Une rencontre au café
Marie is seated at the bustling terrace of a café. She sips a fragrant coffee with cream and reads the newspaper.
What you'll learn
- Bilingual graded story
- Native narration
- 8 useful words
- 5 comprehension questions
Then shadow
Borrow the narrator’s rhythm
Pause after this line and repeat it aloud without translating. Aim for three clean repetitions.
1Listen first
Hear the whole story
Native French narration of this exact text. Keep the transcript visible on the first pass.
Playback speed: Natural
2Then shadow
Marie est assise à la terrasse d'un café animé. Elle boit un café crème parfumé et lit le journal.Warm-up vocabulary
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Your French story
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Marie est assise à d'un café animé. Elle boit un café crème parfumé et lit le journal. Un homme élégant arrive et demande : « Excusez-moi, cette place est libre ? » « Oui, bien sûr », répond Marie avec un sourire. L'homme s'assoit. Il s'appelle Thomas. Marie demande : « Quel est votre travail ? » « Je suis de musique. » « Et vous ? » « Je suis photographe », répond Marie. Thomas sourit. « C'est un beau métier ! » Ils parlent de Paris, de musique et de voyages. Le temps passe vite. « Je dois partir, dit Marie, mais c'était très agréable. » Ils échangent leurs numéros de téléphone. Marie repart avec un sourire.
Show full English translation
Marie is seated at the bustling terrace of a café. She sips a fragrant coffee with cream and reads the newspaper. A well-dressed man arrives and asks, "Excuse me, is this seat free?" "Yes, of course," Marie replies with a smile. The man sits down. His name is Thomas. Marie asks, “What is your job?” “I’m a music teacher.” “And you?” “I’m a photographer,” Marie replies. Thomas smiles. “That’s a wonderful profession!” They chat about Paris, music, and travel. Time flies by. “I have to go,” Marie says, “but it was very pleasant.” They exchange phone numbers. Marie leaves with a smile.
Vocabulary recap
Reading Comprehension Exercise
A1 French Reading Comprehension Exercises
1. What is Thomas's profession?
Correct: Music teacher
Thomas is a music teacher, which is revealed when he talks to Marie.
2. What does Marie drink at the café?
Correct: A coffee with cream
Marie drinks a coffee with cream, a typical beverage in French cafés.
3. How does Marie describe her time with Thomas?
Correct: Pleasant
Marie says « c'était très agréable » — it was very pleasant — before she leaves.
4. Which topic is NOT discussed by Marie and Thomas?
Correct: Cooking
Marie and Thomas talk about Paris, music, and travel, but not about cooking.
5. How does the meeting between Marie and Thomas end?
Correct: They exchange phone numbers.
Marie and Thomas exchange phone numbers, suggesting a possible future meeting.
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Mini-lesson complete
You understood 5 of 5 questions.
That is 122 real French words read in context.
- ✓ 122 words read
- 8 new expressions
- 2 grammar patterns
- A1 level unlocked
- ○ Narration ready
- 0 shadowing reps
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