Je ne viendrai jamais à bout de faire cela, I shall never bring that about. En is used instead of de when the infinitive of another verb is not used in connection with the idiom, as in the present case.
12.—8, 9. S’est fourré… prétend faire de la peinture. Has thrust himself… pretends to be a painter.
13. Pas mal d’argent. Not a little money.
23. On peut encore rencontrer ça. Such a person may still be met with. Ça, a contraction of cela, is often used when speaking of persons, sometimes contemptuously, but not always.
13.—5. Il ne répugne point au. He is not averse to.
10. À charge de revanche. I’ll do as much for you in return.
12. Bourgeoise. Commonplace.
18. Vieux. Vieil is now employed before nouns beginning with a vowel or a silent h. Anciently vieil and vieux were used indiscriminately.
21. S’était bien gardé d’y songer. Had carefully guarded against such thoughts.
27. Lui saurait peu de gré. Would feel little gratitude. Savoir gré de, literally, to know thanks to (a person), savoir being used in the sense of to acknowledge ; hence, to be thankful (to a person) for.
30. tutoyât. Subjunctive imp. of tutoyer, to thee and thou, to speak familiarly. The singular number is only used in addressing relations, intimate friends, and children.
35. À plus forte raison. Much less.
14.—18. Le Gaucher.—The definite article is used in French before a title, profession, or proper name, qualified by an adjective, e.g., le petit François. Such is the general rule, but the definite article is also used before the names of certain renowned persons without an adjective, e.g., le Poussin. This usage is sometimes employed in familiar conversation, and sometimes with a tendency to show contempt.
24. Il y a plus. More than this.
15. — 8. Escompté. Assumed, anticipated.
12. Caché dans les sauléés festonnées de liserons blancs. Concealed by the willows festooned with white bindweed.
22. Élans. Outbursts.
16.— 4. Il se trouvait souvent que. It very often happened that.
8. Je m’en trouve bien. I feel satisfied. Se trouver bien de, or se bien trouver de, literally, to find one’s self well on account of; hence, to be satisfied with. En is used instead of de, when the cause of this satisfaction is not expressed in connection with the idiom.
