The French reading room
One sentence of «La Dernière Classe»
Tout à coup l’horloge de l’église sonna midi, puis l’Angelus.
All at once the church clock struck noon, then the Angelus.
Where it stands
The sentences either side of it, each with its own page.
At the same moment the trumpets of the Prussians coming back from drill burst out under our windows…
M. Hamel se leva tout pâle, dans sa chaire.
Monsieur Hamel stood up at his desk, quite pale.
Every word in it
| As printed | Dictionary form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Tout | tout | all, every; quite, very (adj./adv.); tout à coup — suddenly; tout de suite — at once; tout à fait — entirely; tout à l’heure — right away |
| à | à | to, at, in; with (prep.); c’est à… — it belongs to…; à boire — something to drink |
| coup | 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 |
| l | le | the (le, la, l’, les); him, her, it, them — as an object (art./pron.) |
| horloge | horloge | clock (n., f.) |
| de | de | of, from; some, any (prep./partitive art.) — du pain, de l’eau; pas de — no, not any; de… en… — from… to… |
| église | église | church (n., f.) |
| sonna | sonner | to ring, strike (of a clock) (v.) |
| midi | midi | noon, midday (n., m.) |
| puis | puis | then, next (adv.); et puis — and then, and besides; also old je puis — I can (from pouvoir) |
| Angelus now Angélus | angélus | the Angelus — the church bell rung morning, noon and evening for prayer (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.