Reading Comprehension Strategy: From Intermediate to Upper-Intermediate
Read with a question in mind, and ask of every unknown word: do I need it to answer?
When you do need a word, guess it before the dictionary: does it look like an English word, belong to a family you know, or fit what the sentence needs?
Getting Started
Every real French text you meet, a TEF reading question, a letter from your landlord, a Radio-Canada article, will contain words you don’t know. That never stops. Good readers are not the ones who know every word; they are the ones who know which words matter and how to guess the rest.
So the whole lesson comes down to one question, asked of every word you don’t know:
Do I need this word to answer my question?
Most of the time, the answer is no, and you keep reading. When it is yes, you guess the word from what you already know before you reach for a dictionary.
You already know more French than you think. After the Normans conquered England in 1066, English took in thousands of French words: close to a third of English vocabulary comes from French. Information, problème, gouvernement, nécessaire, situation: if you read English, you can read these. You also already read this way in English: when you meet an unknown English word in a news story, you guess it from the sentence and keep going. This lesson turns that habit into a method for French.
By the end of this lesson you should be able to:
- find the main idea of a text in one minute, and a specific fact in less;
- recognise French words hiding behind a spelling change (forêt = forest, école = school);
- unlock a whole word family from one word you know;
- spot the false friends and the small words that flip the meaning;
- answer TEF/TCF-style questions on a short text.
1. Read with a question: skimming and scanning
Never start reading from the first word with no goal. Decide first what you are reading for.
Skimming (lecture globale): a fast read for the main idea. Read the title, the first paragraph, the first sentence of each paragraph, and the last paragraph. Then ask: who, what, where, why? One minute is enough.
Scanning (lecture sélective): hunting for one fact. Read the question, decide what the answer looks like, then let your eyes run down the text until you see it:
| You are looking for… | Look for… |
|---|---|
| a date or a day | numbers, lundi… dimanche, janvier… décembre |
| a time | h: 18 h 30, 23 h |
| a price | $ after the number: 125 $ |
| a person or a place | capital letters |
| a phone number | composez le…, au… |
Try it on this notice:
AVIS AUX RÉSIDENTS : déneigement de la rue des Érables
Une opération de déneigement aura lieu dans la nuit du 14 au 15 janvier, de 23 h à 7 h. Pendant cette période, le stationnement sera interdit des deux côtés de la rue. Les véhicules qui ne seront pas déplacés seront remorqués aux frais du propriétaire (125 $). Pour connaître les stationnements gratuits à proximité, composez le 311.
- Skim: what is it about? Snow removal on your street; move your car.
- Scan: until what time is parking banned? Look for h: 7 h. How much if your car is towed? Look for $: 125 $. Which number do you call? 311.
You answered three questions without needing remorqués or à proximité. (If you want them: remorquer = to tow, à proximité = nearby.)
2. Words you already know: three spelling keys
Many French words are English words in disguise. Three keys unlock hundreds of them.
Key 1: a circumflex (ê, î, ô, â, û) often marks a lost s. Old French had an s there, as English still does. Put it back:
| In French | Put the s back | English |
|---|---|---|
| la forêt | forest | forest |
| l’hôpital | hospital | hospital |
| une fête | feast | feast |
| la côte | coast | coast |
| une île | isle | isle, island |
| l’intérêt | interest | interest |
| la conquête | conquest | conquest |
Key 2: é at the start of a word was often es-. Change it back to s:
| In French | English |
|---|---|
| l’école | school |
| un étudiant | a student |
| l’État | the state |
| un écran | a screen |
| une épouse | a spouse |
| étrange | strange |
Key 3: endings that match English endings.
| French ending | English ending | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -té | -ty | société (society), qualité (quality), université |
| -eux, -euse | -ous | dangereux (dangerous), sérieux (serious), nerveux |
| -ique | -ic, -ical | économique (economic), politique (political) |
| -ment (on an adjective) | -ly | rapidement (rapidly), exactement (exactly) |
| -tion | -tion | information, situation, solution |
3. Word families: one word unlocks five
French builds words from a small number of roots. If you know one member of a family, you can read the others:
| You know | So you can read |
|---|---|
| vendre (to sell) | un vendeur (seller), la vente (sale), revendre (resell), invendu (unsold) |
| lire (to read) | la lecture (reading), un lecteur (reader), lisible (readable) |
| payer (to pay) | le paiement (payment), payant (paid, not free), impayé (unpaid) |
| la neige (snow) | neiger (to snow), enneigé (snowy), le déneigement (snow removal) |
Prefixes and suffixes to know:
| Piece | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| re-, ré- | again, back | relire (reread), rembourser (pay back) |
| dé-, dés- | undo, remove | déneiger (clear snow), désactiver (switch off) |
| in-, im- | not | inutile (useless), impossible, inconnu (unknown) |
| mal- | badly | malheureux (unhappy), malhonnête (dishonest) |
| -eur, -euse | the person who does it | un travailleur, une vendeuse |
| -ment (on a verb) | the action | le paiement, le déménagement (moving house) |
Take the Canadian words you will read constantly: déménagement is dé + ménage (household) + ment: taking your household away, moving house. Remboursement is re + bourse (purse) + ment: money going back into your purse, a refund.
4. False friends: the words that lie
Some French words look like English words but mean something else. These are the ones you will meet most often:
| In French | Looks like | Really means | For the look-alike, say |
|---|---|---|---|
| actuellement | actually | currently, now | en fait |
| une librairie | library | bookshop | une bibliothèque |
| assister à | assist | attend | aider |
| attendre | attend | wait for | assister à |
| éventuellement | eventually | possibly, if needed | finalement |
| une formation | formation | training, a course | — |
| rester | rest | stay | se reposer |
| demander | demand | ask | exiger |
| une journée | journey | a day | un voyage, un trajet |
| la monnaie | money | small change, coins | l’argent |
| large | large | wide | grand |
| sensible | sensible | sensitive | raisonnable |
| sympathique | sympathetic | nice, friendly | compatissant |
How to catch one: if the English look-alike makes the sentence strange, suspect a false friend. J’ai assisté à la réunion is not “I assisted at the meeting”; it is “I attended the meeting”.
5. Guessing a word from the sentence
When you need a word you can’t decode, the sentence around it usually gives it away. Ask three questions:
- What kind of word is it? After un, une, le, la: a noun. After je, il, nous: a verb. Ending in -ment after a verb: an adverb.
- What does the rest of the sentence need?
- Is there a synonym, an opposite or an example nearby?
| Sentence | The reasoning | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Le propriétaire a promis de réparer la fuite d’eau dans la salle de bain. | a noun (la); something with water that needs repairing in a bathroom | a leak |
| Après douze heures de travail, il était épuisé, complètement vidé. | describes him after 12 hours; vidé (emptied) says the same thing | exhausted |
| Le loyer est abordable : seulement 900 $ par mois. | seulement 900 $ is the example | affordable |
| Il a raté son bus, alors il est arrivé en retard. | a verb; the result is arrivé en retard | missed |
Notice that you did not need a dictionary for any of them. Guessing gives you a meaning that is good enough to keep reading, which is what the task needs.
6. Connectors are signposts
Connectors tell you what kind of idea is coming, and the answer to a question is often right after one:
| Connector | What follows | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| mais, cependant, pourtant, toutefois | the opposite idea, usually the important one | the author’s real point often comes here |
| donc, c’est pourquoi, par conséquent | a result or a conclusion | the answer to “what happened as a result?” |
| parce que, car, puisque | a reason | the answer to “pourquoi… ?” |
| par exemple | an example | rarely the main idea |
| en effet | a confirmation or an explanation of what was just said | not “in effect”: en effet = indeed |
Le télétravail présente de nombreux avantages. Cependant, il peut isoler les employés. If the question asks for a disadvantage of remote work, it is right after cependant. See Logical Connectors.
7. Small words that flip the meaning
A few short words change the whole sentence. Missing one is the most common way to get a reading question wrong:
| Watch for | Means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ne… que | only (not a negative!) | Le bureau n’ouvre que le matin. = It opens only in the morning. |
| ne… plus | no longer | Il n’habite plus ici. = He doesn’t live here any more. |
| ne… jamais | never | Elle ne répond jamais au téléphone. |
| ne… aucun | not a single | Aucun document n’est nécessaire. = No document is needed. |
| a verb in the conditional in the news | reportedly, not confirmed | Le maire serait malade. = The mayor is said to be ill. |
Numbers in Canadian French: 125 $ (the $ comes after), 1 500 (a space for thousands), 2,5 (a comma for decimals), 14 h 30 (2:30 p.m.).
8. A method for exam texts
For TEF and TCF reading questions:
- Read the question first, so you know what you are looking for.
- Skim the text in 30 seconds for its topic and shape.
- Scan for the paragraph that answers.
- Read that part carefully, watching for connectors and the small words from section 7.
- Check the options. The right option usually says the text’s idea in other words. An option that copies the text’s exact words is often a trap: it may say the opposite, or be about another part of the text.
Exam-specific timing and question types are in TEF Reading Strategy.
9. Try it: a short article
Read the questions in the quiz below first, then the text. Use the method.
Des ateliers de français gratuits à la bibliothèque des Érables
À partir du 3 février, la bibliothèque des Érables offre des ateliers de conversation en français pour les nouveaux arrivants. Les ateliers ont lieu deux fois par semaine, le lundi et le jeudi, de 18 h 30 à 20 h. Ils sont gratuits, mais l’inscription est obligatoire, car les groupes ne comptent que douze personnes.
Chaque atelier porte sur un thème de la vie quotidienne : chercher un logement, prendre rendez-vous chez le médecin, parler avec l’enseignant de ses enfants. Selon l’animatrice, Mme Dubé, « les participants ont surtout besoin de pratiquer. Ils connaissent déjà beaucoup de mots, mais ils n’osent pas parler ».
Pour vous inscrire, présentez-vous au comptoir de prêt avec une preuve de résidence. Attention : la bibliothèque sera fermée le 10 février pour des travaux. L’atelier prévu ce jour-là sera déplacé au lendemain.
Words you might not know, and how to get them: ateliers (workshops: the text says they are de conversation, twice a week, on a theme), animatrice (the woman who leads them: she speaks for the workshops), comptoir de prêt (the loans desk: prêter = to lend), lendemain (the next day). Did you need all of them to answer the questions? Check in the quiz.
Common Mistakes
| ❌ The habit | ✅ Instead | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Reading from the first word, with no goal | Read the question first, then skim | you know what to look for, and what to skip |
| Stopping at every unknown word | Ask “do I need it?” and keep going | most words are not needed for the answer |
| Reaching for the dictionary first | Guess from form, family and sentence first | a guess is usually good enough, and much faster |
| Reading actuellement as “actually” | It means currently | a false friend |
| Reading ne… que as a negative | It means only | n’ouvre que le matin = opens only in the morning |
| Reading a news conditional as a fact | Il serait = reportedly | the information is not confirmed |
| Choosing the option with the text’s exact words | Look for the same idea in other words | copied words are the classic trap |
| Skipping mais and cependant | Slow down after them | the key idea usually follows |
Practice
A. Put the s back: what is the English word?
- la forêt → the ______
- l’hôpital → the ______
- une fête → a ______
- la côte → the ______
- l’intérêt → the ______
- une île → an ______
B. Change é- back to s-: what is the English word?
- l’école → the ______
- un étudiant → a ______
- l’État → the ______
- un écran → a ______
- une épouse → a ______
- une éponge → a ______
C. False friends: write the French word
- Currently, I live in Surrey. → ______, j’habite à Surrey.
- We are waiting for the bus. → Nous ______ le bus.
- She works in a bookshop. → Elle travaille dans une ______.
- We borrow books at the library. → Nous empruntons des livres à la ______.
- I attended the meeting. → J’ai ______ à la réunion.
- He took a training course in accounting. → Il a suivi une ______ en comptabilité.
- They stayed at home. → Ils sont ______ à la maison.
Answers
A. 1. forest · 2. hospital · 3. feast · 4. coast · 5. interest · 6. isle / island
B. 1. school · 2. student · 3. state · 4. screen · 5. spouse · 6. sponge
C. 1. Actuellement · 2. attendons · 3. librairie · 4. bibliothèque · 5. assisté · 6. formation · 7. restés
For more practice with short texts, try the reading comprehension drill: read, then decide vrai ou faux.
Your Turn: Read, Then Say It in Two Sentences
Summarising is the best test of whether you understood. Take the library article above and say, out loud or in writing, what it is about and what a reader has to do, in two sentences, without copying its sentences.
Model answer: La bibliothèque des Érables offre des ateliers de conversation gratuits pour les nouveaux arrivants, deux soirs par semaine. Il faut s’inscrire au comptoir avec une preuve de résidence, parce que les places sont limitées.
Then do the same with one real text this week: a notice from your city, an article on Radio-Canada, or a page from a government website. How to build a longer summary is in Summarizing in French.
Where to Read at B1
Choose texts where you know most of the words. Studies of reading suggest you need about 95 words in every 100 to read comfortably: if you are stopping on more than one or two words per line, pick something easier for everyday reading, and keep harder texts for practising strategy.
- Radio-Canada (ICI Radio-Canada): Canadian news in French; start with short news items.
- TV5Monde, Apprendre le français: articles and videos graded by level, with exercises.
- RFI, le Journal en français facile: a daily news bulletin in simple French, with the transcript to read.
- 1jour1actu: news written for children, which is exactly the right level to start with.
- Your city’s website and notices: real texts you need anyway, on snow removal, garbage collection and permits.
What’s Next
FAQ
Should I look up every word I don't know?
No. First ask whether you need the word to answer your question. Most of the time you don't. When you do, guess it from its form (many French words look like English ones), its family (vendre, vendeur, vente) or the rest of the sentence, and only then check a dictionary.
What is the difference between skimming and scanning?
Skimming is a fast read for the main idea: title, first paragraph, first sentence of each paragraph, last paragraph. Scanning is hunting for one fact: you decide what it looks like (a date, a price in $, a name with a capital letter) and let your eyes run down the text until you find it.
How hard should a practice text be?
Studies of reading suggest you need to know about 95 words in every 100 to read comfortably. If you stop on more than one or two words per line, choose an easier text for everyday reading, and keep harder texts for practising exam strategy.
What are false friends?
French words that look like English words but mean something else. Actuellement means currently (not actually), une librairie is a bookshop (a library is une bibliothèque), assister à means to attend, and éventuellement means possibly. If the English look-alike makes the sentence strange, suspect a false friend.
How do I find the answer faster in a TEF or TCF reading question?
Read the question before the text, skim the text for its topic, then scan for the paragraph that answers and read only that part carefully. The right option usually says the text's idea in other words; an option that copies the text's exact words is often a trap.
Check Your Understanding
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