Level 1: God
Audio
Slow audio
| Dieu | Dieu existe-t-il ? Inégalités, injustices, violences, tortures, viols, meurtres, guerres, génocides, la shoah, l’esclavage… Impardonnable, n’est-ce pas ? On vous dira que Dieu se planque pour mettre les hommes à l’épreuve et les amener à choisir entre le bien et le mal. En tout cas, si moi je vous jouais des tours pareils, vous me traiteriez de sadique ! | Does God exist? Inequality, injustice, violence, torture, rape, murder, war, genocide, the Holocaust, slavery.. Unpardonable, isn’t it? People will tell you that God hides to put men to the test and get them to choose between good and evil. In any case, if I played those tricks on you, you would call me a sadist. |
| Regardez l’histoire de l’humanité et les innombrables crimes commis au nom de Dieu ! Et regardez le présent : des États qui persécutent au nom d’un Dieu, torturent et tuent au nom d’un Dieu, et refusent aux femmes le droit d’avorter, toujours au nom d’un Dieu. | Look at the history of humanity and the countless crimes committed in the name of God! And look at the present: States that persecute in the name of a God, torture and kill in the name of a God, and deny women the right to abortion, always in the name of a God. |
| Pauvre Dieu, nom de Dieu, aurait-il tout foiré ? Souhaitons-lui – à ce petit Dieu qui ne serait qu’un pauvre diable – de ne pas exister car nous le jugerions pour crimes contre l’Humanité. Nous avons guillotiné Louis XVI pour moins que cela. | Poor God, bloody hell, would he have screwed it up all? Let’s wish him – this little God who would just be a poor devil – not to exist because we would put him on trial for crimes against humanity. We guillotined Louis XVI for less than that. |
| le dieu | god |
| exister | to exist |
| existe-t-il? | does he exist? |
| une inégalité | disparity |
| une injustice | injustice |
| la violence | violence |
| la torture | torture |
| le viol | rape |
| le meurtre | murder |
| la guerre | war |
| le génocide | genocide |
| la shoah | holocaust |
| l’esclavage (m.) | slavery |
| impardonnable | unpardonable |
| n’est-ce pas? | isn’t it? |
| on | here: people |
| vous | you |
| on vous dira | people will tell you |
| que | that |
| se planquer (fam.) | to hide |
| pour | in order to, to |
| mettre à l’épreuve | to put to the test |
| un homme | man |
| les hommes | here: people |
| les | here: them |
| amener | here: to get |
| à | here: to |
| choisir | to choose |
| entre | between |
| le bien | the good |
| et | and |
| le mal | the evil |
| en tout cas | in any case |
| si | if |
| si moi je | if I (stressed) |
| jouer | to play |
| jouer des tours | to play tricks |
| si je vous jouais des tours | if I played tricks on you |
| pareil | such, like that |
| me | me |
| traiter de | to call |
| vous me traiteriez de | you would call me |
| le sadique | sadist |
| regarder | to look at |
| regardez ! | look! |
| une histoire | history; story |
| de | of |
| l’humanité f. | humanity |
| innombrable | countless |
| le crime | crime |
| commis | committed |
| au nom de | in the name of |
| le présent | present |
| un État | state |
| qui | who |
| persécuter | to persecute |
| torturer | to torture |
| refuser | to deny |
| la femme | woman |
| le droit | right |
| avorter | to abort |
| toujours | always |
| pauvre | poor |
| nom de Dieu ! (fam., vulg.) | bloody hell! |
| foirer | to screw up |
| tout | everything |
| souhaiter | to wish |
| souhaitons-lui | let’s wish him |
| ce | this |
| petit | little |
| il ne serait que | he would only be |
| le diable | devil |
| car | as, because |
| pour | for |
| juger | to put on trial |
| nous le jugerions | we would put him on trial |
| guillotiner | to guillotine, decapitate |
| Louis XVI (1754-1793) | King of France until 1791 |
Download the audio file to your mobile device, activate the loop-mode and put your earphones on. While hearing the audio file over and over again (at first, you need not to listen attentively, just use the audio as ‘background music’), perform the following steps, either in the order we suggest or in any order you prefer:
1. Read the English translation at least once.
2. Read the word list at least once.
3. Read the text at least once.
4. Listen to the text without reading it.
The last point is the most important one because you’ll probably need quite a few listening rounds until you can distinguish every single word! Don’t be surprised if you need to listen 10, 20 or even 50 times – such intense repetition is perfectly normal. In the meantime, check and re-check the word list until you know all the words (yes, 100%).
