français · English · A1–A2

Easy French short stories with English translation (A1–A2)

Fables, fairy tales and short legends in French, with the English beside every paragraph. Short enough to finish in one sitting, simple enough for your first months of French.

65 free easy stories in French

Each one opens in your browser with no account, the French and the English side by side, paragraph by paragraph, shortest first. Every story is also a free French–English ebook for Kindle, Kobo or any e-reader: downloading needs a free account, no payment (which file to pick).

What easy French stories are like

The easiest stories are Aesop’s fables and old nursery tales: a few hundred words each, a handful of characters, and plots you may already know from childhood. Knowing the story frees your attention for the French.

A step up are the Grimm and Andersen fairy tales and short legends from history (William Tell, the Sword of Damocles, King Canute). They repeat the same sentence patterns, which is exactly what a beginner needs to see many times over.

How to read French at A1–A2

Read the English first if you need to

At A1 there is no shame in reading a paragraph in English, then the French. You are matching words to meaning, and the paragraph beside it makes that quick.

Finish, then reread

Read the whole story once, glancing across whenever you are lost. The second time, cover the English and look only when you are stuck. Most readers are surprised how much stayed.

Collect a few words, not every word

Pick three or four words per story that keep coming back and learn those. The rest will return in the next story.

More on the method in how to read a parallel text.