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Level: A1

Phones & Messages

Messages, calls, a video call, and charging the battery at night.

CEFR A1 · 156 words · ~1 min read · US English

๐Ÿ”Š Listen to this passage

5:29 ๐ŸŽฌ Watch this lesson on YouTube Phones & Messages โ€” Slow English Reading Practice for Beginners (A1) ยท Lesson 10 Read the lesson below first. When you understand every line, open the YouTube link above and play this video in your earbuds โ€” while you walk, cook or ride the bus, with nothing to look up and nothing to pause. English you already understand, heard again and again, is what turns reading into listening.
๐Ÿ“– Open in interactive ESL Reader โ†’

In the reader, tap any word or sentence to hear it in English, translate it, or look up a definition.

Words to know

message
words that you send to someone on a phone
screen
the front part of a phone or computer that shows pictures
headphones
small speakers that you wear on or in your ears
video call
a phone call where you can see the other person
battery
the part inside a phone that gives it power
charger
the cable that gives power to your phone
rings
makes the sound that tells you someone is calling
smiley face
a small happy face that you add to a message

Picture words from this story

Tap ๐Ÿ”Š to hear a word, or ๏ผ‹ to save just that one to My Flashcards.

  • message

    message

    Words you send on a phone.

  • headphones

    headphones

    You wear them on your ears.

  • screen

    screen

    The bright front of your phone.

  • video call

    video call

    A call where you see them.

  • charger

    charger

    It gives your phone power.

Every sentence has a โ–ถ button โ€” tap it to hear that sentence read slowly, one word at a time.

Morning messages
Morning messages

My phone helps me all day.

my phone

In the morning, I check my messages.

check messages
A funny photo
A funny photo

My friend sends me a funny photo.

funny photo

I write back and add a smiley face.

smiley face
Music on the bus
Music on the bus

On the bus, I listen to music with my headphones.

headphones
Mom calls
Mom calls

At lunch, my mother calls me.

mother calls

The phone rings, and I see her name on the screen.

screen
Hi, Mom!
Hi, Mom!

I answer and say, Hi, Mom!

hi mom

We talk about the weekend.

talk
Dinner on Sunday
Dinner on Sunday

She asks, Can you come for dinner on Sunday?

dinner on sunday

I say, Yes, of course.

yes of course
A video call
A video call

After work, I make a video call with my brother.

video call

He lives in another country.

another country
His new kitchen
His new kitchen

I can see his face on the screen.

his face

He shows me his new kitchen.

new kitchen
Twenty minutes
Twenty minutes

We talk for twenty minutes.

twenty minutes
Battery low
Battery low

In the evening, my battery is low.

battery low

I plug in the charger.

charger
Good night
Good night

I send a good night message to my friend.

message
A quiet evening
A quiet evening

Then I put the phone away and read my book.

read my book

A phone is good, but a quiet evening is good too.

quiet evening

Check your understanding

  1. What is this text about?

    Show answer

    A day with the writer's phone โ€” The text shows how the writer uses the phone for messages and calls all day.

  2. Who calls the writer at lunch?

    Show answer

    The writer's mother โ€” The text says: At lunch, my mother calls me.

  3. Where does the writer's brother live?

    Show answer

    In another country โ€” The text says: He lives in another country.

  4. The writer talks with the brother for one hour

    Show answer

    False โ€” The text says: We talk for twenty minutes.

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