A1Beginner185 words · 3 min
Tomatoes on the balcony
Bao dreams of tomatoes like the ones in his grandmother's garden. A garden centre, two little seedlings, too much water, and a neighbour who knows what to do.
The text
Bao habite dans un petit immeuble. Son balcon est petit, mais il a du soleil tout l'après-midi. Il rêve de tomates comme dans le jardin de sa grand-mère. Un samedi de mai, il va au centre de jardin du quartier, où une employée s'approche de lui.
L'employée lui demande ce qu'il cherche. Bao veut des tomates sur son balcon, avec beaucoup de soleil l'après-midi. Elle choisit deux petits plants et un grand pot, puis elle lui conseille d'arroser le matin, jamais le soir, et pas trop.
Bao rentre content et arrose ses plants chaque matin et chaque soir, pour être sûr. Une semaine plus tard, les feuilles jaunissent et Bao est triste. Madame Roy, sur le balcon d'à côté, regarde ses tomates et explique qu'elles ont trop d'eau. Il faut arroser seulement le matin.
Bao suit ce conseil, et les feuilles redeviennent vertes. Un matin de juillet, il voit sa première tomate rouge. Il la cueille et l'offre à madame Roy. Elle accepte avec plaisir et demande s'il a du basilic. Comme il n'en a pas, elle promet de lui en donner la prochaine fois.
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Bao lives in a small building. His balcony is small, but it gets sun all afternoon. He dreams of tomatoes like the ones in his grandmother's garden. One Saturday in May, he goes to the neighbourhood garden centre, where an employee comes over to him.
The employee asks what he is looking for. Bao wants tomatoes on his balcony, with lots of afternoon sun. She picks two small seedlings and a big pot, then advises him to water in the morning, never in the evening, and not too much.
Bao goes home happy and waters his plants every morning and every evening, just to be sure. A week later, the leaves turn yellow and Bao is sad. Madame Roy, on the next balcony, looks at his tomatoes and explains that they have too much water. He must water only in the morning.
Bao follows this advice, and the leaves turn green again. One morning in July, he sees his first red tomato. He picks it and offers it to Madame Roy. She happily accepts and asks if he has any basil. Since he doesn't, she promises to give him some next time.
Underlined words are in the glossary: tap one for its definition.
Comprehension questions 4
1. Où Bao va-t-il acheter ses plants ?（Where does Bao go to buy his seedlings?）
Answer : Au centre de jardin du quartier.
2. Qu'est-ce que l'employée conseille pour l'arrosage ?（What does the employee advise about watering?）
Answer : Arroser le matin, pas le soir, et pas trop.
3. Pourquoi les feuilles deviennent-elles jaunes ?（Why do the leaves turn yellow?）
Answer : Les plants ont trop d'eau.
4. Que fait Bao avec la première tomate rouge ?（What does Bao do with the first red tomato?）
Answer : Il l'offre à madame Roy.
Grammar point in this text
Practise speaking
Le jardinage et le bricolageGardening and DIY
Planting, fixing, buying tools — the French of the garden and the workshop.
Dialogues on the same theme. They open on the dialogue page.
The tasks where this French will help
Put these dialogues into practice in real life.
Jardinage sur balcon au Québec : légumes et herbes
Balcony Gardening in Quebec: Vegetables and Herbs
How to grow tomatoes, herbs and vegetables on a Quebec balcony — when to plant, how to choose the right containers and avoid beginner mistakes.
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Hardware Stores and DIY in Quebec
Finding the right tools, materials and services for home maintenance and repairs in Quebec — Home Depot, Réno-Dépôt, BMR, tool rental and lease rules.
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