FREE FRENCH READING AND LISTENING
Short stories at your level, one sentence at a time.
66 graded stories set in everyday life in Canada: neighbours, forms, shops, work and school. Read or listen, tap any word for its meaning, reveal the English only when you need it, then answer three quick questions. Free, no account needed.
A1 · 19 storiesFirst stories
Short scenes with simple present-tense sentences: neighbours, shops, forms and the first days in a new city.
Une nouvelle voisine
A new neighbour
Marc meets Nadia, the new neighbour who arrives with a suitcase.
Read the storyÀ la bibliothèque
At the library
Sam gets a library card and has to spell his email twice.
Read the storyLe formulaire
The form
Priya fills in a form at Service Canada and signs it.
Read the storyLa famille de Karim
Karim's family
A morning in the life of Karim's family in Montréal.
Read the storyCombien ça coûte ?
How much does it cost?
Julie buys milk and bread at the corner store and pays by card.
Read the storyLe rendez-vous de Priya
Priya's appointment
Priya checks the date and arrives early for her clinic appointment.
Read the storyLe dîner à Montréal
Lunch in Montréal
Nadia orders lunch at a Montréal restaurant and pays by card.
Read the storyAu dépanneur
At the convenience store
Julie finds groceries at a Québec convenience store and asks for a paper bag.
Read the storyUn trajet au centre-ville
A trip downtown
Sam follows city directions and takes the bus to a museum in Montréal.
Read the storyL'annonce de logement
The rental listing
Julie reads a rental ad, visits a furnished 3 ½ and signs a lease.
Read the storyUn matin d'hiver
A winter morning
Julie checks a Montréal winter forecast and walks carefully on an icy sidewalk.
Read the storyMon premier jour
My first day
Sam takes the bus to his first day at work and meets his manager, Karine.
Read the storyUn rendez-vous à la clinique
An appointment at the clinic
Samira checks in at a clinic and describes a headache and fever.
Read the storyUne sortie en fin de semaine
A weekend outing
Sam invites Nadia on a weekend outing to a Québec sugar shack.
Read the storyLe colis chez le voisin
The parcel next door
A missed parcel brings two neighbours together and leads to a simple plan for next time.
Listen to the storyL'autobus en retard
The late bus
A delayed bus threatens a first appointment, so Sam asks for help and chooses another route.
Listen to the storyLe déjeuner sans arachides
Lunch without peanuts
At lunch, Priya asks a clear ingredient question before choosing a safe meal with the server's help.
Listen to the storyLe rendez-vous déplacé
The changed appointment
A clinic calls with a schedule change, and Sam confirms the new time by repeating it.
Listen to the storyPlus d'eau dans l'immeuble
No water in the building
When the water stops, a tenant checks the notice and reports the problem to the building manager.
Listen to the storyA2 · 17 storiesEveryday life
Weeks, plans and small problems told in the past and the future, with the vocabulary of daily routines.
Une semaine bien organisée
A well-organized week
Awa organizes a busy week, adapts to an unexpected change and protects time to rest.
Read the storyUne journée bien remplie
A busy day
Awa completes classwork, books a tour and follows up on a delayed parcel.
Read the storyUn premier cours à Ottawa
A first class in Ottawa
Sam follows a new route to his first French class in Ottawa.
Read the storyAvant le déménagement
Before the move
Awa describes her weekday and family routine before moving.
Read the storyLe cours du soir de Nadia
Nadia's evening class
Nadia plans an evening course and internship application around her work schedule.
Read the storyQuel logement choisir ?
Which home should she choose?
Nadia compares two fictional homes against her travel and budget needs.
Read the storyLe rendez-vous de suivi
The follow-up appointment
Awa organizes information for a follow-up appointment and distinguishes it from a diagnosis.
Read the storyLa présentation de groupe
The group presentation
A project team prepares, corrects and shares documents for a presentation.
Read the storyUn trajet modifié
A changed route
Two travellers ask for information and adapt their route after a fictional service change.
Read the storyLa liste du repas
The meal list
Nadia checks quantities, prices and a food preference while planning a meal.
Read the storyLe formulaire à compléter
The form to complete
Sam corrects a fictional form, submits it and asks customer service for a processing time.
Read the storyUne semaine à réorganiser
A week to reorganize
Nadia adapts a work, study and travel week, then uses a self-review to plan what to practise next.
Read the storyLa ligne est interrompue
The bus route is interrupted
A service interruption changes Awa's commute; she checks the notice, asks a driver, and reaches work with a backup route.
Listen to the storyLa facture du téléphone
The phone bill
A confusing phone bill prompts Karim to compare the invoice with his plan and ask customer service for a correction.
Listen to the storyLe sac oublié au centre
The bag left at the centre
After leaving a bag at a community centre, Léa calls, describes it clearly, and collects it before closing.
Listen to the storyUn quart à échanger
A shift to exchange
A childcare conflict threatens a work shift, so two colleagues make a clear exchange and confirm it with their supervisor.
Listen to the storyUne réservation à confirmer
A reservation to confirm
A group dinner reservation is missing one detail, so the organizer calls back and checks the practical arrangements.
Listen to the storyB1 · 15 storiesReal situations
Notices, appointments and conversations where you need to follow the thread and understand the details.
Une salle, puis une autre
One room, then another
Lina arrives for an evening workshop, discovers a last-minute room change and helps the group get started.
Read the storyLe stage qui change la décision
The internship that changes the decision
Karim compares two training paths and checks whether an internship fits the life he already has.
Read the storyUn atelier à plusieurs horaires
A workshop at more than one time
A neighbourhood group tests a practical way to make an evening activity easier to attend.
Read the storyDeux logements, un critère décisif
Two homes, one deciding factor
Sam compares two rental options by looking beyond the advertised price to the routines that matter to him.
Read the storyUn cours que chacun peut suivre
A class more people can attend
A community centre adjusts a course after asking learners about access, timing and materials.
Read the storyL'arrêt qui a changé le trajet
The stop that changed the trip
Residents compare the effects of a temporary route change and decide what information to send back.
Read the storyCe qui a été proposé
What was proposed
Nadia writes a careful meeting summary that separates a confirmed decision from an idea still under discussion.
Read the storyLes questions de Nadia
Nadia's questions
Nadia calls a fictional training centre, clarifies an application step and checks the detail that remains uncertain.
Read the storyLa cuisine collective
The community kitchen
Volunteers divide the work for a neighbourhood meal, then revise the process after noticing a bottleneck.
Read the storyLa question qui débloque l'échange
The question that moves the conversation forward
A learner prepares for a community information call and gets a useful answer by asking about one missing detail.
Read the storyLa panne avant la rencontre
The outage before the meeting
A power outage interrupts a community workshop; the organizer moves the group, preserves access, and explains the decision afterward.
Listen to the storyL'atelier qui déborde
The workshop with too many registrations
A popular workshop exceeds its room capacity, and the team creates a fair second session instead of turning people away without a plan.
Listen to the storyLe frais contesté
The disputed fee
A tenant questions an unexpected building fee, gathers the relevant documents, and gets a written explanation before deciding what to do.
Listen to the storyLe trajet réorganisé
A commute reorganized
A temporary transit closure disrupts a caregiver's routine, and she compares realistic options with the people who depend on her timing.
Listen to the storyLa réunion en deux temps
A meeting in two parts
A team meeting excludes remote colleagues because of poor audio; the group changes the format and records clear follow-up actions.
Listen to the storyB2 · 15 storiesOpinions and nuance
Longer texts with arguments, reported speech and the precise vocabulary of work, study and public life.
Le mardi à distance
Tuesdays at a distance
A small workplace trial gives a team useful evidence about flexible schedules, but not a universal answer.
Read the storyUn chiffre dans l'article
A number in the article
Samira checks the source and the size of a survey before repeating a promising public claim.
Read the storyDeux formations, deux priorités
Two programs, two priorities
A career adviser helps Léa compare course requirements, time costs and the uncertainty around an internship.
Read the storyLa place à plusieurs usages
A square with several uses
Residents debate a redesign that could improve access while changing the quiet character of a shared neighbourhood space.
Read the storyCe que le service peut confirmer
What the service can confirm
A patient prepares for an information appointment and keeps official process details separate from personal medical advice.
Read the storyUne application pratique, à quelles conditions ?
A useful app, under what conditions?
A nonprofit weighs the convenience of a digital booking tool against privacy, access and support for people without reliable internet.
Read the storyLe bilan du repas de quartier
The neighbourhood meal review
Volunteers compare two fictional event totals, then explain why a lower amount of waste does not prove which change caused it.
Read the storyDeux parcours d'apprentissage
Two learning paths
Two adult learners describe different ways they built confidence, while a facilitator avoids turning either account into a universal rule.
Read the storyUn budget qui résiste aux raccourcis
A budget that resists shortcuts
A household compares two ways to reduce monthly costs and asks whether the apparent saving shifts costs elsewhere.
Read the storyUne salle pour plusieurs usages
One room for several purposes
Three neighbours disagree about a community room, then identify shared priorities and a way to test competing needs.
Read the storyL'essai de traduction
The translation pilot
A public-facing team considers machine translation for routine notices and sets safeguards after identifying errors that could mislead newcomers.
Listen to the storyLa piste cyclable à l'essai
The cycling lane trial
Residents debate a temporary cycling lane, compare safety and access concerns, and agree to judge the trial with published measures.
Listen to the storyDes salles pour plusieurs usages
Rooms with several purposes
A community organization must share limited rooms among competing programs and develops a transparent schedule with a review process.
Listen to the storyUne consigne à clarifier
An instruction that needs clarification
A patient spots conflicting wording on a pharmacy label, pauses before acting, and asks the pharmacist to confirm the instruction with the prescriber.
Listen to the storyLe projet de réemploi
The reuse project
A workplace reuse proposal faces cost and logistics questions, so the team narrows the pilot and defines how it will measure results.
Listen to the storyWant the words first?
Each story belongs to a vocabulary unit. Learn the unit’s words with flashcards, then come back and read with confidence.
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