Language through Literature

One sentence of «Le petit Chaperon rouge»


Sentence 17 of 34 · Le petit Chaperon rouge, Charles Perrault, 1697

Il se jeta sur la bonne femme, et la dévora en moins de rien, car il y avait plus de trois jours qu’il n’avait mangé.

He threw himself upon the good woman and devoured her in no time at all, for he had not eaten in more than three days.

Where it stands

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

— La bonne mère-grand, qui était dans son lit, à cause qu’elle se trouvait un peu mal, lui cria : Tire la chevillette, la bobinette cherra.

The good grandmother, who was in bed because she was feeling a little unwell, called out to him: “Pull the peg, and the latch will fall.”

— Le Loup tira la chevillette, et la porte s’ouvrit.

The Wolf pulled the peg, and the door opened.

Every word in it

As printedDictionary formMeaning
Il ilhe; it (il, ils — they) (pron.); il y a — there is; il faut — one must
se sehimself, herself, itself, themselves; each other (reflexive pron.); s’ also stands for si — if — in s’il, s’ils
jeta jeterto throw (v.); se jeter sur — to throw oneself upon, pounce on
sur suron, upon (prep.)
la lethe (le, la, l’, les); him, her, it, them — as an object (art./pron.)
bonne bongood; kind (adj.); sentir bon — to smell sweet; de bon cœur — heartily
femme femmewoman; wife (n., f.); bonne femme — good woman, old woman
et etand (conj.)
dévora dévorerto devour, gobble up (v.)
en enin, into; while (+ -ing) (prep.); of it, of them, some (pron.); en train de — in the middle of; s’en aller — to go away
moins moinsless, fewer (adv.); en moins de rien — in no time at all; au moins — at least
de deof, from; some, any (prep./partitive art.) — du pain, de l’eau; pas de — no, not any; de… en… — from… to…
rien riennothing (pron.); ne… rien — nothing; rien que — merely, just; ne valoir rien — to be no good
car carfor, because (conj.)
y ythere; in it, to it (pron./adv.); il y a — there is
avait avoirto have (v.); il y a — there is, there are; avoir beau + inf. — to do in vain; avoir peur — to be afraid
plus plusmore; most (adv.) — ne… plus, no longer; le plus, the most; plus de — no more; plus tôt — sooner
trois troisthree (num.)
jours jourday (n., m.) — tous les jours, every day; tout le jour — all day long; ce jour-là — that day
qu quethat, which, whom; than; how…! (conj./rel. pron.); ne… que — only
n nenot (neg. particle) — ne… pas, ne… point, ne… plus, ne… que (only); ne… rien — nothing; ne… guère — hardly
mangé mangerto eat (v.); mangé aux bords — worn, nibbled at the edges

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Perrault and Daudet, all eight tales · Charles Perrault

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