By Déborah · Feel Good French
DELF A2 tout public · Grammar, reading & speaking practiceDELF A2 Speaking Practice: Introduce Yourself in French
Preparing for the DELF A2 oral exam? Practise introducing yourself in French, then answering a question you haven’t prepared.
This free DELF A2 speaking practice focuses on the guided interview at the start of the oral exam. Build sentences, check your grammar and reading answers, then put the model away and speak.
Want a structured plan for the whole exam? Explore our A2 French exam preparation lessons.
For the wider exam, read Is DELF A2 hard? What to expect and how to prepare, including the format and pass mark.
Why practise your DELF A2 introduction?
For some learners, A2 is now part of preparing a residence application. Since 1 January 2026, it is required for certain first multi-year residence-card applications in France. Exemptions apply; check the official requirements for your situation.
With DELF, you choose a level and prepare for it. Once you pass, your diploma is valid for life. That gives your French a clear goal, and the practice is useful beyond the paperwork: meeting a neighbour, talking about your week or explaining a plan.
Take it as a challenge with a purpose. Let’s begin with a conversation about someone you already know: you.
Where this fits in DELF A2: the oral exam begins with a guided interview about yourself, lasting about 1 minute 30, without preparation time for that part. The complete oral also includes a short monologue and an interaction task. This resource practises the opening conversation, not the whole exam.
See FEI’s official A2 oral sample. The written activities practise grammar and reading; the final round asks you to use the language aloud.
1. DELF A2 self-introduction: a model answer
Emma is a fictional learner. She is introducing herself to an examiner. Read her sentences, say them aloud, then choose details you could change.
Bonjour, je m’appelle Emma.À l’oreille: bon-zhoor, juh mah-pel eh-mah.Hello, my name is Emma.
Je suis américaine et j’habite à Tours.À l’oreille: juh swee-zah-may-ree-ken ay zhah-beet ah toor.I’m American and I live in Tours.
Je travaille à la maison.À l’oreille: juh trah-vai ah lah meh-zohn.I work from home.
Le week-end, j’aime faire une promenade ou aller au marché.À l’oreille: luh wee-kend, zhem fehr ewn prohm-nahd oo ah-lay oh mar-shay.At the weekend, I like going for a walk or going to the market.
J’apprends le français parce que je veux parler avec mes voisins.À l’oreille: zhah-prahn luh frahn-seh pars kuh juh vuh par-lay ah-vek may vwah-zan.I’m learning French because I want to talk with my neighbours.
You don’t need to use every sentence. Choose information you can explain, and leave room for the other person to ask something. An introduction is the start of an exchange.
Our “à l’oreille” cues are approximate help for English speakers, not French spelling or IPA. Nasal vowels have no exact English equivalent. For French u, as in une, keep your tongue in an “ee” position while rounding your lips. In je suis américaine, the linking sound is z. The word et keeps its final t silent.
Make the model fit your situation
Emma uses the feminine form américaine. Choose the form that fits you. You can also talk about your work, studies or retirement without copying her situation.
Je suis américain.À l’oreille: juh swee-zah-may-ree-kan.I’m American, using the masculine form. The ending differs from américaine.
Je suis à la retraite.À l’oreille: juh swee-zah lah ruh-tret.I’m retired.
Je prends des cours de français.À l’oreille: juh prahn day koor duh frahn-seh.I take French classes.
You may use fictional details for practice. There is no need to post personal information in comments.
2. Add a detail you can talk about
For this A2 extension, practise a duration, a past event and a plan. These are useful ways to develop an answer; you do not have to insert all three into every introduction.
How long?
J’habite ici depuis six mois.À l’oreille: zhah-bee-tee-see duh-pwee see mwah.I’ve lived here for six months, and I still live here.
French uses the present here because the situation continues: j’habite… depuis…. Change six months to a duration that fits your situation. Say the whole sentence, rather than learning habiter on its own.
What happened?
Hier, j’ai préparé un dîner pour des amis.À l’oreille: yehr, zhay pray-pah-ray uhn dee-nay poor day-zah-mee.Yesterday, I prepared a dinner for some friends.
Hier sets the scene in the past. The event is complete. The z in the cue joins des amis.
What’s next?
Demain, je vais prendre un cours de français.À l’oreille: duh-man, juh veh prahndr uhn koor duh frahn-seh.Tomorrow, I’m going to take a French lesson.
Je vais prendre gives a plan. Keep the pattern and change the activity when you are ready.
Keep the article with the noun
Le dimanche, je fais une promenade.
À l’oreille: luh dee-mahnsh, juh feh ewn prohm-nahd.On Sundays, I go for a walk.Je prends un cours de français le lundi.
À l’oreille: juh prahn uhn koor duh frahn-seh luh luhn-dee.I take a French lesson on Mondays. The final s in cours is silent.Je parle avec ma voisine.
À l’oreille: juh parl ah-vek mah vwah-zeen.I talk with my neighbour, who is female.Je travaille à la maison le vendredi.
À l’oreille: juh trah-vai ah lah meh-zohn luh vahn-druh-dee.I work from home on Fridays.3. Practise the examiner’s follow-up questions
Read each question, then look away and answer it aloud. The wording may vary in a real conversation.
Vous habitez où ?À l’oreille: voo zah-bee-tay oo?Where do you live?
Vous habitez ici depuis quand ?À l’oreille: voo zah-bee-tay ee-see duh-pwee kahn?How long have you lived here?
Qu’est-ce que vous aimez faire le week-end ?À l’oreille: kes kuh voo zay-may fehr luh wee-kend?What do you like doing at the weekend?
Pourquoi vous apprenez le français ?À l’oreille: poor-kwah voo zah-pruh-nay luh frahn-seh?Why are you learning French?
Qu’est-ce que vous avez fait hier ?À l’oreille: kes kuh voo zah-vay feh yehr?What did you do yesterday?
Qu’est-ce que vous allez faire demain ?À l’oreille: kes kuh voo zah-lay fehr duh-man?What are you going to do tomorrow?
These questions use vous, appropriate when speaking with an examiner or an adult you do not know. Several use a common spoken word order. You can also encounter more formal wording; the question word still helps you find the meaning.
Pardon, vous pouvez répéter la question, s’il vous plaît ?À l’oreille: par-dohn, voo poo-vay ray-pay-tay lah kes-tyohn, seel voo pleh?Sorry, could you repeat the question, please?
Ask again if you need to. Then answer the question you hear.
4. Grammar practice: build the sentence yourself
Work through these ten activities without looking back at the models first. The sentence-building words are separated; later activities ask you to create complete verb forms and make several changes in a sentence.
Open a hint only when you need it. Capitals and punctuation do not affect the check; accents receive separate feedback. These are original language exercises, not a scored DELF paper.
1. Word order
Put every word in its place.
Start with J’habite. Give the place before the duration. Use every item once.
mois / Tours / depuis / J’habite / six / à
Hint for activity 1
Answers and grammar point 1
- J’habite à Tours depuis six mois.À l’oreille: zhah-beet ah toor duh-pwee see mwah.I’ve lived in Tours for six months.
Use à with the city. Depuis introduces a continuing duration, so the verb stays in the present. The six items are separate: you must also rebuild depuis + six + mois.
2. Word order
Explain the purpose of learning French.
You are learning French so you can talk with your neighbours. Start with J’apprends and use each item once. Express the purpose with pour.
mes / avec / le / J’apprends / pour / français / parler / voisins
Hint for activity 2
Answers and grammar point 2
- J’apprends le français pour parler avec mes voisins.À l’oreille: zhah-prahn luh frahn-seh poor par-lay ah-vek may vwah-zan.I’m learning French to talk with my neighbours.
Pour + infinitive gives a purpose. Here the infinitive is parler. Keep mes with the plural noun voisins.
3. Word order · negation
Build a negative sentence.
Start with Nous and finish with the time expression. Use every item once.
pas / nous / ce / travaillons / matin / ne
Hint for activity 3
Answers and grammar point 3
- Nous ne travaillons pas ce matin.À l’oreille: noo nuh trah-vah-yohn pah suh mah-tan.We are not working this morning.
The full negative form is ne + conjugated verb + pas. Ce matin is the time expression.
4. Grammar · present tense
Conjugate for the subject in each sentence.
Write the present-tense form of the verb in brackets. Complete all three sentences.
Verb focus: prendre and venir are irregular verbs. Finir follows the regular second-group -ir pattern. These verbs do not all use the same endings.
Hint for activity 4
Answers and grammar point 4
- Le mardi matin, Maya prend le bus pour aller à la librairie.À l’oreille: luh mar-dee mah-tan, mah-yah prahn luh bews poor ah-lay ah lah lee-breh-ree.On Tuesday mornings, Maya takes the bus to go to the bookshop.
- Le lundi, ses voisins viennent prendre un café chez elle.À l’oreille: luh luhn-dee, say vwah-zan vyen prahndr uhn kah-fay shay zel.On Mondays, her neighbours come for a coffee at her home.
- Nous finissons le travail à dix-huit heures.À l’oreille: noo fee-nee-sohn luh trah-vai ah deez weet uhr.We finish work at six in the evening.
Maya takes the elle form of the irregular verb prendre: prend. Ses voisins is plural, so venir becomes viennent. Finir is regular in the second group: with nous, its ending is -issons, giving finissons. Not every verb ending in -ir follows finir; venir is one counterexample.
5. Grammar · passé composé
Build the whole past-tense verb.
These events are complete. Write the auxiliary AND the past participle, not just one word.
Hint for activity 5
Answers and grammar point 5
- Hier, Maya a invité deux voisins à dîner.À l’oreille: yehr, mah-yah ah an-vee-tay duh vwah-zan ah dee-nay.Yesterday, Maya invited two neighbours to dinner.
- Ses voisins sont arrivés à dix-neuf heures.À l’oreille: say vwah-zan sohn-tah-ree-vay ah deez nuhv uhr.Her neighbours arrived at seven in the evening.
- Nous avons pris un café au marché.À l’oreille: noo zah-vohn pree uhn kah-fay oh mar-shay.We had a coffee at the market.
The three forms are a invité, sont arrivés and avons pris. With être, arrivés agrees with the masculine plural voisins. Pris is the past participle of prendre.
6. Grammar · futur proche
Build six future plans.
Use the futur proche: the present of aller + an infinitive. Aller is irregular. Write the complete verb phrase in all six gaps; the subjects change.
Hint for activity 6
Answers and grammar point 6
- Demain, nous allons visiter un appartement.À l’oreille: duh-man, noo zah-lohn vee-zee-tay uhn-nah-par-tuh-mahn.Tomorrow, we’re going to visit an apartment.
- Samedi prochain, Maya va prendre le train.À l’oreille: sam-dee proh-shan, mah-yah vah prahndr luh tran.Next Saturday, Maya is going to take the train.
- Ce soir, je vais préparer le dîner.À l’oreille: suh swahr, juh veh pray-pah-ray luh dee-nay.This evening, I’m going to prepare dinner.
- Après le cours, tu vas appeler ta voisine.À l’oreille: ah-preh luh koor, tew vah ah-play tah vwah-zeen.After the lesson, you’re going to call your neighbour, using tu.
- Ce week-end, vous allez faire une promenade avec vos voisins.À l’oreille: suh wee-kend, voo zah-lay fehr ewn prohm-nahd ah-vek voh vwah-zan.This weekend, you’re going for a walk with your neighbours.
- La semaine prochaine, mes voisins vont venir à notre cours de français.À l’oreille: lah suh-men proh-shen, may vwah-zan vohn vuh-neer ah noh-truh koor duh frahn-seh.Next week, my neighbours are going to come to our French lesson.
The irregular verb aller changes with the subject: nous allons, elle va, je vais, tu vas, vous allez and ils vont. The second verb stays in the infinitive: visiter, prendre, préparer, appeler, faire or venir. Other ways of expressing the future exist; this activity specifically asks for the futur proche.
7. Grammar · time expressions
Choose between a continuing situation, a starting event and a finished duration.
Imagine it is November. Use depuis, il y a and pendant once each. Read the whole context before choosing.
depuis / il y a / pendant
Hint for activity 7
Answers and grammar point 7
- Maya habite à Nantes depuis septembre.À l’oreille: mah-yah ah-beet ah nahnt duh-pwee sep-tahmbr.Maya has lived in Nantes since September.
- Elle a déménagé il y a deux mois.À l’oreille: el ah day-may-nah-zhay eel yah duh mwah.She moved two months ago.
- L’été dernier, elle a travaillé à Bordeaux pendant trois semaines.À l’oreille: lay-tay dehr-nyeh, el ah trah-vah-yay ah bor-doh pahn-dahn trwah suh-men.Last summer, she worked in Bordeaux for three weeks.
Depuis connects an earlier beginning to a situation continuing now. Il y a dates a past event. Pendant gives the duration of the finished work period here.
8. Grammar · articles and prepositions
Choose the form that fits the sentence.
Use une, les, au and aux once each. The first sentence introduces a bookshop for the first time.
une / les / au / aux
Hint for activity 8
Answers and grammar point 8
- Je travaille dans une librairie.À l’oreille: juh trah-vai dahn-zewn lee-breh-ree.I work in a bookshop.
- Le libraire aime les livres en général.À l’oreille: luh lee-brehr em lay leevr ahn zhay-nay-rahl.The bookseller likes books in general.
- Après mon cours, je vais au marché.À l’oreille: ah-preh mohn koor, juh veh oh mar-shay.After my lesson, I go to the market.
- Nous parlons aux voisins de notre immeuble.À l’oreille: noo par-lohn oh vwah-zan duh noh-truh ee-muhbl.We speak to the neighbours in our building.
Librairie is feminine, so une introduces it. General likes use the definite article: les livres. À + le becomes au; à + les becomes aux.
9. Transformation · plural agreement
Change one woman to several women.
Rewrite with Elles. Change all the words that need to agree. Keep the meaning and the place.
Elle est canadienne et elle travaille à Nantes.
Hint for activity 9
Answers and grammar point 9
- Elles sont canadiennes et elles travaillent à Nantes.À l’oreille: el sohn kah-nah-dyen ay el trah-vai ah nahnt.They are Canadian and they work in Nantes, using feminine forms.
The plural is elles sont canadiennes and elles travaillent. You may repeat elles after et or leave it out; both versions are accepted.
10. Transformation · negation and a question
Change what the sentence communicates.
Rewrite each sentence in full. Follow the specific instruction for that item.
Hint for activity 10
Answers and grammar point 10
- Maya n’a pas encore visité cet appartement.À l’oreille: mah-yah nah pah-zahn-kor vee-zee-tay set ah-par-tuh-mahn.Maya has not visited this apartment yet.
- Est-ce que nous travaillons le lundi ?À l’oreille: ess kuh noo trah-vah-yohn luh luhn-dee?Do we work on Mondays?
Maya n’a pas encore visité… means she has not visited yet. Ne becomes n’ before a. Est-ce que introduces a yes/no question without changing the subject–verb order.
5. Reading comprehension: understand a new person
Read Maya’s message to a new French-class group. Maya and the details are fictional. Answer from the text, not from Emma’s earlier introduction. Keep the explanations closed until you have tried.
Maya’s message
Bonjour, je m’appelle Maya. Je suis canadienne et j’habite à Nantes avec mon mari depuis septembre. Avant, nous habitions à Montréal. Je travaille dans une librairie, du mardi au samedi. Le lundi, je ne travaille pas.
J’aime me promener au bord de la Loire, mais je n’aime pas courir. Samedi dernier, j’ai invité deux voisins à dîner. Ils sont arrivés à dix-neuf heures et nous avons parlé de notre quartier.
Je prends des cours de français pour parler plus facilement avec les clients. Mon cours est le lundi à dix heures. La semaine prochaine, je vais visiter un appartement plus près de la librairie. Je cherche un logement calme, à moins de dix minutes à pied de la librairie.
This is reading practice. There is no listening recording, and reading the text aloud does not turn the questions into a listening test.
11. Reading comprehension
Answer and evidence 11
B, Montréal. The sentence beginning Avant gives the earlier place. Nantes is where she lives now; Tours belongs to Emma’s earlier model and is not Maya’s previous home.
12. Reading comprehension
Answer and evidence 12
A. Her class is on Monday, and she explicitly says she does not work on Monday. You need two details from the message, not only the word lundi.
13. Reading comprehension
Answer and evidence 13
C. She invited two neighbours to dinner. The apartment visit is a future plan for the following week, not what happened last Saturday.
14. Reading comprehension
Use these fictional adverts as well as Maya’s message.
Answer and evidence 14
B is quiet and a five-minute walk from the bookshop. A is quiet but its forty-minute walk exceeds the stated limit. C is close but noisy. Both conditions matter.
15. Reading comprehension · short answer
Write a short answer in French or English. Explain her purpose. Then compare your meaning with the model; different accurate wording is welcome.
Compare your answer with the text
The text says she wants to speak more easily with the customers. The neighbours are part of the dinner story; they are not the reason she gives for taking lessons.
Elle prend des cours de français pour parler plus facilement avec les clients.
À l’oreille: el prahn day koor duh frahn-seh poor par-lay plew fah-seel-mahn ah-vek lay klee-yahn.She takes French classes to speak more easily with the customers.Look for pour + infinitive to identify a purpose. This open answer is self-checked, not rejected because it differs from a single saved sentence.
Vocabulary help after your first attempt
Je travaille dans une librairie.
À l’oreille: juh trah-vai dahn-zewn lee-breh-ree.I work in a bookshop. Une librairie is feminine; it means a bookshop.Je cherche un logement plus calme.
À l’oreille: juh shersh uhn lohzh-mahn plew kahlm.I’m looking for a quieter home. Un logement is masculine.6. Put the model away and speak for yourself
Choose four or five facts you want to share: your name, where you live, your work or current activities, something you enjoy, and your reason for learning French. Write only keywords. Use your own details or invented ones.
Say a short introduction aloud. If you need the model, look at one sentence, look away and adapt it. You can begin with three sentences and build from there.
Put the sentences away. A partner chooses three questions from section 3 in an order you do not know. Answer each one and add a relevant detail. Include a past event or future plan if the question calls for it.
Keep the whole exchange to roughly a minute and a half as practice. This includes the questions and answers; it is not a minute-and-a-half speech. If working alone, point to a question at random and answer aloud before checking the models.
You meet someone at a local French class. They already know your name, so start with where you live or what you enjoy. They ask why you joined the class. Reuse your language without repeating the same introduction from the beginning.
Check what you could do
This is a practice checklist, not an official marking grid. A teacher can listen to pronunciation, interaction and language choices and help you decide what to work on next.
Your answer key and next speaking task
Open the grammar and reading answer key
- J’habite à Tours depuis six mois.
- J’apprends le français pour parler avec mes voisins.
- Nous ne travaillons pas ce matin.
- Le mardi matin, Maya prend le bus pour aller à la librairie. / Le lundi, ses voisins viennent prendre un café chez elle. / Nous finissons le travail à dix-huit heures.
- Hier, Maya a invité deux voisins à dîner. / Ses voisins sont arrivés à dix-neuf heures. / Nous avons pris un café au marché.
- Demain, nous allons visiter un appartement. / Samedi prochain, Maya va prendre le train. / Ce soir, je vais préparer le dîner. / Après le cours, tu vas appeler ta voisine. / Ce week-end, vous allez faire une promenade avec vos voisins. / La semaine prochaine, mes voisins vont venir à notre cours de français.
- Maya habite à Nantes depuis septembre. / Elle a déménagé il y a deux mois. / L’été dernier, elle a travaillé à Bordeaux pendant trois semaines.
- Je travaille dans une librairie. / Le libraire aime les livres en général. / Après mon cours, je vais au marché. / Nous parlons aux voisins de notre immeuble.
- Elles sont canadiennes et elles travaillent à Nantes.
- Maya n’a pas encore visité cet appartement. / Est-ce que nous travaillons le lundi ?
- B, Montréal. The sentence beginning Avant gives the earlier place. Nantes is where she lives now; Tours belongs to Emma’s earlier model and is not Maya’s previous home.
- A. Her class is on Monday, and she explicitly says she does not work on Monday. You need two details from the message, not only the word lundi.
- C. She invited two neighbours to dinner. The apartment visit is a future plan for the following week, not what happened last Saturday.
- B is quiet and a five-minute walk from the bookshop. A is quiet but its forty-minute walk exceeds the stated limit. C is close but noisy. Both conditions matter.
- Maya wants to speak more easily with the customers. Accept an accurate paraphrase.
Each activity contains its own explanation. Grammar models also include pronunciation cues.
For the complete exam format, visit FEI’s official DELF A2 samples and assessment grids.
Ready for a different conversation? Try DELF A2 speaking practice at the train station, with ticket-counter questions, a timetable, sentence building and missing-word exercises.
Turn these sentence patterns into a short message with DELF A2 writing practice: invite a friend. Complete the grammar exercises, then write at least 60 words and check the model.
The exercises run on this page without registration or submission. They do not record your voice or send your answers anywhere. This resource is guided speaking practice; it contains no listening recording or automated assessment of your speech.