Le tournoi de Scrabble
The Scrabble Tournament
A teenager competes in a regional Scrabble tournament against a rival who becomes a friend by the end of the day.
- competition
- sportsmanship
Tap an underlined word to see its meaning.
What you'll encounter
- Grammar
- passé composé
- object pronouns le/la/les
- donc/ensuite/après
- Vocabulary
- games and competition vocabulary
- rivalry and sportsmanship vocabulary
- Skills
- following a rivalry that resolves into friendship
- understanding a signposted light complication
Cette année, à quatorze ans, Karim s’inscrit pour la première fois au tournoi régional de Scrabble, organisé au centre culturel de Fès. Il joue à ce jeu avec sa grand-mère depuis qu’il a sept ans.
Show English
This year, at fourteen, Karim signs up for the first time for the regional Scrabble tournament, held at the Fès cultural center. He's played the game with his grandmother since he was seven years old.
À l’entrée, Karim voit un nom sur la liste qu’il connaît déjà : Nabil, un garçon de son quartier qui a gagné le tournoi junior l’année dernière. Karim ne l’a jamais battu, pas une seule fois.
Show English
At the entrance, Karim sees a name on the list that he already knows: Nabil, a boy from his neighborhood who won the junior tournament last year. Karim has never beaten him, not once.
La salle est pleine de petites tables carrées, chacune avec deux joueurs et un sac de lettres. Une trentaine de participants de toute la région sont venus, des enfants aux adultes. L’ambiance est calme, presque silencieuse, seulement interrompue par le bruit des lettres qu’on pose sur les plateaux.
Show English
The room is full of small square tables, each with two players and a bag of letters. About thirty participants from the whole region have come, from children to adults. The atmosphere is calm, almost silent, broken only by the sound of letters being placed on the boards.
« Encore toi ? » dit Nabil avec un sourire un peu , quand il voit le nom de Karim à côté du sien sur le programme. « Je t’ai déjà battu deux fois au club. Tu es sûr de vouloir essayer une troisième fois ? »
Show English
"You again?" says Nabil with a slightly mocking smile, when he sees Karim's name next to his on the schedule. "I already beat you twice at the club. Are you sure you want to try a third time?"
Karim ne répond pas tout de suite. Il s’assoit simplement à la table, prend ses sept lettres, et commence à réfléchir à son premier mot. Il décide, en silence, qu’aujourd’hui il va jouer sa meilleure partie.
Show English
Karim doesn't answer right away. He just sits down at the table, takes his seven letters, and starts thinking about his first word. He decides, silently, that today he's going to play his best game.
Le tournoi a trois manches. Dans la première, Karim joue avec soin, plaçant ses lettres une par une, comptant les points dans sa tête. Il finit la manche avec un score correct, mais pas impressionnant.
Show English
The tournament has three rounds. In the first one, Karim plays carefully, placing his letters one by one, counting the points in his head. He finishes the round with a decent score, but not an amazing one.
Nabil, à la table suivante, finit premier et avec un meilleur score. Il passe devant la table de Karim et regarde sa feuille. « Pas mal », dit-il, « mais pas assez bon. »
Show English
Nabil, at the next table, finishes first and with a higher score. He walks past Karim's table and looks at his sheet. "Not bad," he says, "but not good enough."
Pendant la pause, Karim mange son sandwich seul, un peu . Une joueuse plus âgée, Madame Chraibi, s’assoit à côté de lui. « J’ai vu ton dernier mot », lui dit-elle. « Quartz, sur une case lettre compte triple. C’est une très bonne trouvaille. »
Show English
During the break, Karim eats his sandwich alone, a little discouraged. An older player, Madame Chraibi, sits down next to him. "I saw your last word," she tells him. "Quartz, on a triple-letter square. That's a great find."
Karim sourit, surpris : quelqu’un a remarqué son mot. Madame Chraibi ajoute : « Ne joue pas contre Nabil. Joue contre le plateau. Les lettres ne se soucient pas de qui est assis en face de toi. »
Show English
Karim smiles, surprised: someone noticed his word. Madame Chraibi adds: "Don't play against Nabil. Play against the board. The letters don't care who's sitting across from you."
Dans la deuxième manche, Karim se souvient de son conseil. Il arrête de regarder vers la table de Nabil et se concentre uniquement sur ses propres lettres. Il trouve un long mot, « jardinier », sur une case clé, et marque beaucoup de points.
Show English
In the second round, Karim remembers her advice. He stops glancing at Nabil's table and focuses only on his own letters. He finds a long word, "jardinier," on a key square, and scores many points.
À la fin de la deuxième manche, Karim découvre qu’il a en fait un meilleur score que Nabil, pour la première fois. Il ne le montre pas, mais à l’intérieur, il est ravi.
Show English
At the end of the second round, Karim discovers that he actually has a better score than Nabil, for the first time ever. He doesn't show it, but inside, he's thrilled.
La troisième et dernière manche décide du classement. Karim joue lentement et avec soin, de la même manière qu’avant. Nabil, un peu surpris par le score de la manche précédente, semble moins sûr de lui que d’habitude.
Show English
The third and final round decides the ranking. Karim plays slowly and carefully, the same way as before. Nabil, a little surprised by the score from the previous round, seems less sure of himself than usual.
Finalement, Karim termine le tournoi à la deuxième place générale, juste derrière un joueur adulte. Nabil termine quatrième, son pire résultat en deux ans.
Show English
In the end, Karim finishes the tournament in second place overall, right behind an adult player. Nabil finishes fourth, his worst result in two years.
Sa grand-mère, venue l’encourager depuis le public, se lève pour l’applaudir avec un grand sourire. C’est elle qui lui a appris à jouer, il y a sept ans, et elle n’a jamais autant été fière de lui.
Show English
His grandmother, who came to cheer him on from the audience, stands up to applaud him with a big smile. She's the one who taught him to play, seven years ago, and she has never been so proud of him.
Après l’annonce des résultats, Nabil s’approche de Karim, l’air sérieux. « Tu m’as vraiment surpris aujourd’hui », admet-il. « Tu as vraiment progressé. Félicitations. »
Show English
After the results are announced, Nabil approaches Karim, his expression serious. "You really surprised me today," he admits. "You've really improved. Congratulations."
Karim le remercie, puis ajoute : « Tu m’as appris beaucoup de choses, même sans le vouloir. J’ai toujours observé comment tu joues. » Nabil sourit, cette fois sans aucune . « Ça te dit de t’entraîner ensemble parfois ? Je pense que je peux apprendre quelque chose de toi aussi. »
Show English
Karim thanks him, then adds: "You taught me a lot, even without meaning to. I always watched how you play." Nabil smiles, this time without any mockery. "Want to practice together sometimes? I think I can learn something from you too."
Ils quittent le centre culturel ensemble, en parlant déjà des mots qu’ils vont essayer de retenir pour le prochain tournoi. Pour la première fois, Karim sent qu’il a gagné non seulement des points, mais un véritable ami.
Show English
They leave the cultural center together, already talking about which words they'll try to remember for the next tournament. For the first time, Karim feels like he has gained not just points, but a real friend.
Show full English translation
This year, at fourteen, Karim signs up for the first time for the regional Scrabble tournament, held at the Fès cultural center. He's played the game with his grandmother since he was seven years old.
At the entrance, Karim sees a name on the list that he already knows: Nabil, a boy from his neighborhood who won the junior tournament last year. Karim has never beaten him, not once.
The room is full of small square tables, each with two players and a bag of letters. About thirty participants from the whole region have come, from children to adults. The atmosphere is calm, almost silent, broken only by the sound of letters being placed on the boards.
"You again?" says Nabil with a slightly mocking smile, when he sees Karim's name next to his on the schedule. "I already beat you twice at the club. Are you sure you want to try a third time?"
Karim doesn't answer right away. He just sits down at the table, takes his seven letters, and starts thinking about his first word. He decides, silently, that today he's going to play his best game.
The tournament has three rounds. In the first one, Karim plays carefully, placing his letters one by one, counting the points in his head. He finishes the round with a decent score, but not an amazing one.
Nabil, at the next table, finishes first and with a higher score. He walks past Karim's table and looks at his sheet. "Not bad," he says, "but not good enough."
During the break, Karim eats his sandwich alone, a little discouraged. An older player, Madame Chraibi, sits down next to him. "I saw your last word," she tells him. "Quartz, on a triple-letter square. That's a great find."
Karim smiles, surprised: someone noticed his word. Madame Chraibi adds: "Don't play against Nabil. Play against the board. The letters don't care who's sitting across from you."
In the second round, Karim remembers her advice. He stops glancing at Nabil's table and focuses only on his own letters. He finds a long word, "jardinier," on a key square, and scores many points.
At the end of the second round, Karim discovers that he actually has a better score than Nabil, for the first time ever. He doesn't show it, but inside, he's thrilled.
The third and final round decides the ranking. Karim plays slowly and carefully, the same way as before. Nabil, a little surprised by the score from the previous round, seems less sure of himself than usual.
In the end, Karim finishes the tournament in second place overall, right behind an adult player. Nabil finishes fourth, his worst result in two years.
His grandmother, who came to cheer him on from the audience, stands up to applaud him with a big smile. She's the one who taught him to play, seven years ago, and she has never been so proud of him.
After the results are announced, Nabil approaches Karim, his expression serious. "You really surprised me today," he admits. "You've really improved. Congratulations."
Karim thanks him, then adds: "You taught me a lot, even without meaning to. I always watched how you play." Nabil smiles, this time without any mockery. "Want to practice together sometimes? I think I can learn something from you too."
They leave the cultural center together, already talking about which words they'll try to remember for the next tournament. For the first time, Karim feels like he has gained not just points, but a real friend.
Words to know
- moqueur
- — mocking
- découragé
- — discouraged
- moquerie
- — mockery