The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies — Page 1

English → Fr Full Text Level 2/10

[Illustration]

THE TALE OF THE FLOPSY BUNNIES

LE CONTE DES LAPINS FLOPSY

BY BEATRIX POTTER

PAR BEATRIX POTTER

Author of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit," &c.

Auteur de « Le Conte de Pierre Lapin », etc.

[Illustration]

FREDERICK WARNE & CO., INC. NEW YORK 1909

FOR ALL LITTLE FRIENDS OF MR. MCGREGOR & PETER & BENJAMIN

À TOUS LES PETITS AMIS DE M. MCGREGOR & PIERRE & BENJAMIN

[Illustration]

It is said that the effect of eating too much lettuce is "soporific."

On dit que l'effet de manger trop de laitue est « soporifique ».

_I_ have never felt sleepy after eating lettuces; but then _I_ am not a rabbit.

_Moi_, je n'ai jamais eu sommeil après avoir mangé des laitues ; mais alors _moi_, je ne suis pas un lapin.

They certainly had a very soporific effect upon the Flopsy Bunnies!

Ils eurent certainement un effet très soporifique sur les Lapins Flopsy !

When Benjamin Bunny grew up, he married his Cousin Flopsy.

Quand Benjamin Lapin fut grand, il épousa sa cousine Flopsy.

They had a large family, and they were very improvident and cheerful.

Ils eurent une nombreuse famille, et ils étaient très imprévoyants et joyeux.

I do not remember the separate names of their children; they were generally called the "Flopsy Bunnies."

Je ne me souviens pas des prénoms de chacun de leurs enfants ; on les appelait généralement les « Lapins Flopsy ».

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As there was not always quite enough to eat,--Benjamin used to borrow cabbages from Flopsy's brother, Peter Rabbit, who kept a nursery garden.

Comme il n'y avait pas toujours tout à fait assez à manger, Benjamin avait l'habitude d'emprunter des choux au frère de Flopsy, Pierre Lapin, qui tenait un jardin de pépinière.

Sometimes Peter Rabbit had no cabbages to spare.

Parfois, Pierre Lapin n'avait pas de choux à donner.

[Illustration]

When this happened, the Flopsy Bunnies went across the field to a rubbish heap, in the ditch outside Mr. McGregor's garden.

Quand cela arrivait, les Lapins Flopsy traversaient le champ jusqu'à un tas d'ordures, dans le fossé à l'extérieur du jardin de M. McGregor.

Mr. McGregor's rubbish heap was a mixture.

Le tas d'ordures de M. McGregor était un mélange.

There were jam pots and paper bags, and mountains of chopped grass from the mowing machine (which always tasted oily), and some rotten vegetable marrows and an old boot or two.

Il y avait des pots de confiture et des sacs en papier, et des montagnes d'herbe coupée provenant de la tondeuse (qui avait toujours un goût huileux), et quelques courges pourries et une ou deux vieilles chaussures.

One day--oh joy!--there were a quantity of overgrown lettuces, which had "shot" into flower.

Un jour — ô joie ! — il y avait une quantité de laitues trop poussées, qui avaient « monté » en fleur.

[Illustration]

The Flopsy Bunnies simply stuffed lettuces.

Les Lapins Flopsy se bourrèrent tout simplement de laitues.

Vocabulary

LE: Masculine singular definite article meaning 'the'.
CONTE: A short story or tale, often for children.
DES: Plural indefinite article or preposition meaning 'of the'.
LAPINS: Plural noun meaning rabbits.
PAR: Preposition meaning 'by' indicating authorship.
Auteur: A person who creates or writes a work.
de: Preposition meaning 'of' or 'from'.
Le: Masculine singular definite article meaning 'the'.
Conte: A short story or tale, often for children.
Pierre: French given name; also means 'stone' or 'rock'.
Lapin: A small furry animal; means 'rabbit'.
etc: Abbreviation meaning 'and so on' or 'et cetera'.
À: Preposition meaning 'to' or 'for', indicating dedication.
TOUS: Adjective or pronoun meaning 'all' or 'every'.
LES: Plural definite article meaning 'the'.
PETITS: Adjective meaning 'small' or 'little', plural form.
AMIS: Plural noun meaning 'friends'.
DE: Preposition meaning 'of' or 'from'.
M: Abbreviation for 'Monsieur', meaning 'Mr.'
On: Indefinite pronoun meaning 'one', 'we', or 'they'.
dit: Third person singular of 'dire'; means 'says' or 'said'.
que: Conjunction meaning 'that', introducing a subordinate clause.
l': Contracted definite article 'le' or 'la' before vowel.
effet: Noun meaning 'effect' or 'result' of something.
manger: Infinitive verb meaning 'to eat'.
trop: Adverb meaning 'too much' or 'too many'.
laitue: Noun meaning 'lettuce', a leafy green vegetable.
est: Third person singular of 'être'; means 'is'.
soporifique: Adjective meaning 'sleep-inducing' or 'causing drowsiness'.
_Moi_: Emphatic first person pronoun meaning 'I' or 'me'.
je: First person singular subject pronoun meaning 'I'.
n': Contracted negative particle used before a verb.
ai: First person singular of 'avoir'; means 'have'.
jamais: Adverb meaning 'never' when used with negation.
eu: Past participle of 'avoir'; means 'had'.
sommeil: Noun meaning 'sleep' or 'sleepiness'.
après: Preposition or adverb meaning 'after'.
avoir: Infinitive meaning 'to have'; auxiliary verb.
mangé: Past participle of 'manger'; means 'eaten'.
des: Plural indefinite article meaning 'some' or 'of the'.
laitues: Plural noun meaning 'lettuces', leafy green vegetables.
mais: Conjunction meaning 'but', introducing a contrast.
alors: Adverb meaning 'then', 'so', or 'at that time'.
_moi_: Emphatic first person pronoun meaning 'I' or 'me'.
ne: Negative particle used with 'pas' to negate verbs.
suis: First person singular of 'être'; means 'am'.
pas: Negative particle used with 'ne' meaning 'not'.
un: Masculine singular indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an'.
lapin: Noun meaning 'rabbit', a small furry animal.
Ils: Third person plural subject pronoun meaning 'they'.
eurent: Simple past of 'avoir'; means 'they had'.
certainement: Adverb meaning 'certainly' or 'definitely'.
très: Adverb meaning 'very', intensifying an adjective or adverb.
sur: Preposition meaning 'on', 'over', or 'upon'.
les: Plural definite article meaning 'the'.
Lapins: Plural noun meaning 'rabbits'.
Quand: Conjunction or adverb meaning 'when'.
fut: Simple past of 'être'; means 'was' or 'became'.
grand: Adjective meaning 'big', 'tall', or 'grown-up'.
il: Third person masculine singular pronoun meaning 'he'.
épousa: Simple past of 'épouser'; means 'married'.
sa: Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its'.
cousine: Noun meaning 'female cousin', a family relative.
une: Feminine singular indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an'.
nombreuse: Adjective meaning 'numerous' or 'large' (family).
famille: Noun meaning 'family', a group of relatives.
et: Conjunction meaning 'and', connecting words or clauses.
ils: Third person plural subject pronoun meaning 'they'.
étaient: Imperfect of 'être'; means 'they were'.
imprévoyants: Adjective meaning 'improvident' or 'lacking foresight'.
joyeux: Adjective meaning 'joyful', 'happy', or 'cheerful'.
Je: First person singular subject pronoun meaning 'I'.
me: First person singular reflexive or object pronoun 'me'.
souviens: First person of 'se souvenir'; means 'remember'.
prénoms: Plural noun meaning 'first names' or 'given names'.
chacun: Indefinite pronoun meaning 'each one' or 'every one'.
leurs: Plural possessive adjective meaning 'their'.
enfants: Plural noun meaning 'children'.
on: Indefinite pronoun meaning 'one', 'we', or 'they'.
appelait: Imperfect of 'appeler'; means 'called' or 'named'.
généralement: Adverb meaning 'generally' or 'usually'.
Comme: Conjunction meaning 'as', 'since', or 'like'.
y: Adverbial pronoun meaning 'there' or 'in it'.
avait: Imperfect of 'avoir'; means 'there was' or 'had'.
toujours: Adverb meaning 'always' or 'still'.
tout: Adjective or pronoun meaning 'all', 'every', or 'whole'.
à: Preposition meaning 'to', 'at', or 'in'.
fait: Past participle of 'faire'; means 'done' or 'made'.
assez: Adverb meaning 'enough' or 'quite'.
habitude: Noun meaning 'habit' or 'custom'.
d': Contracted preposition 'de' before a vowel sound.
emprunter: Infinitive meaning 'to borrow' something from someone.
choux: Plural noun meaning 'cabbages', leafy vegetables.
au: Contracted article meaning 'to the' or 'at the'.
frère: Noun meaning 'brother', a male sibling.
qui: Relative pronoun meaning 'who', 'which', or 'that'.
tenait: Imperfect of 'tenir'; means 'ran' or 'kept'.
jardin: Noun meaning 'garden', an outdoor cultivated space.
pépinière: Noun meaning 'nursery', a place for growing plants.
Parfois: Adverb meaning 'sometimes' or 'occasionally'.
donner: Infinitive meaning 'to give' something to someone.
cela: Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'this'.
arrivait: Imperfect of 'arriver'; means 'happened' or 'arrived'.
traversaient: Imperfect of 'traverser'; means 'they crossed' or 'went through'.
le: Masculine singular definite article meaning 'the'.
champ: Noun meaning 'field', an open area of land.
jusqu': Contracted preposition meaning 'until' or 'up to'.
tas: Noun meaning 'pile' or 'heap' of things.
ordures: Plural noun meaning 'garbage', 'rubbish', or 'trash'.
dans: Preposition meaning 'in', 'inside', or 'within'.
fossé: Noun meaning 'ditch' or 'trench' beside a road.
extérieur: Adjective or noun meaning 'exterior' or 'outside'.
du: Contracted article meaning 'of the' or 'from the'.
était: Imperfect of 'être'; means 'was' or 'used to be'.
mélange: Noun meaning 'mixture' or 'blend' of things.
Il: Third person masculine singular pronoun meaning 'he' or 'it'.
pots: Plural noun meaning 'jars' or 'pots' for storing food.
confiture: Noun meaning 'jam' or 'preserve', a sweet spread.
sacs: Plural noun meaning 'bags' or 'sacks'.
en: Preposition meaning 'in', 'of', or 'made of'.
papier: Noun meaning 'paper', a thin writing material.
montagnes: Plural noun meaning 'mountains'; here figuratively 'piles'.
herbe: Noun meaning 'grass' or 'herb', a plant.
coupée: Past participle of 'couper'; means 'cut' (feminine).
provenant: Present participle of 'provenir'; meaning 'coming from'.
la: Feminine singular definite article meaning 'the'.
tondeuse: Noun meaning 'lawnmower', a grass-cutting machine.
goût: Noun meaning 'taste' or 'flavor' of food.
huileux: Adjective meaning 'oily' or 'greasy'.
quelques: Adjective meaning 'a few' or 'some'.
courges: Plural noun meaning 'squashes' or 'gourds', vegetables.
pourries: Adjective meaning 'rotten' or 'decomposed' (feminine plural).
ou: Conjunction meaning 'or', presenting an alternative.
deux: Number meaning 'two'.
vieilles: Adjective meaning 'old' (feminine plural).
chaussures: Plural noun meaning 'shoes', footwear items.
Un: Masculine singular indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'.
jour: Noun meaning 'day'.
ô: Exclamation 'oh', expressing strong emotion or wonder.
joie: Noun meaning 'joy' or 'delight', a happy feeling.
quantité: Noun meaning 'quantity' or 'large amount' of something.
poussées: Past participle of 'pousser'; means 'grown' or 'sprouted'.
avaient: Imperfect of 'avoir'; means 'they had'.
monté: Past participle of 'monter'; means 'grown up' or 'risen'.
fleur: Noun meaning 'flower' or 'bloom' of a plant.
Les: Plural definite article meaning 'the'.
se: Reflexive pronoun meaning 'themselves' or 'each other'.
bourrèrent: Simple past of 'se bourrer'; means 'stuffed themselves'.
simplement: Adverb meaning 'simply' or 'just'.

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