Mission: answer a friend's birthday invitation
Reading messages, letters and short articles. Find who writes to whom, why, when and where in a message, a card, an email or a small ad.
FrenchA1 · Exam skillsAbout 4 min: 2 reading, 2 practiceUpdated
- Find the writer, the reader and the reason for a message
- Pick out the date, time, place and what to do
- Recognise invitations, thanks and news
- Read a small ad (à vendre, à louer, cherche)
A1 exam skills: lesson 2 of 3
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Level Level A1 (around the DELF A1 exam). Real French: a friend's invitation by email or text.
What it is
Your mission: your friend Karim has sent you an email. Work out who wrote it, why, when and where the party is, and what you must do and by when.
Most of the French you read day to day is messages, and so are many DELF reading documents: a text message, an email, a postcard, an invitation, a greetings card, or a small ad. The questions almost always ask the same five things:
| Question | Where to look |
|---|---|
| Who writes? To whom? | the greeting (Chère Anne) and the signature |
| Why? | the first lines: an invitation, thanks, news, a request |
| When? | days, dates, times: samedi 12 à 20 h |
| Where? | chez moi (at my place), an address, a place name |
| What must the reader do? | an instruction or a question: Réponds-moi avant jeudi. |
Reason words:
- invitation: Je t'invite / Je vous invite à …, Tu veux venir ?
- thanks: Merci pour …
- news: Je suis à …, J'ai un nouveau travail.
- request: Est-ce que tu peux … ?, Rappelle-moi. (Call me back.)
Real French: friends write in short forms: stp (s'il te plaît), bcp (beaucoup), bjr (bonjour). Read them aloud and they usually make sense.
Small ads (petites annonces): à vendre (for sale), à louer (to let, for rent), cherche (looking for), urgent, tél. (phone).
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
A message ends « Bises, Julien ». Who wrote it?
- The name at the top is the reader
- Bises means "love" as a closing
Show answer
Julien. The signature at the end is the writer.
Why it matters
The DELF A1 reading paper always includes correspondence, and in real life the same five questions come up every time you read a message. Once you know where each answer usually sits, you can answer without reading every line.
Worked example
Karim's email (our own example):
Salut Inès,
Samedi 14, c'est mon anniversaire ! Je t'invite à une petite fête chez moi, 5 rue des Lilas, à partir de 19 h. Apporte un dessert si tu veux. Réponds-moi avant jeudi, s'il te plaît.
À bientôt,
Karim
- Who writes? Karim. To whom? Inès.
- Why? An invitation to his birthday party.
- When? Saturday the 14th, from 7 p.m.
- Where? At his home, 5 rue des Lilas.
- What must Inès do? Reply before Thursday (and bring a dessert if she wants).
Common mistake
Mixing up the writer and the reader. The name after Cher / Chère / Salut is the reader; the name at the end is the writer.
Also watch dates in a message: "before Thursday" (avant jeudi) is a deadline, not the day of the event.
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
In the email above, when is the party?
- Thursday is the deadline to reply
- It is one date: samedi 14
Show answer
Saturday the 14th. Samedi 14 is the event; avant jeudi is the reply deadline.
Key terms
- je t'invite / je vous invite
- I invite you
- chez moi
- at my place
- réponds-moi / répondez-moi
- reply to me
- avant
- before
- à partir de
- from (a time)
- à vendre / à louer
- for sale / to let
- cherche
- looking for
- petite annonce
- small ad
Practise the key terms
Tap a card to turn it over. 8 cards.
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| je t'invite / je vous invite | I invite you |
| chez moi | at my place |
| réponds-moi / répondez-moi | reply to me |
| avant | before |
| à partir de | from (a time) |
| à vendre / à louer | for sale / to let |
| cherche | looking for |
| petite annonce | small ad |
Practice
Sort it
Why was it written?
Tu veux venir dîner samedi ?
tu veux venirShow answer
Invitation. tu veux venir
Merci pour le joli cadeau !
merci pourShow answer
Thanks. merci pour
Est-ce que tu peux m'appeler ce soir ?
est-ce que tu peuxShow answer
Request. est-ce que tu peux
Je vous invite à mon mariage.
je vous inviteShow answer
Invitation. je vous invite
Quick quiz
Tap an answer to check it.
A small ad says « Appartement à louer, 2 pièces, 650 € par mois ». It is…
- For sale is à vendre
- That would say cherche
Show answer
a flat to rent. à louer = to let, for rent.
« Chère Madame Roux, … Cordialement, Paul Martin. » Who is the reader?
- He signs it: he is the writer
Show answer
Madame Roux. The greeting names the reader.
Practise speaking
Studyfern has no voice tools of its own. To practise out loud, copy this prompt into a voice-capable AI assistant and talk with it.
Mission role-play. You are Karim, a friendly French friend who sends me messages, at level A1. Speak slowly and clearly. Use only these words and patterns: salut, cher, chère, bises, à bientôt, je t'invite, tu veux venir, merci pour, est-ce que tu peux, réponds-moi, avant, chez moi, à partir de, samedi, dimanche, numbers, heures, une fête, un anniversaire, un dîner, à vendre, à louer, cherche. Read me a short invented message of 2 or 3 sentences. Then ask me, one at a time: who writes, to whom, why, when, where, and what I must do. I answer in French or English. After each answer, tell me what kind of mistake I made, if any, and let me try again. When I have answered all six questions for 3 messages, say « Mission accomplie ! » and give me one tip. Keep every reply under 2 sentences. Do 3 messages. Explain corrections in English.
Listen too. Listen to native speakers before and after: see the free listening and shadowing links.
Good to know. AI feedback on pronunciation is hit and miss, so check yourself against native recordings. Many assistants turn your speech into text first, so a vowel or liaison you got wrong may be silently “heard” as the right word. Don't share personal details: use a made-up name and town.
New to this? Read Practising speaking with an AI.
In short
- Ask: who, to whom, why, when, where, what to do.
- Greeting = reader; signature = writer.
- Reason words: je t'invite (invitation), merci pour (thanks), est-ce que tu peux (request).
- Separate the event date from the reply deadline (avant …).
- Small ads: à vendre, à louer, cherche.
Mastery check
Answer without looking back. Score 80% or more and the lesson is marked done. Your result is kept only in this browser.
Check yourself
Answer in your head first, then open the answer. Nothing is saved.
Where do you find the writer of a message?
Show answer
In the signature at the end.
What does « à vendre » mean?
Show answer
For sale.
A message says « Rappelle-moi ». What must you do?
Show answer
Call the writer back.
Further reading
- France Éducation international publishes the official DELF A1 sample papers on its website.
- TV5MONDE, Apprendre le français, free A1 exercises on short messages and invitations.
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