Un chat dans la classe
A Cat in the Classroom
A stray cat wanders into a Brussels classroom, and the class works together to decide how to care for it.
- school
- animals
- community
Tap an underlined word to see its meaning.
What you'll encounter
- Grammar
- present tense
- il faut + infinitive
- Vocabulary
- school and classroom vocabulary
- animal vocabulary
- Skills
- reading a group decision-making scene
- following classroom dialogue with multiple speakers
Ce matin, la classe d’Amadou travaille sur les mathématiques, comme tous les lundis. Amadou a huit ans et va à l’école à Bruxelles, en Belgique.
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This morning, Amadou's class is working on math, like every Monday. Amadou is eight years old and goes to school in Brussels, Belgium.
La classe d’Amadou est joyeuse et pleine de couleurs. Il y a des dessins d’animaux sur les murs et une grande carte du monde à côté du tableau.
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Amadou's classroom is cheerful and full of color. There are animal drawings on the walls and a big world map next to the board.
Soudain, la porte de la classe s’ouvre un peu. Un petit chat noir et blanc entre lentement dans la salle. Il regarde les élèves avec de grands yeux.
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Suddenly, the classroom door opens a little. A small black-and-white cat walks slowly into the room. It looks at the students with big eyes.
Toute la classe de surprise. Un garçon au fond de la classe, Rémi, pousse un petit cri de surprise. Une autre fille applaudit, excitée. « Un chat ! Il y a un chat dans la classe ! » crie une fille au premier rang.
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The whole class falls silent in surprise. A boy at the back, Rémi, lets out a little cry of surprise. Another girl claps, excited. "A cat! There's a cat in the classroom!" shouts a girl in the front row.
La maîtresse, Madame Dubois, pose son stylo. « D’accord, d’accord, calmez-vous », dit-elle en souriant. « Ce chat n’a pas de . Il est peut-être perdu. »
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The teacher, Madame Dubois, sets down her pen. "All right, all right, settle down," she says, smiling. "This cat doesn't have a collar. It might be lost."
« On peut le garder ? » demande Amadou avec espoir. « Il faut d’abord savoir s’il appartient à quelqu’un », répond Madame Dubois. « Qui a une idée pour l’aider ? »
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"Can we keep it?" asks Amadou hopefully. "First we need to find out if it belongs to someone," answers Madame Dubois. "Who has an idea to help it?"
Les élèves lèvent la main, pleins d’idées. « On peut lui donner de l’eau et à manger ! » dit un garçon. « On peut faire des pour le quartier », propose une autre élève. « Il faut aussi vérifier s’il a soif », ajoute une troisième élève, Léa.
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The students raise their hands, full of ideas. "We can give it water and food!" says a boy. "We can make posters for the neighborhood," suggests another student. "We should also check if it's thirsty," adds a third student, Léa.
Amadou dessine une affiche avec une photo du chat et le numéro de l’école. « Chat trouvé », écrit-il en grosses lettres. Toute la classe l’aide à colorier le dessin.
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Amadou draws a poster with a picture of the cat and the school's phone number. "Cat found," he writes in big letters. The whole class helps him color the drawing.
« Il faut lui donner un nom, en attendant », dit Madame Dubois. Après une discussion joyeuse, toute la classe choisit : Nuage, parce que son est blanc et noir, comme un nuage.
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"We should give it a name, in the meantime," says Madame Dubois. After a joyful discussion, the whole class decides: Nuage ("Cloud"), because its fur is black and white, like a cloud.
Un élève sort un peu de thon de son sac à goûter. Le chat la nourriture, puis mange avec appétit. Toute la classe regarde en silence, .
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A student takes out a little tuna from his snack bag. The cat sniffs the food, then eats it eagerly. The whole class watches in silence, fascinated.
Puis Nuage s’installe tranquillement sous le bureau de la maîtresse pour faire une , le ventre plein.
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Then Nuage settles quietly under the teacher's desk for a nap, full and content.
Le de l’école passe dans le couloir et voit le chat par la porte ouverte. « Qu’est-ce qui se passe ici ? » demande-t-il, surpris. Madame Dubois explique toute la situation, et le directeur sourit : « D’accord, mais juste pour aujourd’hui. »
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The school principal walks by in the hallway and sees the cat through the open door. "What's going on here?" he asks, surprised. Madame Dubois explains the whole situation, and the principal smiles: "All right, but just for today."
À la fin de la journée, la classe colle les affiches près de l’école. « Peut-être que son va venir demain », dit Madame Dubois. « Et sinon, on continue à s’occuper de lui ensemble. » Amadou sourit : toute la classe aide le petit chat, tous ensemble.
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At the end of the day, the class puts up the posters near the school. "Maybe its owner will come tomorrow," says Madame Dubois. "And if not, we'll keep taking care of it together." Amadou smiles: the whole class is helping the little cat, all together.
Toute la classe est très fière de son travail d’équipe. « On a un chat de classe, maintenant ! » dit une élève joyeusement. Madame Dubois rappelle que ce n’est pas encore officiel, mais, en réalité, les élèves ne veulent pas dire au revoir à Nuage.
Show English
The whole class is very proud of their teamwork. "We have a class cat now!" says one student joyfully. Madame Dubois reminds everyone that it isn't official yet, but really, the students don't want to say goodbye to Nuage.
Show full English translation
This morning, Amadou's class is working on math, like every Monday. Amadou is eight years old and goes to school in Brussels, Belgium.
Amadou's classroom is cheerful and full of color. There are animal drawings on the walls and a big world map next to the board.
Suddenly, the classroom door opens a little. A small black-and-white cat walks slowly into the room. It looks at the students with big eyes.
The whole class falls silent in surprise. A boy at the back, Rémi, lets out a little cry of surprise. Another girl claps, excited. "A cat! There's a cat in the classroom!" shouts a girl in the front row.
The teacher, Madame Dubois, sets down her pen. "All right, all right, settle down," she says, smiling. "This cat doesn't have a collar. It might be lost."
"Can we keep it?" asks Amadou hopefully. "First we need to find out if it belongs to someone," answers Madame Dubois. "Who has an idea to help it?"
The students raise their hands, full of ideas. "We can give it water and food!" says a boy. "We can make posters for the neighborhood," suggests another student. "We should also check if it's thirsty," adds a third student, Léa.
Amadou draws a poster with a picture of the cat and the school's phone number. "Cat found," he writes in big letters. The whole class helps him color the drawing.
"We should give it a name, in the meantime," says Madame Dubois. After a joyful discussion, the whole class decides: Nuage ("Cloud"), because its fur is black and white, like a cloud.
A student takes out a little tuna from his snack bag. The cat sniffs the food, then eats it eagerly. The whole class watches in silence, fascinated.
Then Nuage settles quietly under the teacher's desk for a nap, full and content.
The school principal walks by in the hallway and sees the cat through the open door. "What's going on here?" he asks, surprised. Madame Dubois explains the whole situation, and the principal smiles: "All right, but just for today."
At the end of the day, the class puts up the posters near the school. "Maybe its owner will come tomorrow," says Madame Dubois. "And if not, we'll keep taking care of it together." Amadou smiles: the whole class is helping the little cat, all together.
The whole class is very proud of their teamwork. "We have a class cat now!" says one student joyfully. Madame Dubois reminds everyone that it isn't official yet, but really, the students don't want to say goodbye to Nuage.
Words to know
- se tait
- — falls silent
- collier
- — collar
- affiches
- — posters
- pelage
- — fur
- renifle
- — sniffs
- fascinée
- — fascinated
- sieste
- — nap
- directeur
- — principal
- propriétaire
- — owner