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Romance language verbal tenses | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Specific Languages |  | |
| administrator Hexaglot Forum Admin Switzerland FXcuisine.com Joined 7335 days ago 3094 posts - 2987 votes  12 sounds Speaks: French*, EnglishC2, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian Personal Language Map | Message 1 of 6 07 March 2005 at 12:03pm | IP Logged | ||
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I think all the tenses in Romance languages are inherited from tenses that existed in Latin. But each language (French, Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Portuguese, etc...) seems to favor one tense over the other.
For instance in French we never use the Passé Simple when speaking, but Spanish makes a heavy use of it in daily speech. French and Italian seems to use a lot of the Passé Composé. French almost never uses Imparfait du Subjonctif but Spanish does. I think this is an important point if you speak two or more of these languages, because if you keep using the 'wrong' tense, even if it is grammatically correct, you will sound awkward. If anybody finds a table showing the differences in usage across Romance Language, please post it! 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| ElComadreja Senior Member Philippines bibletranslatio Joined 7197 days ago 683 posts - 757 votes 2 sounds Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish, Portuguese, Latin, Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew, Cebuano, French, Tagalog | Message 2 of 6 07 March 2005 at 5:57pm | IP Logged | ||
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I've read up on the past subjunctive in spanish but I don't think I've ever seen it. Does it ever get used, really?
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| victor Tetraglot Moderator United States Joined 7277 days ago 1098 posts - 1056 votes 6 sounds Speaks: Cantonese*, English, FrenchC1, Mandarin Studies: Spanish Personal Language Map | Message 3 of 6 07 March 2005 at 7:10pm | IP Logged | ||
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I actually saw a lot of imparfait du subjonctif in my novels today. In speech, would we replace it with subjonctif présent? And questions: I heard that some professors in schools use passé simple in speech. And do children in school learn to write in passé simple?
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| administrator Hexaglot Forum Admin Switzerland FXcuisine.com Joined 7335 days ago 3094 posts - 2987 votes 12 sounds Speaks: French*, EnglishC2, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian Personal Language Map | Message 4 of 6 08 March 2005 at 12:46am | IP Logged | ||
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Victor,
Yes, people learn Passé Simple at school, it's quite common in books actually. People who speak with Passé Simple sound extremely pedantic. I think president Chirac used it once and people are still poking fun at him for that! As for Imparfait du Subjonctif, you can use it from time to time if you are 200% certain of the form and use it in a perfectly correct setting. As a foreigner, using this tense is really 'Quitte ou double', either you'll be branded as a moron forever, or people will always mention you as a person who speaks French very well, better than a Frenchman. The French have a great respect for the difficulties of their grammar, and using difficult but correct forms commands respect, especially for a foreigner. As for which form is used instead of Imparfait du Subjonctif in daily speech, you see all sorts, but the correct spoken form is the subjonctif. Elle était contente qu'il vînt. (litterary) Elle était contente qu'il vienne. (spoken) Imparfait du subjonctif is famous for some very strange-sounding forms. In a comic sketch by Thierry le Luron he uses some fancy (incorrect!) forms such as: Encore eût-il falusse (sounds like Phalus) que je le sachiasse (sounds like defecate) pour que je le susse (sounds like 'suçer'). All the forms above are incorrect but sound quite close to the correct forms as well as to obscenities. This makes French people laugh a lot! 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Seth Diglot Changed to RedKing’sDream Senior Member United States Joined 7183 days ago 240 posts - 252 votes Speaks: English*, Russian Studies: Persian | Message 5 of 6 08 March 2005 at 1:33pm | IP Logged | ||
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Francois,
What would you say are the worst-sounding mistakes that foreigners tend to make in French? Or are there at least a couple that constantly pop up that just sound ridiculous. (At times I am almost tempted to quit French simply because it seems like perfection is expected.) For example, many immigrants (insofar as English is concerned) "do" and "don't," inversion for questions, verbal inflection, and the past tense. Less agravating are understood but misused words, problems with verbal aspect, mispronunciation, etc. Thanks. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| administrator Hexaglot Forum Admin Switzerland FXcuisine.com Joined 7335 days ago 3094 posts - 2987 votes 12 sounds Speaks: French*, EnglishC2, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian Personal Language Map | Message 6 of 6 09 March 2005 at 12:47am | IP Logged | ||
There are a few erros English speakers like to make: Word genders (only at the beginning because with practice it comes) Conjugation (even the French make mistakes) Concordance des temps (same observation, it's not always evident which tense goes with which) Word accentuation (English speakers would 'chant' the words. Although it's a mistake it does sound quite nice in French if not too strong) I'll ask a teacher for some more typical errors. Don't lose courage - you will succeed with your French! 1 person has voted this message useful |
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