The French reading room
One sentence of «La Dernière Classe»
On entendait les merles siffler à la lisière du bois, et dans le pré Rippert, derrière la scierie, les Prussiens qui faisaient l’exercice.
You could hear the blackbirds whistling at the edge of the wood, and in the Rippert meadow, behind the sawmill, the Prussians at their drill.
Where it stands
The sentences either side of it, each with its own page.
All that tempted me far more than the rule for participles; but I had the strength to resist, and I ran as fast as I could to school.
Every word in it
| As printed | Dictionary form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| On | on | one, people, they, someone (pron.) |
| entendait | entendre | to hear (v.) |
| les | le | the (le, la, l’, les); him, her, it, them — as an object (art./pron.) |
| merles | merle | blackbird (n., m.) |
| siffler | siffler | to whistle (v.) |
| à | à | to, at, in; with (prep.); c’est à… — it belongs to…; à boire — something to drink |
| lisière | lisière | edge, border of a wood (n., f.) |
| du | du | of the, from the (de + le) (contr.) |
| bois | bois | wood, forest (n., m.) |
| et | et | and (conj.) |
| dans | dans | in, into (prep.) |
| pré | pré | meadow (n., m.) |
| Rippert | Rippert | Rippert, owner of the meadow, le pré Rippert (proper name) |
| derrière | derrière | behind (prep./adv.); train de derrière — hindquarters |
| scierie | scierie | sawmill (n., f.) |
| Prussiens | prussien | Prussian (adj.); un Prussien — a Prussian soldier (n., m.) |
| qui | qui | who, which, that (rel./interr. pron.); à qui — to whom, whose; qui… qui — one… another |
| faisaient | 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 |
| exercice | exercice | exercise; military drill (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.