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Une surprise au bureau

Nadia thought the day would be ordinary. She arrived at the office at nine, turned on her computer, and began answering her emails.

Illustration for the A2 story "Une Surprise au Bureau": Nadia prepares a normal workday but finds a warm surprise from her colleagues.

What you'll learn

  • Bilingual graded story
  • Native narration
  • 9 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

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Native French narration of this exact text. Keep the transcript visible on the first pass.

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2Then shadow

Nadia pensait que la journée serait ordinaire. Elle est arrivée au bureau à neuf heures, a allumé son ordinateur et a commencé à répondre à ses e-mails.

Warm-up vocabulary

Preview 3 optional words before reading
répondre
to answer
“Elle a commencé à répondre à ses e-mails.”
silencieux
quiet
“Ses collègues semblaient plus silencieux que d'habitude.”
anniversaire
anniversary
“Nadia avait oublié que c'était son anniversaire de travail.”

Your French story

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Story + translation + quiz

Nadia pensait que la serait ordinaire. Elle est arrivée au bureau à neuf heures, son ordinateur et a commencé à répondre à ses e-mails. Pourtant, ses semblaient plus silencieux que d'habitude. À dix heures, son manager lui a demandé de venir dans la salle de réunion. Quand Nadia a ouvert la porte, tout le monde a crié : « Surprise ! » Sur la table, il y avait un gâteau au chocolat et une grande carte signée par l'équipe. Nadia avait oublié que c'était son anniversaire de travail. Elle a ri, puis elle a remercié tout le monde. La réunion a duré seulement quinze minutes, mais elle a changé toute sa journée.

Show full English translation

Nadia thought the day would be ordinary. She arrived at the office at nine, turned on her computer, and began answering her emails. However, her colleagues seemed quieter than usual. At ten, her manager asked her to come to the meeting room. When Nadia opened the door, everyone shouted, "Surprise!" On the table, there was a chocolate cake and a large card signed by the team. Nadia had forgotten it was her work anniversary. She laughed and thanked everyone. The meeting lasted only fifteen minutes, but it changed her entire day.

Reading Comprehension Exercise

A2 French Reading Comprehension Exercises

1. Why were Nadia's colleagues quieter than usual?

2. What did Nadia find in the meeting room?

3. How long did the surprise meeting last?

4. Défi A2+ : Pourquoi les collègues de Nadia ont-ils organisé cette surprise ? Qu'est-ce que cela dit sur leur relation ?

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