You might easily read the sentence, “Are you from Italy?” But when you hear it spoken quickly – “Ya from Italy?” – it becomes unrecognizable. Unit 1 audio bridges that gap.

Goal: Understand teacher instructions and common classroom phrases.

What you will hear: A teacher giving instructions to a class. There may be background classroom noise.

Key phrases to listen for:

Listening Task: Number the actions in the order you hear them:

Self-Study Tip: Listen once without writing. On the second listen, do the activity. Mime the actions as you listen.


If you have access to the Speakout app or CD, try these additional exercises:


Most versions of the Speakout Elementary Student’s Book come with a CD or access to a digital audio download. Unit 1 typically contains 5 to 7 distinct audio tracks. Let’s simulate a typical listening experience.

English is not a phonetic language. You cannot guess pronunciation by looking at letters. The audio for Unit 1 teaches you that “Europe” starts with a /j/ sound (yoo-rup) and that “hour” is silent (our). By listening and repeating, you build mouth muscles.

Goal: Identify countries and nationalities from spoken clues.

What you will hear: Short Q&A dialogues.

Listening Task: Complete the table while listening:

| Dialogue | Country | Nationality | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 1 | Turkey | ? | | 2 | ? | Brazilian | | 3 | Poland | ? | | 4 | ? | Chinese |

Answer Key (for self-check): 1 – Turkish, 2 – Brazil, 3 – Polish, 4 – China

Self-Study Tip: Focus on the second part of the sentence – the nationality often ends with -ish, -ian, -ese, or -an.


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