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🇫🇷 French · Fluency Level 2

PART 1 · LESSON 10 OF 30 · 30 MINUTES

Reading to Mamie, Daudet's Goat

Read a page of a French classic aloud to someone who loves it, meet the passe simple, the tense of books, and hear what it turns into when people talk.

Audio instruction: English

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THE STORY

Mamie's armchair, a book with yellow pages, and a goat called Blanquette who wants the mountain.

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The words and phrases of this lesson, one card each. Best after you’ve listened.

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Words and phrases

The lesson is for your ears. Open this afterwards, to see what you learned.
« Monsieur Seguin n'avait jamais eu de bonheur avec ses chèvres. »muh-syuh suh-ga(n) nah-veh zhah-meh ew duh boh-nuhr ah-vehk say SHEHVR"Monsieur Seguin had never had any luck with his goats."
Daudet. Je l'ai appris à l'école, celle-là. Continue.doh-deh, zhuh lay ah-pree ah lay-kol, sehl-lah, koh(n)-tee-NEWDaudet. I learnt that one at school. Go on. To a friend.
« Un matin, la chèvre partit dans la montagne. » Partit ? Pas « est partie » ?a(n) mah-ta(n), lah shehvr par-tee dah(n) lah moh(n)-tah-nyuh, par-tee, pah eh par-TEE"One morning, the goat left for the mountain." Partit? Not "est partie"?
C'est le passé simple. Le temps des livres. À l'oral, on dit « elle est partie ».seh luh pah-say sa(n)pl, luh tah(n) day leevr, ah loh-rahl, oh(n) dee ehl eh par-TEEThat's the passe simple. The tense of books. When speaking, we say "elle est partie".
Donc je le lis, mais je ne le dis pas.doh(n)k zhuh luh lee, meh zhuh nuh luh dee PAHSo I read it, but I don't say it.
Voilà. Personne ne parle comme un livre. Sauf le maire.vwah-lah, pehr-son nuh parl kom a(n) leevr, sohf luh MEHRThat's it. Nobody talks like a book. Except the mayor.
« Elle se dit que la montagne était belle. » Et après ?ehl suh dee kuh lah moh(n)-tah-nyuh ay-teh behl, ay ah-PREH"She told herself that the mountain was beautiful." And then?
Après, il y a le loup. Je connais la fin. Lis quand même, tu lis bien.ah-preh, eel yah luh loo, zhuh koh-neh lah fa(n), lee kah(n) mehm, tew lee BYA(N)Then, there's the wolf. I know the ending. Read anyway, you read well. To a friend.
Lis quand même, tu lis bien.lee kah(n) mehm, tew lee BYA(N)Read anyway, you read well. To a friend.