Grimms' Fairy Tales — Page 4

English → Fr Full Text Level 4/10

You will reach a village in the evening; and when you get there, you will see two inns opposite to each other, one of which is very pleasant and beautiful to look at: go not in there, but rest for the night in the other, though it may appear to you to be very poor and mean.'

Vous arriverez à un village le soir ; et quand vous y serez, vous verrez deux auberges l'une en face de l'autre, dont l'une est très agréable et belle à voir : n'y entrez pas, mais passez la nuit dans l'autre, même si elle vous paraît très pauvre et misérable.'

But the son thought to himself, 'What can such a beast as this know about the matter?'

Mais le fils pensa en lui-même : « Que peut savoir une telle bête de cette affaire ? »

So he shot his arrow at the fox; but he missed it, and it set up its tail above its back and ran into the wood.

Alors il tira une flèche sur le renard ; mais il le manqua, et celui-ci dressa sa queue au-dessus de son dos et s'enfuit dans le bois.

Then he went his way, and in the evening came to the village where the two inns were; and in one of these were people singing, and dancing, and feasting; but the other looked very dirty, and poor.

Puis il continua son chemin, et le soir arriva au village où se trouvaient les deux auberges ; dans l'une d'elles, des gens chantaient, dansaient et festoyaient ; mais l'autre avait l'air très sale et misérable.

'I should be very silly,' said he, 'if I went to that shabby house, and left this charming place'; so he went into the smart house, and ate and drank at his ease, and forgot the bird, and his country too.

« Je serais bien sot, dit-il, si j'allais dans cette maison minable et quittais cet endroit charmant » ; alors il entra dans la belle auberge, mangea et but à son aise, et oublia l'oiseau, et son pays aussi.

Time passed on; and as the eldest son did not come back, and no tidings were heard of him, the second son set out, and the same thing happened to him.

Le temps passa ; et comme le fils aîné ne revenait pas, et qu'on n'avait aucune nouvelle de lui, le second fils se mit en route, et la même chose lui arriva.

Vocabulary

Vous: voo — You (plural or formal second person pronoun).
arriverez: ah-ree-veh-ray — You will arrive (future tense of arriver).
à: ah — To, at, or in (common preposition).
un: uh — A or an (masculine indefinite article).
village: vee-lahzh — A small rural settlement or community.
le: luh — The (masculine definite article).
soir: swahr — Evening or nighttime part of the day.
et: ay — And (basic coordinating conjunction).
quand: kahn — When (conjunction introducing a time clause).
vous: voo — You (plural or formal subject pronoun).
y: ee — There (pronoun replacing a previously mentioned place).
serez: seh-ray — You will be (future tense of être).
verrez: veh-ray — You will see (future tense of voir).
deux: duh — Two (the number 2).
auberges: oh-bairzh — Inns or small lodging establishments for travelers.
l': l — The (elided definite article before a vowel).
une: oon — A or an (feminine indefinite article).
en: ahn — In, on, or by (versatile preposition or adverb).
face: fahs — Face or front; used in 'en face de' meaning opposite.
de: duh — Of or from (common preposition indicating relation).
autre: oh-truh — Other or another (adjective or pronoun).
dont: dohn — Whose or of which (relative pronoun).
est: ay — Is (third person singular of être, to be).
très: treh — Very (adverb intensifying adjectives or adverbs).
agréable: ah-gray-ahbl — Pleasant or agreeable to the senses or feelings.
belle: bel — Beautiful or lovely (feminine form of beau).
voir: vwahr — To see (infinitive of common verb of perception).
n': n — Not (elided negative particle used with pas).
entrez: ahn-tray — Enter (imperative form of entrer, to go in).
pas: pah — Not (negative particle completing ne...pas negation).
mais: meh — But (coordinating conjunction showing contrast).
passez: pah-say — Spend or pass (imperative of passer, to pass).
la: lah — The (feminine definite article).
nuit: nwee — Night or nighttime period of darkness.
dans: dahn — In or inside (preposition indicating location).
même: mem — Same or even (adjective or adverb of emphasis).
si: see — If or even if (conditional conjunction).
elle: el — She or it (third person feminine singular pronoun).
paraît: pah-reh — Appears or seems (third person of paraître).
pauvre: poh-vruh — Poor or wretched in appearance or quality.
misérable: mee-zay-rahbl — Miserable, wretched, or of very poor condition.
Mais: meh — But (coordinating conjunction showing contrast).
fils: fees — Son (male offspring of a parent).
pensa: pahn-sah — Thought (past tense of penser, to think).
lui: lwee — Him or himself (third person singular pronoun).
Que: kuh — What (interrogative pronoun or conjunction).
peut: puh — Can or is able to (third person of pouvoir).
savoir: sah-vwahr — To know (facts or information).
telle: tel — Such a (feminine demonstrative adjective of emphasis).
bête: bet — Beast or stupid creature; also means dumb.
cette: set — This or that (feminine demonstrative adjective).
affaire: ah-fair — Matter, affair, or business at hand.
Alors: ah-lor — Then or so (adverb indicating sequence or consequence).
il: eel — He or it (third person masculine singular pronoun).
tira: tee-rah — Shot or pulled (past tense of tirer, to shoot).
flèche: flesh — Arrow (projectile shot from a bow).
sur: soor — On or upon (preposition indicating position or target).
renard: ruh-nar — Fox (a cunning wild animal).
manqua: mahn-kah — Missed (past tense of manquer, to miss a target).
celui: suh-lwee — That one or the one (masculine demonstrative pronoun).
ci: see — Here (used with celui to mean this one).
dressa: dreh-sah — Raised or lifted (past tense of dresser).
sa: sah — His or her (feminine possessive adjective).
queue: kuh — Tail of an animal or a queue or line.
au: oh — To the or at the (masculine contraction of à+le).
dessus: duh-soo — Above or on top of something.
son: sohn — His, her, or its (masculine possessive adjective).
dos: doh — Back (the rear part of the body).
s': s — Himself or herself (elided reflexive pronoun).
enfuit: ahn-fwee — Fled or ran away (from s'enfuir, to flee).
bois: bwah — Woods or forest; also wood as a material.
Puis: pwee — Then or next (adverb indicating sequence of events).
continua: kohn-tee-noo-ah — Continued (past tense of continuer, to continue).
chemin: shuh-man — Path or road (a way or route traveled).
arriva: ah-ree-vah — Arrived (past tense of arriver, to arrive).
où: oo — Where (relative or interrogative adverb of place).
se: suh — Himself, herself, or itself (reflexive pronoun).
trouvaient: troo-veh — Were located or found (imperfect of trouver).
les: lay — The (plural definite article for all genders).
d': d — Of or from (elided preposition before a vowel).
elles: el — They (feminine third person plural pronoun).
des: day — Some (plural indefinite article or partitive).
gens: zhahn — People or folk (general term for persons).
chantaient: shahn-teh — Were singing (imperfect tense of chanter).
dansaient: dahn-seh — Were dancing (imperfect tense of danser).
festoyaient: fes-twah-yeh — Were feasting or celebrating with food and drink.
avait: ah-veh — Had or there was (imperfect tense of avoir).
air: air — Air or appearance; look or atmosphere of a place.
sale: sahl — Dirty or filthy in appearance or condition.
Je: zhuh — I (first person singular subject pronoun).
serais: seh-reh — Would be (conditional tense of être, to be).
bien: byahn — Well or very; also good in informal usage.
sot: soh — Foolish or stupid (adjective describing a fool).
dit: dee — Said (past tense of dire, to say).
j': zh — I (elided first person pronoun before a vowel).
allais: ah-leh — Was going (imperfect tense of aller, to go).
maison: meh-zohn — House or home (a residential building).
minable: mee-nahbl — Shabby, pathetic, or of very poor quality.
quittais: kee-teh — Was leaving (imperfect tense of quitter, to leave).
cet: set — This (masculine demonstrative adjective before vowel).
endroit: ahn-drwah — Place or spot (a specific location or area).
charmant: shar-mahn — Charming or delightful (adjective of pleasantness).
alors: ah-lor — So or then (adverb of consequence or time).
entra: ahn-trah — Entered (past tense of entrer, to enter).
auberge: oh-bairzh — Inn or small hotel for overnight travelers.
mangea: mahn-zhah — Ate (past tense of manger, to eat).
but: boo — Drank (past tense of boire, to drink).
aise: ez — Ease or comfort; être à l'aise means comfortable.
oublia: oo-blee-ah — Forgot (past tense of oublier, to forget).
oiseau: wah-zoh — Bird (a feathered flying animal).
pays: pay-ee — Country or land (a nation or homeland).
aussi: oh-see — Also or too (adverb indicating addition).
Le: luh — The (masculine singular definite article).
temps: tahn — Time or weather (noun with dual meanings).
passa: pah-sah — Passed (past tense of passer, referring to time).
comme: kohm — As or like (conjunction or preposition of comparison).
aîné: ay-nay — Eldest or firstborn (child or sibling).
ne: nuh — Not (first part of French negation ne...pas).
revenait: ruh-vuh-neh — Was returning (imperfect of revenir, to return).
qu': k — That or than (elided conjunction before vowel).
on: ohn — One or we (indefinite subject pronoun in French).
aucune: oh-koon — No or none (negative feminine adjective or pronoun).
nouvelle: noo-vel — News or a piece of information; also new (feminine).
second: suh-gohn — Second (ordinal number, the one after the first).
mit: mee — Put or set out (past tense of mettre, to put).
route: root — Road or route (a path for traveling).
chose: shohz — Thing or object (a general noun for an item).

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