Language through Literature

One sentence of «Le petit Chaperon rouge»


Sentence 3 of 34 · Le petit Chaperon rouge, Charles Perrault, 1697

Un jour, sa mère ayant cuit et fait des galettes, lui dit : « Va voir comment se porte ta mère-grand, car on m’a dit qu’elle était malade.

One day her mother, having made and baked some cakes, said to her: “Go and see how your grandmother is, for I have been told that she is ill.

Where it stands

The sentences either side of it, each with its own page.

Porte-lui une galette et ce petit pot de beurre. »

Take her a cake and this little pot of butter.”

Every word in it

As printedDictionary formMeaning
Un una, an; one (art./num.); l’un… l’autre — the one… the other; les unes… les autres — some… others
jour jourday (n., m.) — tous les jours, every day; tout le jour — all day long; ce jour-là — that day
sa sonhis, her, its (det.) — son, sa, ses; also le son, sound: à son de trompe; also bran (n., m.) — du son, rabbit bait
mère mèremother (n., f.); ma bonne mère — good mother, to an old woman
ayant avoirto have (v.); il y a — there is, there are; avoir beau + inf. — to do in vain; avoir peur — to be afraid
cuit cuireto cook, bake (v.)
et etand (conj.)
fait faireto do, make (v.); faire + inf. — to have (something) done; il se fit — there came; faire le mort — to play dead; se faire à — to get used to
des dessome, any; of the, from the (de + les) (art./contr.)
galettes galetteflat cake, griddle cake (n., f.)
lui luihim; to him, to her (pron.)
dit direto say, tell (v.); on aurait dit — you would have said; se dire — to say to oneself
Va allerto go (v.); s’en aller — to go away, leave; aller + inf. — to go and…, be going to…; y aller de bon cœur — to throw oneself into it
voir voirto see (v.); se voir — to see oneself; voyons — let’s see; voyez-vous — you see
comment commenthow; what! (adv.)
se sehimself, herself, itself, themselves; each other (reflexive pron.); s’ also stands for si — if — in s’il, s’ils
porte portedoor, gate (n., f.); also a form of porter — comment se porte… ? how is… ?
ta tonyour (ton, ta, tes) (poss. adj.)
mère-grand mère-grandgrandmother (n., f.) — Perrault’s word
car carfor, because (conj.)
on onone, people, they, someone (pron.)
m meme, to me, myself (pron.)
qu quethat, which, whom; than; how…! (conj./rel. pron.); ne… que — only
elle elleshe, her; it (pron.) — elles, they, them (f.)
était êtreto be (v.); c’est — it is; also forms the past of some verbs: elle est venue — she came
malade maladeill, sick (adj.)

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Perrault and Daudet, all eight tales · Charles Perrault

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