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A2 French reading: a hotel guestbook brings back a promise

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Read an A2 French hotel-return story in which an old guestbook note recalls a promise. Follow the earlier stay, current discovery and planned photograph.

In short

Follow il y a trois ans, cette semaine and ce soir. The guestbook records an earlier promise. Maëlle finds the photograph during her return visit, but sending it remains a next action. Finding the file does not mean the promise has already been fulfilled.

Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn

A hotel room with a double bed, bunk beds and a small table.
A quadruple room at Hotelo Lyon Charité, photographed in 2025. Resized and converted to WebP. Groupe Hotelo · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Read the story for the small unfinished task that comes back into view. The earlier note contains a future form because it records what the sisters intended to do at that time. The final paragraph tells you what still has to happen now.

A2 · souvenir et prochain geste

La photo promise

Il y a trois ans, Maëlle a passé deux nuits dans un petit hôtel près d’un canal. Elle aimait dessiner et avait pris une photo du jardin avec sa sœur. Avant de partir, elle avait écrit un mot dans le livre d’or1 : « Merci pour ce beau séjour. Nous vous enverrons notre photo du jardin. »

Cette semaine, Maëlle est revenue seule pour un court voyage. Pendant qu’elle attendait sa clé, elle a ouvert le livre posé sur la table de la réception. Les premières pages étaient un peu usées2. Elle a reconnu son écriture, puis la signature3 de sa sœur.

Elle a souri, mais elle s’est aussi rappelé la photo. À l’époque, les deux sœurs voulaient l’envoyer après les vacances. Ensuite, elles avaient changé de téléphone et le projet était resté dans un coin de leur mémoire. La promesse4 était toujours là, sur la page.

Maëlle a montré le mot à la réceptionniste. « La photo existe encore ? » a demandé celle-ci. Maëlle a cherché dans ses fichiers. Après quelques minutes, elle a retrouvé l’image dans un dossier5 partagé avec sa sœur. Le jardin était plein de fleurs jaunes.

Ce soir, elle écrira à sa sœur pour lui rappeler cette histoire. Puis elles choisiront ensemble le fichier à envoyer à l’hôtel. Maëlle a déjà demandé l’adresse e-mail de l’hôtel, mais elle n’a pas encore envoyé la photo. Cette fois, elle a aussi noté une date6 dans son agenda.

Read it in English

Three years ago, Maëlle spent two nights in a small hotel near a canal. She liked drawing and had taken a photo of the garden with her sister. Before leaving, she had written a note in the guestbook: “Thank you for this lovely stay. We’ll send you our photo of the garden.”

This week, Maëlle returned alone for a short trip. While waiting for her key, she opened the book on the reception table. The first pages were a little worn. She recognised her handwriting, then her sister’s signature.

She smiled, but also remembered the photo. At the time, the sisters wanted to send it after the holidays. Afterwards, they had changed phones and the plan had stayed in a corner of their memory. The promise was still there, on the page.

Maëlle showed the note to the receptionist. “Does the photo still exist?” she asked. Maëlle searched her files. After a few minutes, she found the image in a folder shared with her sister. The garden was full of yellow flowers.

This evening, she will write to her sister to remind her of the story. Then they will choose together which file to send to the hotel. Maëlle has already asked for the address to send it to, but has not sent the photo yet. This time, she has also noted a date in her diary.

A future form inside an old note

Nous vous enverrons belongs to the note written three years earlier. It was a promise about the sisters’ future then. The current discovery happens cette semaine. Ce soir, elle écrira introduces Maëlle’s next step during this new visit. Read the time frame around a quotation before assigning its future form to the present day.

Question 1No account needed
What reminds Maëlle of the promise?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Her old guestbook note. She recognises her handwriting and reads the earlier promise on the page.

Question 2No account needed
Where does she find the image?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

In a folder shared with her sister. She retrieves the file from un dossier partagé avec sa sœur.

Question 3No account needed
What remains undone at the end?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Sending the photograph. Elle n’a pas encore envoyé la photo explicitly leaves that action unfinished.

To summarise the chronology, separate the promise, the rediscovery and the next action. The story’s ending is a renewed plan, rather than an already completed delivery.

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