Easy French Short Story with English Translation

Did anyone remember the fondest memory of elementary school? Yes, it was visiting the school library for storytime. During each of the visits to the library, the librarian used to make us sit in the chairs in a circle and then recited many short stories modulating her voice and showing us the pictures. It was certainly enjoyable and very relaxing and this has embedded the love for literature in every one of us. 

Reading short stories in various languages with a little translation in English or in the mother language is not just an important means of communication and a kid’s education but it will also help in power learning of various languages in a playful way. Thus, reading some of the French short stories with English translation will definitely help the kids with powerful French learning techniques at any age. 

The French short stories not only familiarise the kids with French in context but also help in learning the language and vocabulary, thus, acclimating your child to the verbs and the tenses as well. This article thus deals with one of such French short stories with its English translations that are available online on Vedantu’s site for free. These are the beloved classics and children’s tales from the French storytellers. Both of them have a lot of pictures for easy narration.

Important French Vocabulary for Reading French Short Stories

Before jumping on to the short stories in French with translation, let us get familiar with a few of the French vocabulary for an easy understanding. The basic French word for short stories is “Une nouvelle”.  We know that all of you are curious to read un Conte de fées (a fairy tale) or une fable (a fable) in French. Something that can be more exciting is a ghost story that is known as Histoire de revenants/fantômes in French. It is also very important to know how to talk about what you read. 

However, the very crucial person in any of the literature is the writer which is pronounced as l’écrivain, author (l’auteur), or the character (le personnage) in French whereas un personnage is the character that is being referred to in the book, film, or TV show though le caractère is the proper French to express the personality trait of the character in the scene.

French Short Story: Petit Poulet (Chicken Little)

Laissez-moi vous raconter l’histoire d'un Poulet. Ses amis l’appellent Petit Poulet. Petit Poulet vit dans une petite maison de poulet normale, dans une petite ville normale.

Translation: Let me tell you the story of a chicken. His friends call him Chicken Little. Chicken Little lives in a normal little chicken house in a normal little town.

Il n’est ni grand, ni petit. Il n’est ni gros, ni maigre. Il n’est ni intelligent ni stupide. Petit Poulet est un poulet tout à fait normal.

Translation: The little chicken is neither fat nor thin. He is neither smart nor stupid. Chicken Little is a completely normal chicken.

Par une matinée tout à fait normale, Petit Poulet mange son petit-déjeuner dans la cuisine. Il aime les toasts avec du beurre et le café à la crème.

Translation: On a completely normal morning, Chicken Little is eating his breakfast in the kitchen. He likes toast with butter and coffee with cream.

Il lit les nouvelles. Il voit une histoire terrifiante avec un titre terrifiant, qui dit : LE CIEL EST EN TRAIN DE TOMBER !

Translation: He is reading the news. He sees a terrifying story with a terrifying headline. It says: THE SKY IS FALLING!

Chicken Reading a Terrifying News

Il a si peur qu’il laisse tomber son toast dans son café. Plouf !

« Le ciel est en train de tomber ! LE CIEL EST EN TRAIN DE TOMBER ! Je dois prévenir tout le monde ! » crie Petit Poulet.

Translate: He is so scared that he drops his toast into his coffee. Plop!

"The sky is falling! THE SKY IS FALLING! I have to warn everyone!" shouts Chicken Little.

D’abord il envoie l’histoire par courriel à ses mille amis les plus proches. Puis il court dans la rue pour prévenir tous les autres.

Translate: First, he emails the story (sends the story by email) to his one-thousand closest friends. Then, he runs into the street to warn everyone else.

La première personne qu’il rencontre dans la rue est Pauline la poule. Elle revient du supermarché.

Translate: The first person he meets in the street is Pauline the hen. She is coming from the supermarket.  

« Bonjour, Petit Poulet ! » dit Pauline. « Où vas-tu ? Pourquoi as-tu si peur ? »

« Le ciel est en train de tomber ! Le ciel est en train de tomber ! » dit Petit Poulet.

Translate: "Good morning, Chicken Little!" says Pauline. "Where are you going? Why are you so scared? (Why do you have so much fear?)"

"The sky is falling! The sky is falling!" says Chicken Little.

The Little Hen Met Pauline

« Vraiment ? Comment le sais-tu ? » demande Pauline.

« Je l’ai vu sur Internet ! » dit Petit Poulet.

« Bon sang ! Ça doit être vrai ! » dit Pauline. « Allons-y ! »

Translate: "Really? How do you know?" asks Pauline.

"I saw it on the internet!" says Chicken Little.

"Holy moly! It must be true!" says Pauline. "Let's go!"

Petit Poulet et Pauline la poule courent alors ensemble sur la route vers le marais.

Translate: Chicken Little and Pauline the hen then run together down the road towards the pond.

En arrivant au marais, ils rencontrent Carine la cane. Elle est en train de se baigner.‍

Translate: When they reach the pond, they meet Carine the duck. She is having a bath.

« Salut, vous deux ! » dit Carine. « Où allez-vous ? Pourquoi avez-vous si peur ? »

« Le ciel est en train de tomber ! Le ciel est en train de tomber ! »‍ disent Petit Poulet et Pauline ensemble.

Translate: "Hello, you two!" says Carine. "Where are you going? Why are you so scared?"

"The sky is falling! The sky is falling!" said Chicken Little and Pauline together.

« Vraiment ? Comment le savez-vous ? » demande Carine.

« Je l’ai vu sur Internet ! » dit Petit Poulet.

« Oh non ! Ça doit être vrai ! » dit Carine. « Allons-y

Translate: "Really? How do you know?" asks Carine.

"I saw it on the internet!" says Chicken Little.

"Oh no! It must be true!" says Carine. "Let’s go!"

Pauline and The Hen Met Carine

Alors Petit Poulet, Pauline la poule et Carine la cane courent ensemble sur la route vers la ferme.

Translate: So Chicken Little, Pauline the hen, and Carine the duck run together on the road towards the farm.

En arrivant à la ferme, ils rencontrent Louise l’oie. Elle lit des poèmes pour Roger le pigeon.

Translate: When they reach the farm, they meet Louise the goose. She is reading poems for Roger the pigeon.

« Salut tout le monde ! » dit Louise. « Où allez-vous ? Pourquoi avez-vous si peur ? »

« Le ciel est en train de tomber ! LE CIEL EST EN TRAIN DE TOMBER ! » crient-ils tous ensemble.

Translate: "Hello everyone!" says Louise. "Where are you going? Why are you so scared?"

"The sky is falling. THE SKY IS FALLING!" Everyone yells together.

« Vraiment ? Comment le savez-vous ? » demande Roger.

« NOUS L’AVONS VU SUR INTERNET » disent-ils tous.

« Bonté divine ! Ça doit être vrai ! » dit Louise. « On n’a pas le temps pour la poésie. Allons-y ! »

Translate: "Really? How do you know?" asks Roger.

"WE SAW IT ON THE INTERNET!" they all say.

"Goodness gracious! It must be true!" says Louise. "We don’t have time for poetry. Let's go!"

Everyone Met Roger and Louise

Et Petit Poulet, Pauline la poule, Carine la cane, Louise l’oie et Roger le pigeon courent ensemble sur la route vers la ville.

Translate: And Chicken Little, Pauline the hen, Carine the duck, Louise the goose, and Roger the pigeon run together down the road towards the town.

Sur la rue principale, ils rencontrent Gérard le renard. Gérard est assis dans un café, en train d’écrire sur son laptop.‍

Translate: On the main street, they meet Gérard the fox. Gérard is sitting at a cafe, writing on his laptop.

« Bonjour mes amis ! » dit Gérard. « Où allez-vous ? Pourquoi avez-vous si peur ? »

« LE CIEL EST EN TRAIN DE TOMBER ! LE CIEEEEEEL EST EN TRAIN DE TOOOOOOMBER ! » crient-ils tous ensemble.

Translate: "Good morning my friends!" says Gérard. "Where are you going? Why are you so scared?"

"THE SKY IS FALLING! THE SKYYYY IS FAAAAALLING!" everyone yells.

Everyone Meeting the Fox at a Cafe

« Vraiment ? Comment le savez-vous ? » demande Gérard.

« NOUS L’AVONS VU SUR INTERNET ! » crient-ils tous.

« Ouah ! Alors ça doit être vrai ! » dit le renard. « Mais ne vous inquiétez pas, les amis, je connais la cachette parfaite. Suivez-moi ! »

Translate: "Really? How do you know?" asks Gérard.

"WE SAW IT ON THE INTERNET!" they all shout.

"Wow! Well then it must be true!" says the fox. "But don’t worry, friends, I know the perfect hideaway. Follow me!"

Gérard mène tout le monde à travers le village, le long de la route, à travers le champ et en haut d’une colline. Au sommet de la colline il y a une grande grotte sombre.

Translate: Gérard leads everyone through the village, down the road, across the field, and up a hill. At the top of the hill, there is a big, dark cave.

« Entrez ! Entrez ! » dit Gérard. « Il y a assez de place pour tout le monde ! Le ciel ne nous tombera pas dessus ici. Nous sommes en sécurité. »

Translate: "Come in! Come in!" says Gérard. "There is enough room for everybody! The sky won't fall on us here. We are safe."

Le lendemain matin, Petit Poulet et ses amis ont disparu. La grotte est vide.

Translate: The next morning, Chicken Little and his friends have disappeared. The cave is empty.

Où sont-ils allés ? Nous ne le savons pas vraiment. Mais je vais vous dire une chose : Gérard le Renard est très heureux. Il a le ventre bien gros et bien rond.

Translate: Where did they go? We don’t really know. But I will tell you one thing: Gérard the Fox is very happy. He has a very big and very round belly.  

Il s’assoit sous un arbre, sort son ordinateur portable et recommence à écrire.

Translate: He sits under a tree, gets his laptop, and begins to write again.

Summary of the French Short Story: Hen Little

The modern version of the classic French story “the little hen” is an oral folk tale that has traced back to its roots 25 centuries back. This story tells us about a hen who believes in everything that she reads on the internet. One day, she read about the world's ending that was referred to as “the sky is falling” which later became a regular idiom to demonstrate that something really terrible is going to happen. She reached out to everyone and told them about what she read on the internet which scared everyone. 

All concerned with the news went to a cafe where one clever fox was sitting and surfing the net. Seeing that everyone including the little hen was so scared of the fact that the sky will fall upon everyone, he invited them all to a cave on the top of the mountain and guided them all to the cave. He assured them that even if the sky falls, it will not going to harm them if they are inside the cave. The next morning, the little hen and all her friends disappeared as the fox ate them and it was evident from his big tummy. The fox became happy and sitting under the tree the fox was surfing the internet.

Moral of the Story

Thus, the moral of the story is that you should never believe what is said by others to what you read in the newspapers, journals, or even on the internet. You should always verify and cross-check the news you read or hear before jumping to a conclusion and reacting to it.