The French reading room
One sentence of «La Dernière Classe»
« Vos parents n’ont pas assez tenu à vous voir instruits.
“Your parents did not care enough about seeing you educated.
Where it stands
The sentences either side of it, each with its own page.
They preferred to send you to work on the land or in the mills, to bring in a few more pennies.
Moi-même, n’ai-je rien à me reprocher ?
And I myself — have I nothing to reproach myself with?
Every word in it
| As printed | Dictionary form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Vos | votre | your (votre, vos) (det.) |
| parents | parent | parent; relative (n., m.) |
| n | ne | not (neg. particle) — ne… pas, ne… point, ne… plus, ne… que (only); ne… rien — nothing; ne… guère — hardly |
| ont | avoir | to have (v.); il y a — there is, there are; avoir beau + inf. — to do in vain; avoir peur — to be afraid |
| pas | pas | not (ne… pas) (adv.); step, pace (n., m.); pas même — not even |
| assez | assez | enough; rather, quite (adv.) |
| tenu | tenir | to be keen on, care about (tenir à) (v.) |
| à | à | to, at, in; with (prep.); c’est à… — it belongs to…; à boire — something to drink |
| vous | vous | you (pron.) |
| voir | voir | to see (v.); se voir — to see oneself; voyons — let’s see; voyez-vous — you see |
| instruits | instruire | to teach, educate (v.); instruit — educated |
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.