Practice FrenchLecture · niveau seuil
French B1 reading practice
Short stories for intermediate French: opinions, small mysteries, and narration that moves between past tenses. Read the passage in French, check the key vocabulary, then test yourself with comprehension questions.
La lettre du phare2 min
What you can read at B1
B1 stories move beyond routine: opinions, small mysteries, feelings, and narration that switches between past tenses. Expect a few unknown words per paragraph — exactly enough to grow on without reaching for a dictionary.
Every story is published with an English title and summary, a key-vocabulary list, and comprehension questions. In the app the same stories add recorded audio, tap-to-translate help, and saved progress. Each story’s language passes automated checks and human approval before publication.
The B1 stories
B1
La lettre du phare
The Letter from the Lighthouse · 2 min · mystère et mémoire
Inès follows a clue in an old lighthouse letter and discovers forgotten family history.
Read the full story →
La librairie des parapluies
The Umbrella Bookshop
A strange speaking umbrella leads Mina into a reading game created by a clever bookseller.
Le bus des langues
The Language Bus
After the bus microphone breaks, passengers begin sharing languages and turn the bus into a small community.
La recette oubliée
The Forgotten Recipe
Clara tries to revive a family cake recipe and discovers that memory can become something new.
Le train des retards
The Train of Delays
A delayed train turns strangers into a small community before the service improves.
Le cinéma du mercredi
Wednesday Cinema
A neighborhood cinema uses weekly screenings to foster community and support those in need.
From La lettre du phare
Chaque été, Inès passait une semaine chez son oncle, gardien d’un vieux phare sur la côte bretonne. Le phare ne guidait plus les bateaux, mais il gardait encore l’odeur du sel, du métal et des tempêtes. Inès aimait monter les cent vingt marches pour regarder la mer changer de couleur.
Inès follows a clue in an old lighthouse letter and discovers forgotten family history. continue reading →
Common questions
Is this really free?
Everything on these pages is free with no account. In the app, three reading lessons per day are free; a subscription removes the cap. The web version of the app stays free.
Should I use a dictionary while reading?
Not on the first pass. These stories are written so a B1 reader can follow the plot from context — that tolerance for ambiguity is itself the skill you are training. Use the vocabulary list on the second read instead.
How much should I read at B1?
Little and often beats long sessions: one short story a day, read twice, does more than an hour on Sunday. When you can follow all the B1 stories without the summaries, start the B2 stories.
Who writes these stories?
Stories are drafted with structured generation tools, pass automated language checks, and are approved by a human reviewer before publication. Found something off? Report it to support@toba.solutions.
Read with audio and translation help
The free app adds recorded audio, tap-to-translate, comprehension scoring, and saved progress across every story.