Dur, dur, la canicule !

"Tough going in the heatwave!"
French A1 dictation exercise

Listen to Isabelle complaining to her mother about the heatwave.

Pay attention to the hints!

Some vocabulary you may want to look up before or during this exercise: "faire trop chaud", "aimer [quelque chose]", "quand", "la canicule", "transpirer", "beaucoup", "utiliser [quelque chose]", "un ventilateur", "mais", "suffisant.e", "donc", "rester à la maison", "la piscine", "difficile", "savoir", "ma chérie", "courage !", "devoir [faire]", "pleuvoir", "demain".

Written by qualified French expert Céline Pickard PGCE, BA
Last updated: 2026-07-22

I'll play you French speech in sections for you to transcribe

  • Start by listening to the whole piece then hit start
  • Play each section and write down what you hear
  • I'll show you correct answers after each for you to mark yourself
Start the exercise
How the test works
You’ll practise: Le Présent (Indicatif), Verbes réguliers avec -ER, Forme négative
I'll be right with you...