Learn English · A2 Elementary · All levels
Your goal
I can tell the story of my life in simple connected sentences: where I grew up, what I did, when things happened and what I do now.
You need the A1 lessons, or the present simple and basic past forms of be (was, were).
1. Before you start
Try these questions first. If you get them all right, you can move faster through Part 2.
2. Listen and notice
Diego meets Nora at a language exchange. She asks about his life. The audio uses the voice on your device.
Read the conversation
Nora: So, Diego, tell me about yourself. Where did you grow up?
Diego: I grew up in a small town in Colombia. My parents had a little shop.
Nora: Did you help in the shop?
Diego: Yes, I did. I worked there after school when I was a teenager.
Nora: When did you move to the city?
Diego: I moved to Bogotá in 2015. I studied computer science there.
Nora: Interesting! And when did you come here?
Diego: Two years ago. I got a job at a hospital. I fix their computers.
Nora: Do you like it?
Diego: Yes, but I miss my family. I call them every Sunday.
Useful language
| To do this | Say this |
|---|---|
| Ask about the past | Where did you grow up? · When did you move to the city? · Did you help in the shop? |
| Say what happened | I grew up in Colombia. · I moved to Bogotá in 2015. · I got a job at a hospital. |
| Say when | in 2015 · two years ago · when I was a teenager · after that · then |
| Say how it is now | Now I fix computers. · I call them every Sunday. |
| Show interest | Interesting! · Do you like it? · Why did you choose that? |
Notice: Past simple: regular verbs add -ed (worked, moved, studied). Some verbs are irregular: grow → grew, have → had, get → got, come → came. Questions and negatives use did + base verb: Did you work? I didn’t work. Use in + year and number + ago.
3. Practice
Choose an answer. Read the explanation, even when you are right.
4. Use it
Speaking
A new friend wants to know your story. Press Start and answer aloud. Use the past simple and time words like in 2018, two years ago and when I was ten.
See a model answer
I grew up in a village near the mountains. My family had a few cows.
When I was a teenager, I played football and I helped my mother at the market.
I started my job at a factory in 2019.
I miss my grandmother’s cooking. I call her every week.
Tip: record yourself on your phone. Can another person understand you? You do not need to sound like the audio.
Writing
Write a short story of your life. Include five events and say when each one happened. Write 60 to 90 words.
See a model answer
I was born in 1995 in a village in northern Thailand. When I was a child, I helped my parents on their rice farm. In 2013, I moved to Chiang Mai and studied nursing. After that, I worked in a hospital for six years. Two years ago, I came to Canada with my husband. Now I work at a care home, and I study English in the evenings.
Check your work. Tick what is true.
The first two are the most important. If both are true, you are ready to move on.
5. Check yourself
New situations. Answer without looking back.
What next?
Next lesson: Compare Choices. Come back to Part 5 in one or two weeks. Can you still do it?
A2 Elementary homeAll levelsCheck your progress
This lesson is a pilot. Your answers stay on your device and are not saved.