Fiche à imprimer : Life in the trenches : la Première Guerre mondiale (3e)

Anglais	Français
the trenches	les tranchées
no man's land	le no man's land (entre les tranchées ennemies)
to go over the top	sortir de la tranchée pour attaquer
the Christmas truce (1914)	la trêve de Noël
By the time he arrived, the war had lasted two years.	Quand il est arrivé, la guerre durait depuis deux ans.
a poppy	un coquelicot (symbole du souvenir)

De 1914 à 1918, sur le front de l'Ouest, des millions de soldats vivent dans des tranchées boueuses, envahies de rats, sous les bombardements. Entre les lignes ennemies : le no man's land. À Noël 1914, dans certains secteurs, des soldats britanniques et allemands cessent spontanément le combat, échangent des cadeaux et jouent même au football. Aujourd'hui, au Royaume-Uni, on porte un coquelicot (poppy) en novembre pour se souvenir. Le past perfect (had + participe passé) exprime une action antérieure à une autre dans le passé.

Mise en situation : la lettre

Narrator : France, 26 December 1914. A young British soldier writes to his mother.

France, 26 décembre 1914. Un jeune soldat britannique écrit à sa mère.

Soldier : Dear Mum, you won't believe what happened yesterday.

Chère maman, tu ne vas pas croire ce qui s'est passé hier.

Soldier : On Christmas Eve, we heard the Germans singing carols. We had never heard anything so strange.

La veille de Noël, nous avons entendu les Allemands chanter des chants de Noël. Nous n'avions jamais rien entendu d'aussi étrange.

Soldier : In the morning, some men climbed out of the trenches and walked into no man's land without their rifles.

Le matin, des hommes sont sortis des tranchées et ont marché dans le no man's land sans leurs fusils.

Soldier : We shook hands, swapped cigarettes and chocolate, and someone had brought a football!

Nous nous sommes serré la main, avons échangé des cigarettes et du chocolat, et quelqu'un avait apporté un ballon !

Soldier : Today the guns started again. Your loving son, Tom.

Aujourd'hui, les canons ont repris. Ton fils qui t'aime, Tom.

À retenir

the trenches, the Western Front, no man's land, mud, rats, a rifle, shells, a truce, a poppy.
Past perfect : had + participe passé (We had never heard...) ; By the time... ; go over the top.

Exercice 1 : La Première Guerre mondiale : exercice 1 (QCM)

« les tranchées »
1. the trenches
2. the trunks
3. the French
« la trêve de Noël »
1. the Christmas true
2. the Christmas truck
3. the Christmas truce
La trêve de Noël a eu lieu en...
1. 1918
2. 1914
3. 1944
« un coquelicot »
1. a poppet
2. a poppy
3. a puppy
« sortir de la tranchée pour attaquer »
1. to go on the top of
2. to go over the top
3. to go top over
« la boue »
1. mood
2. mud
3. mad
« Nous n'avions jamais entendu ça. »
1. We had never hear that.
2. We had never heard that.
3. We have never heard that yesterday.
Le past perfect se forme avec...
1. had + participe passé
2. was + -ing
3. have + verbe
« un fusil »
1. a riffle
2. a rifle
3. a raffle
« échanger »
1. to swap
2. to sweep
3. to swim

Exercice 2 : La Première Guerre mondiale : exercice 2 (à compléter)

We .......................... never heard anything so strange.
Someone had .......................... a football. (bring)
They walked into no man's .......................... .
We shook .......................... .
By the time he arrived, the war had .......................... two years. (last)
They climbed out of the .......................... .
We .......................... cigarettes and chocolate. (swap)
The soldiers lived in .......................... and rain.
People wear a .......................... in November.
You won't .......................... what happened!

Exercice 3 : La Première Guerre mondiale : mise en situation

Le soldat écrit à sa mère.
1. A young British soldier writes at his mother.
2. A young British soldier writes to his mother.
3. A young British soldier write to his mother.
Tu ne vas pas croire ce qui s'est passé.
1. You won't believe what happened yesterday.
2. You don't will believe what happened.
3. You won't believe what did happen yesterday.
Ils ont entendu les Allemands chanter.
1. We heard the Germans sang carols.
2. We heard the Germans singing carols.
3. We hear the Germans singing carols yesterday.
Ils n'avaient jamais rien entendu d'aussi étrange.
1. We had never hear nothing so strange.
2. We have never heard anything so strange yesterday.
3. We had never heard anything so strange.
Des hommes sont sortis des tranchées.
1. Some men climbed off the trenches.
2. Some mans climbed out of the trenches.
3. Some men climbed out of the trenches.
Sans leurs fusils.
1. with out of their rifles
2. without their rifles
3. without there rifles
Ils se sont serré la main.
1. We shook hands.
2. We shook our hand each.
3. We shaked hands.
Quelqu'un avait apporté un ballon.
1. Someone has brought a football yesterday!
2. Someone had brought a football!
3. Someone had bringed a football!
Les canons ont repris.
1. Today the guns started again.
2. Today the gun started again.
3. Today the guns start again yesterday.
Formule de fin.
1. You loving son, Tom.
2. Your loving son, Tom.
3. Your lovely son of, Tom.

Corrigé

Exercice 1

1. a) the trenches · 2. c) the Christmas truce · 3. b) 1914 · 4. b) a poppy · 5. b) to go over the top · 6. b) mud · 7. b) We had never heard that. · 8. a) had + participe passé · 9. b) a rifle · 10. a) to swap

Exercice 2

1. had · 2. brought · 3. land · 4. hands · 5. lasted · 6. trenches · 7. swapped · 8. mud · 9. poppy · 10. believe

Exercice 3

1. b) A young British soldier writes to his mother. · 2. a) You won't believe what happened yesterday. · 3. b) We heard the Germans singing carols. · 4. c) We had never heard anything so strange. · 5. c) Some men climbed out of the trenches. · 6. b) without their rifles · 7. a) We shook hands. · 8. b) Someone had brought a football! · 9. a) Today the guns started again. · 10. b) Your loving son, Tom.