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Short messages in French worksheet with answers for French A1 (free PDF download)

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Notes, Texts and Postcards for Friends – French A1 worksheet with Zoé, the Français PDF coach

Quick answer: A short message in French has three parts: an opening that matches the reader (Salut or Bonjour Madame), one or two present-tense facts such as Je suis à Nice. For French A1 students practising short messages in French, this worksheet gives 20 problems from easy to hard: tone of the opening, tone of the closing and cher or Chère. The answer key is on a separate page, and the worksheet is a free printable PDF.

These twenty problems train the basic moves of a short French message: choosing an opening and a closing, writing dates and times, and building simple present-tense sentences for a postcard or a text.

The work follows CEFR A1 writing goals. Problems 1 to 5 recognize tone, 6 to 14 build and correct short phrases, and 15 to 20 ask for real messages and a postcard reading.

Level: French A1 (CEFR beginner) · Standards: CEFR A1, Writing

Problem 1 Tone of the opening ★★★

Choose the better opening: Salut or Bonjour Madame.

  1. A message to your friend Karim: ______ Karim,
  2. A message to your landlady Mme Girard: ______ Girard,
  3. A text to your cousin: ______ !
  4. A note to your child’s teacher, Mme Fofana: ______ Fofana,

Problem 2 Tone of the closing ★★★

Choose Gros bisous or Cordialement for each reader.

  1. Your grandmother
  2. The manager of your building
  3. Your best friend Océane
  4. A hotel receptionist

Problem 3 Cher or Chère ★★★

Complete with Cher or Chère.

  1. ______ Fatou,
  2. ______ Marc,
  3. ______ Madame Lopez,
  4. ______ Monsieur Bernard,

Problem 4 Decode the text ★★★

Write the full French word for each short form.

  1. bcp
  2. dsl
  3. stp
  4. a+

Problem 5 Unscramble the words ★★★

Put the words in order to make a sentence.

  1. samedi / rentre / Je
  2. beau / Il / fait / ici
  3. libre / ce soir / Tu / es / ?

Problem 6 Dates in words ★★★

Write each date in French, for example 8/9 becomes le 8 septembre.

  1. 3/5
  2. 14/7
  3. 1/1
  4. 25/12

Problem 7 Meeting times ★★★

Write the invitation with the hour in the 24-hour style, using Rendez-vous à ….

  1. 7 p.m. in front of the station
  2. 8:30 p.m. at the café
  3. 2 p.m. at the market

Problem 8 Postcard verbs ★★★

Complete with the correct form of the verb in brackets.

  1. Il ______ beau à Annecy. (faire)
  2. Je ______ à Liège ce week-end. (être)
  3. Nous ______ une pizza ce soir. (manger)
  4. Je ______ le château demain. (visiter)

Problem 9 From English to French ★★★

Translate into French.

  1. See you tomorrow!
  2. Thank you very much!
  3. I’m sorry, I can’t.
  4. Are you free tonight?

Problem 10 From French to English ★★★

Translate into English.

  1. Je rentre dimanche.
  2. On se voit à 20 h ?
  3. Gros bisous à ta mère.
  4. Il fait froid ici.

Problem 11 Tu becomes vous ★★★

Rewrite each text for a landlord, using vous.

  1. Tu es libre demain ?
  2. Tu peux venir à 9 h ?
  3. Je te remercie.

Problem 12 Find the mistake ★★★

Correct the mistake in each line.

  1. Cher Amina,
  2. Le 5 de juin
  3. Il fais chaud à Rabat.
  4. Salut Madame Perrin,

Problem 13 Choose the reply ★★★

Choose the logical answer: a) D’accord, à 20 h ! b) Désolé, je ne peux pas. c) Merci beaucoup !

  1. Tu viens au cinéma ce soir ? Le film commence à 20 h. (you agree)
  2. Je t’envoie une photo de la plage.
  3. On dîne chez moi demain ? (you are working)

Problem 14 Reading a text chat ★★★

Read the conversation, then answer in English.

Text chat between Sékou in Dakar and his friend Nadia, who agree to meet for coffeeSalut Nadia ! Je suis à Dakar.Il fait 34 degrés, c’est super !Je rentre mardi. Tu es libre mercredi ?Oui ! On prend un café à 10 h ?D’accord. À mercredi !
Sékou writes to Nadia.
  1. Where is Sékou?
  2. What is the temperature?
  3. On which day does he come home?
  4. When do they meet?

Problem 15 Complete the postcard ★★★

Complete the postcard with: Chère, Il fait, rentrons, Bises, visitons.

______ Julie,
Nous sommes à Québec. ______ très froid, mais c’est joli ! Nous ______ le vieux port. Nous ______ vendredi.
______, Pascal

Problem 16 Invite a friend ★★★

Write a text message (3 or 4 sentences) to invite your friend Maxime to dinner on Friday at 20 h. Include a greeting, the invitation, the hour and a closing.

Problem 17 Write a postcard ★★★

You are in Bordeaux. Write a postcard (4 to 5 short sentences) to your friend Clara: say where you are, the weather, one activity and the day you come home. Sign it.

Problem 18 Formal reply ★★★

Your landlady Mme Girard writes: Pouvez-vous passer lundi à 10 h ? You are not free on Monday. Write a polite reply (3 sentences) that refuses and proposes Tuesday at 10 h. Use vous and a formal opening and closing.

Problem 19 Order the message ★★★

Put the lines in the logical order to form a text message: a) À samedi ! b) Salut Rémi, c) On se retrouve à 17 h devant la gare ? d) Je suis à Lille ce week-end. e) Tu es libre samedi ?

Problem 20 Read the postcard ★★★

Read the postcard, then answer in English.

Postcard from Rabat to a friend in Brussels with the message and the addressChère Hélène,Je suis à Rabat avec Samir.Il fait très chaud : 38 degrés.Nous mangeons un tajine.Nous rentrons jeudi.Amitiés, NoraHélène Dupuis5 place Carnot1000 BruxellesBelgique
A postcard from Morocco.
  1. Who is Nora with?
  2. What do they eat?
  3. On which day do they come back?
  4. Which word closes the message?

See the Short Messages In French worksheet answer key

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