Mission: find the right answer on a museum notice
Reading signs, timetables and instructions. The words on French signs, notices and timetables, and how to find the answer fast.
FrenchA1 · Exam skillsAbout 5 min: 3 reading, 2 practiceUpdated
- Read the questions before the document and look only for what they ask
- Understand common sign words (ouvert, fermé, interdit, gratuit, tirez, poussez)
- Read a timetable (départ, arrivée, voie, en retard)
- Recognise instructions written with the infinitive or vous
A1 exam skills: lesson 1 of 3
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Level Level A1 (around the DELF A1 exam). Real French: reading the notice at a museum door and a train timetable.
What it is
Your mission: your colleague Mathilde asks you to check the museum notice for her: is it open on Monday, and how much does her student sister pay? Find the two answers without reading every word.
In real life you scan notices for one thing at a time. The DELF A1 reading paper trains the same skill: it lasts 30 minutes and gives you four or five short everyday documents: a poster, a plan, opening hours, a programme, a notice. You tick answers, note a number or a name, or match pictures. You do not need to understand every word.
The method:
- Read the instructions (consigne) and the questions first.
- Underline what each question asks for: a time, a price, a place, a day.
- Scan the document for that one thing. Skip everything else.
- Check that your answer matches the question exactly (the right day, the right price for an adult or a child).
Words on signs and notices:
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ouvert / fermé | open / closed |
| entrée / sortie | entrance / exit |
| tirez / poussez | pull / push |
| interdit, défense de | forbidden, no … |
| gratuit | free (no charge) |
| tarif réduit | reduced price |
| complet | full (no places left) |
| en panne | out of order |
Timetables: départ (departure), arrivée (arrival), voie (track) or quai (platform); both are used to tell you where your train leaves, en retard (late), annulé (cancelled), tous les jours (every day), sauf (except).
Real French: many small shops and offices close at lunchtime, so you will often see Fermé de 12 h à 14 h. Check the hours before you go.
Instructions are written two ways: with the infinitive (Ne pas fumer. No smoking.) or with vous (Composez le 18. Dial 18.).
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
A sign says « Entrée gratuite ». What does it mean?
- Closed is fermé
- Forbidden is interdit
Show answer
Entry is free.. gratuit(e) = free of charge.
Why it matters
This is a quarter of the DELF A1 marks, and its documents are the ones you meet in real life: opening hours, prices, train times, safety notices. Reading the questions first saves most of the time, because the answer is usually one short line in the document.
Worked example
Mathilde's museum notice (our own example):
Musée de la Ville — Ouvert du mardi au dimanche, de 10 h à 18 h. Fermé le lundi.
Tarif : 8 €. Tarif réduit (étudiants) : 5 €. Gratuit pour les moins de 12 ans.
Interdit de photographier.
Mathilde's questions and where the answer is:
- Le musée est fermé quel jour ? → Fermé le lundi: Monday.
- Combien paie un étudiant ? → Tarif réduit (étudiants): €5, not €8.
- Vous pouvez prendre des photos ? → Interdit de photographier: no.
Common mistake
Picking the first number you see. Documents give several prices or times on purpose: the adult price, the student price, the weekday hours, the weekend hours. Underline exactly who or when the question asks about, then find that line.
Quick check
Tap an answer to check it.
A train timetable says « Départ 9 h 12, voie 4 — Arrivée 11 h 40 ». The question asks what time the train arrives.
- That is the departure
- That is the platform
Show answer
11 h 40. arrivée = arrival.
Key terms
- consigne
- the instructions for an exercise
- ouvert / fermé
- open / closed
- interdit
- forbidden
- gratuit
- free of charge
- tarif réduit
- reduced price
- départ / arrivée
- departure / arrival
- voie, quai
- platform
- sauf
- except
Practise the key terms
Tap a card to turn it over. 8 cards.
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| consigne | the instructions for an exercise |
| ouvert / fermé | open / closed |
| interdit | forbidden |
| gratuit | free of charge |
| tarif réduit | reduced price |
| départ / arrivée | departure / arrival |
| voie, quai | platform |
| sauf | except |
Practice
Sort it
What does the sign tell you?
Entrée libre
free entry, come inShow answer
You can. free entry, come in
Défense de fumer
no smokingShow answer
You can't. no smoking
Complet
no places leftShow answer
You can't. no places left
Ouvert tous les jours
open every dayShow answer
You can. open every day
En panne
out of orderShow answer
You can't. out of order
Quick quiz
Tap an answer to check it.
« Ouvert tous les jours sauf le dimanche. » When is it closed?
- tous les jours means every day, but sauf makes an exception
- Only Sunday is mentioned
Show answer
on Sundays. sauf = except: closed on Sundays only.
A door says « Tirez ». You…
- Push is poussez
- That would say interdit or fermé
Show answer
pull the door. tirez = pull.
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 Mathilde, a friendly French colleague who needs help reading signs and timetables, at level A1. Speak slowly and clearly. Use only these words: ouvert, fermé, entrée, sortie, tirez, poussez, interdit, défense de fumer, gratuit, tarif réduit, complet, en panne, départ, arrivée, voie, quai, en retard, annulé, tous les jours, sauf, numbers, days of the week, euros, heures. Read me a short sign or timetable line (one at a time, invented), then ask me one question about it in French. I answer in French. After each answer, tell me what kind of mistake I made, if any, and let me try again. When I have answered about 8 signs, say « Mission accomplie ! » and give me one tip. Keep every reply under 2 sentences. Do 8 signs. 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
- Read the questions first; scan for only what they ask.
- Watch for several prices or times: pick the one the question means.
- Signs: ouvert, fermé, tirez, poussez, interdit, gratuit, complet, en panne.
- Timetables: départ, arrivée, voie, en retard, annulé, sauf.
- Instructions: infinitive (Ne pas fumer) or vous (Composez le 18).
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.
What does « en retard » mean on a departures board?
Show answer
Late (delayed).
What should you read before the document?
Show answer
The instructions and the questions.
What does « sauf le lundi » mean?
Show answer
Except on Mondays.
Further reading
- France Éducation international publishes the official DELF A1 sample papers on its website.
- TV5MONDE, Apprendre le français, free A1 exercises to build the vocabulary of everyday notices.
Finished? Mark it done to fill in your leaf on the French map.