The French reading room
One sentence of «La Dernière Classe»
L’idée qu’il allait partir, que je ne le verrais plus, me faisait oublier les punitions, les coups de règle.
The thought that he was going away, that I would never see him again, made me forget the punishments, the raps of the ruler.
Where it stands
The sentences either side of it, each with its own page.
My books, which only a little while ago I had found so dull, so heavy to carry — my grammar, my Bible history — now seemed to me old friends that it would grieve me deeply to leave.
It was the same with Monsieur Hamel.
Every word in it
| As printed | Dictionary form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| L | le | the (le, la, l’, les); him, her, it, them — as an object (art./pron.) |
| idée | idée | idea, thought (n., f.) |
| 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 |
| allait | aller | to go (v.); s’en aller — to go away, leave; aller + inf. — to go and…, be going to…; y aller de bon cœur — to throw oneself into it |
| partir | partir | to leave, set off (v.) — also la part, share: faire part de, to share with; à partir de — from (that point on); le parti — side: être du parti de, to side with |
| je | je | I (pron.) |
| ne | ne | not (neg. particle) — ne… pas, ne… point, ne… plus, ne… que (only); ne… rien — nothing; ne… guère — hardly |
| le | le | him, it (pron.) |
| verrais | voir | to see (v.); se voir — to see oneself; voyons — let’s see; voyez-vous — you see |
| plus | plus | more; most (adv.) — ne… plus, no longer; le plus, the most; plus de — more than (plus de trois jours); with no verb, no more (plus de corde !); plus tôt — sooner |
| me | me | me, to me, myself (pron.) |
| faisait | faire | to do, make (v.); faire + inf. — to have (something) done; il se fit — there came; faire le mort — to play dead; se faire à — to get used to |
| oublier | oublier | to forget (v.) |
| punitions | punition | punishment (n., f.) |
| coups | coup | blow, stroke (n., m.); tout à coup — suddenly; du coup — at that; coup de dents — bite; coup de sang — fit of apoplexy; à coup sûr — surely |
| de | de | of, from; some, any (prep./partitive art.) — du pain, de l’eau; pas de — no, not any; de… en… — from… to… |
| règle | règle | ruler; rule (n., f.) |
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.