Language through Literature

One sentence of «Le petit Chaperon rouge»


Sentence 13 of 34 · Le petit Chaperon rouge, Charles Perrault, 1697

Le Loup ne fut pas longtemps à arriver à la maison de la mère-grand ; il heurte : toc, toc.

The Wolf was not long in reaching the grandmother’s house; he knocks: knock, knock.

Where it stands

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

— Qui est là ?

“Who is there?”

— C’est votre fille, le petit Chaperon rouge, dit le Loup en contrefaisant sa voix, qui vous apporte une galette et un petit pot de beurre, que ma mère vous envoie.

“It is your granddaughter, Little Red Riding Hood,” said the Wolf, disguising his voice, “who is bringing you a cake and a little pot of butter that my mother is sending you.”

Every word in it

As printedDictionary formMeaning
Le lethe (le, la, l’, les); him, her, it, them — as an object (art./pron.)
Loup loupwolf (n., m.)
ne nenot (neg. particle) — ne… pas, ne… point, ne… plus, ne… que (only); ne… rien — nothing; ne… guère — hardly
fut êtreto be (v.); c’est — it is; also forms the past of some verbs: elle est venue — she came
pas pasnot (ne… pas) (adv.); step, pace (n., m.); pas même — not even
longtemps longtempsa long time, long (adv.)
à àto, at, in; with (prep.); c’est à… — it belongs to…; à boire — something to drink
arriver arriverto arrive; to happen (v.) — il arriva que, it happened that; s’il vous arrive de — if you happen to
maison maisonhouse, household (n., f.); maison d’école — schoolhouse
de deof, from; some, any (prep./partitive art.) — du pain, de l’eau; pas de — no, not any; de… en… — from… to…
mère-grand mère-grandgrandmother (n., f.) — Perrault’s word
il ilhe; it (il, ils — they) (pron.); il y a — there is; il faut — one must
heurte heurterto knock (at a door); to strike, bump (v.)
toc tocknock (interj.)

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Perrault and Daudet, all eight tales · Charles Perrault

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