Chapter 16 of Germinal is here in full — 236 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Germinal is here in full — 236 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Listen," said Maheude to her man, "when you go to Montsou for the pay, just bring me back a pound of coffee and a kilo of sugar." He was sewing one of his shoes, in order to spare the cobbling. "Good!" he murmured, without leaving his task. "I should like you to go to the butcher's too. A bit of veal, eh?
Chapter 16 of Germinal is here in full — 236 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/47 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
possessive form of “butcher” — a retailer of meat
From this reading “"I should like you to go to the butcher's too.”
a beverage consisting of an infusion of ground coffee beans
From this reading “"Listen," said Maheude to her man, "when you go to Montsou for the pay, just bring me back a pound of coffee and a kilo of sugar."”
one thousand grams; the basic unit of mass adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading “"Listen," said Maheude to her man, "when you go to Montsou for the pay, just bring me back a pound of coffee and a kilo of sugar."”
hit hard with the hand, fist, or some heavy instrument
From this reading “"Listen," said Maheude to her man, "when you go to Montsou for the pay, just bring me back a pound of coffee and a kilo of sugar."”
joining or attaching by stitches
From this reading “He was sewing one of his shoes, in order to spare the cobbling.”
a particular situation
From this reading “He was sewing one of his shoes, in order to spare the cobbling.”
a white crystalline carbohydrate used as a sweetener and preservative
From this reading “"Listen," said Maheude to her man, "when you go to Montsou for the pay, just bring me back a pound of coffee and a kilo of sugar."”
meat from a calf
From this reading “A bit of veal, eh?”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
in a state of proper readiness or preparation or arrangement
In this reading “He was sewing one of his shoes, in order to spare the cobbling.”
In this reading “"Good!" he murmured, without leaving his task.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "Listen," said Maheude to her man, "when you go to Montsou for the pay, just bring me back a pound of coffee and a kilo of sugar."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Listen," said Maheude to her man, "when you go to Montsou for the pay, just bring me back a pound of coffee and a kilo of sugar."
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "Listen," said Maheude to her man, "when you go to Montsou for the pay, just bring me back a pound of coffee and a kilo of sugar."
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading A bit of veal, eh?
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading "Listen," said Maheude to her man, "when you go to Montsou for the pay, just bring me back a pound of coffee and a kilo of sugar."
possessive form of “butcher” — a retailer of meat
From this reading "I should like you to go to the butcher's too.
the shoemaker's trade
From this reading He was sewing one of his shoes, in order to spare the cobbling.
a beverage consisting of an infusion of ground coffee beans
From this reading "Listen," said Maheude to her man, "when you go to Montsou for the pay, just bring me back a pound of coffee and a kilo of sugar."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A bit of veal, eh?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Listen," said Maheude to her man, "when you go to Montsou for the pay, just bring me back a pound of coffee and a kilo of sugar."
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Listen," said Maheude to her man, "when you go to Montsou for the pay, just bring me back a pound of coffee and a kilo of sugar."
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Good!" he murmured, without leaving his task.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was sewing one of his shoes, in order to spare the cobbling.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Listen," said Maheude to her man, "when you go to Montsou for the pay, just bring me back a pound of coffee and a kilo of sugar."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He was sewing one of his shoes, in order to spare the cobbling.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I should like you to go to the butcher's too.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was sewing one of his shoes, in order to spare the cobbling.
and nothing more
From this reading "Listen," said Maheude to her man, "when you go to Montsou for the pay, just bring me back a pound of coffee and a kilo of sugar."
one thousand grams; the basic unit of mass adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading "Listen," said Maheude to her man, "when you go to Montsou for the pay, just bring me back a pound of coffee and a kilo of sugar."
the act of departing
From this reading "Good!" he murmured, without leaving his task.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "I should like you to go to the butcher's too.
hear with intention
From this reading "Listen," said Maheude to her man, "when you go to Montsou for the pay, just bring me back a pound of coffee and a kilo of sugar."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Listen," said Maheude to her man, "when you go to Montsou for the pay, just bring me back a pound of coffee and a kilo of sugar."
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Listen," said Maheude to her man, "when you go to Montsou for the pay, just bring me back a pound of coffee and a kilo of sugar."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Listen," said Maheude to her man, "when you go to Montsou for the pay, just bring me back a pound of coffee and a kilo of sugar."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Listen," said Maheude to her man, "when you go to Montsou for the pay, just bring me back a pound of coffee and a kilo of sugar."
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading "Good!" he murmured, without leaving his task.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Listen," said Maheude to her man, "when you go to Montsou for the pay, just bring me back a pound of coffee and a kilo of sugar."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He was sewing one of his shoes, in order to spare the cobbling.
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading He was sewing one of his shoes, in order to spare the cobbling.
give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
From this reading "Listen," said Maheude to her man, "when you go to Montsou for the pay, just bring me back a pound of coffee and a kilo of sugar."
hit hard with the hand, fist, or some heavy instrument
From this reading "Listen," said Maheude to her man, "when you go to Montsou for the pay, just bring me back a pound of coffee and a kilo of sugar."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Listen," said Maheude to her man, "when you go to Montsou for the pay, just bring me back a pound of coffee and a kilo of sugar."
joining or attaching by stitches
From this reading He was sewing one of his shoes, in order to spare the cobbling.
a particular situation
From this reading He was sewing one of his shoes, in order to spare the cobbling.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "I should like you to go to the butcher's too.
refrain from harming
From this reading He was sewing one of his shoes, in order to spare the cobbling.
a white crystalline carbohydrate used as a sweetener and preservative
From this reading "Listen," said Maheude to her man, "when you go to Montsou for the pay, just bring me back a pound of coffee and a kilo of sugar."
any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
From this reading "Good!" he murmured, without leaving his task.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Listen," said Maheude to her man, "when you go to Montsou for the pay, just bring me back a pound of coffee and a kilo of sugar."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Listen," said Maheude to her man, "when you go to Montsou for the pay, just bring me back a pound of coffee and a kilo of sugar."
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "I should like you to go to the butcher's too.
meat from a calf
From this reading A bit of veal, eh?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was sewing one of his shoes, in order to spare the cobbling.
at the time that
From this reading "Listen," said Maheude to her man, "when you go to Montsou for the pay, just bring me back a pound of coffee and a kilo of sugar."
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading "Good!" he murmured, without leaving his task.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Listen," said Maheude to her man, "when you go to Montsou for the pay, just bring me back a pound of coffee and a kilo of sugar."
Chapter 16 of Germinal by Émile Zola holds 236 sentences, grouped into 48 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 16 holds 236 sentences of Germinal, unabridged, divided into 48 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Germinal by Émile Zola exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 236 sentences, grouped into 48 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 48 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 48 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 16 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Germinal by Émile Zola on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10162 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56528 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56528, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2033 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Germinal section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Germinal to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Germinal, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
