French Scaffolding

CEFR LEVEL A1 · LESSON 1

The First Meeting

A French A1 Lesson in Greetings, Introductions & Everyday Phrases

⏱️60–90 min📖Être · Avoir · Articles🔊Audio Included📍Paris, France

📖

The Story

Follow Sophie and Thomas as they meet for the first time in a Parisian café

We are in a café in Paris. Sophie is a teacher. She meets Thomas, a student.

🇫🇷 Nous sommes dans un café à Paris. Sophie est professeure. Elle rencontre Thomas, un étudiant.

Read each line in English, then listen to the French version using the audio button.

In a café in Paris...

🇫🇷 Dans un café à Paris...

👩

Sophie

Hello! My name is Sophie. And you?

🇫🇷 Bonjour ! Je m'appelle Sophie. Et toi ?

👨

Thomas

Hello! My name is Thomas. Pleased to meet you!

🇫🇷 Bonjour ! Je m'appelle Thomas. Enchanté !

Sophie and Thomas talk about their work...

🇫🇷 Sophie et Thomas parlent de leur travail...

👩

Sophie

I am a teacher. And you, what do you do?

🇫🇷 Je suis professeure. Et toi, qu'est-ce que tu fais ?

👨

Thomas

I am a student. I am twenty-two years old.

🇫🇷 Je suis étudiant. J'ai vingt-deux ans.

👩

Sophie

Ah, you are young! I am thirty years old.

🇫🇷 Ah, tu es jeune ! J'ai trente ans.

They meet a friend of Thomas...

🇫🇷 Ils rencontrent un ami de Thomas...

👨

Thomas

Sophie, this is my friend Marc. He is a doctor.

🇫🇷 Sophie, voici mon ami Marc. Il est médecin.

👩

Sophie

Hello Marc! Do you have a flat in Paris?

🇫🇷 Bonjour Marc ! Tu as un appartement à Paris ?

👨

Thomas

No, Marc has a flat in Lyon.

🇫🇷 Non, Marc a un appartement à Lyon.

At the end of the conversation...

🇫🇷 À la fin de la conversation...

👨

Thomas

I am hungry! Do you have a croissant?

🇫🇷 J'ai faim ! Tu as un croissant ?

👩

Sophie

Yes! And I have a coffee too. Goodbye, Thomas!

🇫🇷 Oui ! Et j'ai un café aussi. Au revoir, Thomas !

👨

Thomas

Goodbye Sophie! See you soon!

🇫🇷 Au revoir Sophie ! À bientôt !

📐

Grammar Focus

Master the essential verbs être (to be) and avoir (to have) plus French articles

Verb 1

ÊTRE — to be

être

Pronoun	Form	IPA	English
je	suis	[ʒə sɥi]	I am
tu	es	[ty ɛ]	you are
il / elle	est	[il ɛ]	he / she is
nous	sommes	[nu sɔm]	we are
vous	êtes	[vu zɛt]	you are (formal)
ils / elles	sont	[il sɔ̃]	they are

Key Uses of ÊTRE

Describing identity: Je suis Sophie.
Stating profession: Elle est professeure.
Describing nationality or origin: Il est français.

🇫🇷 French

Je suis professeur.

No article before professions

🇬🇧 English

I am a teacher.

Uses article "a" before professions

Verb 2

AVOIR — to have

avoir

Pronoun	Form	IPA	English
je	ai	[ʒe]	I have
tu	as	[ty a]	you have
il / elle	a	[il a]	he / she has
nous	avons	[nu zavɔ̃]	we have
vous	avez	[vu zave]	you have
ils / elles	ont	[il zɔ̃]	they have

Key Note — Age

In French, age is expressed with avoir (to have), not être (to be):

J'ai vingt ans. (I am twenty years old — lit. "I have twenty years")

🇫🇷 French

J'ai vingt ans.

Uses avoir (to have) for age

🇬🇧 English

I am twenty years old.

Uses to be for age

Grammar Focus

Articles — un, une, des, le/la

articles

Article	Usage	Example	English
un	masculine singular indefinite	un café	a café
une	feminine singular indefinite	une classe	a class
des	plural indefinite	des croissants	some croissants
le / la	definite (the)	le café / la classe	the café / the class

Remember

un / une = indefinite (a/an) — use when introducing something new
le / la / l' = definite (the) — use for specific things
des = indefinite plural (some) — often omitted in English
No article before professions with être: Je suis médecin.

🗣️

Vocabulary

Key words and phrases from today's lesson — listen and practise pronunciation

📖 How to study: Click the 🔊 button next to each word to hear it spoken aloud in French. Practise saying each word out loud after listening. The English meaning is shown in bold, with the French word in blue below. Pay attention to the IPA pronunciation guide shown in purple.

👋

Greetings and Phrases

☀️

Hello / Good morning

🇫🇷 Bonjour

/bɔ̃ʒuʁ/

🌙

Good evening

🇫🇷 Bonsoir

/bɔ̃swaʁ/

🤝

Pleased to meet you

🇫🇷 Enchanté(e)

/ɑ̃ʃɑ̃te/

👋

Goodbye

🇫🇷 Au revoir

/o ʁəvwaʁ/

😊

See you soon

🇫🇷 À bientôt

/a bjɛ̃to/

🙏

Thank you

🇫🇷 Merci

/mɛʁsi/

🏙️

Places and Nouns

☕

a coffee / café

masc.

🇫🇷 un café

/kafe/

🥐

a croissant

masc.

🇫🇷 un croissant

/kʁwasɑ̃/

🏫

a class

fem.

🇫🇷 une classe

/klas/

🏠

a flat / apartment

masc.

🇫🇷 un appartement

/apaʁtəmɑ̃/

💼

a job / work

masc.

🇫🇷 un travail

/tʁavaj/

👔

Professions

🎓

student

🇫🇷 étudiant / étudiante

/etydjɑ̃/

📚

teacher

🇫🇷 professeur / professeure

/pʁɔfɛsœʁ/

🩺

doctor

🇫🇷 médecin

/mɛdsɛ̃/

🔢

Numbers 1–6

1️⃣

one

🇫🇷 un / une

/œ̃ / yn/

2️⃣

two

🇫🇷 deux

/dø/

3️⃣

three

🇫🇷 trois

/tʁwa/

4️⃣

four

🇫🇷 quatre

/katʁ/

5️⃣

five

🇫🇷 cinq

/sɛ̃k/

6️⃣

six

🇫🇷 six

/sis/

💡 Quick Tips

•In French, all nouns have a gender — masculine (un) or feminine (une). Always learn the article with the noun.
•The IPA shown in purple helps with pronunciation. French nasal sounds like ɑ̃ are unique to French — listen carefully!
•For professions, the ending changes based on gender: étudiant (male) → étudiante (female).

✏️

Your Task

Put it all together — choose a character and introduce yourself in French!

Role-Play Task

You have just arrived in Paris!

Imagine you are a French person meeting someone new for the first time. Use the grammar and vocabulary from today's lesson to introduce yourself in French. Follow the four steps below.

1🎭

Pick a Character

Choose one of the four character cards below. This will be your French identity for the role-play.

2✍️

Write Your Introduction

Use the sentence template to write a short introduction as your character in French.

3🎤

Say It Aloud

Practise speaking your introduction out loud. Use the audio buttons in the Story section to help with pronunciation.

4🤝

Reply to a Partner

Take turns introducing yourselves with a classmate. Ask follow-up questions using "Et toi ?"

Choose Your Character

🎬

Watch & Listen

Reinforce your learning with authentic French dialogue videos

30 Minutes Daily French Dialogues A1-A2

Slow clear dialogues covering greetings, introductions, and everyday situations

Everyday French Conversations: Travel and Café

Real-world French — ordering coffee, asking directions, and meeting people

33 Minutes Everyday French Conversations

Summer scenarios, café chats, and introductions in natural spoken French

🎯 While You Watch — Notice These Things

👂Listening

Can you hear bonjour, je suis, and j'ai as you watch?

🔗Linking

Notice how French links words together — sounds blend at word boundaries.

🤝Body Language

Watch for la bise — the French greeting kiss on the cheek.

🔁Repetition

Watch each video 2–3 times. New things appear every time!

📝

After Class

Record your spoken responses and submit your work to your teacher

Part A — Student Details

Full Name

Email Address

Class Date

Part B — Spoken Responses

Record your spoken answer for each question below. You may also type an optional written response.

Question 1

Where is Thomas from, and what does Sophie do for work?

🇫🇷 D'où vient Thomas, et quel est le métier de Sophie?

Not yet recorded

Question 2

How does Thomas say he is hungry? Why is this different from English?

🇫🇷 Comment Thomas dit-il qu'il a faim? Pourquoi est-ce différent de l'anglais?

Not yet recorded

Question 3

Introduce yourself in French — say your name, city, profession, and age.

🇫🇷 Présentez-vous en français — dites votre nom, votre ville, votre profession et votre âge.

Not yet recorded

Question 4

What was the most interesting thing you learned in this lesson?

🇫🇷 Quelle était la chose la plus intéressante que vous avez apprise dans cette leçon?

Not yet recorded

Job	médecin
City	Bordeaux
Age	31
Extra	🐕 has a dog

Job	artiste
City	Marseille
Age	25
Extra	🎨 has an atelier

Job	informaticienne
City	Lille
Age	28
Extra	💻 has a bureau

Job	cuisinier
City	Lyon
Age	35
Extra	🍽️ has a restaurant