Graded story

B1 French short story: an apprentice's first solo repair

Mehdi, a plumbing apprentice, is sent alone to fix a leak for the first time. A B1 story with glosses, translation and questions that ask you to infer.

In short

A B1 story with the past tenses, the plus-que-parfait and implied meanings. Mehdi, 19, does his first repair without his boss. Read carefully: some answers are implied, not stated.

A young plumbing apprentice repairs a pipe beneath a kitchen sink.
The apprentice gains confidence through a first independent réparation. Illustration: Atelier

La première fuite

Mehdi est apprenti plombier1 depuis six mois. Un matin, son patron2, Monsieur Garnier, l'appelle : « Je suis bloqué sur un chantier. Madame Vidal a une fuite3 sous son évier. Tu peux y aller seul ? »

Mehdi a hésité une seconde, puis il a dit oui. Chez Madame Vidal, il a vite trouvé le problème : le joint4 était usé. Mais en ouvrant sa boîte à outils5, il a compris qu'il avait oublié6 les joints neufs à l'atelier.

Au lieu de paniquer, il s'est souvenu d'une astuce que son patron lui avait montrée : une réparation provisoire avec un ruban spécial. Il a expliqué à Madame Vidal qu'il reviendrait le lendemain avec la bonne pièce. Il savait se débrouiller7.

Le lendemain, il a changé le joint en dix minutes. Madame Vidal a appelé Monsieur Garnier pour le remercier. Le soir, le patron, rassuré8, a dit une seule phrase : « La semaine prochaine, tu feras le chantier Lambert. »

Read it in English

Mehdi has been an apprentice plumber for six months. One morning, his boss, Monsieur Garnier, calls him: "I'm stuck on a building site. Madame Vidal has a leak under her sink. Can you go on your own?"

Mehdi hesitated for a second, then said yes. At Madame Vidal's, he quickly found the problem: the seal was worn. But when he opened his toolbox, he realised he had forgotten the new seals at the workshop.

Instead of panicking, he remembered a trick his boss had shown him: a temporary repair with special tape. He explained to Madame Vidal that he would come back the next day with the right part. He knew how to manage on his own.

The next day, he replaced the seal in ten minutes. Madame Vidal called Monsieur Garnier to thank him. That evening, the boss, reassured, said only one sentence: "Next week, you'll do the Lambert job."

Question 1No account needed
Why did Mehdi have to go alone?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

His boss was stuck on another site.. Je suis bloqué sur un chantier.

Question 2No account needed
What had Mehdi forgotten?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

the new seals. Il avait oublié les joints neufs à l'atelier.

Question 3No account needed
What does the boss's last sentence imply?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

He trusts Mehdi with a bigger job.. Giving him the next job alone shows trust: it's implied, not stated.