The French reading room
One sentence of «La Dernière Classe»
Je crois aussi que je n’avais jamais si bien écouté, et que lui, non plus, n’avait jamais mis autant de patience à ses explications.
I believe, too, that I had never listened so well, and that he, for his part, had never put so much patience into his explanations.
Where it stands
The sentences either side of it, each with its own page.
J’étais étonné de voir comme je comprenais.
I was astonished to see how well I understood.
Tout ce qu’il disait me semblait facile, facile.
Everything he said seemed easy to me, easy.
You would have said that before going away the poor man wanted to give us everything he knew, to get it into our heads at a single stroke.
Every word in it
| As printed | Dictionary form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Je | je | I (pron.) |
| crois | croire | to believe, think (v.); se croire — to think oneself; je crois bien — I should think so |
| aussi | aussi | also, too; as (… as) (adv.); aussi… que — as… as |
| que | que | that, which, whom; than; how…! (conj./rel. pron.); ne… que — only |
| n | ne | not (neg. particle) — ne… pas, ne… point, ne… plus, ne… que (only); ne… rien — nothing; ne… guère — hardly |
| avais | avoir | to have (v.); il y a — there is, there are; avoir beau + inf. — to do in vain; avoir peur — to be afraid |
| jamais | jamais | never; ever (adv.); ne… jamais — never |
| si | si | so, such (adv.) |
| bien | bien | well; very, quite; indeed (adv.) — bien aise, very glad; bien autre chose — something quite different; bien plus — far more |
| écouté | écouter | to listen, listen to (v.) |
| et | et | and (conj.) |
| lui | lui | him; to him, to her (pron.) |
| non | non | no; not (adv.); non plus — neither, (not) either; non sans — not without |
| 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 |
| mis | mettre | to put; to put on, wear (v.); se mettre à — to begin to; se mettre dans le lit — to get into bed; se mettre le cœur à l’envers — to fret |
| autant | autant | as much, so much (adv.); d’autant que — all the more because |
| de | de | of, from; some, any (prep./partitive art.) — du pain, de l’eau; pas de — no, not any; de… en… — from… to… |
| patience | patience | patience (n., f.) |
| à | à | to, at, in; with (prep.); c’est à… — it belongs to…; à boire — something to drink |
| 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 |
| explications | explication | explanation (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.