The subject of the pronominal passif must at the same time be the direct object of the main verb.
* The participe passé (p.p.) agrees with the subject when using any temps composé in the Pronominal passif format.)
With a temps combiné (Futur proche in this example):
"Un cri d'opposition va s'entendre dans la rue si cette loi entre en vigueur!"
"A shout of opposition is going to be heard in the street(s) if this law goes into effect!"
2.8) Les verbes "pronominaux impersonnels (passif)" (Impersonal pronominal format with a passive meaning).
The final pronominal form in our study is the "pronominal impersonnel" (Impersonal pronominal).
This use of this particular pronominal format is far less frequent in everyday communication. It is considered to be more advanced, although it's easy enough to do.
- The subject is always "il" (third person singular), and the mirror pronoun is always " se " or " s' ".
Here are a few examples along with translations in a temps simple, a temps composé, and a temps combiné.
Examples:
With a temps simple (Présent-Indicatif in this example):
"Il se vend beaucoup de légumes au marché durant l'été."
"A lot of vegetables are sold in the market during the summer."
"A lot of vegetables get sold in the market during the summer."
"A lot of vegetables are being sold in the market during the summer."
"A lot of vegetables are getting sold in the market during the summer."
With a temps composé (Passé composé in this example):
"Il s'est vendu* plusieurs maisons la semaine dernière."
"Several houses got sold last week."
"Several houses sold last week."
"Several houses were sold last week."
*The subject of the Pronominal impersonnel format is always "il", and when using an applicable temps composé, the participe passé (p.p.) agrees with the subject "il", and so is always masculine, singular.
With a temps combiné (Futur proche in this example):
"D'ici le mois de mars, il va se dire bien des choses au sujet de la nouvelle politique!"
"Between now and the month of March, many things are going to be said about the new policy."
"Between now and the month of March, many things are going to get said about the new policy."
3.0) The agreement of the Participe passé (p.p.) in the Pronominal format |
Our final considerations with regards to the "format pronominal" concern the "temps composés."
Every temps composé is formed by one of the two auxiliary verbs – avoir or être – plus the participe passé (p.p.) of the main verb.
These present us continually with two decisions to make:
1) Question: Which auxiliary verb do we use – avoir or être?
Answer: Whenever we do verbs in the pronominal format, the auxiliary is always "être".
2) Question: When do we make the participe passé (p.p.) agree in gender and number with other words nearby?
Answer: A complete general treatment of the agreement rules of the tricky participe passé (p.p.) is found in Appendix J. However here we are only concerned with its behaviour in the pronominal format of verbs.
Here, in summary, are the rules for the p.p. agreement for each of the categories we looked at above.
2.1) With the "verbes essentiellement pronominaux", the p.p. agrees in gender and number with the subject of the verb.
2.2) With the "verbes pronominaux idiomatiques", the p.p. agrees in gender and number with the subject of the verb.
Remember that there are four possible verb-object relationships within the "verbes optionnellement pronominaux".
2.3) With the "pronominal réfléchi direct", the p.p. agrees in gender and number with the mirror pronoun (because the mirror pronoun in these cases is functioning as a direct object)
2.4) With the "pronominal réfléchi indirect", the p.p.'s spelling is left unchanged – (the mirror pronoun in these cases is functioning as an indirect object) – the participe passé never agrees with indirect objects.
2.5) With the "pronominal réciproque direct", the p.p. agrees in gender and number with the mirror pronoun (because the mirror pronoun in these cases is functioning as a direct object)
2.6) With the "pronominal réciproque indirect", the p.p.'s spelling is left unchanged – (the mirror pronoun in these cases is functioning as an indirect object) – the participe passé never agrees with indirect objects.
2.7) With the "verbes pronominaux passifs", the p.p. agrees in gender and number with the subject of the verb.
2.8) With the "verbes pronominaux impersonnels (passif) ", the p.p. agrees with "il", that is, it remains masculine, singular.
IN QUICK SUMMARY:
Although it is relatively simple to apply the French pronominal format of verbs, the meanings and handling of the participe passé (p.p.) are more involved, as discussed in detail above.
Reminder: The types of French pronominal verbs are:
1) Essential - (Examples in Appendix E)
2) Idiomatic - (Examples in Appendix F)
Optional (also called "Accidental") (Examples of each of the following types in Appendix G)
3) Reflexive – direct - (Examples in Appendix G)
4) Reflexive – indirect - (Examples in Appendix G)
5) Reciprocal – direct - (Examples in Appendix G)
6) Reciprocal – indirect - (Examples in Appendix G)
Passive Meanings
7) Passive - (Examples in Appendix H)
8) Impersonal (Passif) - (Examples in Appendix H)
All the general rules concerning this rich collection of applications and meanings are presented above in previous sections of this Appendix.
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SPECIAL: A few additional comments regarding p.p. agreement: Sometimes more than one grammatical object is involved in an idea. When using the Temps composés involving a direct object AND an indirect object, the rule of the agreement of the p.p. with the direct object if the direct object comes before the p.p. is maintained. Let's look at a couple of examples with the normal format of verbs (non-pronominal), and then with a couple of pronominal examples. Normal format: "J'ai envoyé la lettre au patron." I sent the letter to the [male] boss.) Comments:
Now let's use pronouns to shuffle the word order and see what happens:
"J'ai envoyé la lettre au patron." (I sent the letter to the [male] boss.) Je la lui ai envoyée. (I sent it to him.) Comments:
Pronominal format: Now let's consider a couple of examples of more than one pronoun with a verb being used in the pronominal format in a Temps composé (Compound Tense – Appendix A)
Consider the clause "laver qch" (the qch in this idea will be a direct object because no "à" is required between the verb and its grammatical object) "La jeune fille s'est lavée." (The little girl washed herself)
"La jeune fille s'est lavé les mains." (The little girl washed her hands.)
"La jeune fille se les est lavées." (The little girl washed them – referring to her hands; it is the hands that were washed, and not the young girl herself.)
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Practice exercise are being prepared to practice all the features of the pronominal verb possibilities shown in the sections above.
Stay tuned!