Appendix talk:French defective verbs

This is well-written; it could do with a bit of work however. Annoyingly; it sort of depends what source you use to find out how the verbs conjugate. I haven't yet found a dictionary that gives a simple past or imperfect subjuntive of (deprecated template usage) foutre, but you can find it in literature. So I'll have a look at it, but frankly and I don't have the faintest idea what to do with it. Mglovesfun 20:58, 31 May 2009 (UTC)

A full conjugation for foutre is in Grevisse & Goose (Bon Usage), 14th ed., §862 (p. 1074), with examples from Flaubert, Maupassant and Queneau. Ultimately, what we can find examples of is relevant, not what the grammars say. This is why I put (deprecated template usage) éclore and the (deprecated template usage) traire verb family as non-defective: I could find quite a few examples of the verbs (éclosirent in particular), and if (deprecated template usage) ensuivre, which is never used in the first- or second-person plural, is not defective, then there is no reason to consider éclore (which is merely much less frequent outside the third person) to be defective. Note I'm also citing a number of forms that no self-respecting grammar or dictionary would give (e.g. absolverait, soustrairent). Circeus 22:53, 31 May 2009 (UTC)