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A1 French reading: a Saturday at the flower farm

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Easy French about volunteers at a flower farm: who cuts, who waters, who makes the bouquets. Glossed text, translation and a people-and-tools matching question.

In short

An A1 reading about four volunteers at a flower farm on a Saturday morning. Read the glossed text and match each person to their job and tool.

Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn

Volunteers watering plants and arranging bouquets at a French flower farm.
A morning at la ferme florale brings the reading to life. Illustration: Atelier

Un samedi à la ferme florale

Tous les samedis, quatre bénévoles1 aident à la ferme florale de Madame Petit. Il fait beau et le champ est plein de couleurs.

Hugo coupe les dahlias avec un sécateur2. Nora cueille3 les tournesols à la main. Le vieux Monsieur Lemoine prend l'arrosoir4 et arrose5 les jeunes plantes.

Dans la grange, Inès fait des bouquets6 : trois dahlias, deux tournesols et un peu de verdure. Elle attache chaque bouquet avec un ruban7 bleu.

À midi, les bouquets partent au marché. À seize heures, ils sont tous vendus8 ! Madame Petit offre un grand déjeuner à tout le monde.

Read it in English

Every Saturday, four volunteers help at the flower farm of Madame Petit. The sun is shining and the field is full of colours.

Hugo cuts the dahlias with secateurs. Nora picks the sunflowers by hand. Old Monsieur Lemoine takes the watering can and waters the young plants.

In the barn, Inès makes bunches of flowers: three dahlias, two sunflowers and some greenery. She ties each bunch with a blue ribbon.

At noon, the bunches go to the market. At four o'clock, they're all sold! Madame Petit offers everyone a big lunch.

Who does what?
PersonJobTool
Hugocuts the dahliasun sécateur
Norapicks the sunflowersher hands
M. Lemoinewaters the plantsun arrosoir
Inèsmakes the bunchesun ruban

Notice how French describes jobs with simple present-tense verbs: il coupe, elle cueille, il arrose. For gardens you'll also need planter (to plant), désherber (to weed) and tondre la pelouse (to mow the lawn).

Question 1No account needed
What does Nora do?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

She picks sunflowers by hand.. Nora cueille les tournesols à la main.

Question 2No account needed
What is un arrosoir for?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

watering. Arroser is to water; l'arrosoir is the watering can.

Question 3No account needed
When are the bunches sold out?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

at 4 pm. À seize heures, ils sont tous vendus.

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