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French · Reading · A1 to C1

French graded reading: five texts, one step at a time

Graded reading means reading texts written for your level, so that almost every word is understandable and the rest can be guessed. The five texts below climb from A1 to C1, the levels of the European framework used for every language exam. Each one uses the grammar of its level, so you can see your progress in real French.

How to use it: listen first without reading. Then read with the glosses showing, then hide them and read again. Answer the question at the end of each text before revealing the answer.

A LADDER OF TEXTS A1A2B1B2C1 postcardemailblognewsliterary ≈ 95% of words known at each step
Reading research suggests understanding around 95% of the words lets you follow a text and pick up the rest from context. Each step keeps you near that line.
WORDS PER SENTENCE, AND THE NEW GRAMMAR AT EACH LEVEL ~6~8~10~12~15 A1 · presentA2 · two pastsB1 · conditional, yB2 · subjunctiveC1 · literary forms
Each text adds one or two grammar points to the previous level, listed beside it under “Grammar in this text”. Read with glosses first, then hide them and read again.
A1

Une carte postale de Nice

A postcard
BonjourhelloPaul !Paul
bon-ZHOOR POL “Hello Paul!”
JeIsuisamàinNiceNiceavecwithmamysœur.sister
zhuh swee-zah NEES ah-VEK mah SUR “I’m in Nice with my sister.”
Ilitfaitmakesbeaufineetandlathemerseaestisbleue.blue
eel feh BOH ay lah MAIR ay BLUH “The weather is lovely and the sea is blue.”
Onwemangeeatdessomeglacesice-creamstousalllesthejours.days
on MAHNZH day GLAHS too lay ZHOOR “We eat ice cream every day.”
Grammar in this text
Present tense: je suis, on mange: regular -er verbs and être.Le, la, les: la mer, des glaces: articles and gender.
Check Who is the writer with?
Show the answerWith her or his sister: avec ma sœur.
A2

Un e-mail à une collègue

An email
SaluthiClaire,Claire
sah-LÜ KLAIR “Hi Claire,”
Hier,yesterdayj’aiI-haveratémissedlethetraintraindeofhuiteightheures.hours
YAIR, zhay rah-TAY luh TRAN duh wee-TUR “Yesterday I missed the eight o’clock train.”
Ilitpleuvaitwas-rainingetandjeIn’avaisnot-hadpasnotdeanyparapluie.umbrella
eel pluh-VEH ay zhuh nah-VEH pah duh pah-rah-PLWEE “It was raining and I didn’t have an umbrella.”
Est-ceis-itquethattuyoupeuxcanm’envoyerme-sendlesthenotesnotesdeoflatheréunion ?meeting
ES-kuh tü puh mahn-vwah-YAY lay NOT duh lah ray-ü-NYON “Could you send me the notes from the meeting?”
Grammar in this text
Passé composé: j’ai raté: one finished event.Imperfect: il pleuvait, je n’avais pas: the background.Negation: pas de parapluie: de after a negative.
Check Why did Claire’s colleague miss the meeting?
Show the answerThey missed the eight o’clock train, in the rain, without an umbrella.
B1

Pourquoi j’ai quitté Paris

A blog post
Ilitythereahasdeuxtwoans,yearsj’aiI-havedécidédecideddetoquitterleaveParis.Paris
eel-yah duh-ZAHN, zhay day-see-DAY duh kee-TAY pah-REE “Two years ago, I decided to leave Paris.”
JeIvoulaiswanteduneavielifeplusmorecalme,calmoùwherejeIpourraiscouldrespirer.breathe
zhuh voo-LEH ün VEE plü KALM, oo zhuh poo-REH res-pee-RAY “I wanted a calmer life, where I could breathe.”
Aujourd’hui,todayj’habiteI-liveàinlathecampagnecountrysideetandj’yI-theresuisamheureuse.happy
oh-zhoor-DWEE, zhah-BEET ah lah kahm-PAHNY ay zhee swee-zuh-RUZ “Today I live in the countryside and I’m happy there.”
Siifc’étaitit-wasàtorefaire,redojeIleitreferaiswould-redosanswithouthésiter.hesitating
see say-TEH ah ruh-FAIR, zhuh luh ruh-fuh-REH sahn ay-zee-TAY “If I had to do it again, I’d do it without hesitating.”
Grammar in this text
Y and en: j’y suis heureuse: y replaces à la campagne.Relative pronouns: une vie … où je pourrais respirer.Conditional: je pourrais, je referais; si + imperfect.
Check Does the writer regret leaving Paris?
Show the answerNo: she would do it again without hesitating (je le referais sans hésiter).
B2

Le retour des vélos en ville

A news article
Depuissincecinqfiveans,yearslethenombrenumberdeofcyclistescyclistsahasdoublédoubledàinLyon.Lyon
duh-PWEE sank AHN, luh NOMBR duh see-KLEEST ah doo-BLAY ah lee-ON “Over the past five years, the number of cyclists in Lyon has doubled.”
Lathemairietown-hallestimereckonsquethatlesthenouvellesnewpisteslanesenof-itsontarelatheprincipalemainraison.reason
lah mair-REE es-TEEM kuh lay noo-VEL PEEST ahn son lah pran-see-PAL reh-ZON “The city council believes the new cycle lanes are the main reason.”
Pourtant,yetcertainssomecommerçantsshopkeeperscraignentfearquethatlestheclientscustomersnenoviennentcomepluslongerenbyvoiture.car
poor-TAHN, sair-TAN koh-mair-SAHN KRENY kuh lay klee-YAHN nuh VYEN plü ahn vwah-TÜR “Yet some shopkeepers fear that customers will no longer come by car.”
Grammar in this text
Subjunctive: craignent que … viennent: fear triggers the subjunctive.Y and en: en sont la raison: en = of it (the increase).
Check What are shopkeepers worried about?
Show the answerThat customers will stop coming by car (que les clients ne viennent plus en voiture).
C1

Le marché du dimanche

A literary passage
Lethedimanche,Sundaylethemarchémarkets’éveillaitwoke-upbienwellavantbeforel’aube.the-dawn
luh dee-MAHNSH, luh mar-SHAY say-veh-YEH byan-nah-VAHN LOHB “On Sundays the market woke long before dawn.”
Lesthemarchands,tradersdontwhoselesthevoixvoicessethemselvesmêlaientmingledauwith-thebruitnoisedesof-thecaisses,cratesinstallaientset-upleurstheirétalsstallsenwhilesilence.silence
lay mar-SHAHN, don lay VWAH suh meh-LEH oh BRWEE day KES, an-stah-LEH lur-zay-TAL ahn see-LAHNS “The traders, whose voices blended with the clatter of crates, set up their stalls in silence.”
Quiconquewhoeverytherepassaitpassedàatcettethisheurehoureûtwould-havecrubelievedassisterto-witnessàtounarituel.ritual
kee-KONK ee pah-SEH ah set UR üt KRÜ ah-sees-TAY ah uhn ree-TÜ-EL “Anyone passing by at that hour would have thought they were witnessing a ritual.”
Grammar in this text
Relative pronouns: dont les voix: dont as “whose”.Imperfect: s’éveillait, installaient: habitual description.Literary forms: eût cru: a formal written form of aurait cru, would have believed.
Check What does the writer compare the market to?
Show the answerA ritual (un rituel): the silent, pre-dawn routine feels ceremonial.

Related guides

Next guideRelative pronounsQui, que, dont and où, used throughout the B1–C1 texts. Next guideThe subjunctiveThe mood behind craignent que … viennent. Next guideSilent letters and liaisonWhy the audio sounds shorter than the text looks. Course mapFrench hubThe full course map from A1 to C2.