Listening: Listening for Specific Information A1 - Lesson 1: Extracting Names and Numbers from Slow, Clear Speech

Listening for Details: Names and Numbers

CEFR Level A1

Lesson Goals

In this lesson, you will practice listening for specific information. This means you will learn to ignore the general conversation and listen carefully for one exact detail, like a name or a number.

What is Listening for Specific Information?

This skill is like being a detective. You are not listening for the whole story, only for one clue. For example, when a PassApp driver listens to a customer, they listen for one main thing: the name of the destination, like "Pub Street" or "Old Market". They ignore other words to find that one important detail.

This is very useful when you work in a hotel and a tourist tells you their name, or when you need to write down a phone number someone tells you.

Key Tip: Know Your Target

The most important part of this skill is to know what you are listening for before you start.

Ask yourself: "What is my target?" Is it a name? A number? A price? A time? When your brain knows the target, it becomes much easier to hear and extract that one piece of information from the conversation.

Practice Activities

Listen to the short talks in the audio player. Your mission is to find the specific information for each one.

1. Listen for a Name
   "Hello. My name is David. I have a reservation."

   What is the name?

   • A) Hello
   • B) David
   • C) Reservation
   Show Answer

   Answer: B) David.

2. Listen for a Phone Number
   "Sure, you can call me. My phone number is 012 888 976."

   What is the phone number?

   • A) 012 888 976
   • B) 012 888 967
   • C) 011 888 976
   Show Answer

   Answer: A) 012 888 976.

3. Listen for a Name AND a Number
   Speaker A: Good morning. My name is Maria.
   Speaker B: Hello, Maria. What is your room number?
   Speaker A: My room number is thirty-two.

   What is the name and room number?

   • A) Maria, Room 23
   • B) Mario, Room 32
   • C) Maria, Room 32
   Show Answer

   Answer: C) Maria, Room 32.

Vocabulary

• Specific Information (noun phrase) [ព័ត៌មានជាក់លាក់]

  A single, exact detail, like one name, one number, or one time.

• Extract (verb) [ដកស្រង់]

  To pull out or find one piece of information from a longer talk.

• Phone Number (noun) [លេខទូរស័ព្ទ]

  The special number used to call a person on a telephone.

Your Mission

Ready to be a detail detective? Practice your new skill with these tasks.

1. Phone Number Exchange: Ask a friend to say their phone number to you in English. Write it down and check if it's correct. Then, say your phone number to them. This is great practice for both listening and speaking.
2. Announcement Hunt: Search on YouTube for "airport announcements English". Listen to one short announcement. Don't worry about the whole message. Your only target is to hear one number (a flight number, gate number, or time). Can you catch it?