French A2 Reading Practice: A Day at Work
Work vocabulary plus the past tense: this is the A2 combination that lets you tell a colleague what your day was like.
Une journée au bureau
Hier, Nicolas est arrivé au bureau à huit heures et demie. Il avait une réunion importante à dix heures.
D'abord, il a lu ses courriels. Il y en avait quarante. Ensuite, il a préparé sa présentation, mais l'ordinateur s'est éteint deux fois. Un collègue lui a prêté son portable.
Pendant la réunion, la directrice a posé beaucoup de questions. Nicolas a répondu calmement. À la fin, elle a dit : « C'est du bon travail. »
L'après-midi a été plus tranquille. Nicolas a rangé ses documents et il a appelé un client. Il est parti à dix-huit heures.
Dans le métro, il a pensé à la réunion. Il était fatigué, mais il se sentait plutôt fier.
English translation
Yesterday, Nicolas arrived at the office at half past eight. He had an important meeting at ten.
First he read his emails. There were forty of them. Then he prepared his presentation, but the computer shut down twice. A colleague lent him his laptop.
During the meeting, the director asked a lot of questions. Nicolas answered calmly. At the end she said: "That's good work."
The afternoon was quieter. Nicolas tidied his documents and called a client. He left at six in the evening.
On the metro, he thought about the meeting. He was tired, but he felt rather proud.
Why this is A2
The story is told in the passé composé with the imparfait used for states and feelings, the core A2 contrast. Vocabulary belongs to ordinary office life, and the text introduces indirect object pronouns in a way you can still follow from context.
Grammar you will meet
- Passé composé and imparfait side by side: il a lu / il avait
- Indirect object pronoun: un collègue lui a prêté
- The pronoun en: il y en avait quarante
- Time markers: d'abord, ensuite, pendant, à la fin
- Reflexive verbs: s'est éteint, il se sentait
Words worth keeping
- d'abord — first of all
- une réunion — a meeting
- prêter — to lend
- se sentir — to feel
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