382 pages
French at A1
Everything written for A1 learners (first steps), with explanations, practice and reading at the right level.
DELF, DALF & examsPhrasebookA1
At the library in French: ask for a book you can borrow
Ask for a bird guide, understand sur place seulement and request another copy to take home. Practise useful library phrases and a quick check.
Pronunciation & listeningGap-fillA1
French in, ain and ein: practise the nasal vowel in a lunch story
Meet /ɛ̃/ in vin, pain and plein, compare fin with fine, then complete a French lunch story with eight gaps and picture clues.
Pronunciation & listeningArticleA1
French m and n: close your lips for m, use your tongue for n
Find the difference between French m and n in ma mère, notre and nom. Compare nasal consonants with nasal vowels, then check the sounds in familiar words.
Reading & writingReadingA1
A1 French short story: a waiter who remembers every name
Read about Antoine, a café waiter who knows every regular's name and order. Easy present-tense French with glosses, then match customers to their drinks.
DELF, DALF & examsExam practiceA1
DELF A1 writing practice: tell a visitor where to go on arrival
Write a French arrival note for Adam: Tuesday at ten, reception first, Nora in room B and a place to wait. Includes a model, scene and checklist.
Verbs & tensesQuizA1
French present-tense quiz: ten subject and verb checks
Test French present endings, être, avoir, aller and faire, then tackle modals and reflexive verbs in ten questions with clear explanations.
Grammar & usagePractical guideA1
Asking questions in French: forms, words and examples
Learn how to ask questions in French: intonation, est-ce que, inversion, question words and polite questions, with a nine-question quiz.
Grammar & usageSorting gameA1
Du, de la, de l' or des? Sort foods by their partitive
Du pain, de la confiture, de l'eau, des œufs: sort sixteen foods by the partitive article they take, based on gender, a vowel or the plural.
Grammar & usageCommon mistakesA1
J'ai fini or je suis fini? The English "I'm finished" trap
"I'm finished" is j'ai fini in French. Je suis fini means you are done for, ruined. See why, with examples and a short correction exercise.
Words & expressionsMatching gameA1
French adjective opposites: match the pairs
Grand / petit, chaud / froid, facile / difficile: match twelve pairs of French adjective opposites, then use them with the right agreement.
Culture & registerSentence builderA1
A first language exchange in French: ask what to call someone
Ask what someone prefers to be called in French. Build short questions that distinguish asking a name from choosing how to address the person.
Grammar & usageWord scaleA1
How often? French frequency words from jamais to toujours
Jamais, rarement, de temps en temps, souvent, toujours: a visual scale of French frequency adverbs, where they go in a sentence and how to use them.
Grammar & usageSpot the mistakeA1
Spot the mistake: avoir or être in everyday expressions
J'ai faim, not je suis faim. Tap the wrong word in eight sentences where English speakers use être instead of avoir, then learn the full list.
Pronunciation & listeningOdd one outA1
Odd one out: silent final letters in French
Chat, riz, prix… sac? In each row, three final letters are silent and one is pronounced. Find it, and learn the CaReFuL rule behind it.
Reading & writingTimelineA1
A French morning with one bathroom for three people
Follow a French bathroom rota for three housemates. Read four timed steps, match first, next and finally, and find when the room becomes free.
Reading & writingReal documentA1
Read a French postcard from a friend on holiday
A short French holiday postcard: where they are, the weather, what they eat and do. Read it, answer questions, then use its structure for your own card.
Everyday FrenchClockA1
Midi, minuit and other time traps in French
Il est midi et demi, not douze heures et demie? Une heure, not un heure? Read eight clocks that hide the classic French time traps.
Everyday FrenchText conversationA1
Asking a friend to water your plants, in French
You're away for a week. Ask a French friend to water your plants and feed the cat: keys, how often, and a thank-you present. Short A1 phrases.
Words & expressionsPicture sceneA1
French campsite vocabulary: explore a tent pitch
Explore a French campsite pitch: la tente, le sac de couchage, le réchaud, la glacière, les sanitaires. Tap each, then play Find it with a camper's requests.
Words & expressionsVocabulary listA1
French lighting vocabulary: lamps, bulbs and shades
Twelve lighting words in French with pictures: l'ampoule, l'abat-jour, le lampadaire, l'applique, l'interrupteur, la guirlande. Change a bulb and talk about light.
Verbs & tensesConjugation tableA1
Aimer conjugation: love, like and j'aimerais
Aimer in every common tense, plus the difference between j'aime, j'aime bien and j'aimerais. Examples, typical mistakes and a short check.
DELF, DALF & examsVerb drillA1
DELF A1 routine practice: weekdays and a different Saturday
Practise a short French routine, then complete first-person answers about work hours, lunch and a Saturday visit to your sister’s home.
Words & expressionsFlashcardsA1
French body parts: 24 flashcards with avoir mal à examples
Learn 24 French body parts with articles and example sentences, then practise au, à la, à l’ and aux to explain where it hurts.
Pronunciation & listeningCheat sheetA1
Silent -ent in French verbs: parlent, aiment and prennent
Keep the third-person plural verb ending silent in parlent and aiment. Compare verb stems, singular and plural forms, then try three quick checks.
DELF, DALF & examsDialogueA1
DELF A1 café speaking practice: tea is unavailable
Practise a French café exchange: accept black coffee when tea is unavailable, keep the glass of water in your order and check the server’s recap.
Reading & writingGraded storyA1
A1 French story: a seaside walk when the tide is out
Read an A1 French seaside story about a familiar view at low tide. Learn six glossed words and follow the meeting point above the beach.
Everyday FrenchPhrasebookA1
L’addition, s’il vous plaît: ask for the bill in French
Ask for the restaurant bill, check an extra item and arrange payment in French. Practise card, cash and separate payments with a clear café example.
Reading & writingGap-fillA1
A1 French gap-fill: a museum trip with one changed meeting point
Complete ten gaps in a French museum-outing plan. Track the changed meeting point, keep the museum as the destination and use the simple near future.
Pronunciation & listeningArticleA1
French ch and j: feel the difference in chou and joue
Compare chou/joue, cage/cache and bouche/bouge. See how /ʃ/ and /ʒ/ differ, practise with picture words, then check three contrasts.
Reading & writingReadingA1
A1 French short story: dinner for one becomes dinner for three
An easy French reading in the present tense: Inès plans a quiet dinner, then two friends ring the bell. Glossed words, translation and questions.
DELF, DALF & examsExam practiceA1
DELF A1 writing practice: describe your new pet to a friend
Write a short DELF A1-style message about your new cat or dog: name, age, appearance and habits. Model answer, steps and a self-check list.
Words & expressionsQuizA1
Voir or regarder? Nine questions on seeing, looking and watching
Test voir and regarder in nine everyday situations: a view from a window, a photo, television, a film and meeting someone. Answers explain each choice.
Grammar & usagePractical guideA1
French place prepositions: à, en, au, aux and de
Learn French place prepositions: cities, countries, à and de contractions, destination and origin, with examples and a nine-question quiz.
Words & expressionsSorting gameA1
Il fait, il y a or il pleut? Sort French weather expressions
Il fait beau, il y a du vent, il neige: French weather uses three patterns. Sort sixteen weather phrases into faire, il y a and weather verbs.
Pronunciation & listeningCommon mistakesA1
French s and z: poisson, poison, coussin and cousin
Keep fish apart from poison and a cushion apart from a cousin. Compare s and z, learn the common s/ss spelling pattern and try four checks.
Words & expressionsMatching gameA1
Household appliances in French: match the machine to the chore
Le lave-linge, le lave-vaisselle, le four, l'aspirateur, le fer à repasser: match ten appliances to the chore they do, and learn the verbs.
