The French reading room
One sentence of «La Dernière Classe»
Vous pensez, si j’étais rouge et si j’avais peur !
You can imagine how red I was, and how frightened!
Where it stands
The sentences either side of it, each with its own page.
Through the open window I could see my classmates already in their places, and Monsieur Hamel walking up and down with the terrible iron ruler under his arm.
Il fallut ouvrir la porte et entrer au milieu de ce grand calme.
I had to open the door and go in, in the midst of that great calm.
Every word in it
| As printed | Dictionary form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Vous | vous | you (pron.) |
| pensez | penser | to think (v.); penser à — to think of; pensez ! — just think!; penser + inf. — to nearly do (literary) |
| si | si | if, whether (conj.); so (adv.) — si fort, so hard; yes (after a negative question); s’il vous plaît — please |
| j | je | I (pron.) |
| étais | être | to be (v.); c’est — it is; also forms the past of some verbs: elle est venue — she came |
| rouge | rouge | red (adj.) |
| et | et | and (conj.) |
| avais | avoir | to have (v.); il y a — there is, there are; avoir beau + inf. — to do in vain; avoir peur — to be afraid |
| peur | peur | fear (n., f.); avoir peur — to be afraid; de peur que — for fear that; faire peur — to frighten |
Read «La Dernière Classe» in the room Every word glossed where it stands, the English a tap away. The whole tale is free and asks for no account.