FOREWORD
The conjugation of verbs remains the greatest problem of the French language. Among the hundreds of verbs listed in this volume the user will find verbs taken from the jargon of trades and professions and from slang and familiar language.
How can the seven thousand entries in this book represent twelve thousand verbs? Firstly, certain entries serve as models for many other verbs, e.g. appointer, écarter, épater, rembarrer. In the second place, verbs sometimes develop different separate meanings, e.g. entoiler: to fix something on a canvas, or to fix a canvas on a sup port. Thus the transitive and intransitive uses are included, as well as the reflexive uses which are not confined to the passive voice (as would be s'éduquer, s'épousseter and s'exploiter). If more than one "verb' is included for ideas such as voler (= to fly, to steal, etc.), ressortir (to leave again), rendre ( to give back, to return, etc.), se rendre ( to go to, to surrender, etc.) and entraver (to hinder), this is due to the diversity of meanings of the verb. However, if all the dictionary definitions were included, the book would contain more than fifty thousand entries.
Variants in spelling are indicated, e.g. ariser and arriser; receper
and receper; relercer and reterser.
The BESCHERELLE has a threefold function:
A dictionary of spelling and meaning of the verbs appears at the end of the volume. The eighty-two tables in the middle of the book facili- tate conjugation of these verbs. Thirdly, it explains the essential grammatical points about the verbs and their conjugation in both the alphabetical list and the grammatical notes at the beginning of the book (pages 6 to 12).
It is to be hoped that this up-to-date BESCHERELLE will be of use to the young and old readers wishing to become familiar with the difficulties and subtleties of French verb conjugation, and who are concerned with expressing themselves correctly.