This A1 Beginner retelling of Le Corbeau et le Renard keeps the plot clear for learners while still giving the story some atmosphere and momentum. Un corbeau est sur un arbre. Il a un fromage dans le bec.
This version teaches French through English and includes clickable word help inside the story, full story audio, and lesson notes after the reading. It is free to use on Yak Yacker and is designed to feel natural, readable, and manageable for learners.
Un est sur un . Il a un dans le bec.
Un . Il le corbeau et le fromage.
Le renard : "Bonjour, Monsieur le Corbeau ! Vous êtes !"
Le corbeau est . Il .
Le renard : "Votre voix est , je suis ! pour moi !"
Le corbeau le bec pour . Le fromage .
Le renard le fromage et : "Merci, Monsieur le Corbeau !"
A crow is on a tree. He has a cheese in his beak.
A fox passes by. He sees the crow and the cheese.
The fox says: "Hello, Mr. Crow! You are very handsome!"
The crow is happy. He listens.
The fox says: "Your voice is beautiful, I'm sure! Sing for me!"
The crow opens his beak to sing. The cheese falls.
The fox takes the cheese and says: "Thank you, Mr. Crow!"
This classic tale uses simple, useful French words. Here are a few you saw in the story-try saying them aloud!
- un corbeau - a crow
- un fromage - a cheese
- un renard - a fox
- le bec - the beak
- chanter - to sing
In French, every noun is either masculine or feminine. The little word in front (un/une, le/la) gives you a hint. Learning the pattern helps you sound more natural.
- Masculine examples from the story: un corbeau, le fromage
- Feminine example: la voix (voice)
- Many words ending in -eau or -age are masculine - like fromage and corbeau!
The fox may be tricky, but he's very polite at the start! Words like bonjour and vous show good manners in French.
- Bonjour = Hello / Good day (use it before 6 p.m.)
- Monsieur = Mr. / Sir (a respectful way to address a man)
- Vous = you (the polite form, used with people you don't know well)
You've followed a clever fox and a proud crow-and picked up some real French along the way. Now it's your turn to play with the language!
Try reading the story out loud, or even acting it out with a friend. Each time, you'll feel a little more confident.
- Listen again and spot all the le and la words.
- Find one new French word around you today and say it to someone.
- Amuse-toi bien ! (Have fun!)
Le Corbeau et le Renard comes from the French / La Fontaine tradition and is best known as a fable. This Yak Yacker article is an original learner retelling based on La Fontaine, 1668; public domain, so the wording here is simplified for modern learners rather than copied from one old edition.
Older printings, translations, and retellings of this story can vary quite a bit. The original audience was usually kids/general, but this version is adapted for A1 Beginner learners studying French. Retell in simple prose rather than copying verse.
If you want to look into the source tradition, start with Project Gutenberg.
If you want to keep going, browse more in our French section and review the A1 French Vocabulary. After that, try Basic Questions in French for another useful next step.
