Listening: Listening for Detail A2 - Lesson 2: Identifying Who Said What in a Short, Clear Dialogue with 2-3 Speakers
🎯 Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Follow a simple, clear English dialogue between two or three speakers.
- Identify which speaker said a particular piece of information or opinion.
- Answer simple questions about who said what in a conversation.
- Improve your ability to track different voices and information in a short English dialogue.
💡 Key Concepts: Following the Conversation
Hello A2 learners! When more than one person is talking, it's important to understand who is saying what. This helps you follow the conversation and understand the different ideas or information shared by each person.
In a dialogue, different speakers will have different voices. Sometimes their voices are very different (e.g., a man and a woman), and sometimes they might be a little similar. We need to listen carefully to:
- The sound of each voice.
- What each person says.
- How they respond to each other.
This lesson will help you practice listening for these details when two or three people are talking.
🇰🇭 Cambodian Context: Conversations with Many People
In Cambodia, when you are with your family or friends, often many people talk together! You are good at understanding who is saying what in Khmer. For example, at a family dinner in Battambang, your mother might say one thing, your father another, and your brother something else. You follow along!
When you listen to English dialogues, it's a similar skill. If you hear a conversation between, for example, a tourist, a shopkeeper, and maybe their child, this lesson will help you practice knowing who said which English phrase. This is helpful for understanding real-life English conversations.
🎧 Pre-Listening Activity: Who are the Speakers?
In our listening tasks today, we will hear conversations with simple characters. Let's imagine them:
- Tom: Usually a boy or a young man.
- Sara: Usually a girl or a young woman.
- Mr. Kim: An older man, perhaps a teacher or a shopkeeper.
- Mrs. Devi: An older woman, perhaps a mother or a customer.
When you listen, try to imagine these people talking.
🔊 Listening Tasks: Who Said It?
Important Note for Learners: This lesson uses your browser's Text-to-Speech (TTS) to "speak" the dialogues. The TTS will say "Speaker A," "Speaker B," etc., before their lines to help you know who is talking. In real life, you listen for different voices. On your full platform, use different human voices for each speaker for the best practice.
Task 1: Dialogue - At the Market
Listen to the dialogue between Sara (Speaker A) and Mr. Kim, a shopkeeper (Speaker B). Then answer the questions.
Sara (Speaker A)
Mr. Kim (Speaker B)
Now, answer the questions about the dialogue:
1. Who said: "What would you like today?"
2. What did Sara want to buy?
3. Who said: "No, thank you. That is all."?
Task 2: Dialogue - In the Classroom
Listen to the dialogue between a Teacher (Speaker A), Tom (Speaker B), and Anna (Speaker C). Then answer the questions.
Teacher (Speaker A)
Tom (Speaker B)
Anna (Speaker C)
Now, answer the questions about the dialogue:
1. Who asked: "Teacher, what story is it?"
2. What did the Teacher say the class will do today?
3. Who said: "The rabbit lived in a big forest."?
📝 Post-Listening Activity: Who Says It?
Think about these phrases. Who usually says them? A teacher? A student? A shopkeeper? A customer?
- "How much is this?" (Usually a customer)
- "Open your books, please." (Usually a teacher)
- "Can I help you?" (Usually a shopkeeper)
- "I want to buy some rice." (Usually a customer)
Knowing who usually says certain things can help you understand dialogues!
🚀 Key Takeaways & Listening Strategies
- When listening to a dialogue, try to hear the different voices.
- Listen for names if the speakers use them.
- Think about what each person says and how it connects to what the other person said.
- Don't worry if you miss some words. Try to follow the main speakers and their main points.
💬 Feedback & Learner Tips (Self-Assessment)
After the exercises:
- Was it easy or difficult to tell who was speaking?
- What helped you know who said what? (Different ideas? Names used?)
- If there were three speakers, was it harder than two speakers?
�🇭 Tips for Cambodian Learners:
When you listen to English conversations, imagine you are watching a small play with different characters. Even if the TTS voices sound similar here, in real life, people's voices are different (man, woman, child, old, young). This will help you a lot!
Practice listening to simple dialogues with 2 or 3 people. You can find many for A2 learners online. Maybe a short conversation in a Battambang guesthouse between the owner, a tourist, and a child. This will train your ears for different voices and who says what.
📚 Further Practice & Application
- Listen to A2 level English learning dialogues from textbooks or websites that have audio with different speakers.
- Watch simple English cartoons where characters have distinct voices and short conversations.
- With a friend, read a short dialogue script aloud, taking different parts. Then ask each other "Who said...?" questions.