Reading in a foreign language is one of the best ways to increase your vocabulary, feel the culture of the country, learn more about the national character and traditions. In this article, you will find websites with French reading materials prepared by our author and French language expert, Olga Brodetskaya.
Bonjour de France
One of the best language learning sites with a huge collection of different tasks. By clicking on the link to the Compréhension section, you can choose your level and the topic that interests you. After reading, be sure to complete the tasks in the text.
Le Point du FLE
The site is similar to the previous one, but there you can also find tasks for determining the type of texts, for logic and coherence, as well as for reading comprehension. The level is indicated to the right of the tasks, so you just have to choose the appropriate text and work through it.
Podcast Français Facile
An excellent resource if you want to not only read, but also listen to the text, which is very useful at the initial stage. The texts are immediately divided into topics, which is convenient if you are preparing for an exam and feel a lack of vocabulary on a particular topic. Each text has a task.
Real Language Club
On this site you will find voiced texts for four levels of difficulty: beginner, intermediate, upper intermediate and advanced. There are no assignments for them, but thanks to the notes, you can practice listening comprehension and practice correct reading by imitating the intonation of native speakers.
Journal en Francais Facile
Just a great site with news adapted for language learners. If you find it hard to read and watch news in the original, this site will help you a lot. In addition to articles, there are audio and video materials with vocabulary explanations and tasks. If you do not know exactly your level of the language, you can take a test right on the site, and you will be selected materials suitable for your stage of learning.
Langue et Cultures Française et Francophone
A magazine for French learners with articles adapted to the intermediate level. On the site itself, you can read and download free materials from past issues on topics such as travel, tourism, music, gastronomy, language learning. If you want to subscribe to new issues, you will have to pay a subscription - about 8 euros per month for a printed edition, and about 5 euros for an electronic one. After subscribing, you will receive not only the magazine itself, but also audio materials for it.
LeFraFa
A small but very valuable selection of adapted books with voice acting. Unfortunately, you will not be able to download the books themselves, but you can read the text in the videos. For each book there are tasks and a list of vocabulary. Even if you have only been learning the language for a couple of months, you will already be able to read books for level A1.
Ilétait une histoire
Children's library of fairy tales, legends, poems and stories. Since such literature is being created for children, the language there is simple, and besides, all stories are voiced and accompanied by pictures and tasks. Difficult words are highlighted and explained with the help of synonyms.
Mon quotidien
A wonderful magazine for children aged 10-14, but it will also be of interest to adults with a low level of language. Actual events, natural phenomena, historical facts, news from the world of culture are explained vividly and simply. Of particular note are the posters from the "Mots, Expressions" series, which talk about the meanings of set expressions. For example, 10 idioms with the word "wolf" or 15 words "weather" and others. Articles can be read online or downloaded as PDF. Be sure to check out other publications in this series: Le Petit Quotidien - for children aged 6-10, L'Actu - for teenagers, L'Eco - an economics magazine for young people.
1 jour 1 actu
A magazine that talks to children about non-children's topics: what is discrimination, how journalists get information, why wars happen. Articles are accompanied by short animated videos, where difficult things are told in a language accessible to children. In addition, some articles are accompanied by colorful illustrations and iconography. One of the most interesting resources for reading in simple French!
If you are ready to start reading in the original, there are several electronic libraries at your service, as well as websites of French newspapers and magazines.
TV5 Monde Library
Here you will find 500 books of French classics in PDF and Epub format. If you have always dreamed of reading Notre Dame Cathedral or The Three Musketeers in the original, you can find these books here, but for the works of modern writers you will have to go to other libraries.
EbookenBib
The library is interesting in that the books there are collected in separate collections by topic. For example, if you are interested in travel, poetry or music, you can immediately find all the books on this topic and download them all together or separately.
Livres pour tous
More than 6,000 free books in French, not only fiction, but also popular science. It also presents the literature of other countries translated into French. Be sure to check out the "Bandes déssinées" (comics) section. The French adore them and read them even more often than fiction. Getting to know this layer of French culture will surely give you pleasure: a lot of pictures, little text, spoken language.
FrenchPDF
An extensive library, many modern authors, for example, you can easily download the best novels of 2017 and get acquainted with the works of G. Musso, E. Ferrante, M. Levy and other books that are popular in France. The inconvenience of this site is navigation, which does not always work as it should. It is better to know in advance the exact title of the book you are looking for, then the search engine of the site will certainly not miss it.
Literature audio
Large library of audiobooks in MP3 format. More than 6,000 works by French and foreign authors, including books by Chekhov, Dickens, Conan Doyle. If you want to listen to Sherlock Holmes with a French accent, check out this site. Listening to audiobooks can be combined with reading them, then you can immediately parse unfamiliar expressions.
La presse de France
A site with links to all major newspapers in France: Le Monde, Le Figaro, L'Equipe, Le Nouvel Observateur and many others. You don't need to search for each edition's website separately, you just choose which newspaper to read today and follow the link.
Revue2Press
If you find it difficult to choose a publication, this resource will allow you to browse the front pages and choose the newspaper or magazine that you would like to read.
Je revise mon francais
A very interesting resource where you can review grammar while reading small excerpts from the latest press. In each passage, an expression is underlined and then its use is explained.
PDF Magazines
Would you like to leaf through the French version of Glamor or Cosmopolitan magazines? On this site you can download a huge number of magazines on various topics, ranging from fashion to high technology.
SHEERWARE - cours de francais
If you need to read not for pleasure, but to prepare for an exam, this resource can help you. You will find there a large selection of texts on such difficult topics as racism, drugs, ecology. The authors of the course give advice on how to write a summary and essay, give supporting notes for each text, select the necessary vocabulary to build a statement on a specific topic.
We wish you an exciting reading on, and we hope that with the help of our selection you will not only be able to expand your vocabulary, but also enjoy getting to know French literature and culture.
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, Victor Hugo , Alexandre Dumas , Jules Verne , Molière , Emile Zola , Stendhal , Georges Sand , Voltaire . Read literature in the original.
To read, choose a book in French, where you will be unfamiliar with about 30% of the words. Then you can read it to the end and learn unfamiliar words. Don't be discouraged if it's a children's book first. Remember that "a jug of water fills up gradually." It is better to let your mind know that you understand French books and fix simple sentences and constructions in your memory than to stop reading a book after the first page, convincing yourself that it is difficult.
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Reading books in French is a fascinating and useful activity. The more you read, the wider your vocabulary becomes. With traditional reading, you mentally pronounce what you read, and for the subconscious, this is tantamount to saying the text out loud. Reading “to yourself” trains the mental channel of speech. Reading aloud trains also sound. Let it be hard for you at first, but it will pay off later. Reading classical literature in French is generally not difficult, you just need to get used to it. Take one book, small at first, where only about 30% of the words will be unfamiliar to you. Read it through and through, highlighting and translating words you do not know. The first book (from 150 sheets) is the most difficult. You must overcome the internal contradictions in yourself and force yourself to read it. No matter how hard it was. Although at first you will not understand the full meaning of the text, it will be difficult to look up every word in the dictionary and reading this book will seem like an endless activity. Over time, this feeling of heaviness will pass, because the words are constantly repeated, the words will be remembered by you in context, and by the end of the book you will be proud of yourself. The next book in French will no longer be a titanic work for you. And each next read book in French will lead you to fluency in French. Use an electronic dictionary, this makes reading easier.
Also in our collection there are audio books in French, which can be read both in text format and listened to. This is a very convenient way to learn French. First you read and translate, then you listen. So you will learn to perceive French speech by ear.
Also in this section you will find books in French with parallel translation into Russian and books adapted by the method of Ilya Frank. Choose your way of reading books that best suits you now, based on your knowledge of the French language at the moment, and which you like best.
How to read this book
Dear readers!
Before you is NOT another textbook based on a distorted (abridged, simplified, etc.) author's text.
Before you, first of all, is an INTERESTING BOOK IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE, moreover, in a real, "living" language, in the original, author's version.
You are not required to "sit down at the table and start studying." This book can be read anywhere, for example, in the subway or lying on the couch, relaxing after work. Because the uniqueness of the method lies precisely in the fact that the memorization of foreign words and expressions occurs implicitly, DUE TO THEIR REPETITION, WITHOUT SPECIAL LEARNING AND THE NEED TO USE A DICTIONARY.
There are many prejudices about learning foreign languages. That they can only be taught by people with a certain mindset (especially a second, third language, etc.), that this should be done almost from the cradle, and, most importantly, that in general this is a difficult and rather tedious task.
But it's not like that! And the successful application of Ilya Frank's Reading Method for many years proves: EVERYONE CAN START READING INTERESTING BOOKS IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE!
Today, our Method of Teaching Reading is almost three hundred books in fifty languages of the world. And more than a million readers who believed in themselves!
So, "how does it work"?
Please open any page of this book. You can see that the text is divided into sections. First comes an adapted passage - a text interspersed with a literal Russian translation and a small lexical and grammatical commentary. Then the same text follows, but already unadapted, without prompts.
To figure out how to pronounce a particular French word, you will be helped by an audio application that is divided into tracks with a number corresponding to the number of the text fragment.
First, a flood of unknown words and forms will rush at you. Do not be afraid: no one is examining you on them! As you read (even if it happens at least in the middle or even at the end of the book), everything will “settle down”, and you will probably wonder: “Well, why is the translation given again, why is the original form of the word given again, everything is clear anyway!” When the moment comes, “when it’s clear”, you can do the opposite: read the unadapted part first,and then look into the adapted. The same way of reading can be recommended to those who master the language not from scratch.
Language, by its nature, is a means, not an end, so it is best learned not when it is specially taught, but when it is naturally used - either in live communication or immersed in entertaining reading. Then he learns by himself, implicitly.
For memorization, we need not sleepy, mechanical cramming or the development of some skills, but the novelty of impressions. Rather than repeating a word several times, it is better to meet it in different combinations and in different semantic contexts. The bulk of common vocabulary in the reading that you are offered is remembered without cramming, of course - due to the repetition of words. Therefore, after reading the text, you do not need to try to memorize the words from it. “Until I learn, I will not move on” - this principle does not apply here. The more intensively you read, the faster you run forward, the better for you. In this case, oddly enough, the more superficial, the more relaxed, the better. And then the volume of the material will do its job, the quantity will turn into quality. Thus, all that is required of you is just to read, thinking not about a foreign language that you have to learn for some reason, but about the content of the book!
The main trouble of all those who have been studying one language for many years is that they do it little by little, and do not plunge headlong. Language is not mathematics, you don't have to learn it, you have to get used to it. This is not a matter of logic or memory, but in skill. It is rather similar in this sense to a sport that needs to be practiced in a certain mode, because otherwise there will be no result. If you read a lot at once, then free reading in French is a matter of three to four months (starting from scratch). And if you learn little by little, then it’s only torturing yourself and slipping on the spot. In this sense, the language is like an ice slide - you need to quickly run up it! Until you run up, you will slide down. If you have reached the point where you can read fluently, then you will not lose this skill and will not forget the vocabulary, even if you resume reading in this language only after a few years. And if you haven’t finished your studies, then everything will disappear.
And what about grammar? Actually, to understand the text provided with such tips, knowledge of grammar is no longer necessary - and so everything will be clear. And then there is getting used to certain forms - and the grammar is also acquired latently. After all, the people who master the language are those who have never learned its grammar, but simply got into the appropriate language environment. This is not to say that you should stay away from grammar (grammar is a very interesting thing, do it too), but that you can start reading this book without knowledge of grammar.
This book will help you overcome an important barrier: you will gain vocabulary and get used to the logic of the language, saving you a lot of time and effort. But after reading it, you don't need to stop, keep reading in a foreign language (now it's really just looking in the dictionary)!
Please send feedback and comments to the email address [email protected]
Le chat botte
(Puss in Boots)
Un meunier avait laisse pour tout heritage(one miller left the entire inheritance: "for = as of the entire inheritance). a ses trois fils(to his three sons) , un moulin(mill) , un ane(donkey) and chat(cat) . L'aîné eut le moulin(the first one got the mill: “the first one had = got mill") , le second l'ane(second - donkey) et le plus jeune le chat(and the youngest - a cat) . Ce dernier(this last one) ne pouvait se consoler(could not be consoled; ch. pouvoir - to be able, to be able)d'avoir un si pauvre lot(having received: “to have” such a miserable share / inheritance /):
- Une fois que j'aurai mange mon chat(as soon as I eat my cat; fois, f - times; une fois - as soon as)et que je me serai fait un gilet de sa peau(and make myself a vest out of his skin) que me restera-t-il(what's left for me)?
Un meunier avait laissé pour tout héritage à ses trois fils, un moulin, un âne et un chat. L'aîné eut le moulin, le second l'âne et le plus jeune le chat. Ce dernier ne pouvait se consoler d'avoir un si pauvre lot:
– Une fois que j’aurai mangé mon chat et que je me serai fait un gilet de sa peau, que me restera-t-il?
Le chat, comprenant le risque(cat, understanding the risk; comprendre)qu'il courait d'être mange(to be eaten: "to which he was subjected to be eaten"; curir - to run; courir le risque - to be at risk), en trouva la parole(gained: “found” speech from this; en - from this; trouver - to find)et dità son maître(and said to his master):
– Ne t'inquiete pas(Do not worry; s'inquieter - to worry, worry)! Va me chercher un sac(bring me a bag / go get a bag for me: “go look for a bag for me”; aller - to go)une paire de bottes(a pair of boots; bottom, f)et des habits elegants(and elegant clothes; habits, m, pl - robes, clothes), je m'occuperai du reste(I'll take care of the rest = take care of the rest; s'occuper - to engage).
Le chat, comprenant le risque qu'il courait d'être mangé, en trouva la parole et dit à son maître:
- Ne t'inquiete pas! Va me chercher un sac, une paire de bottes et des habits élégants, je m'occuperai du reste.
Le garcon foot tellement stupefait(the guy was so amazed) de l'entendre parler(hearing speech: "hearing him speak = as he speaks") qu'il n'hesita pas(that did not hesitate = did not hesitate; hésiter - to hesitate; hesitate). Il courut au marche(he ran to the market) , acheta un sac(bought a bag; acheter)une paire de bottes(a pair of boots) , une cape(raincoat) et un grand chapeau à plumes(and a big hat with feathers; plume, f).
Le garçon fut tellement stupéfait de l'entendre parler qu'il n'hésita pas. Il courut au marché, acheta un sac, une paire de bottes, une cape et un grand chapeau à plumes.
Lorsque le chat fut botte et habille(when the cat was shod and dressed) , il prit le sac avec ses deux pattes de devant(he took the bag with two front paws; prendre - to take; patte, f - paw; devant - front, front)et partit dans la foret(and went to the forest; partir)où il avait vu des lapins(where he saw rabbits; voir - to see; lapin, m). Il plaça des carottes dans le sac entrouvert(he put the carrots in an open bag; placer - place; carotte, f; ouvert - open; entrouvert - ajar; ouvrir - to open; entrouvrir - to slightly open)fit le mort(and pretended to be dead: "made dead") . A peine fut-il couché(as soon as he lay down: "he was lying") qu'un jeune lapin entra dans le sac(like a young rabbit got in: "entered" the bag) . Le chat botte tira aussitôt les cordons(Puss in Boots: "The pissed-off cat" immediately tightened the laces; tirer - pull; cordon, m - rope, lace)pour le faire prisoner(to seize a prisoner: "make him a prisoner"; prison, f - prison).
Lorsque le chat fut botté et habillé, il prit le sac avec ses deux pattes de devant et partit dans la forêt où il avait vu des lapins. Il plaça des carottes dans le sac entrouvert et fit le mort. A peine fut-il couché qu'un jeune lapin entra dans le sac. Le chat botté tira aussitôt les cordons pour le faire prisonnier.
Puis(then) il s'en alla chez le roi(he went to the king; s'en aller - to leave)et demanda à lui parler(and asked /permission/ to talk to him).
- Sire, voilà un lapin de la part de mon maître(sir, here is a rabbit from my master; part, f - part; side)le marquis de Carabas(Marquis de Carabas).
C'est ainsi qu'il avait décidé d'appeler le jeune fils du meunier(so: "this is so" he decided to name the miller's youngest son; jeune - young; younger).
– Disà ton maître(tell your master; dire), repondit le roi(the king answered; repondre)que je le remercie de son attention(which I thank him for his attention).
Puis il s'en alla chez le roi et demanda à lui parler:
- Sire, voilà un lapin de la part de mon maître, le marquis de Carabas.
C'est ainsi qu'il avait décidé d'appeler le jeune fils du meunier.
- Dis à ton maître, repondit le roi, que je le remercie de son attention.
Une autre fois(next time) , le chat alla se cacher dans le ble(the cat went to hide = went and hid among the ears; blé, m - grain bread; corn) et la(and there) , toujours avec son sac(always = still with your bag: "with your bag") , il attrapa deux perdrix(he caught two partridges; attraper; perdrix, f). Il partit ensuite les offrir au roi(he went then to offer them to the king) comme il l'avait fait avec le lapin(as he did with the rabbit) . Il continua ainsi pendant deux ou trois mois(he continued in the same spirit: "the same way" for two or three months; mois, m)A porter régulièrement au roi du gibier de la part de son maître, le marquis de Carabas(to regularly bring game to the king on behalf of his master, the Marquis de Carabas).
Une autre fois, le chat alla se cacher dans le blé et là, toujours avec son sac, il attrapa deux perdrix. Il partit ensuite les offrir au roi comme il l'avait fait avec le lapin. Il continua ainsi pendant deux ou trois mois à porter régulièrement au roi du gibier de la part de son maître, le marquis de Carabas.
apprentice(having learned; apprendre), un jour(once) , que le roi avait l'intention de se promener au bord de la rivière avec sa fille(that the king is going to: "had the intention" to walk along the river bank with his daughter; intention, f - intention; se promener - to walk, walk)la plus belle princesse du monde(the most beautiful princess in the world: "the most beautiful princess in the world") , le chat botté dit à son maître(puss in boots said to his master):
– Si tu veux suivre mon conseil(if you want to follow my advice; vouloir - to want), ta fortune est fate(your happiness is assured: "your luck is done") . Tu n'as qu'à te baigner dans la rivière(you should only: “do not have how / only /” to swim in the river; se baigner - to swim)et ensuite me laisser faire(and leave the rest to me: "and then let me do it"; laisser - leave; let; let; laisser faire - allow, allow; don't interfere).
Apprenant, un jour, que le roi avait l'intention de se promener au bord de la rivière avec sa fille, la plus belle princesse du monde, le chat botté dit à son maître:
- Si tu veux suivre mon conseil, ta fortune est faite. Tu n'as qu'à te baigner dans la rivière et ensuite me laisser faire.
Le marquis de Carabas fit(Marquis of Carabas made) ce que son chat lui conseillait(what his cat advised him) . Et(and so/) , alors qu'il se baignait(while he was bathing) , le carrosse du roi vint a passer(the king's carriage passed by: "arrived to pass"; venir - to come, arrive):
– Au secours(for help) , au secours! Voilà Monsieur le Marquis de Carabas qui se noie(Monsieur the Marquis de Carabas is drowning; voilà - here; se noyer - to sink)! cria le chat(shouted the cat; crier - to scream).
Le marquis de Carabas fit ce que son chat lui conseillait. Et, alors qu'il se baignait, le carrosse du roi vint à passer:
- Au secours, au secours! Voilà Monsieur le Marquis de Carabas qui se noie! cria le chat.
A ce cri(to this cry) , le roi tourna la tete et(the king turns his head; tourner), reconnaissant le chat(/and/ found out: "recognizing" the cat; reconnaître - to recognize, to recognize)qui lui avait tant de fois apporte du gibier(who brought him game so many times; apporter), il ordonna a ses gardes d'aller au secours du marquis(he ordered his guards to go to the aid of the marquis) . Pendant qu'on le sortait de l'eau(while being pulled out of the water; sortir - take out, extract, pull out; eau, f), le chat s'approcha du carrosse(the cat went up to the carriage; s'approcher - approach, approach; proche - close)et raconta au roi(and told the king) que des voleurs avaient emporté les habits de son maître(that the thieves took away his master's clothes; voler - to steal)(en realite(in fact; realité, f - reality, reality)il les avait caches sous une grosse pierre(he hid them under a large stone; gros - thick; big, large)).
– Courez au palais(run to the palace; curir), ordonna le roi a ses serviteurs(ordered the king to his servants; ordonner)et rapportez un de mes plus beaux habits pour Monsieur le Marquis de Carabas(and bring one of my most beautiful garments for M. Marquis de Carabas; rapporter - bring /back, with you/; apporter - to bring).
A ce cri, le roi tourna la tête et, reconnaissant le chat qui lui avait tant de fois apporté du gibier, il ordonna à ses gardes d'aller au secours du marquis. Pendant qu'on le sortait de l'eau, le chat s'approcha du carrosse et raconta au roi que des voleurs avaient emporté les habits de son maître (en réalité, il les avait cachés sous une grosse pierre.)
— Courez au palais, ordonna le roi à ses serviteurs, et rapportez un de mes plus beaux habits pour Monsieur le Marquis de Carabas.
Avec l'habit du roi(in royal attire: "with the clothes of a king") le fils du meunier avait vraiment fière allure(the miller's son had really noble manners: "proud habit"; allure, f - gait; view; manner; bearing). La princesse le trouva fort beau et se sentit tres troublée(found him very handsome and felt very excited; fort - strong; very, very; se sentir - to feel; troubler - stir up, make muddy; disturb, confuse, disturb, disturb; confuse).
Avec l'habit du roi, le fils du meunier avait vraiment fière allure. La princesse le trouva fort beau et se sentit très troublée.
Le roi lui proposa de monter dans son carrosse(the king invited him to sit down: "climb" into his carriage) et de continuer la promenade avec eux(and continue walking with them) . Le jeune homme osait à peine croire à ce qui lui arrivait(the young man hardly dared to believe what was happening: “what happened to him”; oser - dare, à peine - barely, croire - believe, arriver - come; take place), mais il monta dans le carrosse(but he sat down: “got up” into the carriage) sans se faire prier(without forcing yourself to ask: “without forcing yourself to ask”).
Le roi lui proposa de monter dans son carrosse et de continuer la promenade avec eux. Le jeune homme osait à peine croire à ce qui lui arrivait, mais il monta dans le carrosse sans se faire prier.
Le chat botte marchait devant(puss in boots walked ahead; marcher). Voyant des paysans(seeing the peasants; voir)qui labouraient un champ immense(who cultivated a huge field; laborer - plow, cultivate /land/; immense - immeasurable; huge), il alla les trouver(he immediately went to them: “went to find them”; trouver - to find) et leur dit avec fermete(and said to them resolutely: "with firmness"; la fermeté, f - hardness; ferme - hard):
- Si quelqu'un vous demande(if anyone asks you) A qui appartient ce champ(who owns this field; appartenir), dites que c'est au marquis de Carabas(say that it /belongs/ to the Marquis de Carabas) . Mais attention(but beware; attention, f - attention; caution), si vous desobeissez(if you disobey; désobéir - disobey, disobey; obéir - to obey), vous aurez de mes nouvelles(you still remember me: "you will have my news = news from me").
Le chat botte marchait devant. Voyant des paysans qui labouraient un champ immense, il alla les trouver et leur dit avec fermeté:
- Si quelqu'un vous demande à qui appartient ce champ, dites que c'est au marquis de Carabas. Mais attention, si vous desobéissez, vous aurez de mes nouvelles.
Les pauvres gens furent effrayes(poor people were scared; effrayer - to frighten, to frighten)par ce chat qui portait des bottes et un chapeau(by this cat who wore boots and a hat = who wore boots and a hat; porter), parlait(/who/ said; parler)donnait des ordres(and gave orders; donner - to give; ordre, m - order). Ils n'osèrent pas lui desobeir(they dared not disobey/disobey him).
Les pauvres gens furent effrayés par ce chat qui portait des bottes et un chapeau, parlait et donnait des ordres. Ils n'osèrent pas lui désobéir.
Ainsi(thus) , lorsque le roi passa et voulut savoir qui était le proprietaire du champ(when the king was passing by and wanted to know who was the owner of the field) , ils lui repondirent en chœur(they answered him in chorus):
– Le marquis de Carabas!
Partout(everywhere) , le roi s'entendit repondre la même chose(I heard how they answered the same thing; entendre - to hear; répondre - answer, la même chose - the same thing: "the same thing"). Il lui semblait vraiment(he really thought; sembler - to seem)que le jeune marquis avait d'immenses proprietes(that the young marquis had huge: "immeasurable" possessions; propriété, f - property, possession).
Ainsi, lorsque le roi passa et voulut savoir qui était le propriétaire du champ, ils lui répondirent en chœur:
– Le marquis de Carabas!
Partout, le roi s'entendit repondre la même chose. Il lui semblait vraiment que le jeune marquis avait d'immenses proprietes.
Le chat arriva enfin(the cat has finally arrived) dans un splendide chateau(to a luxurious castle; splendide - shining; brilliant, splendid, sumptuous, sumptuous)qui appartenait a un ogre(which belonged to the cannibal; appartenir). C'etait un ogre terrible(it was a terrible cannibal) qui pouvait se transformer en animal(who could turn into an animal = into different animals; animal, m).
– On m’a assure(I was assured = I was told; assurer - to assure; sûr - undoubted; confident)lui dit le chat(the cat told him) que vous pouviez vous changer en lion(that you could turn into a lion; changer - change; se changer en ... - turn into ...; lion, m).
Le chat arriva enfin dans un splendide château qui appartenait à un ogre. C'était un ogre terrible qui pouvait se transformer en animal.
- On m'a assuré, lui dit le chat, que vous pouviez vous changer en lion.
– C'est vrai(this is true) ! dit l'ogre qui se transforma en un lion rugissant(said the ogre who turned = and turned into a roaring lion; rugir - growl; roar).
– Cha, c'est facile(it's easy: "/well/ it's, it's easy") ! lui dit le chat quiétait malgré tout terrificé(the cat told him, who nevertheless: “in spite of everything” was terribly frightened: “he was completely frightened”; malgré - in spite of, tout - everything; terrifier - to terrify, to terrify). Mais il doit être(but should be) beaucoup plus difficile(much harder: "much harder") pour quelqu'un d'aussi grand que vous(to someone as big as you) de se transformer en un animal plus petit(turn into a smaller animal) , un rat, par example(/v/ a rat, for example).
- C'est vrai! dit l'ogre qui se transforma en un lion rugissant.
- Cha, c'est facile! lui dit le chat quiétait malgré tout terrificé. Mais il doit être beaucoup plus difficile pour quelqu'un d'aussi grand que vous de se transformer en un animal plus petit, un rat, par exempl.
L'ogre, touché dans sa fierte(a cannibal whose self-esteem was affected: "affected in his pride"; fierté - pride; fier - proud), voulut montrer qu'il en était aussi capable(I wanted to show that he is also capable of this) . Mais a peine était-il changé en rat(but as soon as he turned into a rat) que le chat se precipita sur lui(as the cat rushed at him; se précipiter - to fall down, rush down; rush, rush)et n'en fit qu'une bouchée(and ate it in an instant: “and made just one sip out of it”; bouchée, f - the amount of food taken at a time, a piece; d'une seule bouchée - in one sip; bouche, f - mouth).
L'ogre, touché dans sa fierté, voulut montrer qu'il en était aussi capable. Mais à peine était-il changé en rat que le chat se précipita sur lui et n'en fit qu'une bouchée.
Puis il courut jusqu'au pont-levis(then he ran to the drawbridge; courir, pont, m - bridge; lever - raise)pour accueillir le roi qui arrivait(to meet the arriving king: "the king who was arriving"; arranger).
Ilya Frank
Simple fairy tales in French
Dear readers!
Before you is NOT another textbook based on a distorted (abridged, simplified, etc.) author's text.
Before you, first of all, is an INTERESTING BOOK IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE, moreover, in a real, "living" language, in the original, author's version.
You are not required to "sit down at the table and start studying." This book can be read anywhere, for example, in the subway or lying on the couch, relaxing after work. Because the uniqueness of the method lies precisely in the fact that the memorization of foreign words and expressions occurs implicitly, DUE TO THEIR REPETITION, WITHOUT SPECIAL LEARNING AND THE NEED TO USE A DICTIONARY.
There are many prejudices about learning foreign languages. That they can only be taught by people with a certain mindset (especially a second, third language, etc.), that this should be done almost from the cradle, and, most importantly, that in general this is a difficult and rather tedious task.
But it's not like that! And the successful application of Ilya Frank's Reading Method for many years proves: EVERYONE CAN START READING INTERESTING BOOKS IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE!
Today, our Method of Teaching Reading is almost three hundred books in fifty languages of the world. And more than a million readers who believed in themselves!
So, "how does it work"?
Please open any page of this book. You can see that the text is divided into sections. First comes an adapted passage - a text interspersed with a literal Russian translation and a small lexical and grammatical commentary. Then the same text follows, but already unadapted, without prompts.
To figure out how to pronounce a particular French word, you will be helped by an audio application that is divided into tracks with a number corresponding to the number of the text fragment.
First, a flood of unknown words and forms will rush at you. Do not be afraid: no one is examining you on them! As you read (even if it happens at least in the middle or even at the end of the book), everything will “settle down”, and you will probably wonder: “Well, why is the translation given again, why is the original form of the word given again, everything is clear anyway!” When the moment comes, “when it’s clear”, you can do the opposite: read the unadapted part first, and then look into the adapted. The same way of reading can be recommended to those who master the language not from scratch.
Language, by its nature, is a means, not an end, so it is best learned not when it is specially taught, but when it is naturally used - either in live communication or immersed in entertaining reading. Then he learns by himself, implicitly.
For memorization, we need not sleepy, mechanical cramming or the development of some skills, but the novelty of impressions. Rather than repeating a word several times, it is better to meet it in different combinations and in different semantic contexts. The bulk of common vocabulary in the reading that you are offered is remembered without cramming, of course - due to the repetition of words. Therefore, after reading the text, you do not need to try to memorize the words from it. “Until I learn, I will not move on” - this principle does not apply here. The more intensively you read, the faster you run forward, the better for you. In this case, oddly enough, the more superficial, the more relaxed, the better. And then the volume of the material will do its job, the quantity will turn into quality. Thus, all that is required of you is just to read, thinking not about a foreign language that you have to learn for some reason, but about the content of the book!
The main trouble of all those who have been studying one language for many years is that they do it little by little, and do not plunge headlong. Language is not mathematics, you don't have to learn it, you have to get used to it. This is not a matter of logic or memory, but in skill. It is rather similar in this sense to a sport that needs to be practiced in a certain mode, because otherwise there will be no result. If you read a lot at once, then free reading in French is a matter of three to four months (starting from scratch). And if you learn little by little, then it’s only torturing yourself and slipping on the spot. In this sense, the language is like an ice slide - you need to quickly run up it! Until you run up, you will slide down. If you have reached the point where you can read fluently, then you will not lose this skill and will not forget the vocabulary, even if you resume reading in this language only after a few years. And if you haven’t finished your studies, then everything will disappear.
And what about grammar? Actually, to understand the text provided with such tips, knowledge of grammar is no longer necessary - and so everything will be clear. And then there is getting used to certain forms - and the grammar is also acquired latently. After all, the people who master the language are those who have never learned its grammar, but simply got into the appropriate language environment. This is not to say that you should stay away from grammar (grammar is a very interesting thing, do it too), but that you can start reading this book without knowledge of grammar.
This book will help you overcome an important barrier: you will gain vocabulary and get used to the logic of the language, saving you a lot of time and effort. But after reading it, you don't need to stop, keep reading in a foreign language (now it's really just looking in the dictionary)!
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(Puss in Boots)
Un meunier avait laisse pour tout heritage(one miller left the entire inheritance: "for = as of the entire inheritance). a ses trois fils(to his three sons) , un moulin(mill) , un ane(donkey) and chat(cat) . L'aîné eut le moulin(the first one got the mill: “the first one had = got mill") , le second l'ane(second - donkey) et le plus jeune le chat(and the youngest - a cat) . Ce dernier(this last one) ne pouvait se consoler(could not be consoled; ch. pouvoir - to be able, to be able) d'avoir un si pauvre lot(having received: “to have” such a miserable share / inheritance /):
- Une fois que j'aurai mange mon chat(as soon as I eat my cat; fois, f - times; une fois - as soon as) et que je me serai fait un gilet de sa peau(and make myself a vest out of his skin) que me restera-t-il(what's left for me)?
Un meunier avait laissé pour tout héritage à ses trois fils, un moulin, un âne et un chat. L'aîné eut le moulin, le second l'âne et le plus jeune le chat. Ce dernier ne pouvait se consoler d'avoir un si pauvre lot:
– Une fois que j’aurai mangé mon chat et que je me serai fait un gilet de sa peau, que me restera-t-il?
Le chat, comprenant le risque(cat, understanding the risk; comprendre) qu'il courait d'être mange(to be eaten: "to which he was subjected to be eaten"; curir - to run; courir le risque - to be at risk), en trouva la parole(gained: “found” speech from this; en - from this; trouver - to find) et dità son maître(and said to his master):
– Ne t'inquiete pas(Do not worry; s'inquieter - to worry, worry)! Va me chercher un sac(bring me a bag / go get a bag for me: “go look for a bag for me”; aller - to go)une paire de bottes(a pair of boots; bottom, f) et des habits elegants(and elegant clothes; habits, m, pl - robes, clothes), je m'occuperai du reste(I'll take care of the rest = take care of the rest; s'occuper - to engage).
Le chat, comprenant le risque qu'il courait d'être mangé, en trouva la parole et dit à son maître:
- Ne t'inquiete pas! Va me chercher un sac, une paire de bottes et des habits élégants, je m'occuperai du reste.
Le garcon foot tellement stupefait(the guy was so amazed) de l'entendre parler(hearing speech: "hearing him speak = as he speaks") qu'il n'hesita pas(that did not hesitate = did not hesitate; hésiter - to hesitate; hesitate). Il courut au marche(he ran to the market) , acheta un sac(bought a bag; acheter)une paire de bottes(a pair of boots) , une cape(raincoat) et un grand chapeau à plumes(and a big hat with feathers; plume, f).
Le garçon fut tellement stupéfait de l'entendre parler qu'il n'hésita pas. Il courut au marché, acheta un sac, une paire de bottes, une cape et un grand chapeau à plumes.
Lorsque le chat fut botte et habille(when the cat was shod and dressed) , il prit le sac avec ses deux pattes de devant(he took the bag with two front paws; prendre - to take; patte, f - paw; devant - front, front) et partit dans la foret(and went to the forest; partir) où il avait vu des lapins(where he saw rabbits; voir - to see; lapin, m). Il plaça des carottes dans le sac entrouvert(he put the carrots in an open bag; placer - place; carotte, f; ouvert - open; entrouvert - ajar; ouvrir - to open; entrouvrir - to slightly open) fit le mort(and pretended to be dead: "made dead") . A peine fut-il couché(as soon as he lay down: "he was lying") qu'un jeune lapin entra dans le sac(like a young rabbit got in: "entered" the bag) . Le chat botte tira aussitôt les cordons(Puss in Boots: "The pissed-off cat" immediately tightened the laces; tirer - pull; cordon, m - rope, lace) pour le faire prisoner(to seize a prisoner: "make him a prisoner"; prison, f - prison).
Listen to the audio lesson with additional explanations
You can love yourself, or you can children.
The goal is not to understand, but feel the sound of the language.
Well, repeat the rules of reading, of course :)
Le Petit Chaperon rouge. Red Riding Hood
Ilétait une fois une petite fille. Sa mere a fait pour elle un beau chaperon rouge.
Elle le portait toujours et on a commencé à l "appeler Le Petit Chaperon rouge.
Sa grand-mere vivait dans un autre village. Et un jour, Le Petit Chaperon rouge est allée la voir. Elle devait traverser la foret. Dans la foret elle a rencontré un loup. Le loup a decide de ruser.
Il a demandé: "Où vas-tu, ma petite?"
La petite fille ne savait pas qu "il est dangereux de parler avec des inconnus et elle a répondu: "Je vais chez ma grand-mère."
"Où habite-t-elle?"
"Tout pres du moulin, monsieur le Loup."
"Pourquoi donc as-tu pris ce chemin-ci? Il est si long!”
"Mais je prends toujours ce chemin-ci".
“Hé bien, - a dit le loup, - je vais par ce chemin-là, et toi par ce chemin-ci. Nous verrons qui viendra plus tôt chez ta grand-mère.”
Le loup s "est mis à courire de toute sa force par le chemin plus court, et la fille est allée par le chemin plus long.
Le loup, bien sûr, est arrivé le premier. Il a frappe à la porte.
Qui est la? – a demandé la grand-mère.”
"C" est votre petite - fille, - a repondu le loup adoussissant sa voix. "
Heureusement, juste à ce moment, les bûcherons ont aperçu l "animal cruel. Ils se sont jetés sur lui et l" ont battu.
"N" as-tu pas honte de ruser et d "attaquer les faibles? – lui ont-ils demandé. “Si tu dois chasser pour manger, chasse celui qui est aussi fort et rapide que toi!”
Le loup a quitte la foret. Et Le Petit Chaperon rouge, sa grand-mère et les bûcherons se sont mis à table:)
So we finished ten lessons phonetics!
And now, if you show the same diligence in studying french grammar, then after some time, you can reread the fairy tale. For what?
Hidden in it surprise:)
