Candide French-English Bilingual EPUB & Word List
Voltaire’s philosophical tale Candide is a masterpiece of French irony written in remarkably short, crystal-clear sentences that make it accessible to CEFR B2 learners. Read chapters 1 and 2 below.
- Original language
- French · Voltaire
- First published
- 1759
- CEFR Level
- B2
- Public Domain & Translation Note
- Full original EPUB on Project Gutenberg
Free Downloads & Online Reader
Download the two-chapter bilingual preview EPUB or the core vocabulary list for Anki right away, or open the LangBox EPUB reader to read and save words across the full book.
Chapter 1 & 2 Bilingual Preview
Double-click any word in the excerpt to hear its pronunciation and see its dictionary meaning.
Chapitre I · Comment Candide fut élevé dans un beau châteauChapter I · How Candide Was Brought Up in a Fine Castle
Original · French
Il y avait en Westphalie, dans le château de monsieur le baron de Thunder-ten-tronckh, un jeune garçon à qui la nature avait donné les mœurs les plus douces. Sa physionomie annonçait son âme. Il avait le jugement assez droit, avec l’esprit le plus simple ; c’est, je crois, pour cette raison qu’on le nommait Candide.
Parallel translation
There lived in Westphalia, in the castle of My Lord the Baron of Thunder-ten-tronckh, a young boy to whom nature had given the gentlest manners. His countenance revealed his soul. He had a fairly sound judgment, with the simplest mind; it was, I believe, for that reason that he was named Candide.
Original · French
Monsieur le baron était un des plus puissants seigneurs de la Westphalie, car son château avait une porte et des fenêtres. Sa grande salle même était ornée d’une tapisserie.
Parallel translation
My Lord the Baron was one of the most powerful lords in Westphalia, for his castle had a door and windows. His great hall was even adorned with a tapestry.
Chapitre II · Ce que devint Candide parmi les BulgaresChapter II · What Became of Candide Among the Bulgarians
Original · French
Candide, chassé du paradis terrestre, marcha longtemps sans savoir où, pleurant, levant les yeux au ciel, les tournant souvent vers le plus beau des châteaux qui renfermait la plus belle des baronnettes ; il se coucha sans souper au milieu des champs entre deux sillons ; la neige tombait à gros flocons.
Parallel translation
Candide, driven out of the earthly paradise, walked for a long time without knowing where he was going, weeping, lifting his eyes to heaven, and turning them often toward the finest of castles, which held the loveliest of young baronesses; he lay down without supper in the middle of the fields between two furrows; the snow fell in thick flakes.
Original · French
Candide, tout transi, se traîna le lendemain vers la ville voisine, qui s’appelle Valdberghoff-trarbk-dikdorff, n’ayant point d’argent, mourant de faim et de lassitude. Il s’arrêta tristement à la porte d’un cabaret.
Parallel translation
Candide, numb with cold, dragged himself the next day toward the neighboring town, which is called Valdberghoff-trarbk-dikdorff, having no money at all, dying of hunger and exhaustion. He stopped sadly at the door of an inn.
Core Vocabulary from Chapters 1 & 2
Key words and phrases in context from the opening chapters, ready to review or import into Anki.
| Word & Pronunciation | Meaning in Context | Sentence in Book |
|---|---|---|
| mœurs/mœʁs/n. | manners, character, or moral habits of a person | Un jeune garçon à qui la nature avait donné les mœurs les plus douces. |
| physionomie/fizjɔnɔmi/n. | facial expression or features revealing character | Sa physionomie annonçait son âme. |
| tapisserie/tapisʁi/n. | a heavy decorative woven wall hanging (tapestry) | Sa grande salle même était ornée d’une tapisserie. |
| sillon/sijɔ̃/n. | a long trench or furrow cut in the earth by a plow | Il se coucha sans souper au milieu des champs entre deux sillons. |
| transi/tʁɑ̃zi/adj. | chilled to the bone or stiff with severe cold | Candide, tout transi, se traîna le lendemain vers la ville voisine. |
| lassitude/lasityd/n. | extreme tiredness and physical weariness | N’ayant point d’argent, mourant de faim et de lassitude, il s’arrêta à la porte d’un cabaret. |