The French reading room
One sentence of «La Dernière Classe»
Du reste, toute la classe avait quelque chose d’extraordinaire et de solennel.
Besides, the whole class had something strange and solemn about it.
Where it stands
The sentences either side of it, each with its own page.
J’enjambai le banc et je m’assis tout de suite à mon pupitre.
I stepped over the bench and sat down at my desk straight away.
Only then, somewhat recovered from my fright, did I notice that our master had on his fine green frock coat, his finely pleated frill and the embroidered black silk skullcap that he wore only on inspection days or prize days.
But what surprised me most was to see, at the back of the room, on the benches that were usually empty, people from the village sitting there as silent as we were: old Hauser with his three-cornered hat, the former mayor, the former postman, and other people besides.
All of them looked sad; and Hauser had brought an old primer, chewed at the edges, which he held wide open on his knees, with his big spectacles laid across the pages.
Every word in it
| As printed | Dictionary form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Du | du | of the, from the (de + le) (contr.) |
| reste | reste | rest, remainder (n., m.); pas beaux de reste — anything but fine; du reste — besides |
| toute | tout | all, every; quite, very (adj./adv.); tout à coup — suddenly; tout de suite — at once; tout à fait — entirely; tout à l’heure — right away |
| la | le | the (le, la, l’, les); him, her, it, them — as an object (art./pron.) |
| classe | classe | class, lesson; classroom (n., f.); faire la classe — to teach |
| avait | avoir | to have (v.); il y a — there is, there are; avoir beau + inf. — to do in vain; avoir peur — to be afraid |
| quelque | quelque | some (det.); quelqu’un — someone; quelques — a few; quelque chose — something |
| chose | chose | thing (n., f.) — autre chose, something else; la chose — the matter |
| d | de | of, from; some, any (prep./partitive art.) — du pain, de l’eau; pas de — no, not any; de… en… — from… to… |
| extraordinaire | extraordinaire | extraordinary, out of the ordinary (adj.) |
| et | et | and (conj.) |
| solennel | solennel | solemn (adj.) |
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.