28.6: Part 1: 5 VP: PARTS OF THE CONSTRUCTION

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THE VERB PHRASE (GROUPE VERBAL)

5 VP: PARTS OF THE CONSTRUCTION

Just as the noun is central to the common noun phrase, the verb is central to the verb phrase. It may be accompanied by various complements, modifiers and negative particles. Let's look at a few examples, just to get the big picture before we begin discussing each part in detail.

(The subject in each of the following sentences is "Les étudiants"; everything else is part of the verb phrase.)

Les étudiants regardent le professeur.

The students are looking at the professor.

regardent is the main verb; it is simple (one-word), in the present tense, and it takes a direct object, that is, it is a transitive verb.

le professeur is the direct object of regardent; as you see, full noun phrases follow the verb of which they are the object, as in English.

Les étudiants veulent parler avec le professeur.

The students want to talk with the professor.

veulent is the main verb; it is simple (one-word), in the present tense, and it takes a complementary infinitive construction as its complement.

parler avec le professeur is the complement of the main verb, parler, which is also a verb, and has as its complement the adverbial prepositional phrase, avec le professeur.

Les étudiants ne lui ont pas rendu leurs devoirs.

The students did not give him/her their homework papers.

ont... rendu is the verb; it is compound (auxiliary ont, past participle rendu), is directly negated, and has both an indirect object (the pronoun lui) and a direct object (the noun phrase leurs devoirs).

ne precedes the entire verb phrase: that is standard.

pas comes directly after the auxiliary, which is the conjugated part of the verb—the part that changes in person and number: that is also standard

Les étudiants marchaient lentement vers l'université.

The students were walking slowly toward the university.

marchaient is the verb; it is simple (one-word), in the imperfect tense, and—being intransitive—takes no direct object.

lentement is an adverb modifying the verb.

vers l'université is an adverbial prepositional phrase modifying the entire verb phrase.