Reading is an important part of language learning. If you’re serious about improving you should think about private lessons, such as our French courses in Leeds – if you happen to live in the area. Unlike with listening, where everything is ephemeral, reading gives you the chance to go over words, phrases and sentences again and again. It gives you the time you need to process the language, its grammar and vocabulary. Best of all, you decide the pace.

There’s also the nuances between reading and learning online vs actually buying a physical book. If you’re in the corporate world you may be interested to discover we’ve gone over some of the pros and cons of online and offline options for French training training.

In 5 hacks to reading better in a foreign language graded readers are recommended as one of the five hacks. Graded readers are great for language learners mainly because they come in levels. This way, you can sink your teeth into a book which is at the right lexical and grammatical level for you.

Of course, that’s not to say you’ll understand everything in a graded reader. You’ll still probably have to have a dictionary by your side. Check out our post on why Google is the best dictionary for language learning.

There are a lot of graded readers out there. Especially for a popular language like French. So to help you get reading quicker, we’ve done the ground work and chosen 4 graded readers for intermediate level French learners.

La vie à reculons

This book follows the story of a 15 year old called Thomas. After a blood transfusion,Thomas discovers he is HIV positive. Despite the bad news, Thomas remains positive and leads his life as normal. No one ever has to know. Why should he be any different to every other boy in school? Until one day when he meets Elsa and discovers that before he can take the relationship any further, he has to tell her.

Maigret et le clochard

This book is part of a series of detective stories created by Georges Simenon. The protagonist, detective Maigret, plays the main role and goes around Paris solving crimes. In this book, Maigret is put on the case of a vagabond whose body is discovered in the Seine. Upon further inspection, it turns out this was no ordinary vagabond. The man had a very reputable job, a large apartment in Paris and a rich wife. So how did he end up dead in the Seine dressed as a homeless man?

Un si terrible secret

Nathanaëlle’s grandparents die in mysterious circumstances on the 24th of December. They drowned a mere few feet from their home. Why? How was it possible, given they were only steps away from home? What went so wrong?

Armed with a series of questions and a curious mind, Nathanaëlle decides to spend the Easter break going back to her grandparents’ home and seeing what answers she can find. What she didn’t expect was to come across a secret. And not just any old secret, but quite a terrible one!

Le mur

The original book was written by one of France’s most iconic writers and philosophers, Jean Paul Sartre. This graded reading version keeps the original essence of the story but at a level which is a little easier to digest for intermediate level learners.

The story is set at the start of the Spanish civil war. Pablo Ibbieta is a prisoner and has been captured by General Franco’s men. He is to be shot for treason against the Spanish state but he is promised immunity if he reveals the hiding place of his friend Ramon Gris.

Using the opportunity to set himself free, Pablo makes up a hiding place in the cemetery. But it turns out this is where his friend is actually hiding!

 

So there you have it. 4 graded readers for intermediate French learners. Which book do you think you’ll start with? Let us know in the comments below.

 

Comments are closed.