English Listening
English Listening has 65 concepts, grouped by level below. Open one to read how it works, try practice items, and ask a question.
Absolute Beginner
- Hearing numbers Catching a number said once.
- Hearing the alphabet and spelling Taking down a name spelled aloud.
- Hearing which word is which Telling apart words that differ by one sound.
- Understanding a greeting Recognizing a hello and knowing what follows.
- Understanding a very short instruction One-step classroom and everyday instructions.
Beginner
- Telling he and she apart Hearing which person is being talked about.
- Understanding a short conversation Following two people on a familiar topic.
- Understanding an interview Following questions and answers about someone's life.
- Understanding numbers, prices, and times Catching figures accurately first time.
- Understanding people introducing themselves Catching names, countries, and jobs.
Elementary
- Checking predictions Listening to confirm or correct what you expected.
- Identifying a situation from context Working out where a conversation is happening.
- Inferring mood and attitude Hearing how someone feels about what they are saying.
- Listening for detail Hearing what is said, not what you expect.
- Recognizing names, places, and numbers Catching the details that have to be exact.
- Understanding dates and times Catching when something happens.
- Understanding specific information Finding one fact in a stretch of speech.
Pre-Intermediate
- Checking predictions against what you hear Listening to confirm or correct what you expected to hear.
- Following the key events of a spoken story Tracking the sequence of events in an anecdote.
- Identifying who is being described Matching a spoken description to the right person.
- Listening for gist and for detail Getting the general idea on first listening and the details on second.
- Listening for specific information — times, dates, and prices Catching numbers accurately in a short exchange.
- Taking notes from a short talk Writing down the key points while listening.
- Understanding a phone conversation Following a call without visual clues, and taking a message.
- Understanding advice and recommendations Identifying what a speaker suggests someone should do.
- Understanding an anecdote Following a personal story told in conversation.
- Understanding arrangements and appointments Noting when and where two people agree to meet.
- Understanding how something works Following a spoken explanation of a process.
- Understanding opinions and attitude Hearing whether a speaker approves, disagrees, or is unsure.
- Understanding personal information in conversation Catching names, jobs, ages, and places in a first conversation.
- Understanding ranking and comparison Following a speaker who puts things in order of preference.
- Understanding reasons and explanations Hearing why someone did something.
- Understanding similarities and differences Noting what two speakers have in common and where they differ.
- Understanding spoken directions Following a route described aloud.
- Understanding the order of events Putting spoken events into the right sequence.
Intermediate
- Listening for content words Catching the words that carry the meaning.
- Listening for gist and detail The general idea first, the specifics second.
- Understanding a conversation between two speakers Following who thinks what.
- Understanding a short talk Following an explanation to its point.
- Understanding attitude and feeling Hearing how someone feels about what they say.
Intermediate Plus
- Listening for specific detail Catching the fact that matters.
- Understanding a conversation Following two speakers on a familiar topic.
- Understanding an announcement Getting the essentials from a public message.
- Understanding instructions and procedures Following a sequence of steps.
Upper-Intermediate
- Identifying speaker attitude Hearing stance, irony, and hedging.
- Listening for specific information Catching the detail that matters.
- Understanding a discussion between several speakers Tracking who holds which position.
- Understanding colloquial speech Following unscripted, informal English.
- Understanding extended speech Following a speaker over several minutes.
Advanced
- Following rapid colloquial exchange Keeping up with natural conversational pace.
- Recognizing humor, irony, and understatement Hearing when the words are not the meaning.
- Understanding a lecture or talk Following a sustained, structured argument.
- Understanding a range of accents Following speakers who do not sound alike.
- Understanding extended and unstructured speech Following a speaker who does not signpost.
- Understanding implicit opinion Hearing a position that is never stated.
Advanced Plus
- Following rapid speech with unfamiliar accents Keeping up when the accent is not standard.
- Identifying implicit attitudes and relationships Hearing what speakers are to each other.
- Recognizing attitude in a factual report Detecting slant in apparently neutral delivery.
- Taking detailed and accurate notes Capturing structure and detail in real time.
- Understanding extended speech on abstract topics Following complex material outside your field.
Proficiency
- Following a specialist lecture or panel Sustained, unfamiliar subject matter.
- Following unstructured, spontaneous speech Real conversation, with its false starts.
- Recognizing what is implied but not said Hearing the position underneath the words.
- Understanding humor and irony Catching the joke as it lands, not afterward.
- Understanding speakers with strong accents Comprehension that does not depend on a standard accent.