Il était rcr Jly avait

2— eût. The subjunctive is used in a relative clause subordinate to a superlative.

„ — ^mère-grand. Antique for grand' mère. Grand is used for grande because in Old French adjectives derived from-Latin adjectives of two terminations had but one form for masculine and féminine. The apostrophe is due to the blunder of the grammarians who thought there was an elided e.

3— lui fit faire. The phrase is ambiguous ; it may rnean * had her make ' or ' got made for her.' The latter is no doubt the meaning.

4 — on l'appelait. ' She was called,' or ' people called her '• On\<, very often used in French where in English we hâve the passive voice.

„— le petit. The def. art. is used before a title or before an adjective used as a title : e.g., /i?/^^ïV ^<?^«r/, ' little Robert.*

7— comment se porte. See note to 1. 13, p. 3.

,,— on m'a dit, ' I hâve been told.' Compare note to 1. 4. II — compère le Loup, ' Master Wolf.' : s3— OÙ. elle .allait. See note to 1. 3, p. i. ^

•ig — tout là-bas, là.-bas, 'away over yonder, overyonder.'

— ClU village. Place in which after a superlatiye is de, nevei dans or à.

21— j© m'y «'n vais. j'=/*--^«j.

I9>l FRENCH READER.

*>age. Line.

12- 22— nous verrons à qui plus tôt y sera, ' ^t shaJl see who

will be there first.' Compare the phrase c'est à qui y sera, 'it is (a contest as to) who shall be there.' 13. 6 — à cause que. Colloquial for parce que.

7— se trouver mal means generally *to faint '; hère it means ' to

be ill.' 9— s'ouvrit, ' opened.' A reflexive verb is frequently translated into English by an intransitive.

10— car il y avait plus de trois jours qu'il n'avait

mangé, 'for he had not eaten for more than three days.' Note that pas is omitted in such constructions when a compound tense is used.

II — alla se coucher, ' went and lay down.'

25— était faite, 'looked.'