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🇫🇷 French · Fluency Level 2

PART 2 · LESSON 15 OF 30 · 30 MINUTES

Reading to Mamie, a Poem by Hugo

Read the most famous poem in French aloud, hear what the French of poetry does to word order, and learn why Mamie knows it by heart.

Audio instruction: English

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THE STORY

Mamie's armchair again, a thinner book, and four lines that every French person over seventy can finish for you.

Flashcards

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.
« Demain, dès l'aube, à l'heure où blanchit la campagne, je partirai. »duh-ma(n), deh lohb, ah luhr oo blah(n)-shee lah kah(n)-pah-nyuh, zhuh par-tee-REH"Tomorrow, at dawn, at the hour when the countryside turns white, I will leave."
« Vois-tu, je sais que tu m'attends. » Victor Hugo. Continue.vwah tew, zhuh seh kuh tew mah-tah(n), veek-tor ew-goh, koh(n)-tee-NEW"You see, I know that you are waiting for me." Victor Hugo. Go on. To a friend.
Vous le savez par cœur ?voo luh sah-vay par KUHRYou know it by heart? Politely.
Tout le monde l'a appris. Il l'a écrit pour sa fille, qui était morte.too luh moh(n)d lah ah-pree, eel lah ay-kree poor sah feey, kee ay-teh MORTEveryone learnt it. He wrote it for his daughter, who had died.
« Blanchit la campagne. » Le verbe avant le sujet.blah(n)-shee lah kah(n)-pah-nyuh, luh vehrb ah-vah(n) luh sew-ZHEH"Turns white the countryside." The verb before the subject.
Il l'a écrit pour sa fille.eel lah ay-kree poor sah FEEYHe wrote it for his daughter.
C'est la poésie. Elle fait ce qu'elle veut avec les mots.seh lah poh-ay-zee, ehl feh suh kehl vuh ah-vehk lay MOHThat's poetry. It does what it likes with the words.
Et « je partirai ». Le futur, au moins, je le connais.ay zhuh par-tee-reh, luh few-tewr, oh mwa(n), zhuh luh koh-NEHAnd "I will leave". The future, at least, I know.
Lis la suite. Et pas trop vite, c'est un poème triste.lee lah sweet, ay pah troh veet, seh ta(n) poh-ehm TREESTRead the rest. And not too fast, it's a sad poem. To a friend.
C'est un poème triste.seh ta(n) poh-ehm TREESTIt's a sad poem.