Un train pour Marseille
Inès arrived at the station with a suitcase too heavy and a lukewarm coffee half-drunk.

What you'll learn
- Bilingual graded story
- Native narration
- 8 useful words
- 4 comprehension questions
Then shadow
Borrow the narrator’s rhythm
Pause after this line and repeat it aloud without translating. Aim for three clean repetitions.
1Listen first
Hear the whole story
Native French narration of this exact text. Keep the transcript visible on the first pass.
Playback speed: Natural
2Then shadow
Inès est arrivée à la gare avec une valise trop lourde et un café tiède à moitié bu.Warm-up vocabulary
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Your French story
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Inès est arrivée à la gare avec une valise trop lourde et un café tiède à moitié bu. Elle n'a pas compris la première annonce, alors elle a demandé à une agente souriante : « Sur quel part le train pour Marseille ? » L'écran indiquait dix minutes de , mais le quai restait le même. Pendant l'attente, Inès a vérifié sa et a noté le numéro du quai dans son carnet. Pendant le trajet, elle regardait les oliviers et les petites maisons blanches qui défilaient rapidement. À Marseille, elle a senti l'air plus chaud et vu la lumière se refléter sur les façades. Elle a souri : son voyage commençait enfin.
Show full English translation
Inès arrived at the station with a suitcase too heavy and a lukewarm coffee half-drunk. She didn't understand the first announcement, so she asked a smiling attendant, “Which platform does the train to Marseille leave from?” The screen showed a ten-minute delay, but the platform remained the same. While she waited, Inès checked her connection and noted the platform number in her notebook. During the journey, she watched the olive trees and small white houses flash by. In Marseille, she felt the warmer air and saw light reflecting on the buildings. She smiled: her trip was finally beginning.
Vocabulary recap
Reading Comprehension Exercise
A2 French Reading Comprehension Exercises
1. Why does Inès speak to the attendant?
Correct: Because she didn't understand the announcement
Inès asks the attendant which platform the train to Marseille leaves from because she did not understand the announcement.
2. What does Inès note in her notebook?
Correct: The platform number
While she waits, Inès checks her connection and notes the platform number in her notebook.
3. What does Inès notice when she reaches Marseille?
Correct: Warmer air and light on the buildings
Inès feels the warmer air and sees light reflecting on the buildings as she arrives.
4. Défi A2+ : Comment Inès transforme-t-elle ses difficultés en expérience positive ? Explique.
Correct: Elle demande de l'aide et vérifie les informations de son voyage
Au lieu de paniquer, Inès demande de l'aide à l'agente, vérifie sa correspondance et note le numéro du quai.
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Mini-lesson complete
You understood 4 of 4 questions.
That is 114 real French words read in context.
- ✓ 114 words read
- 8 new expressions
- 2 grammar patterns
- A2 level unlocked
- ○ Narration ready
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