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 brand-new library
Solène and her children love the newly refurbished library. - 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 ! - Our local theatre
Amélie and Gabriel are talking about their local theatre. - 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. - At the theatre box office
Gérard is buying some tickets at the theatre box office. - Bedtime stories
Florian remembers the bedtime ritual he had with his daughter. - Brittany and the Korrigans
Lise discovers where the name of the Breton transport card "Korrigo" comes from. - 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 favourite heroines
Listen to Lucie and Eve talking about their favourite book heroines. - My name is Tintin!
Famous reporter Tintin introduces himself. - Shoes by the fireplace
Frank is keen to know about this old French Christmas tradition. - Starmania, the rock opera
Learn about one of France's most successful stage musicals of all time. - The wigmaker
Geoffrey used to work as a wigmaker at the opera. - Two major French-speaking female authors
Eric and Fiona talk about French-speaking authors Myriam Warner-Vieyra and Maryse Condé. - 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. - Hurray for theatre!
Olivier's biggest dream is to work in theatre one day. - 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. - If I wrote my own musical
Pauline shares what her own musical would be about with her friend Sébastien. - Leaving for Rio
Captain Patrick Dupuis does the flight announcement. - Merlin the Magician and the Fairy Viviane
Patrick and Morgane are talking about the love story between Merlin and the fairy Viviane. - 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. - L'Amour, poème de Céline
Enjoy this romantic poem by our very own Céline, while practising your B1 French listening and reading comprehension. - 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 book lover
My nephew Damien has always been a real bookworm! - A great passion for reading
Florence talks about her grandmother's passion for books. - At a play rehearsal
Stage director Margaux is giving some pointers to her actors Julie and Marc. - At the university library
Viviane is visiting the university library for the first time and she needs some help. - Brittany, a land of legends
Yann, a Breton storyteller, explains to Gabrielle, a local journalist, why there are so many legends in Brittany. - Emile Zola's works
Learn more about famous French writer Emile Zola. - Emmanuel Moire and "The Sun King" musical
Gabriel and Alice are chatting about the reboot of "Le Roi Soleil", a popular French musical from the 2000s. - If I were 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. - 5 Artistes Noirs Francophones à (Re)découvrir
(Re)discover 5 amazing Francophone Black artists, while practising your B2 French listening and reading comprehension. - 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. - Dans un trou à Verdun, poème de Henri Eugène Lallier
Discover the moving World War I poem "Dans un trou à Verdun", while practising your B2 French reading and listening comprehension. - Jean de La Fontaine (Portraits français)
Learn about French poet Jean de La Fontaine, while practising your French reading and listening skills. - La Naissance du Mouvement de la "Négritude"
Learn about the groundbreaking concept of "Négritude" as developed by French-speaking writer Aimé Césaire, while practising your French B2 listening and reading 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. - Les Héroïnes de la Littérature Française - Emma Bovary
(Re)discover the tragic Madame Bovary, the "éternelle insatisfaite" of French literature, while practising your B2 French listening and reading comprehension. - Les Héroïnes de la Littérature Française - Fantine
(Re)discover the beautifully tragic heroine Fantine, the sacrificial mother of French literature, while practising your B2 French listening and reading comprehension. - Les Héroïnes de la Littérature Française - La Marquise de Merteuil
(Re)discover the iconic Marquise de Merteuil, the femme fatale of French literature, while practising your B2 French listening and reading comprehension. - 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. - Strophes pour se souvenir, poème de Louis Aragon
Remember France's fallen heroes of the Resistance with Aragon's moving poem "Strophes pour se souvenir", while practising your French B2 reading and listening comprehension. - "Les Fleurs du Mal"
Learn about French poet Baudelaire's conception of beauty and poetry. - A disastrous theatre review
Fiona, a blogger and theatre fan, wrote a scathing review of the latest play she saw. - 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. - Discussion about the musical Notre-Dame de Paris
Sarah and Clément are giving their opinions on French musical Notre-Dame de Paris. - 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. - Last-minute hesitations
François is torn between his love for Marianne and his duty to the Duchess who he's about to marry. - Léopold Sédar Senghor
Fatima tells us about one of 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. - Reading books in a foreign language
Killian and Rose, who are not native French speakers, are chatting about reading books in French. - 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 symbol of Death in Brittany
Soazig is recalling the time when her grandfather encountered a strange shadowy figure. - The war poets of World War I
Amélia tells us about the French poets who fought during the First World War. - Two remarkable WWII novels
Rose and Louis are discussing their favourite novels about World War II: "Suite française" and "Un sac de billes". - Which book to choose?
Christian is looking for a few recommendations at his local library. - Writer's Block
Lucille talks about coping mechanisms to circumvent the dreaded writer's block. - 3 Légendes de Bretagne
Discover 3 magical legends from the French region of Brittany, while practising your C1 French reading and listening comprehension. - L'Avare de Molière (Extrait Acte IV, scène 7)
Discover this humourous monologue from Molière's classic play "L'Avare", while practising your C1 French listening and reading comprehension. - Les mamans calmes - sketch de Florence Foresti
And you, what type of mother are you? Laugh out loud with this fun sketch about motherhood by French stand-up legend Florence Foresti, while practising your C1 listening and reading comprehension. - 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 Dans/sur/sous/devant/derrière/entre = in/on top of/under/in front of/behind/between (French Prepositions of Location) with this Fill-in-the-blanks exercise
- 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 "aller" (to go) in Le Présent with this Fill-in-the-Blanks 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 (Le Subjonctif Présent)
Practise your French conjugations in Le Subjonctif Présent with this Fill-in-the-Blanks kwiz exercise
- Au spectacle de mime (Reflexive Pronouns)
Practise your Pronom réfléchi in French with this Fill-in-the-blanks exercise
- "Nous dormirons ensemble" - poème d'Aragon (Mixed A1 to B2 Grammar)
Practise a range of A1 to B2 grammar points with this poetic Fill-in-the-Blanks kwiz exercise
- La forêt de Brocéliande en Bretagne (Relative Pronouns)
Practise your French Pronom relatif "qui/que/ce qui/ce que" with this Fill-in-the-Blanks exercise
- 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.
- Un premier rôle inoubliable (Vocabulaire)
Practise your Theatre vocabulary in French with this Fill-in-the-Blanks kwiz!
