Introduction

Before we dive into some French, I want to congratulate you, whether you’re just beginning, continuing, or resuming your language learning journey. Here at Learn Like a Native, we understand the determination it takes to pick up a new language, and after reading this book, you’ll be another step closer to achieving your language goals. As a thank you for learning with us, we are giving you free access to our "Speak Like a Native" eBook. It’s packed with practical advice and insider tips on making language learning quick, easy, and most importantly, enjoyable. Head over to LearnLikeNatives.com to access your free guide and peruse our huge selection of language learning resources.

Learning a new language is a bit like cooking—you need several different ingredients and the right technique, but the end result is sure to be delicious. We created this book of short stories for learning French because language is alive. Language is about the senses—hearing, tasting the words on your tongue, and touching another culture up close. Learning a language in a classroom is a fine place to start, but it’s not a complete introduction to a language.

In this book, you’ll find a language come to life. These short stories are miniature immersions into the French language, at a level that is perfect for beginners. This book is not a lecture on grammar. It’s not an endless vocabulary list. This book is the closest you can come to a language immersion without leaving the country. In the stories within, you will see people speaking to each other, going through daily life situations, and using the most common, helpful words and phrases in the language. You are holding the key to bringing your French studies to life.

Made for Beginners

We made this book with beginners in mind. You’ll find that the language is simple but not boring. Most of the book is in the present tense, so you will be able to focus on dialogues, root verbs, and understanding and finding patterns in subject-verb agreement.

This is not “just” a translated book. While reading novels and short stories translated into French is a wonderful thing, beginners (and even novices) often run into difficulty. Literary licenses and complex sentence structures can make reading in your second language truly difficult—not to mention boring. That’s why "French Short Stories for Beginners" is the perfect book to pick up. The stories are simple but not infantile. They were not written for children, but the language is simple enough for beginners to grasp.

The Benefits of Learning a Second Language

If you have picked up this book, it’s likely that you are already aware of the many benefits of learning a second language. Besides being fun, knowing more than one language opens up a whole new world to you. You will be able to communicate with a much larger portion of the world.

Opportunities in the workforce will open up, and perhaps even your day-to-day work will improve. Enhanced communication skills can also help you expand your business. From a neurological perspective, learning a second language is like taking daily vitamins and eating well for your brain!

How To Use The Book

The chapters of this book all follow the same structure:

• A short story with several dialogues
• A summary in French
• A list of important words and phrases with their English translations
• Questions to test your understanding
• Answers to check your responses
• The English translation of the story to clarify any doubts

You may use this book however is comfortable for you, but we have a few recommendations for getting the most out of the experience. Try these tips, and if they work for you, you can use them in every chapter throughout the book.

1. Read the story all the way through. Don’t stop or get hung up on any particular words or phrases. See how much of the plot you can understand this way. We think you’ll get more than you may expect, but it’s completely normal not to understand everything in the story. Learning a new language takes time.
2. Read the summary in French. See if it matches what you understood of the plot.
3. Read the story again, slower this time. Try to pick up the meaning of any words or phrases you don’t understand using context clues and the summary.
4. Test yourself! Answer the comprehension questions at the end of each story. Write your answers down, and then check them against the answer key. How did you do? If you didn’t get them all, no worries!
5. Look over the vocabulary list. Are any of these the words you did not understand? Did you already know the meaning of some of them from your reading?
6. Read the story once more. Pay attention this time to the words and phrases you didn’t understand. Look them up if needed to expand your understanding of the story. Each time you read it, you’ll understand more.
7. Move on to the next chapter when you are ready.

Read and Listen

The audio version is the best way to experience this book, as you will hear a native French speaker narrate each story. Listening to a native speaker helps you become accustomed to their accent, a huge plus for when you want to apply your new language skills in the real world.

If this has ignited your language learning passion and you are keen to find out what other resources are available, go to LearnLikeNatives.com, where you can access our vast range of free learning materials. Don’t know where to begin? An excellent place to start is our "Speak Like a Native" free eBook, full of practical advice and insider tips on making language learning quick, easy, and enjoyable.

And remember, small steps add up to great advancements! No moment is better to begin learning than the present.