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Cover of La Substance
B1 · 8,046 words · French

La Substance

Coralie Fargeat

Liam's village lives under the control of the mysterious Substance, which keeps everyone obedient and emotionless. When Liam notices strange disappearances and begins to question the system, he discovers a dark truth: the Substance is a machine designed to control their minds. With Emily's help, Liam rebels against the village leader, Elric, and destroys the system. But without the Substance, fear and uncertainty spread. Now, Liam must guide the villagers as they struggle to rebuild and learn to live—and choose—for themselves.

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Words you’ll meet

The words readers of this text looked up most, each with its meaning and the line it comes from.

recula / ʁəkyle /verb

recoiled

Finalement, Elric recula.

Finally, Elric recoiled.

tenaient / tə.nɛ /verb

stood

Les gardes se tenaient silencieux à leur poste.

The guards stood silently at their posts.

maintenirgarder

dessus / dəsy /adverb

at each other

Deux hommes se criaient dessus.

Two men were shouting at each other.

la chamade / la ʃə.mad /noun

pounding

Le cœur de Liam battait la chamade.

Liam's heart was pounding.

fronça / fʁɔ̃.se /verb

frowned

Emily fronça les sourcils.

Emily frowned.

sourcils

durcit / syʁsi /verb

hardens

L'expression d'Emily se durcit.

Emily's expression hardens.

se raidirs'endurcir

delà / o.de.la /adverb

beyond

Les figures en robe conduisirent l'homme au-delà de la porte.

The robed figures led the man beyond the door.

perçants / pɛʁ.sɑ̃ /adjective

piercing

Ses yeux étaient perçants.

His eyes were piercing.

la pierre / la pjɛʁ /noun

stone

Les maisons de pierre bordaient les rues.

The stone houses lined the streets.

ressentait / ʁəsɑ̃te /verb

felt

Il ressentait le poids du regard d'Elric.

He felt the weight of Elric's gaze.

s'effondrer / s‿efɔ̃dʁe /verb

to collapse

Le village a failli s'effondrer.

The village almost collapsed.

secoua / ʃə.kwe /verb

shook

Daniel secoua la tête.

Daniel shook his head.

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