The French reading room
One sentence of «La Dernière Classe»
J’en étais là de mes réflexions, quand j’entendis appeler mon nom.
I had got that far in my thoughts when I heard my name called.
Where it stands
The sentences either side of it, each with its own page.
It was my turn to recite.
What would I not have given to be able to say that famous rule for participles all the way through, good and loud, good and clear, without a single mistake! but I got muddled at the very first words, and I stayed standing there, swaying in my bench, my heart heavy, not daring to raise my head.
Every word in it
| As printed | Dictionary form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| J | je | I (pron.) |
| en | en | of it, from it, about it (pron.) |
| étais | être | to be (v.); c’est — it is; also forms the past of some verbs: elle est venue — she came |
| là | là | there; then (adv.); en rester là — to stop there; ce fut là — that was |
| de | de | of, from; some, any (prep./partitive art.) — du pain, de l’eau; pas de — no, not any; de… en… — from… to… |
| mes | mon | my (mon, ma, mes) (poss. adj.) |
| réflexions | réflexion | thought, reflection (n., f.) |
| quand | quand | when (conj.) |
| entendis | entendre | to hear (v.) |
| appeler | appeler | to call (v.); s’appeler — to be called, be named |
| nom | nom | name (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.