Renting an Apartment in Lyon: A French Story for Housing Vocabulary

A1 · Beginner55 sentences·2026-09-07

Follow Camille as she visits an apartment in Lyon and nearly loses the envelope with her rent money. This beginner French story builds vocabulary for housing, directions, and everyday objects through short, simple sentences.

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The lesson

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PronunciationTranslation55 sentences · 85 new words

01réveille · wakes up
réveille .
kah-mee-yuh suh ray-vay toh luh mah-tan
Camille wakes up early in the morning.
02chemise · shirt
chemise .
el may oon bel shuh-meez bluh
She puts on a beautiful blue shirt.
03enveloppe · envelope
enveloppe .
el prahn lahn-vuh-lop ah-vek lahr-zhahn
She takes the envelope with the money.
04plan · map
plan .
el ruh-gard luh plahn soor son tay-lay-fon
She looks at the map on her phone.
05marche · walks
marche .
el marsh zhoos-kah lah roo duh lah ray-poo-bleek
She walks to Rue de la République.
06bâtiment · building
bâtiment.
el vwah luh bah-tee-mahn
She sees the building.
07sourit · smiles
sourit.
el soo-ree
She smiles.
08appartement · apartment
appartement .
say eg-zak-tuh-mahn la-par-tuh-mahn kel vuh
It's exactly the apartment she wants.
09ouvre · opens
ouvre .
muh-syuh ruh-nar oovr lah port
Mr. Renard opens the door.
10tend · extends
tend .
eel tahn lah man
He extends his hand.
11invite · invites
invite .
eel an-veet kah-mee-yuh ah ahn-tray dahn la-par-tuh-mahn
He invites Camille to enter the apartment.
12chambre · room
chambre .
lah shahm-br ay grahnd
The room is big.
13fenêtre · window
fenêtre.
eel yah oon fuh-netr
There is a window.
14Saône · Saône
, Saône.
par lah fuh-netr on vwah lah sohn
Through the window, you can see the Saône.
15aime · likes
aime .
kah-mee-yuh em boh-koo set a-par-tuh-mahn
Camille likes this apartment a lot.
16dit · says
dit :
muh-syuh ruh-nar dee: bon. lahn-vuh-lop seel voo play.
Mr. Renard says: "Good. The envelope, please."
17sac · bag
sac.
kah-mee-yuh oovr son sak
Camille opens her bag.
18enveloppe · envelope
enveloppe .
lahn-vuh-lop nay pah dahn luh sak
The envelope is not in the bag.
19cherche · searches
cherche .
el shersh dahn lah posh duh sah vest
She searches in her jacket pocket.
20trouve · finds
trouve .
el nuh troov pah lahn-vuh-lop
She doesn't find the envelope.
21visage · face
visage .
luh vee-zaj duh kah-mee-yuh duh-vyan blahn
Camille's face becomes white.
22croise · crosses
croise .
muh-syuh ruh-nar krwahz lay brah
Mr. Renard crosses his arms.
23montre · watch
montre.
eel ruh-gard sah mohntr
He looks at his watch.
24Pardon · Sorry
Pardon .
kah-mee-yuh dee par-don
Camille says "Sorry".
25sort · goes out
sort .
el sor veet
She goes out quickly.
26trottoir · sidewalk
l' trottoir.
el shersh lahn-vuh-lop soor luh tro-twar
She searches for the envelope on the sidewalk.
27rien · nothing
rien .
el nuh vwah ryan soor luh tro-twar
She sees nothing on the sidewalk.
28boulangerie · bakery
s' boulangerie.
el sa-ret duh-vahn oon boo-lahn-zhuh-ree
She stops in front of a bakery.
29dame · lady
dame .
oon vee-yay dahm ay dahn lah boo-lahn-zhuh-ree
An old lady is in the bakery.
30tient · holds
tient .
lah dahm tyan oon ahn-vuh-lop blahnsh dahn lah man
The lady holds a white envelope in her hand.
31entre · enters
entre .
kah-mee-yuh ahn-tr dahn lah boo-lahn-zhuh-ree
Camille enters the bakery.
32montre · shows
montre .
el mohntr lahn-vuh-lop
She shows the envelope.
33nom · name
nom .
el dee son nom: kah-mee-yuh.
She says her name: "Camille."
34oui · yes
oui .
lah vee-yay dahm fay wee duh lah tet
The old lady nods her head yes.
35trouvé · found
trouvé .
el ah troo-vay lahn-vuh-lop soor luh tro-twar
She found the envelope on the sidewalk.
36écrit · written
écrit .
el ah voo luh nom kah-mee-yuh ay-kree soor lahn-vuh-lop
She saw the name "Camille" written on the envelope.
37attendre · to wait
attendre.
ah-lor el ay ahn-tray dahn lah boo-lahn-zhuh-ree poor a-tahn-dr
So she entered the bakery to wait.
38prend · takes
prend .
kah-mee-yuh prahn lahn-vuh-lop
Camille takes the envelope.
39merci · thank you
merci .
el dee mer-see boh-koo
She says thank you very much.
40court · runs
court .
el koor veet ver luh bah-tee-mahn
She runs quickly toward the building.
41escalier · stairs
escalier.
el mohnt les-kal-yay
She climbs the stairs.
42frappe · knocks
frappe .
el frahp ah lah port
She knocks on the door.
43respire · breathes
respire .
el res-peer for
She breathes hard.
44ouvre · opens
ouvre .
muh-syuh ruh-nar oovr lah port
Mr. Renard opens the door.
45croise · crosses
croise .
eel krwahz ahn-kor lay brah
He crosses his arms again.
46donne · gives
donne .
kah-mee-yuh lwee don lahn-vuh-lop
Camille gives him the envelope.
47explique · explains
explique :
el ex-pleek: zhay per-doo lahn-vuh-lop. oon dahm lah troo-vay.
She explains: "I lost the envelope. A lady found it."
48moment · moment
moment.
muh-syuh ruh-nar ruh-gard kah-mee-yuh un mo-mahn
Mr. Renard looks at Camille for a moment.
49rit · laughs
rit.
pwee eel ree
Then he laughs.
50contrat · contract
contrat.
eel seen-yuh luh kon-trah
He signs the contract.
51clé · key
clé .
eel don lah klay duh la-par-tuh-mahn ah kah-mee-yuh
He gives the key to the apartment to Camille.
52clé · key
clé .
kah-mee-yuh prahn lah klay dahn sah man
Camille takes the key in her hand.
53fenêtre · window
fenêtre .
el ruh-gard par lah fuh-netr ver lah sohn
She looks through the window toward the Saône.
54souffle · breathes out
souffle .
el soofl doos-mahn
She breathes out gently.
55appartement · apartment
appartement .
el ah un a-par-tuh-mahn ah lee-yon
She has an apartment in Lyon.

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