Le français classique

Learn about Classical French in this 5-part series of bilingual articles about the development of French over the centuries.* 

After listening to the audio, click any word for the English translation and links to related grammar lessons.

Note: The tenses in this French article and its English translation don't match! In French, we use the present tense to describe historical stories like this to evoke a sense of immediacy, whereas in English, we commonly use the past tense - learn more about historical French tenses.

 

*The Development of French

  1. Birth of the French language
  2. Dialects and regional languages
  3. Middle French
  4. Classical French
  5. Modern French

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Answer in English: we're testing your understanding of the text, not your grammar or expression, so nothing you write here will be marked for accuracy. To get feedback on how you write, try one of our writing exercises.

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