Jean de La Fontaine (Portraits français)

Written by qualified French expert Céline Pickard PGCE, BA

In: Reading B2, Famous People, Politics, History & Economics, Literature, Poetry, Theatre, Listening or Seeing B2

Discussion of this reading exercise: 7

Jean de La Fontaine is one of the most beloved French poets, whose fables are still today a staple of French education. Learn about his eventful life in this article from our Portraits français series.
After listening to the audio, click any word for the English translation and links to related grammar lessons.

Note: The tenses in this French article and its English translation don't match! In French, we use the present tense to describe historical stories like this to evoke a sense of immediacy, whereas in English, we commonly use the past tense - learn more about historical French tenses.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4