Un été à Annecy
A Summer in Annecy
A teenager hosts her pen pal from Morocco for two weeks, and small cultural misunderstandings give way to a stronger friendship.
- cultural exchange
- friendship
Tap an underlined word to see its meaning.
What you'll encounter
- Grammar
- passé composé
- quand/si + present
- connectors donc/alors que
- Vocabulary
- hosting and daily-life vocabulary
- cultural difference vocabulary
- Skills
- following light cultural misunderstanding resolved through dialogue
- recognizing a cross-level continuity character
Cet été, pour la première fois, Yasmine vient passer deux semaines avec la famille de Manon, à Annecy, dans le cadre d’un projet d’échange scolaire. Les deux filles s’écrivent depuis presque deux ans déjà.
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This summer, for the first time, Yasmine comes to spend two weeks with Manon's family, in Annecy, as part of a school exchange project. The two girls have been writing to each other for almost two years now.
Manon prépare la chambre de Yasmine avec beaucoup de soin : des draps propres, un petit cadeau de bienvenue, et un mot écrit à la main. Elle est excitée, mais aussi un peu nerveuse, puisqu’elles ne se sont jamais rencontrées en personne avant.
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Manon prepares Yasmine's room with great care: fresh sheets, a small welcome gift, and a handwritten note. She is excited, but also a little nervous, since they have never met in person before.
À l’aéroport de Genève, Manon reconnaît Yasmine tout de suite, grâce à toutes les photos qu’elles ont échangées. Les deux filles se serrent dans les bras, en riant, un peu surprises d’être enfin face à face.
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At the Geneva airport, Manon recognizes Yasmine immediately, thanks to all the photos they have exchanged. The two girls hug, laughing, a little surprised to finally be face to face.
Dans la voiture, en rentrant à Annecy, Yasmine regarde le paysage par la fenêtre, fascinée par les montagnes qui entourent la route. « C’est encore plus beau qu’en photo », dit-elle. Manon sourit, fière de partager enfin sa région avec sa correspondante.
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In the car, driving back to Annecy, Yasmine looks at the scenery through the window, fascinated by the mountains surrounding the road. "It's even more beautiful than in photos," she says. Manon smiles, proud to finally be sharing her region with her pen pal.
Les premiers jours se passent bien. Manon montre à Yasmine la vieille ville d’Annecy, le lac, et les montagnes autour de la ville. Yasmine prend des photos de tout, par l’eau claire des canaux.
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The first days go well. Manon shows Yasmine the old town of Annecy, the lake, and the mountains around the city. Yasmine takes photos of everything, fascinated by the clear water of the canals.
Mais un petit malentendu se produit le troisième soir. La famille de Manon dîne très tard, vers vingt heures trente, alors que la famille de Yasmine, chez elle, mange d’habitude beaucoup plus tôt.
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But a small misunderstanding happens on the third evening. Manon's family eats dinner very late, around eight thirty, while Yasmine's family, back home, usually eats much earlier.
Yasmine ne dit rien les deux premiers soirs, mais le troisième, elle a l’air fatiguée et mange très peu. Manon le remarque et lui demande ce qui ne va pas.
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Yasmine doesn't say anything the first two evenings, but on the third, she looks tired and eats very little. Manon notices and asks her what's wrong.
« J’ai juste un peu faim avant le dîner, c’est tout », admet Yasmine, un peu . « Chez moi, on mange plus tôt. Je ne veux pas déranger les habitudes de ta famille. »
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"I'm just a little hungry before dinner, that's all," admits Yasmine, a little embarrassed. "At home, we eat earlier. I don't want to bother your family's habits."
Manon parle du problème avec sa mère ce même soir. « On peut proposer à Yasmine un petit goûter vers dix-huit heures », suggère sa mère. « Comme ça, elle n’a pas besoin d’attendre aussi longtemps, et on mange quand même ensemble plus tard. »
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Manon talks about the problem with her mother that same evening. "We can give Yasmine a small snack around six o'clock," suggests her mother. "That way, she doesn't have to wait so long, and we still eat together later."
Le lendemain, Manon prépare un petit goûter pour Yasmine à dix-huit heures, avec du pain et des fruits. Yasmine la remercie. Elle est soulagée et touchée : Manon a trouvé une vraie solution au lieu d’ignorer simplement le problème.
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The next day, Manon prepares a little snack for Yasmine at six o'clock, with bread and fruit. Yasmine thanks her. She is relieved and touched: Manon has found a real solution instead of simply ignoring the problem.
Quelques jours plus tard, une autre petite différence apparaît : Yasmine fait sa prière plusieurs fois par jour, et elle cherche un endroit calme dans la maison chaque fois. Manon, curieuse plutôt que surprise, lui pose quelques questions simples.
Show English
A few days later, another small difference comes up: Yasmine prays several times a day, and she looks for a quiet place in the house each time. Manon, curious rather than surprised, asks her some simple questions.
Yasmine explique calmement, et Manon lui propose un coin du jardin, sous un arbre, où elle peut prier sans être . « Merci de me demander directement », lui dit Yasmine. « Je préfère ça aux gens qui font semblant de ne pas remarquer. »
Show English
Yasmine explains calmly, and Manon offers her a corner of the garden, under a tree, where she can pray without being disturbed. "Thank you for asking me directly," Yasmine tells her. "I prefer that to people pretending not to notice."
À la fin de la première semaine, les deux filles ont trouvé leur rythme : un goûter tôt, des dîners partagés, des moments calmes respectés sans . Manon apprend aussi quelques mots d’arabe, et Yasmine quelques expressions utilisées en Haute-Savoie.
Show English
By the end of the first week, the two girls have found their rhythm: an early snack, shared dinners, quiet moments respected without awkwardness. Manon also learns a few words of Arabic, and Yasmine a few expressions used in the Haute-Savoie region.
Pendant la deuxième semaine, elles organisent un petit pique-nique au bord du lac avec les amies de Manon. Yasmine, d’abord un peu timide avec des gens qu’elle ne connaît pas, finit par apprendre à tout le monde un jeu de cartes de son pays.
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During the second week, they organize a small picnic by the lake with Manon's friends. Yasmine, at first a little shy with people she doesn't know, ends up teaching everyone a card game from her country.
Le jour du départ de Yasmine, les deux filles pleurent un peu à l’aéroport. « Viens me voir au Maroc l’été prochain », dit Yasmine. « Je vais venir », promet Manon. « Et cette fois, c’est moi qui vais m’adapter à tes habitudes. »
Show English
On the day of Yasmine's departure, both girls cry a little at the airport. "Come visit me in Morocco next summer," says Yasmine. "I'm going to," promises Manon. "And this time, I'm the one who's going to adjust to your habits."
Sur le chemin du retour, Manon pense que les deux petits malentendus de la première semaine lui ont finalement appris plus sur Yasmine, et sur elle-même, que deux ans de lettres.
Show English
On the way home, Manon thinks that the two small misunderstandings of the first week, in the end, taught her more about Yasmine, and about herself, than two years of letters ever had.
Show full English translation
This summer, for the first time, Yasmine comes to spend two weeks with Manon's family, in Annecy, as part of a school exchange project. The two girls have been writing to each other for almost two years now.
Manon prepares Yasmine's room with great care: fresh sheets, a small welcome gift, and a handwritten note. She is excited, but also a little nervous, since they have never met in person before.
At the Geneva airport, Manon recognizes Yasmine immediately, thanks to all the photos they have exchanged. The two girls hug, laughing, a little surprised to finally be face to face.
In the car, driving back to Annecy, Yasmine looks at the scenery through the window, fascinated by the mountains surrounding the road. "It's even more beautiful than in photos," she says. Manon smiles, proud to finally be sharing her region with her pen pal.
The first days go well. Manon shows Yasmine the old town of Annecy, the lake, and the mountains around the city. Yasmine takes photos of everything, fascinated by the clear water of the canals.
But a small misunderstanding happens on the third evening. Manon's family eats dinner very late, around eight thirty, while Yasmine's family, back home, usually eats much earlier.
Yasmine doesn't say anything the first two evenings, but on the third, she looks tired and eats very little. Manon notices and asks her what's wrong.
"I'm just a little hungry before dinner, that's all," admits Yasmine, a little embarrassed. "At home, we eat earlier. I don't want to bother your family's habits."
Manon talks about the problem with her mother that same evening. "We can give Yasmine a small snack around six o'clock," suggests her mother. "That way, she doesn't have to wait so long, and we still eat together later."
The next day, Manon prepares a little snack for Yasmine at six o'clock, with bread and fruit. Yasmine thanks her. She is relieved and touched: Manon has found a real solution instead of simply ignoring the problem.
A few days later, another small difference comes up: Yasmine prays several times a day, and she looks for a quiet place in the house each time. Manon, curious rather than surprised, asks her some simple questions.
Yasmine explains calmly, and Manon offers her a corner of the garden, under a tree, where she can pray without being disturbed. "Thank you for asking me directly," Yasmine tells her. "I prefer that to people pretending not to notice."
By the end of the first week, the two girls have found their rhythm: an early snack, shared dinners, quiet moments respected without awkwardness. Manon also learns a few words of Arabic, and Yasmine a few expressions used in the Haute-Savoie region.
During the second week, they organize a small picnic by the lake with Manon's friends. Yasmine, at first a little shy with people she doesn't know, ends up teaching everyone a card game from her country.
On the day of Yasmine's departure, both girls cry a little at the airport. "Come visit me in Morocco next summer," says Yasmine. "I'm going to," promises Manon. "And this time, I'm the one who's going to adjust to your habits."
On the way home, Manon thinks that the two small misunderstandings of the first week, in the end, taught her more about Yasmine, and about herself, than two years of letters ever had.
Words to know
- fascinée
- — fascinated
- gênée
- — embarrassed
- dérangée
- — disturbed
- gêne
- — awkwardness