Language through Literature

One sentence of «Les Fées»


Sentence 5 of 10 · Les Fées, Charles Perrault, 1697

Elle la faisait manger à la cuisine et travailler sans cesse.

She made her eat in the kitchen and work without rest.

Where it stands

The sentences either side of it, each with its own page.

La cadette était le vrai portrait de son père pour la douceur et l’honnêteté.

The younger was the very image of her father in gentleness and courtesy.

Comme on aime naturellement son semblable, cette mère était folle de sa fille aînée et, en même temps, avait une aversion effroyable pour la cadette.

As people naturally love their own likeness, this mother doted on her elder daughter and, at the same time, had a dreadful aversion to the younger.

Every word in it

As printedDictionary formMeaning
Elle elleshe, her; it (pron.) — elles, they, them (f.)
la lethe (le, la, l’, les); him, her, it, them — as an object (art./pron.)
faisait faireto 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
manger mangerto eat (v.); mangé aux bords — worn, nibbled at the edges
à àto, at, in; with (prep.); c’est à… — it belongs to…; à boire — something to drink
cuisine cuisinekitchen; cooking (n., f.)
et etand (conj.)
travailler travaillerto work (v.)
sans sanswithout (prep.); sans cesse — ceaselessly
cesse cesseceasing, respite (n., f.); sans cesse — ceaselessly

Read «Les Fées» in the room → Every word glossed where it stands, the English a tap away. This scene asks for no account.

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Perrault and Daudet, all eight tales · Charles Perrault

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