Lesson 1.2 — Raconte-moi ! — Telling an anecdote (French B1)

Listen first

A friend tells an embarrassing story at the airport. Listen for the sequencing words that organise it.

🔊 Real audio — spoken by your browser in French. Tap any word below to hear it.

New vocabulary — tap to hear

d'abordfirst 🔊

ensuitethen / next 🔊

soudainsuddenly 🔊

enfinfinally 🔊

se rendre compteto realise 🔊

ce qui m'est arrivéwhat happened to me 🔊

Now say it

Tap the phrase to hear it, then press the mic and repeat — we score your pronunciation for real (Chrome/Edge).

« Quand je suis arrivé, le train était déjà parti. » 🔊

When I arrived, the train had already left.

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Pronunciation

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Read the dialogue

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Tu sais ce qui m'est arrivé hier à l'aéroport ? 🔊Do you know what happened to me yesterday at the airport?

Non, raconte ! 🔊No, tell me!

D'abord, je suis arrivé en avance, ensuite je me suis installé au café. Mais soudain, j'ai compris que j'avais oublié mon passeport à la maison. 🔊First, I arrived early, then I settled in at the café. But suddenly, I realised I had left my passport at home.

Oh non ! Et tu as raté ton vol ? 🔊Oh no! And did you miss your flight?

Presque. Enfin, ma sœur, qui habite tout près, me l'a apporté juste à temps. 🔊Almost. In the end, my sister, who lives nearby, brought it to me just in time.

Grammar in focus · plus-que-parfait

The plus-que-parfait (avoir/être à l'imparfait + past participle) describes an action completed before another past action: « j'avais oublié mon passeport » (I had forgotten) happened before « j'ai compris » (I realised). Sequencing adverbs (d'abord, ensuite, soudain, enfin) keep the timeline clear.

Write it yourself

Tell a short anecdote (5–6 sentences) using d'abord, ensuite, soudain and enfin, plus one plus-que-parfait.

Your answer

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Tip for this task
Bien ! Use the plus-que-parfait for the earlier action: « j'ai vu qu'on m'avait volé mon vélo ». The sequencing words give your story a clear shape.

Quick check

An adaptive quiz confirms you've got it and schedules the right words for review.

1. « j'avais déjà mangé » is in the…

2. Which word ends an anecdote?

3. The plus-que-parfait shows an action that happened…

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