Pronominal verbs are verbs that, put simply, include pronouns. These pronouns are me, te, se, nous, and vous and are used as either direct objects or indirect objects, depending on the verb that they modify. There are three types of pronominal verbs: reflexive verbs, reciprocal verbs, and naturally pronominal verbs.
Reflexive Verbs
Reflexive verbs reflect the action on the subject.
Je me lave. - I wash myself.
Nous nous lavons. - We wash ourselves.
Ils se lavent. - They wash themselves.
Reflexive verbs can also be used as infinitives.
Je vais me laver. - I'm going to wash myself.
Je ne vais pas me laver. - I'm not going to wash myself.
Reciprocal Verbs
With reciprocal verbs, people perform actions to each other.
Nous nous aimons. - We like each other.
Naturally Pronominal Verbs
Some verbs are pronominal without performing a reflexive or reciprocal action. Tu te souviens? - You remember?
V: Going to Work
V: At Work
travailler: to work
travailler pour: to work for (somebody)
G: Devoir
French Verb ? Print version ?
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devoir to have to, to owe
past participle: dû
Singular
Plural
first person je dois jeuh dwah I have to
nous devons noo dehvohn we have to
second person tu dois too dwah you have to vous devez voo dehvay you have to il doit eel dwah he has to
ils doivent
they have to
eel dwahve
third person elle doit ell dwah she has to
(masc. or mixed)
on doit ohn dwah one has to elles doivent ell dwahve they have to (fem.) G: Falloir
falloir - to be necessary
il faut - it is necessary
il a fallu - it was necessary (passé composé)
il fallait - it was necessary (imparfait)
il faudra - it will be necessary
il faudrait - it would be necessary
The verb falloir differs from similar verbs such as avoir besoin de [faire quelque chose] (to need [to do something]) and devoir (must, duty, owe). Falloir is always used with the impersonal il only in the 3rd person singular, whereas devoir can be used with all subject pronouns in all tenses.
Falloir expresses general necessities, such as "To live, one must eat" or "To speak French well, one must conjugate verbs correctly."
Devoir expresses more personally what someone must do; "I want to pass my French test, so I must study verb conjugations."
Avoir besoin de [faire quelque chose] expresses need; "I need to study for my test, it's tomorrow" - "J'ai besoin d'etudier pour mon examen, il est demain."
Lesson 2.07 - Rural Life
G: Suivre
French Verb ? Print version ?
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suivre to follow
