The French reading room
One sentence of «La Dernière Classe»
Tout ce monde-là paraissait triste ; et Hauser avait apporté un vieil abécédaire mangé aux bords, qu’il tenait grand ouvert sur ses genoux, avec ses grosses lunettes posées en travers des pages.
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.
Where it stands
The sentences either side of it, each with its own page.
Du reste, toute la classe avait quelque chose d’extraordinaire et de solennel.
Besides, the whole class had something strange and solemn about it.
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.
Every word in it
| As printed | Dictionary form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Tout | 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 |
| ce | ce | this, that; these, those (dem. adj.); it, that (pron.) — c’est, it is; ce qui, ce que — what |
| monde-là | monde | people, crowd (n., m.) |
| paraissait | paraître | to seem, appear (v.); paraît-il — it seems; il paraît que — it seems that |
| triste | triste | sad (adj.) |
| et | et | and (conj.) |
| Hauser | Hauser | old Hauser, a villager (proper name) |
| avait | avoir | to have (v.); il y a — there is, there are; avoir beau + inf. — to do in vain; avoir peur — to be afraid |
| apporté | apporter | to bring (v.) |
| un | un | a, an; one (art./num.); l’un… l’autre — the one… the other; les unes… les autres — some… others |
| vieil | vieux | old (adj.) — vieille, vieil; les vieux — the old folk (n., m.); la vieille — the old one |
| abécédaire | abécédaire | ABC book, primer (n., m.) |
| mangé | manger | to eat (v.); mangé aux bords — worn, nibbled at the edges |
| aux | aux | to the, at the — à + les (contraction) |
| bords | bord | edge, bank, side (n., m.); au bord de — on the bank of; rempli jusqu’aux bords — filled to the brim |
| qu | que | that, which, whom; than; how…! (conj./rel. pron.); ne… que — only |
| il | il | he; it (il, ils — they) (pron.); il y a — there is; il faut — one must |
| tenait | tenir | to hold, keep (v.); tiens! tenez! — here! look!; se tenir — to stand, keep oneself; tenir à — to care about, be keen on |
| grand | grand | big, tall, great (adj.); grand’mère — grandmother; grand seigneur — great lord; grand ouvert — wide open |
| ouvert | ouvert | open (adj.) |
| sur | sur | on, upon (prep.) |
| ses | son | his, her, its (det.) — son, sa, ses; also le son, sound: à son de trompe; also bran (n., m.) — du son, rabbit bait |
| genoux | genou | knee (n., m.) |
| avec | avec | with (prep.) |
| grosses | gros | big, large, thick (adj.); gros — large (adv.); le cœur gros — heavy-hearted |
| lunettes | lunettes | glasses, spectacles (n., f. pl.) |
| posées | poser | to put, lay, rest (v.) |
| en | en | in, into; while (+ -ing) (prep.); of it, of them, some (pron.); en train de — in the middle of; s’en aller — to go away |
| travers | travers | across (en travers de) (n., m.) |
| des | des | of the, from the (de + les) (contr.) |
| pages | page | page (n., f.); le page — a page boy (n., m.) |
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.