LE VILAIN PETIT CANARD

Page 9. — 1. ne . . . guère de, scarcely any. — 2. Note use of de with second infin., but not with first. — 3. les uns après les autres, one after the other ; plur. for Eng. sing. — 4. il en sortit, there came out of it. Impersonal verb, of which the logical subject is caneton, anticipated by il. — 5. Comp. 2, note 4. — 6. serait-ce vraiment, could this really be. — 7. de près, closely.

— 8. je vais conduire, for je conduirai. Comp. 2, note 18. — 9. prenez garde, look out. — 10. s'y disputaient, were there quarrelling with 071e another about ; se is indirect reflexive used as a reciprocal, and tête is direct object. — 11. aurait bien voulu avoir, would have liked much to have. — 12. done gives emphasis to the command, like Eng., " I tell you." — 13. je voudrais . . . refaire, I wish you could make him over; pussiez is subj. after verb of wishing. — 14. Du reste ; comp. 1, note 16. — 15. ne lui importe pas tant, is not of so much importance to him. — 16 faites . . . maison, make yourselves at ho?ne ; lit., do as if you were at home. — 17. toutes voiles dehors, with all sails spread. — 18. de pis en pis ; comp. 1, note 14. — 19. du; comp. 1, notes 2 and 7. — 20. Sur le soir, tenvards evening. — 21. The Eng. possessive of nouns is usually expressed in French by the prep. de. — 22. de, on. — 23. lui ; comp. 1, note 3. — 24. lui . . . le dos, his back. The conjunctive pronoun is often used for the possessive. — 25. s'appelait, reflexive for passive. — 26. avait la vue basse, was near-sighted. — 27. air vif , fresh air.

— 28. de pareilles, such, — 29. vous, the so-called " ethical dative." Omit in translating. — 30. Ce doit être, that must be. — 31. au chat ; comp. lui, 2, note 35. — 32. connaisse, subj after superlative. — 33. ait, subj. after an interrogative. — 34. de, for. — 35. c'est à cela, it is by that. — 36. il faisait ; comp. 1, note I.— 37. m'approcher de; comp. 2, note 29.-38. du, with her ; comp. 1, note 2. — 39. que, a repetition of the que after plutôt; omit in Eng. — 40. le, so ; literally, it ; a frequent use of the pron. le in French.