Today’s reading practice comes from the online French paper Le progrès and is suitable for intermediates and up. It is a good practice for gerund and present participle:
(Clic here to access the article, with larger font*)
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Vocabulary:
en …(verb)ant: is the gerund form in French, and indicates two actions are performed at the same time.
en volant: as stealing
un portable: a cell phone
(verb)ant: is the present participle: in English, the “ing” form.
voyant: seeing
à bord: on board
se servir: to help oneself, to help himself
oublier: to forget
se rendre à… au… : to go to (syn. aller)
où: where
le commissariat: the police station
tomber sur quelqu’un: to run into someone
se diriger vers: to walk towards
dans lequel: in which
apercevoir: to see, to notice
quoi de plus normal: what could be more normal
faisant: making
le larron: the thief
faire main basse sur quelque chose : to steal something
quitter: to leave
un méfait: a misdemeanour
le tableau de bord: the dashboard
débarquer: to turn up
afin de: in order to
un larcin: a theft
domicilié(e)(s): residing
placé en garde à vue: kept in custody
finir par… : to end up …
bel et bien: really, well and truly
sa propre voiture: his own car
levé(e): stopped, suspended
