Preceding direct objects 1 Preceding direct objects In a
compound tense
like the perfect, the
past participle
of avoir
verbs only takes an
agreement
if there is a
direct object
coming before
the participle. This is called a preceding direct object
agreement and is generally only used in more formal writing or speech.
A preceding direct object can take several forms:
1.1
The relative pronoun que The
relative pronoun
que and
the
noun
it replaces:
Voilà la veste que j'ai achetée
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Here's the jacket I bought
Les décisions qu'il a prises
étaient bonnes
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The decisions (that) he made were good
L’entreprise qu’il a créée vient d’être cotée en bourse.
The company he created has just been listed on the stock exchange.
Les questions que les journalistes lui ont posées étaient très directes.
The questions that the reporters asked him were very direct.
Les moqueries que Christine a subies quand elle y travaillait lui ont fait beaucoup de mal.
The mockery that Christine had to put up with when she worked there did her a lot of harm.
L’équation que tu as résolue était plutôt compliquée.
The equation you have solved was pretty complicated.
C’est bien ta mère que nous avons aperçue au supermarché, n’est-ce pas?
It was your mother we saw at the supermarket, wasn’t it?
1.2 Question words Certain question words : lequel ,
laquelle etc., combien
+ noun, quel , quelle etc.
+ noun:
Laquelle des deux maisons as-tu préférée ?
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Which of the two houses did you like best?
Combien de feuilles de papier a-t-il prises ?
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How many sheets of paper did he take?
Quelles raisons a-t-il données ?
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What reasons did he give?
1.3 Personal pronounsThe
personal pronouns
le , la
and les , and me , te ,
nous , vous where these
act as a
direct object
:
La lettre? Je l'ai envoyée
la semaine dernière
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The letter? I sent it last week
- Avez-vous vu mes lunettes? - Oui, je les ai vues
sur la table
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- Have you seen my glasses? - Yes, I saw them on the table
Ma voiture? Je l’ai vendue à un ami.
My car? I sold it to a friend.
Il nous a distraits pendant le voyage avec ses histoires drôles.
He entertained us during the journey with his funny stories.
Les pommes? Je les ai mises dans le réfrigérateur.
The apples? I put them in the refrigerator.
Le film l’a émue jusqu’aux larmes.
The film moved her to tears.
Cette rumeur, je l’ai entendue cent fois.
This rumour, I’ve heard it a hundred times.
As the pronouns me , te ,
nous , vous can be
direct
or
indirect
, it is easy to confuse the two and get the wrong p.d.o.
agreement:
Elle nous a donné un conseil
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[and not *Elle nous a donnés un conseil]
She gave us a piece of advice
Le concert nous a beaucoup plu
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[and not *Le concert nous a beaucoup plus]
We very much enjoyed the concert
Here donné and plu
do not take an agreement because they are both indirect (i.e. donner
qch à qn - to give sb sth , plaire
à qn - to please sb ).
