Speaking practice
Put A1 together in speaking: introduce yourself, describe your routine and family, and handle simple situations.
In this lesson you will
- Speak for one minute about yourself
- Answer common personal questions
- Use fillers and ask for repetition
Learn
Build longer answers. Don’t just say Yes. Add a reason or an example: Do you like your job? — Yes, I do. It’s interesting and my colleagues are friendly.
Useful fillers give you time to think: Well…, Let me think…, Hmm, that’s a good question.
If you don’t understand, say: Sorry, can you repeat that, please? / Could you speak more slowly? / What does ‘…’ mean?
Record yourself and listen back. Check: Did I use he/she + -s? Did I use a/an? Is my voice clear?
Examples
- Where are you from? — I’m from Porto, in Portugal. It’s a beautiful city by the sea.
- What do you do in your free time? — Well, I usually play football on Saturdays, and I sometimes go to the cinema.
- Sorry, could you say that again, please?
Vocabulary
free time
time when you’re not working or studying
colleague
a person you work with
Let me think…
a phrase to get time to think
favourite
the one you like best
because
introduces a reason
“I like it because it’s fun.”
In real life
A typical beginner speaking conversation.
Audio isn’t available in this browser — read the transcript instead.
Examiner: What’s your name?
Student: My name’s Karim Haddad.
Examiner: Where do you live?
Student: I live in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. I live with my parents and my younger brother.
Examiner: What do you do?
Student: I’m a student. I study computer science at university.
Examiner: What do you do at weekends?
Student: Well, I usually meet my friends. We play football or go to a café.
Practice
Which answer is best?
Speaking
Speak for one minute: introduce yourself, your family, your job or studies, your daily routine and your free time. Record it and check the transcript.
- Use first, then, after that
- Use at least two frequency adverbs
- Add a reason with because
Model answer
Hello, I’m Mei. I’m 30 and I’m from Taipei. I live with my husband and our son. I’m a graphic designer and I work from home. I usually start work at nine. In my free time I sometimes go hiking, because I love nature.
Writing
Write your answers to five personal questions (name, home, job/studies, free time, favourite food) with two sentences each. Then say them aloud.
Lesson quiz
“Let me think…” is a…
Review
Key points
- Extend answers with reasons and examples.
- Use fillers to think.
- Ask for repetition politely.
- Record, listen and check key grammar.
What you learned
- ✓ I can talk about myself for a minute.
- ✓ I can answer personal questions.
- ✓ I can manage when I don’t understand.