Module 5 of the free French course (CEFR A2 mastery + the B1 bridge), lesson 21 of 30: The A2 reading exam opens with real-world scraps: signs, notices, labels. On this page: 8 words with their genders and respellings, the rule, a watch-out line and the audio — the study notes behind the workbook's lesson 21.
| French | English | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| ouvert | open | oo-VEHR |
| fermé | closed | fehr-MAY |
| l'entréefeminine — the article elides to l' | the entrance | lah(n)-TRAY |
| la sortie | the exit | lah sor-TEE |
| poussez | push | poo-SAY |
| tirez | pull | tee-RAY |
| interdit | forbidden | a(n)-tehr-DEE |
| gratuit | free (no cost) | grah-TWEE |
Respellings follow the course’s say-it key; the stressed syllable is in capitals. Print this lesson’s flashcards (PDF) — the words on the front, the English and respelling on the back.
Each word is read twice — say it back in the gap. Computer-generated voice; credits on the course page.
The A2 reading exam opens with real-world scraps: signs, notices, labels. Ouvert, fermé, entrée, sortie, poussez, tirez, interdit.
Piscine fermée le lundi. Entrée gratuite pour les enfants. Il est interdit de courir. Read each and answer: what can you do, what can you not?
gratuit means free of charge; libre means free as in available. Entrée gratuite is a free entrance; a seat that is free is libre.
This free course is the reading half. The writing half — write-in lessons, daily practice pages with built-in review, self-checks and a full answer key — is the companion workbook series, The French Ladder: one workbook per module, fifteen in all, released band by band with the Basic band (Modules 1–5) first.
Turn this lesson’s words into flashcards, then space your reviews — the two habits the research behind our study guides backs hardest.
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