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Graded story

A1 French story: three cups and four guests

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Read an A1 hosting story with eight glosses. Count four tea-drinking guests, find the missing cup and distinguish borrowing from owning.

In short

Il n’y a pas assez de tasses means “there aren’t enough cups”. In the story, four guests want tea and Inès has three cups. Her own drink is already in a glass. She borrows one cup from a neighbour, giving her four cups for four tea drinkers.

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Three matching cups and one blue cup beside a teapot and a plate of biscuits.
The borrowed blue cup brings the total to four cups for four tea-drinking guests. Illustration: Atelier

Read the story once for the problem, then follow the count. There are five people including the host, but only four need tea cups: Inès has water. The blue cup solves that specific shortage. Its presence in Inès’s home does not mean she owns it.

A1 · A small hosting problem

Une tasse chez la voisine

Samedi après-midi, Inès prépare du thé chez elle. Ses quatre amis arrivent à seize heures. Ils s’appellent Malik, Ana, Paul et Rose. Inès ne boit pas de thé aujourd’hui : elle a déjà un verre d’eau. Sur la table, elle pose trois tasses1, une théière et une petite assiette de biscuits. Puis elle compte2 les tasses : une, deux, trois.

« Il y a quatre invités, mais seulement trois tasses », dit-elle. Elle ouvre le placard3 de la cuisine. Il contient des verres et des assiettes, mais pas d’autre tasse. Un verre peut servir à autre chose, mais elle préfère une tasse avec une anse4 pour chaque personne qui prend du thé. Elle téléphone à sa voisine, Mme Lenoir.

« Bonjour ! Vous avez une tasse à me prêter5 pour cet après-midi ? » Mme Lenoir répond : « Oui, bien sûr. J’ai une grande tasse bleue. » Inès passe chez elle et prend la tasse. Elle revient avant ses amis. Maintenant, les quatre tasses sont prêtes6 sur la table. Quand Rose arrive, elle remarque la tasse bleue. « Elle est jolie ! » Inès sourit : « Elle est à ma voisine. Je la lui rends7 ce soir. » Il y a maintenant assez8 de tasses pour les quatre invités.

Read it in English

On Saturday afternoon, Inès prepares tea at home. Her four friends arrive at four. They are called Malik, Ana, Paul and Rose. Inès is not drinking tea today: she already has a glass of water. She puts three cups, a teapot and a small plate of biscuits on the table. Then she counts the cups: one, two, three.

“There are four guests, but only three cups,” she says. She opens the kitchen cupboard. It contains glasses and plates, but no other cup. A glass can serve another purpose, but she prefers a cup with a handle for each person having tea. She phones her neighbour, Ms Lenoir.

“Hello! Have you got a cup you could lend me for this afternoon?” Ms Lenoir replies, “Yes, of course. I have a large blue cup.” Inès goes to her home and takes the cup. She returns before her friends. Now the four cups are ready on the table. When Rose arrives, she notices the blue cup. “It’s pretty!” Inès smiles: “It belongs to my neighbour. I’m returning it to her this evening.” There are now enough cups for the four guests.

Question 1No account needed
Why does Inès need four cups rather than five?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

She herself has water in a glass. The text says Inès is not drinking tea and already has a glass of water. The four guests need the cups.

Question 2No account needed
What does Mme Lenoir lend?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

A blue cup. The neighbour offers une grande tasse bleue, which supplies the fourth cup.

Question 3No account needed
Who owns the blue cup after Inès borrows it?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Mme Lenoir. Inès says it belongs to her neighbour and that she will return it that evening.

Count the objects against the people who need them

Trois tasses pour quatre invités : il n’y a pas assez de tasses.

Three cups for four guests: there aren’t enough cups.

Quatre tasses pour quatre invités : il y a assez de tasses.

Four cups for four guests: there are enough cups.

After assez, use de before the thing counted: assez de tasses. To describe the one-item shortage directly, say Il manque une tasse. Borrowing solves the immediate need, while rendre describes giving the object back. Those verbs explain why the neighbour still owns the cup at the end of the visit.

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