Reading practice: Fairy tales in French
June 16, 2022 by Mylene in Reading Practice ▪
Join me for the reading of different fairy tales in French for beginners. (Re)discover stories with me and take advantage of these readings to improve your pronunciation and your oral comprehension thanks to easy French.
We will cover the following points:
- How to practice with these readings
- Boucles d’or et les trois ours
- Le petit Poucet
- Barbe Bleue
- Le Chat Botté
How to practice with these readings
The pronunciation of the letters
You most certainly know that in French there are many letters that are not pronounced in words. For example in the word “petit”, the last -t is not pronounced. Similarly when speaking quickly the letter -e is usually unpronounced.
In these readings I will tell you which letters are silent. You should also know that letter combinations produce different sounds.
You will be able to hear how each combination of letters is pronounced at the beginning of words, in the middle or at the end of a word.
Silent letters are in purple in the presentation.
The liaisons
Liaison is the pronunciation between two words of an otherwise silent final consonant when the following word begins with a vowel or a silent h.
The liaisons can be required, optional, or optional.
Listen to me and repeat with me with the liaisons!
Mandatory liaisons are in red in the presentation.
The enchainements
The enchainement is the pronunciation between two words of a final letter otherwise pronounced when the following word begins with a vowel or a silent h.
I speak very slowly, you will be able to repeat with me!
The enchainements links are in green in the presentation.
Boucles d’or et les 3 ours
Les frères Grimm
Listen to the story of the encounter between three bears and a little girl called “Boucles d’or” because of her blond hair.
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Discover in this story
Example of pronunciation to discover in this video:
Les trois ours décidèrent de faire une petite promenade en attendant que le déjeuner refroidisse un peu.
Elle vit alors un escalier au bout de la pièce et entreprit de le monter.
Boucles d’Or, réveillée par la voix des ours, ouvrit les yeux et vit les trois ours penchés au-dessus d’elle.
Le petit poucet
Charles Perrault – 1697
Discover the story of a lumberjack and his wife who no longer have enough to feed their seven boys. One evening the parents resign themselves, heartbroken, to losing them in the forest.
Le Petit Poucet – Part 1
Le Petit Poucet – Part 2
Enjoy and watch all the videos about correct French pronunciation on my YouTube channel.
Discover in this story
Example of pronunciation to discover in this video:
- Il était une fois, un Bûcheron et sa femme qui étaient forts pauvres. Ils avaient sept enfants
- Quand il vint au monde, le plus jeune était si petit, pas plus gros qu’un pouce, on le surnomma alors, le Petit Poucet.
- Quelques instants plus tard, voyant que leurs parents avaient disparus, les enfants se mirent à crier et à pleurer de toute leur force.
Barbe Bleue
Charles Perrault – 1697
Discover the story of a rich man, but with a blue beard, which makes him look terrible. He has already had several wives in the past, whose fate is unknown…
Barbe bleue – part 1
Barbe bleue – part 2
Discover in this story
Example of pronunciation to discover in this video:
- Il était une fois un homme qui avait de belles maisons à la ville et à la campagne
- Il lui en demanda une en mariage. Elles n’en voulaient point toutes deux, ne pouvant se résoudre à prendre un homme qui eût la barbe bleue.
- Ce qui les dégoûtait encore, c’est qu’il avait déjà épousé plusieurs femmes, et qu’on ne savait ce que ces femmes étaient devenues.
Le Chat Botté
Charles Perrault – 1697
Discover the story of a cat, le Chat Botté, who uses trickery and deceit to gain power, wealth, and the hand of a princess in marriage for his penniless and low-born master.
Le chat botté – part 1
Le chat botté – part 2
Enjoy and watch all the videos about correct French pronunciation on my YouTube channel.
Discover in this story
Example of pronunciation to discover in this video:
- Il était une fois un meunier qui avait trois fils. A sa mort, ses biens furent partagés entre ses fils.
- Le plus jeune fils très surpris d’entendre le chat parler, fit ce que ce dernier lui demandait.
- Piqué au vif, l’ogre se changea immédiatement en souris et se mit à courir sur le plancher.
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