Literature, Poetry, Theatre
Topic specific French practice exercises
Explore the richness of French language, culture, and traditions by learning about literature, poetry, and theatre through the ages.
- A little mermaid
Lovely mermaid Lana tells us about her life! - At the bookshop
François needs help choosing a book. - Cunégonde the witch
Meet the meanest witch in town! - Florence Foresti
Élodie tells us about Lyon-born, famous stand-up Florence Foresti. - My daughter and books
Patrick's daughter has a passion for books ! - Entretien avec un vampire
Check out this interview inspired by Anne Rice's novel to practise your French listening and reading comprehension. - At the Château de Cheverny
Laurence visited one of the most famous Loire Valley Castles. - Bedtime stories
Florian remembers the bedtime ritual he had with his daughter. - Hurray for the library!
Irène tells us why she loves going to the library. - Memories of a bookseller
Brigitte used to work in a bookshop. - My name is Tintin!
Famous reporter Tintin introduces himself. - Shoes by the fireplace
Frank is keen to know about this old French Christmas tradition. - The wigmaker
Geoffrey used to work as a wigmaker at the opera. - Who am I?
A French author is introducing herself: will you guess who she is? - Who is this writer ?
Guess who this (male) French writer is! - A poem for my mother
Here's a lovely poem by our own Aurélie to celebrate Mother's Day in flowers. - A strange encounter
Yoann had the strangest encounter in the Broceliande forest! - Colette's house
Laurence enjoyed visiting the famous French writer's childhood house. - I, Lucky Luke
Christophe imagines what he would do if he were the fastest shooter in the West. - If I were Wonder Woman
Annie imagines what it would be like to be Wonder Woman. - Leaving for Rio
Captain Patrick Dupuis does the flight announcement. - Snow White
Once upon a time, there was a princess named Snow White... - The play
Lucie just joined an after work drama class. - What literary hero would you be?
Michel and Lisa discuss what character from a novel they'd like to be. - La lettre d'amour d'un vampire
Enjoy this lovelorn vampire's love letter, while practising your French reading and listening comprehension. - Un Conte de Noël
Here's the first pages of Charles Dickens's classic "A Christmas Carol", adapted and translated at B1-Level to practise your listening and reading comprehension. - A great passion for reading
Florence talks about her grandmother's passion for books. - Emile Zola's works
Learn more about famous French writer Emile Zola. - If I was Fantômette!
Stéphanie has always dreamt of being the famous Fantômette! - Jules Verne and Nantes
Learn about famous French author Jules Verne and his hometown Nantes. - The adventures of Fantômette
Nadia has always loved the character of Fantômette! - The Beast of Gévaudan
Sarah et Laure are talking about the legend of the Beast of Gévaudan! - The Phantom of the Opera (excerpt)
At the Opera, dancers are spreading rumors of a monster. - Charles Perrault (Portraits français)
Learn about timeless French raconteur Charles Perrault, while practising your French reading and listening skills. - Colette (Portraits français)
Learn about passionate French writer Colette, while practising your French reading and listening skills. - Jean de La Fontaine (Portraits français)
Learn about French poet Jean de La Fontaine, while practising your French reading and listening skills. - Le Club des Poètes
If you like Paris and poetry, you'll love le Club des Poètes. Find out about this thrice-weekly opportunity to recite poetry in our bilingual audio article. - Qui est-il ? Le mime Marceau
Learn about the life and many achievements of world-famous French mime Marceau, while practising your French reading and listening comprehension. - "Les Fleurs du Mal"
Learn about French poet Baudelaire's conception of beauty and poetry. - Alice and the Caterpillar (Alice in Wonderland)
Alice meets the mysterious Caterpillar in this adapted excerpt from "Alice in Wonderland" - Balzac or Zola ?
Guillaume and Clara are discussing which, of Balzac and Zola, is their favourite French author. - Goncourt Prize
Learn about this prestigious French literary award. - In the lives of the writers of French romance novels
Discover what the life of a French writer of romance novels looks like. - Léopold Sédar Senghor
Fatima tells us about one the greatest Francophone writers. - Paul Verlaine's "My familiar dream"
Here's one of Paul Verlaine's most famous poems, where he reminisces about dreaming about a perfect woman. - Proust's madeleine
Learn the origin of this popular French expression. - Rimbaud's poem "Voyelles"
Learn about one of Rimbaud's most famous poems. - The Lumberjack - Part 1
Here's an original Christmas story about a lumberjack who lived in the North Pole... - The Lumberjack - Part 2
Who left those tiny footprints? Here's the end of our original Christmas story! - The war poets of World War I
Amélia tells us about the French poets who fought during the First World War. - Writer's Block
Lucille talks about coping mechanisms to circumvent the dreaded writer's block. - Premier Mai, poème de Victor Hugo
Listen to Victor Hugo's lovely poem about spring "Premier Mai", while practising your French reading and listening comprehension. - Victor Hugo (Portraits français)
Learn more about famous author Victor Hugo, while practising your listening and reading comprehension. - Où est Charlie ? (Prepositions of location)
Practise your location prepositions with this fill-in-the-blank kwiz exercise where we're looking for Charlie [That's Wally/Waldo's French name in the books "Where's Waldo?"]
- Conte de fées (Le Passé Composé vs L'Imparfait)
Practise when to use Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) vs L'Imparfait (Indicatif) with this Fill-in-the-Blanks exercise
- La journée des sept nains (Aller in Le Présent)
Practise Le Présent of the verb "aller" with this Fill-in-the-Blank kwiz exercise
- Notre-Dame de Paris en feu (L'Imparfait)
Practise your French conjugations in L'Imparfait (Indicatif) with this excerpt from Victor Hugo's "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" Fill-in-the-Blanks kwiz exercise
- À la bibliothèque (Subjonctif Présent)
Practise your French conjugations in Le Subjonctif Présent with this Fill-in-the-Blanks kwiz exercise
- Au spectacle de mime (Reflexive Pronouns)
- Un conte de fées (Vocabulaire)
Practise your French Fairy Tales vocabulary in French vocabulary with this Fill-in-the-Blanks kwiz! Beware that here we used Le Passé Simple (Indicatif) as per usual in French fairy tales.
