La boulangère de la rue Saint-Michel
The Baker on Rue Saint-Michel
A young woman's first day learning to shape croissants from the owner of a Québec City bakery.
- work
- food
- learning
Tap an underlined word to see its meaning.
What you'll encounter
- Grammar
- present tense
- il faut + infinitive
- Vocabulary
- bakery and food vocabulary
- workplace vocabulary
- Skills
- reading a simple workplace-learning narrative
- following step-by-step instructions in dialogue
Aujourd’hui, c’est le premier jour de travail de Camille à la boulangerie de la rue Saint-Michel, à Québec. Elle a vingt-deux ans. Elle est très nerveuse, mais aussi très contente.
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Today is Camille's first day of work at the bakery on Rue Saint-Michel, in Québec City. She is twenty-two years old. She is very nervous, but also very happy.
La rue Saint-Michel est calme le matin. Les lumières de la boulangerie sont déjà allumées. Camille pousse la porte et sent tout de suite l’odeur du pain frais.
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Rue Saint-Michel is quiet in the morning. The bakery's lights are already on. Camille pushes open the door and immediately smells the fresh bread.
À l’intérieur, la boulangerie est chaude et sent très bon. Il y a des pleines de pains, de tartes et de petits gâteaux. Camille regarde tout avec curiosité.
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Inside, the bakery is warm and smells wonderful. There are shelves full of bread, tarts, and little cakes. Camille looks at everything with curiosity.
La boulangerie appartient à Madame Léonard, une femme avec beaucoup d’expérience. Elle fait du pain et des croissants depuis trente ans. « Bienvenue, Camille ! » dit-elle avec un grand sourire. « Aujourd’hui, tu apprends à faire des croissants. »
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The bakery belongs to Madame Léonard, a woman with a lot of experience. She has been making bread and croissants for thirty years. "Welcome, Camille!" she says with a big smile. "Today, you're learning to make croissants."
Madame Léonard donne un blanc à Camille. « Mets ça, pour ne pas salir tes vêtements », dit-elle. Camille attache le tablier et se sent déjà un peu boulangère.
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Madame Léonard hands Camille a white apron. "Put this on, so you don't get your clothes dirty," she says. Camille ties on the apron and already feels a little like a real baker.
Madame Léonard montre la à Camille. Elle est jaune et molle. « Il faut la pâte plusieurs fois, avec du entre chaque couche », explique Madame Léonard. « C’est ça, le secret d’un bon croissant. »
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Madame Léonard shows Camille the dough. It is yellow and soft. "You have to fold the dough several times, with butter between each layer," explains Madame Léonard. "That's the secret to a good croissant."
Camille essaie de plier la pâte comme Madame Léonard. Mais ses mains un peu, et la forme n’est pas parfaite. « Ce n’est pas facile », dit Camille, un peu .
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Camille tries to fold the dough like Madame Léonard. But her hands shake a little, and the shape isn't perfect. "This isn't easy," says Camille, a little disappointed.
Madame Léonard pose sa main sur l’épaule de Camille. « Ne t’inquiète pas, ma belle. On ne réussit pas du premier coup. » Elle montre encore une fois, lentement, chaque geste.
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Madame Léonard puts her hand on Camille's shoulder. "Don't worry, dear. You don't get it right on the first try." She demonstrates once more, slowly, every movement.
Camille recommence. Cette fois, elle va plus lentement et elle regarde bien ses mains. Peu à peu, la forme devient plus . « Voilà ! » dit Madame Léonard. « Tu apprends vite ! »
Show English
Camille starts again. This time, she goes more slowly and watches her hands closely. Little by little, the shape becomes more even. "There you go!" says Madame Léonard. "You're learning fast!"
Avant l’ouverture, Madame Léonard coupe un croissant encore chaud en deux. « Goûte », dit-elle. Camille dans le croissant. Il est à l’extérieur et doux à l’intérieur. « C’est délicieux ! » dit Camille, les yeux brillants.
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Before opening, Madame Léonard cuts a still-warm croissant in half. "Taste it," she says. Camille bites into the croissant. It's crispy on the outside and soft inside. "It's delicious!" says Camille, her eyes shining.
Avant l’ouverture, Madame Léonard montre aussi à Camille comment ranger les pains sur les étagères, du plus grand au plus petit. « L’ordre est important, pour les clients », explique-t-elle.
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Before opening, Madame Léonard also shows Camille how to arrange the breads on the shelves, from biggest to smallest. "Order matters, for the customers," she explains.
Les premiers clients arrivent devant la boulangerie. Ils sentent l’odeur chaude des croissants qui sortent du four. Une petite fille demande un croissant au chocolat. Camille le lui donne, fière de son travail.
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The first customers arrive in front of the bakery. They smell the warm scent of croissants coming out of the oven. A little girl asks for a chocolate croissant. Camille hands it to her, proud of her work.
Un peu plus tard, un vieux monsieur commande une et deux des croissants de Camille. « Ils sont magnifiques », dit-il en souriant. Camille de plaisir.
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A little later, an elderly man orders a baguette and two of Camille's own croissants. "They're wonderful," he says, smiling. Camille blushes with pleasure.
À la fin de la journée, Madame Léonard regarde les croissants de Camille sur le . « Bravo, Camille. Demain, tu recommences avec moi ? » Camille sourit largement. « Oui, avec plaisir ! » répond-elle. Elle a déjà envie de raconter sa journée à sa famille.
Show English
At the end of the day, Madame Léonard looks at Camille's croissants on the counter. "Well done, Camille. Will you come back with me tomorrow?" Camille smiles broadly. "Yes, gladly!" she answers. She already can't wait to tell her family about her day.
Show full English translation
Today is Camille's first day of work at the bakery on Rue Saint-Michel, in Québec City. She is twenty-two years old. She is very nervous, but also very happy.
Rue Saint-Michel is quiet in the morning. The bakery's lights are already on. Camille pushes open the door and immediately smells the fresh bread.
Inside, the bakery is warm and smells wonderful. There are shelves full of bread, tarts, and little cakes. Camille looks at everything with curiosity.
The bakery belongs to Madame Léonard, a woman with a lot of experience. She has been making bread and croissants for thirty years. "Welcome, Camille!" she says with a big smile. "Today, you're learning to make croissants."
Madame Léonard hands Camille a white apron. "Put this on, so you don't get your clothes dirty," she says. Camille ties on the apron and already feels a little like a real baker.
Madame Léonard shows Camille the dough. It is yellow and soft. "You have to fold the dough several times, with butter between each layer," explains Madame Léonard. "That's the secret to a good croissant."
Camille tries to fold the dough like Madame Léonard. But her hands shake a little, and the shape isn't perfect. "This isn't easy," says Camille, a little disappointed.
Madame Léonard puts her hand on Camille's shoulder. "Don't worry, dear. You don't get it right on the first try." She demonstrates once more, slowly, every movement.
Camille starts again. This time, she goes more slowly and watches her hands closely. Little by little, the shape becomes more even. "There you go!" says Madame Léonard. "You're learning fast!"
Before opening, Madame Léonard cuts a still-warm croissant in half. "Taste it," she says. Camille bites into the croissant. It's crispy on the outside and soft inside. "It's delicious!" says Camille, her eyes shining.
Before opening, Madame Léonard also shows Camille how to arrange the breads on the shelves, from biggest to smallest. "Order matters, for the customers," she explains.
The first customers arrive in front of the bakery. They smell the warm scent of croissants coming out of the oven. A little girl asks for a chocolate croissant. Camille hands it to her, proud of her work.
A little later, an elderly man orders a baguette and two of Camille's own croissants. "They're wonderful," he says, smiling. Camille blushes with pleasure.
At the end of the day, Madame Léonard looks at Camille's croissants on the counter. "Well done, Camille. Will you come back with me tomorrow?" Camille smiles broadly. "Yes, gladly!" she answers. She already can't wait to tell her family about her day.
Words to know
- étagères
- — shelves
- tablier
- — apron
- pâte
- — dough
- plier
- — fold
- beurre
- — butter
- tremblent
- — shake
- déçue
- — disappointed
- régulière
- — even, regular
- mord
- — bites
- croustillant
- — crispy
- baguette
- — baguette
- rougit
- — blushes
- comptoir
- — counter