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From: olivier@austin.ibm.com (Olivier Cremel)
Subject: Re: Go + verb
Originator: olivier@nice.austin.ibm.com
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Message-ID: <D1Lsy8.DGr@austin.ibm.com>
Date: Fri, 30 Dec 1994 03:13:20 GMT
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References: <moose-2712941526180001@pacsci-23.pacsci.org> <edb-ht.788728078@find2.denet.dk> <D1LIu6.KrL@spss.com>
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In article <D1LIu6.KrL@spss.com>, markrose@spss.com (Mark Rosenfelder) writes:
> If by "aller + infinitive" you're referring to sentences like "Je vais
> me faire couper les cheveux", this doesn't seem to be a clear parallel to 
> English; e.g. you can't say "*I'm going get a haircut".  As for venir +
> infinitive, I think there's no such thing; if you're thinking of venir de +
> infinitive ("Je viens de me faire couper les cheveux"), that seems even
> more unrelated to English ("*I've just come got a haircut").

You are confusing different things :

time relation : aller + infinitive is a near future
			e.g. "je vais laver la voiture"
			     "I'm going to wash the car"
		venir de + infinitive is a near past
			e.g. "je viens de laver la voiture"
			     "I just washed the car"

space relation: aller + infinitive is going away
			e.g. "je vais voir ma voiture dans le garage"
			     "I go and see my car in the garage"
		venir + infinitive is coming back
			e.g. "tu viens me voir quand tu veux"
			     "You come and see me when you want"

There is a nice parallel between the two relations. Moreover you can combine
them at will, e.g., with four verbs : "je viens d'aller venir la voir". I
don't even now how to translate that in English, it's a near future included
in a near past, maybe "I just was going to come and see her". No, that would
be "j'allais aller venir la voir". Anyone ?

-- 
Olivier.
=============================================================================
      "Oignez vilain, il vous poindra/Poignez vilain, il vous oindra."
