Text
Un ignorant hérita
D'un manuscrit, qu'il porta
Chez son voisin le libraire.
“Je crois, dit-il, qu'il est bon ;
Mais le moindre ducaton
Serait bien mieux mon affaire.”
Vocabulary
ignorant (m) : dimwit, can also be used as an adjective for : ignorant
hériter (de) : to inherit (1st group)
d’ : short for “de”, means “from” but here it simply used to express “what” is inherited, mostly verb specific
manuscrit (m) : manuscript
porter : to bear, but here : to bring (mostly obsolete for bring, use apporter) (1st group)
chez : defines a location : “chez son voisin” : at/to his neighbour’s (here : to)
son (m) : his (can indicate possession or relation to something)
voisin (m) : neighbour
libraire (mf) : librarian, can be both male and female since it’s impossible to add an e to turn it female
qu’ : refers to “un manuscrit” here, pronoun
bon (m): good, of quality
ducaton : diminutive of ducat (money)
Comments
Hériter (de): “de” is only used when there is actually a precision to be made (“Il a hérité” is correct)
Concerning “son”: In French, the gender of “his” is the same as the target object. So even if A woman possessed a dog it would be “son chien (m)”, if a man possesses a motorbike, it would be “sa moto (f)”, in the case of multiple possessions: “ses chiens”, “ses motos” the gender doesn’t matter anymore (it still matters for adjectives though : “ses beaux chiens”, “ses belles motos” (“belle” being the female version of “beau”)