Graded story

A1 French reading: an early ferry to the island

A short French reading about catching the morning ferry to Belle-Île: times, tickets and what the traveller forgets. Glosses, translation and questions.

In short

An original A1 travel story in the present tense. Yasmine takes a ferry to Belle-Île. Find the departure time, the price and the thing she forgets. The times and fare are details of the practice story.

Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn

A traveller looking toward a Breton island from a ferry deck.
Yasmine enjoys la traversée to Belle-Île in the morning light. Illustration: Atelier

Le premier bateau

Il est six heures. Yasmine marche jusqu'au port1 de Quiberon. Le premier bateau pour Belle-Île part à sept heures moins le quart. La traversée2 dure quarante-cinq minutes.

Au guichet, elle achète un billet aller-retour3 : trente-huit euros. « Le bateau revient à quelle heure ? » — « À dix-huit heures, madame. »

À bord4, Yasmine monte sur le pont5. La mer est calme, le ciel est rose. Elle prend une photo avec son téléphone.

Tout à coup, elle se rend compte6 : son téléphone a dix pour cent de batterie et son chargeur7 est à l'hôtel. Tant pis8 ! Aujourd'hui, elle regarde l'île avec ses yeux.

Read it in English

It's six o'clock. Yasmine walks to the harbour in Quiberon. The first boat to Belle-Île leaves at a quarter to seven. The crossing takes forty-five minutes.

At the ticket office she buys a return ticket: thirty-eight euros. "The boat comes back at what time?" "At six in the evening, madam."

On board, Yasmine goes up on deck. The sea is calm, the sky is pink. She takes a photo with her phone.

Suddenly she realises: her phone has ten per cent battery and her charger is at the hotel. Never mind! Today, she looks at the island with her eyes.

How do you buy a boat or train ticket in French?

Un aller simple is a single ticket and un aller-retour a return. At the counter you can ask Le prochain bateau part à quelle heure ? (When does the next boat leave?) and La traversée dure combien de temps ? (How long is the crossing?). Use the story to practise finding these details.

Find the details
QuestionWhere to look
Departure timeparagraph 1
Length of the crossingparagraph 1
Ticket priceparagraph 2
Return timeparagraph 2
What she forgetsparagraph 4
Question 1No account needed
When does the first boat leave?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

6.45. Sept heures moins le quart is 6.45.

Question 2No account needed
How much is the ticket?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

€38. Trente-huit euros for a return ticket.

Question 3No account needed
What has Yasmine forgotten?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

her phone charger. Son chargeur est à l'hôtel.