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Elementary stories

Original French stories written for this level, with comprehension questions.

18 original stories written for this level, each with a comprehension check.

Le portefeuille oublié

After a great dinner in a Lyon bouchon, Julien realizes he has left his wallet at home.

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Quand j'étais petit

Grandpa Robert tells his granddaughter about his childhood on a farm in Normandy in the 1950s.

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Le pneu crevé

On a hot summer day in Provence, a couple gets a flat tire on a small country road.

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Le gâteau raté

Antoine wanted to make the perfect birthday cake for his mother. Nothing went as planned.

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L'entretien d'embauche

Yasmine had a job interview at a bookshop in Toulouse. The morning started badly.

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Des vacances en Bretagne

The Moreau family wanted sun for their holiday in Brittany. They got rain, wind, and a surprise.

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Le colis

A parcel mix-up in a Paris building leads Sofiane to a neighbor he had never spoken to.

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Jour de grève

Mathilde's train to Bordeaux is canceled because of a strike, so she tries carpooling for the first time.

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Le mauvais soir

Théo bought concert tickets months ago to surprise his girlfriend in Montpellier. He just didn't check the date.

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La brocante

At the huge Lille flea market, Nadia buys an old box for two euros. Inside, she finds a photo and a mystery.

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Le semi-marathon

Karine, forty-five, decided to run her first half-marathon in Bordeaux. Training was the easy part.

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La nouvelle coloc

Baptiste was worried when a stranger moved into his shared flat in Grenoble. She turned out to be full of surprises.

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Le mariage en Alsace

Everything was ready for Pauline's sister's outdoor wedding in an Alsace village, until the storm arrived.

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La panne de courant

One winter evening in Clermont-Ferrand, the electricity went off. The Girard family had to find something to do.

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Le Tour de France

When the Tour de France came through his Pyrenees village, ten-year-old Ethan waited all day for a few seconds of cycling.

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La ratatouille de Mamie

Elsa tries to cook her late grandmother's ratatouille from Avignon. The recipe has a secret ingredient.

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La mauvaise gare

Kenji, visiting Paris for the first time, has a train to catch, but Paris has more than one big station.

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La nouvelle maîtresse

It's Amandine's first day as a primary school teacher in Marseille, and she is more nervous than her pupils.

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