Not all sugar and spice Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jun 5, 2018 in Culture, Grammar, Vocabulary
Last week we read an old story designed to remind les jeunes garçons sages (good little boys) how to behave. As promised at the end of that last post, this week, we look at a similar reminder for les gentilles filles (good girls).
La Mouche
| «Qu'as-tu donc à t'impatienter ainsi, Mélanie? Requested file could not be found (error code 404). Verify the file URL specified in the shortcode. |
| "What has you so impatient then, Melanie? |
| —Maman, je cherche à attraper une mouche qui m'importune, afin de la tuer.» Requested file could not be found (error code 404). Verify the file URL specified in the shortcode. |
| I'm trying to catch a fly, Mother, that is bothering me, so that I can kill it." |
| Le lendemain, la maman était fort occupée* à écrire une lettre, et Mélanie se dérangeait à chaque instant Requested file could not be found (error code 404). Verify the file URL specified in the shortcode. |
| The next day, the mother was very busy/preoccupied writing a letter, and Melanie went out of her way continuously |
| pour lui demander une chose ou une autre, et souvent aussi pour le seul plaisir de parler. Requested file could not be found (error code 404). Verify the file URL specified in the shortcode. |
| to ask her about this and that, often simply for the pleasure of hearing herself talk. |
| «Il me semble, ma fille, que tu fais absolument comme la mouche d'hier; Requested file could not be found (error code 404). Verify the file URL specified in the shortcode. |
| "It seems to me, my girl/daughter, that you are acting just like that fly yesterday; |
| seulement, la mouche est une petite bête sans raison; et toi, tu es une enfant intelligente.» Requested file could not be found (error code 404). Verify the file URL specified in the shortcode. |
| except the fly is a stupid creature, and you, you are an intelligent child." |
| Mélanie baissa la tête avec confusion; elle retourna à sa place et ne dérangea plus sa mère. Requested file could not be found (error code 404). Verify the file URL specified in the shortcode. |
| Embarrassed, Melanie lowered her head; she returned to her own place and bothered her mother no more. |
* Listen to how the t at the end of fort ‘runs into’ occupée. View this post to refresh your understanding of when to make this elision.
Notice how this week’s story makes use of l’imparfait (vs. last week’s passé simple) to convey the on-going nature of the little girl’s behavior.
Here’s some useful vocabulary from this week’s story.
| Français | English |
|---|---|
| la mouche | house fly |
| le lendemain | the next day |
| écrire | to write |
| demander | to ask |
| la chose | thing |
| hier | yesterday |
| la fille | young girl, daughter |
This story comes from Project Gutenberg, a source of free digital books. You can learn more and find French stories and more on your own here.This weeks photo by Pieter Lambregs from Pexels (CC0 license).
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About the Author: Tim Hildreth
Since my first trip to France at 16, I have been a passionate francophile. I love the language, food, music, art, people, and more that make France and la Francophonie in general such an amazing part of our global community. Having lived in France and studied the language and culture for over 35 years, it is my great pleasure to be able to share a little bit of my deep love with you through this blog.
Comments:
Connie Lam:
Salut Tim, j’aime beaucoup the hidden text format and the sound option. It helps me to pick up new words and correct pronunciations. I’ve been trying to learn french on my own for many years (too many to count!) using mainly Michel Thomas CDs.
The length of this post is just nice for me. 10 minutes to go through and do a bit of practice without losing focus.
Merci, Connie.
Tim Hildreth:
@Connie Lam Merci, Connie. I’m glad you find the format and contents useful.