Tom was very excited about his first trip to France. He had studied French for six months before the trip. 'I am ready to speak French!' he said to himself. When Tom arrived at the airport in Paris, he was nervous. He walked to the information desk and tried to ask for directions. 'Excuse me, where is the exit to the city?' he asked in French. But he made a small mistake with the pronunciation. Instead of asking for the exit, he asked for the poison! The woman at the desk looked at him with wide eyes. 'Poison? Why do you want poison?' she asked, confused. Tom suddenly realized his mistake and his face turned red. 'I meant the exit! Not poison!' he said, embarrassed. The woman laughed kindly and showed him the right way. Tom took a taxi to his hotel in the center of Paris. He checked into the hotel without any problems. The next morning, Tom went to a cafe for breakfast. He wanted to order a croissant and some coffee. The waiter came to his table and asked what he wanted. Tom tried to say he was hungry, but he mixed up the words. He accidentally said he was a horse instead of hungry! The waiter looked confused but tried not to laugh. 'You are a horse?' the waiter asked politely. Tom realized his mistake and laughed at himself. 'No, no! I am hungry, not a horse!' he corrected himself. The waiter smiled and brought him a delicious breakfast. After breakfast, Tom decided to visit a famous museum. He asked a man on the street for directions. 'Excuse me, how do I get to the museum?' Tom asked. The man gave him directions, but Tom did not understand everything. He thought the man said to turn right, but he actually said left. Tom walked for thirty minutes in the wrong direction. He ended up at a market instead of the museum. But Tom was not upset because the market was very interesting. He decided to buy some cheese and bread for lunch. Tom went to a cheese shop and tried to ask for help. He wanted to ask which cheese was the best. But he accidentally asked which cheese was the oldest! The shopkeeper showed him a very old and expensive cheese. Tom did not want to buy such an expensive cheese! He tried to explain, but the words came out all wrong. Finally, he just pointed at a simple cheese and smiled. The shopkeeper understood and wrapped the cheese for him. That evening, Tom went to a restaurant for dinner. He looked at the menu but could not understand many words. He decided to order something that sounded simple. When the food arrived, Tom was very surprised. He had ordered snails by mistake! Tom looked at the plate and did not know what to do. He had never eaten snails before in his life! But he decided to be brave and try them. To his surprise, the snails were actually delicious! Tom smiled and thought about his funny day. He had made many mistakes, but he had also learned a lot. The best way to learn a language is to make mistakes and laugh. Tom continued his trip and made more funny mistakes. But every mistake helped him learn new words. By the end of his trip, his French was much better. Tom returned home with wonderful memories and funny stories. He could not wait to visit France again and practice more French. After all, mistakes are the best teachers!
English Story (A2)Lost in Translation
This A2 English story is designed for elementarys learning English. It includes simple vocabulary and short sentences to help you improve your reading and listening skills. Click any word to see translations and hear pronunciation.
About this story
Tom travels to France for his first trip after studying French for six months. Despite his preparation, he makes several funny mistakes: asking for poison instead of the exit, saying he is a horse instead of hungry, and accidentally ordering snails. Through his mishaps at the airport, café, market, and restaurant, Tom learns that making mistakes is the best way to learn a language.
Translations in English
Linked wordUnderlined wordOther words
Comprehension Questions
4 questions
1
What did Tom accidentally ask for at the airport instead of the exit?
2
What did Tom accidentally say at the cafe when he wanted to order breakfast?
3
Where did Tom end up when he followed the wrong directions to the museum?
4
What did Tom accidentally order at the restaurant for dinner?
Vocabulary
30 words from this story
