Bruxelles

French listening practice with side-by-side translation

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Listening comprehension: See the links at the bottom for lessons related to the phrases in italics.

Visite de la ville de Bruxelles Visiting the town of Brussels
Nichée dans la partie nord de l’Europe et jouxtant la France, les Pays-Bas, l’Allemagne et le Luxembourg, la Belgique est dorénavant un acteur majeur de la scène internationale, mais c’est sa capitale francophone, Bruxelles–qui est le siège de l’Union européenne–vers laquelle convergent tous les regards.
Translation

Nestled in the northern part of Europe and adjoining France, the Netherlands, Germany, and Luxembourg, Belgium is now a major actor on the international scene, but it is its French-speaking capital, Brussels–which is the seat of the European Union–that everyone is looking at.

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Autrefois considérée comme la timide petite sœur de la France, appréciée uniquement pour sa bière, ses frites et son chocolat, la Belgique a regagné ses lettres de noblesse, au prix toutefois d’une instabilité politique consécutive à son multiculturalisme ancestral.
Translation

Once considered France’s shy little sister, appreciated solely for its beer, fries, and chocolate, Belgium has regained its former glory, although at the price of political instability due to its ancestral multiculturalism.

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La ville elle-même, cependant, est très agréable et possède de nombreux attraits touristiques auxquels il est possible d’accéder facilement grâce à son excellent réseau de transport en commun. Un ensemble complexe de voies de communication terrestres (métro, autobus et trains) couvre en effet à peu près chaque centimètre de la ville. Seuls les taxis semblent curieusement absents. Et la location d’une voiture ne s’avère pas être la solution le plus pratique en ville puisque les espaces de stationnement sont rares et chers.
Translation

However, the city itself is very nice and has many tourist attractions which are easily accessible thanks to its excellent public transit system. A complex group of land transportation routes (subway, bus, and trains) effectively covers nearly every centimeter of the city. Only taxis seem curiously absent. And renting a car doesn’t turn out to be the most practical solution in town since parking spaces are rare and expensive.

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Alors qu’une lumière dorée semble baigner la ville en après-midi, n’hésitez pas à flâner dans Bruxelles ou à vous asseoir à une terrasse pour boire une bière et manger leurs fameuses frites. Et ne partez surtout pas sans une boîte de leurs sublimes chocolats !
Translation

So when a golden light seems to bathe the city in the afternoon, don’t hesitate to stroll around Brussels or to sit at an outside café to drink a beer and eat their famous fries. And definitely don’t leave without a box of their sublime chocolates!

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French text, sound file, and photo courtesy of Think French audiomagazine. This is part of an article in the mai 2014 issue. Translation by LKL

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1 Response

  1. Faux Frenchie 1 December 2016 / 10:45

    I love that the reader pronounces it like Brusselle like the Belgians do instead of X like the French do.

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