Listening: Listening for Inference, Attitude, & Opinion B1 - Lesson 1: Understanding Simple Implied Meanings in Context

Listening for Inference: What Do They Really Mean? CEFR Level B1 Lesson Goals In this lesson, you will learn to listen for implied meaning . This skill, called inference , helps you understand what people really mean, even when they don't say it directly. What is Inference? Inference is like being a detective. You use clues from the situation (the context ) and the words you hear to find a "hidden" meaning. People use implied meaning all the time to be polite or indirect. For example, imagine it's a very hot April afternoon in Siem Reap. A friend visits your house and says, "Wow, it's really warm in here today." They are not just stating a fact about the temperature; they are probably implying, "Could we please turn on the fan?" In this lesson, we will focus on the clues in the words and context to find the real message. Key Tip: Culture and Politeness Why don't people just say what they mean? Often, it's about being polite. In many cultures, incl…