French reading practice with side-by-side translation
| Les vieux métiers de France | France’s traditional crafts and trades |
| En rentrant du marché un samedi matin à Hyères, mon mari et moi sommes tombés sur une exposition fascinante à la médiathèque : « Les vieux métiers en action ». Cette « découverte de la vie des métiers à l’époque de Mireille et Vincent » a fait partie d’un mois d’hommage aux 150 ans de Mireille (Miréio en provençal), le poème lyrique de Frédérique Mistral. |
Translation
Coming home from Hyères’s Saturday market one morning, my husband and I happened upon a fascinating exhibition at the multimedia library: Traditional crafts and trades in action. This "discovery of the life of crafts and trades at the time of Mireille and Vincent" was part of a month of homage to the 150th anniversary of Mireille (Miréio in Provençal), Frédérique Mistral’s lyric poem. [collapse]
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Parmi la trentaine de stands et de tables, dont les animateurs étaient en costume, il y avait des démonstrations et des exhibitions interactives de métiers traditionnellement faits par les femmes :
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Translation
Among the thirty or so stands and tables occupied by costumed presenters, there were demonstrations and hands-on exhibits of crafts and trades traditionally performed by women:
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Et par les hommes :
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Translation
And by men:
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| Nous avons dégusté de l’huile d’olive et de la cade*, écouté de la musique provençale et passé un bon moment en discutant la littérature et l’histoire de l’écriture avec un monsieur en haut-de-forme. Tous les participants étaient très aimables, et je suis reconnaissante à l’association Giens 1900 pour cet aperçu de la vie au temps jadis. |
Translation
We tasted olive oil and cade, listened to Provençal music, and spent a while discussing literature and the history of writing with a man in a top hat. All of the participants were very friendly, and I’m grateful to the Giens 1900 association for this glimpse at life in days of yore. [collapse]
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| * Cade, aka socca, is a sort of baked chickpea-flour crêpe. |
Reading comprehension
Expressions
Vocabulary
Grammar
- En rentrant, en discutant – present participles
- mon mari – possessive adjective
- mon mari et moi – stressed pronoun
- mon mari et moi sommes tombés, Nous avons dégusté – passé composé
- Cette découverte, cet aperçu – demonstrative adjectives
- dont les animateurs – relative pronoun
- les animateurs étaient – imperfect
- traditionnellement faits par les femmes, je suis reconnaissante – past participles
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| Forgeron © LKL |
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