Hop aboard a giant cannon-fired bullet and join Professor Barbenfouillis and his brave astronomers on the adventure of a lifetime! In this free French graded reader, you'll follow their journey from a Victorian clubroom to the cratered surface of the moon, where they encounter mischievous Selenites, get captured by lunar police, and barely escape back to Earth with a splash. Every clickable word gives you an instant English translation, so you'll never lose the thread of the story.
As you read and listen to the full story audio, you'll naturally absorb French vocabulary for travel, nature, and fantasy while practicing the passé composé. Handy lesson notes point out key grammar and cultural tidbits-like the real French silent film that inspired this retelling. Whether you're dreaming of space or just want a fun way to improve your French, this A2 elementary-level tale turns language learning into a delightful escape.
Il était une fois un groupe de qui d'aller sur la Lune. Leur chef, le professeur Barbenfouillis, a dit un jour : « Nous allons un grand canon et nous envoyer dans l'espace ! »
Tout le monde a crié : « Oui ! Allons sur la Lune ! » Ils ont pendant des mois. Le canon était , comme une montagne de métal. La capsule à une grosse balle pointue.
Le jour du départ est arrivé. Les scientifiques sont dans la capsule. Ils étaient très . « 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… » a crié Barbenfouillis.
Boum ! Le canon a la capsule vers le ciel. Le voyage était , comme un éclair. Soudain, ils ont vu la Lune devant eux. Elle était grande, blanche et .
La capsule a sur la Lune. Les scientifiques sont sortis avec . « Regardez ! » a dit Barbenfouillis. « La Terre est là-bas, toute petite et bleue. »
Ils ont sur la . Tout à coup, des créatures étranges sont apparues : les . Ils avaient des habits et sautaient comme des sauterelles.
Les Sélénites étaient mais aussi un peu . Ils ont les scientifiques chez leur roi. « Vous êtes nos invités ! » a dit le roi avec un grand sourire.
Mais les scientifiques voulaient . Pendant la nuit, Barbenfouillis a crié : « Vite ! la capsule vers le bord de la Lune ! » Ensemble, ils l'ont fait .
La capsule est sur Terre, dans la mer. Un bateau les a . De retour chez eux, tout le monde a fêté leur voyage . « Quelle aventure incroyable ! » a dit Barbenfouillis. Et depuis ce jour, ils n'ont jamais oublié leur voyage dans la Lune.
Once upon a time, a group of scientists dreamed of going to the Moon. Their leader, Professor Barbenfouillis, said one day: "We will build a big cannon and shoot ourselves into space!"
Everyone shouted: "Yes! Let's go to the Moon!" They worked hard for months. The cannon was huge, like a mountain of metal. The capsule looked like a big pointed bullet.
The day of departure arrived. The scientists entered the capsule. They were very excited. "5, 4, 3, 2, 1... Fire!" cried Barbenfouillis.
Boom! The cannon shot the capsule into the sky. The journey was fast, like lightning. Suddenly, they saw the Moon before them. It was big, white, and smiling.
The capsule landed softly on the Moon. The scientists stepped out cautiously. "Look!" said Barbenfouillis. "The Earth is over there, so small and blue."
They walked on the dusty surface. Suddenly, strange creatures appeared: the Selenites. They had shiny clothes and jumped like grasshoppers.
The Selenites were curious but also a bit frightening. They took the scientists to their king. "You are our guests!" said the king with a big smile.
But the scientists wanted to go home. During the night, Barbenfouillis shouted: "Quick! Let's push the capsule to the edge of the Moon!" Together, they made it fall into the void.
The capsule fell back to Earth, into the sea. A boat rescued them. Back home, everyone celebrated their magnificent journey. "What an incredible adventure!" said Barbenfouillis. And from that day on, they never forgot their trip to the Moon.
Let's pull out some key words from the story that will boost your space-travel and everyday French. Notice how every noun comes with an article-that's your clue to its gender, so make friends with le and la early on.
une aventure (adventure), la Lune (the Moon), un canon (a cannon), une capsule (a capsule), un scientifique (a scientist), sauter (to jump), effrayant(e) (scary), poussiéreux/poussiéreuse (dusty). Try saying them out loud with the right article-it's like a mini-tongue-twister workout!
- Masculine: le ciel (sky), le canon (cannon), le sourire (smile)
- Feminine: la Terre (Earth), la mer (sea), la nuit (night)
- Verbs: rêver de (to dream of), atterrir (to land), emmener (to take someone)
- Adjectives: immense (huge), curieux/curieuse (curious), magnifique (magnificent)
The story weaves together two main French past tenses: the passé composé for actions that are over and done, and the imparfait for descriptions, habits, or ongoing situations. Learning to switch between them lets you paint a vivid picture of events.
- Passé composé: Ils ont crié « Oui ! Allons sur la Lune ! » (They shouted "Yes! Let's go to the Moon!" - a single, completed action).
- Imparfait: Les scientifiques rêvaient d'aller sur la Lune. (The scientists dreamed of going to the Moon - a long-standing desire).
- Passé composé: La capsule a atterri sur la Lune. (The capsule landed on the Moon - a specific event).
- Imparfait: Elle était grande et souriante. (It was big and smiling - a description).
This playful tale is a nod to Georges Méliès's 1902 silent masterpiece Le Voyage dans la Lune, a landmark of early cinema. Méliès, a magician turned filmmaker, created the iconic image of a bullet-shaped capsule crashing into the Man in the Moon's eye-a scene still beloved today.
By retelling the film's plot in simple French, you're not just practicing grammar; you're touching a piece of cultural history. It's a reminder that language and art often dance together, and a bit of whimsy makes vocabulary stick.
- Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon) is considered the first science-fiction film.
- The famous shot of the capsule landing in the Moon's eye is a cinematic landmark.
- Méliès was a magician turned filmmaker-his creativity still inspires us.
- Quoting the film: « Allons sur la Lune ! » (Let's go to the Moon!)
Now it's your moment to play with the story. Retell it in your own words, using both passé composé and imparfait. Feel free to add a twist-maybe a friendly Sélénite helps them escape, or the moon is made of cheese! The goal is to narrate without freezing over tense choices.
- Describe a dream space journey using at least five new words from the story.
- Write three sentences: one with imparfait for setting a scene, one with passé composé for the main event, and one with a direct quote.
- Imagine you meet the Sélénites-how would you introduce yourself?
- Share your version with a friend or a language partner for feedback.
Le Voyage dans la Lune comes from the French / Jules Verne tradition and is best known as a silent sci-fi film. This Yak Yacker article is an original learner retelling based on Georges Méliès, 1902 film; public domain, so the wording here is simplified for modern learners rather than copied from one old edition.
Older printings, translations, and retellings of this story can vary quite a bit. The original audience was usually general/kids, but this version is adapted for A2 Elementary learners studying French. Retell film plot from public-domain film; avoid modern scores/restorations.
If you want to look into the source tradition, start with Wikipedia.
If you want to keep going, browse more in our French section and review the Expand Your A2 Vocabulary. After that, try Basic Questions in French for another useful next step.
