Reading Madame Bovary in French: what level do you need?
How many words in every 100 of the original French text you will probably not know, at each French level from A1 to C2. Estimated over the whole book with Solaread’s own word-difficulty model.
- Original title
- Madame Bovary
- Author
- Gustave Flaubert
- First published
- 1856
- Length
- About 116,000 words
Short answer
For a French learner it is just right only at C2: 4.1 new words in every 100. At B1 it is too hard, 12.8 in 100. It is the third hardest of the 10 French classics we measured.
New words per 100, by level
Estimated over all 115,917 running words. Character names are left out. The labels follow Solaread’s difficulty scale: Easy means knowing 98 of every 100 words, Just right 95, A little hard 90, and below that Too hard.
Madame Bovary vocabulary in French, by level
At A2
- pharmacien97×
- tandis67×
- apercevoir100×
- apothicaire59×
- robe60×
- quelquefois50×
- cependant103×
- afin45×
- pâle47×
- féliciter53×
- figure59×
- large46×
The 12 words an A2 reader is most likely to stop at in this book, with how often each appears. Together they are about 4% of the new words at this level.
At B1
- pharmacien97×
- tandis67×
- apothicaire59×
- robe60×
- afin45×
- quelquefois50×
- clerc35×
- écrier35×
- pâle47×
- étaler36×
- continuellement32×
- apercevoir100×
The 12 words a B1 reader is most likely to stop at in this book, with how often each appears. Together they are about 4% of the new words at this level.
At B2
- pharmacien97×
- tandis67×
- apothicaire59×
- afin45×
- clerc35×
- écrier35×
- continuellement32×
- ecclésiastique22×
- quelquefois50×
- muraille21×
- étaler36×
- robe60×
The 12 words a B2 reader is most likely to stop at in this book, with how often each appears. Together they are about 5% of the new words at this level.
The opening lines in French
Nous étions à l’Étude, quand le Proviseur entra, suivi d’un nouveau habillé en bourgeois et d’un garçon de classe qui portait un grand pupitre. Ceux qui dormaient se réveillèrent, et chacun se leva comme surpris dans son travail.
Le Proviseur nous fit signe de nous rasseoir; puis, se tournant vers le maître d’études:
— Monsieur Roger, lui dit-il à demi-voix, voici un élève que je vous recommande, il entre en cinquième. Si son travail et sa conduite sont méritoires, il passera dans les grands, où l’appelle son âge.
Resté dans l’angle, derrière la porte, si bien qu’on l’apercevait à peine, le nouveau était un gars de la campagne, d’une quinzaine d’années environ, et plus haut de taille qu’aucun de nous tous.
Open the free EPUB in Solaread and the words it marks follow your own level, with glosses in the language you choose.
Books with a similar level
- Contes de la Bécasse11.4 new words per 100 at B1
- Le Tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours12.3 at B1
- Lettres de mon moulin12.9 at B1
Questions
What French level do you need to read Madame Bovary?
For the original French text it is just right only at C2, with 4.1 new words in every 100. At B1 it is too hard, 12.8 in 100.
Is Madame Bovary hard to read in French?
It is the third hardest of the 10 French classics we measured. At B1 expect about one new word in 8; at B2, 8.1 in 100.
Where can I get Madame Bovary in French for free?
The original French text is in the public domain. Project Gutenberg has a free EPUB you can import into Solaread.
Read it with help only where you need it
Import the free EPUB. Solaread marks the words you probably don’t know, at your level.