French Reading Practice: I Read Short Sentences with Complex Graphemes
One page, one sound at a time: this worksheet opens the complex-grapheme series. First stop: the sound OU — two letters, one single note, the sound of loup, poule, hibou and soupe. Ten short sentences, with the target letters highlighted in green and the silent letters in gray.
The next graphemes — CH, ON, AN and the others — will join the series on this same page, in the same format: an uppercase version and a lowercase version, the finger-following instruction, and pictures placed away from the sentences so the child decodes instead of guessing. The watermarked US Letter PDF of the OU worksheet is free for everyone; the clean files are for Premium members — and each new grapheme will land here with the same logic.
✨ What learners practise
The first goal is decoding a complex grapheme: a team of letters that sings one single note. After the simple-grapheme worksheet, the child discovers that some sounds need two or three letters — and the green highlight does the teaching work: the eyes find the sound team before the mouth says it. The same method will be used for every grapheme of the series, so the routine installs itself quickly.
The worksheet also keeps the two good habits of the collection: the silent letters in gray (the t of court, the e of joue), and the finger that follows the words from left to right. In short, ten small victories per grapheme — and a bear with a bowl of soup as a reward for the first one.
Point to the words from left to right and keep your place while reading.
Find the green grapheme in each word and blend it into one single sound.
Read the complete sentence, and keep the gray silent letters silent.
Read the sentence again and feel how much faster it goes the second time.
🦉 Grapheme 1 · OU: the 10 sentences
Every sentence of this first worksheet is built around the OU sound, with playful words and names (Louna, Nour, Lou). The English translations are here for the teacher or the parent; the printable worksheet keeps the task in French. The next graphemes will appear in this same list format as they are published.
🚀 The complex-grapheme series, on this page
Each grapheme gets its own worksheet, in the same format, and each new worksheet is added to this page. Bookmark it: the series grows here.
The sound [u]: loup, poule, hibou, soupe — 10 sentences, uppercase + lowercase. The worksheet of this page.
The sound [ʃ]: chat, chien, chocolat — same format, same green code.
The sound [ɔ̃]: pont, maison, chanson — the first nasal of the series.
The sound [ɑ̃]: maman, grand, orange — the twin of ON, with its own nose.
🎁 Free downloads · Grapheme 1: OU
The OU worksheet, uppercase and lowercase, in US Letter with our watermark — free for everyone. The free PDFs of the next graphemes (CH, ON, AN…) will appear in this section as they are published.
🎁 Free US Letter PDF – OU, with watermark
Two worksheets: uppercase and lowercase.
🔓 Want the clean PDFs and editable DOCX files?
Premium members can download clean A4 and US Letter PDFs as well as editable Word files — for every grapheme of the series.
💎 Clean and editable versions · Grapheme 1: OU
Choose the paper size you actually use. Premium members can download separate A4 and US Letter PDFs, plus editable DOCX versions in both formats — and will get the same four files for each new grapheme of the series.
🎯 Who is this worksheet for?
❓ Frequently asked questions
🧒 Who can use this French reading worksheet?
Beginner French readers who already decode simple graphemes and are ready for the first complex ones. Suitable for French classes, immersion settings and homeschooling.
🔗 How many graphemes are on this page?
One at a time, and the page grows: OU is available now, then CH, ON, AN and the others will be added here, each with its own free watermarked PDF and its Premium files.
🟢 Why is the grapheme highlighted in green?
A complex grapheme is a team of letters that makes one single sound. The green color helps the child spot the team before pronouncing it — and the same code will mark every next grapheme.
🔠 Why is there an uppercase version?
Some beginners find uppercase letters easier to identify. The lowercase version then practises the same sentences with more common printed letter forms.
🎁 Is this worksheet free?
The watermarked US Letter PDF is free for everyone. Clean A4 and US Letter PDFs and editable DOCX files are for Premium members — for every grapheme of the series.
🚀 Is this part of a bigger collection?
Yes: the simple-grapheme worksheet comes before, and comprehension questions, matching and read-and-draw activities are planned after the complex-grapheme series.
