Listening for Specific Information: Times and Dates
CEFR Level A1Lesson Goals
In this lesson, you will learn how to listen for and identify specific details in a short talk, focusing on times and dates. This is a very useful skill for booking tickets or understanding your schedule.
What is 'Listening for Specific Information'?
This skill is like being a detective. You don't need to understand the whole story; you only need to find one or two important clues.
For example, at the airport, an announcement might be very long. But you only listen for your flight number and the gate number. You ignore the rest. Today, our targets are times and dates.
How to Listen for a Time
When listening for a time, your ears should focus on numbers and keywords like:
- o'clock (for the exact hour, e.g., nine o'clock)
- thirty (for 30 minutes, e.g., two-thirty)
- fifteen (for 15 minutes, e.g., five-fifteen)
- A.M. (morning) and P.M. (afternoon/evening)
How to Listen for a Date
When listening for a date, focus on the month and the number. The number will sound a little different (it is an "ordinal number").
- June 1st is spoken as "June first."
- July 4th is spoken as "July fourth."
- December 25th is spoken as "December twenty-fifth."
Key Tip: Ignore Distractions
When you are listening for a specific time or date, you can ignore other information. The speaker might say hello, ask a question, or give other details. That's okay!
Your job is to wait patiently and focus only on your target. When you hear a number or a month, that's your signal to pay close attention.
Practice Activities
Listen to the talks in the audio player. Your only job is to find the target information for each one.
-
Practice 1: Find the Time
"Attention shoppers. The store will close today at 9 PM."
What time will the store close?
Show Answer
Answer: C) 9 PM.
-
Practice 2: Find the Date
"Good morning, students. The final English test will be on Friday, June 20th."
When is the English test?
Show Answer
Answer: B) Friday, June 20th.
-
Practice 3: Final Quiz
"Hello team. Our meeting tomorrow is scheduled for ten-thirty A.M. in the morning. Please be on time."
Question: What is the meeting time?
Show Answer
Answer: 10:30 AM.
Vocabulary
-
Time (noun) [ពេលវេលា]
A specific point in the day, measured in hours and minutes (e.g., 10:00 AM).
-
Date (noun) [កាលបរិច្ឆេទ]
A specific day, identified by its month and number (e.g., June 11th).
-
Announcement (noun) [សេចក្តីប្រកាស]
A formal public statement giving people information.
-
Schedule (noun) [កាលវិភាគ]
A plan of what will happen and when.
Your Mission
Use your new skill today!
- Check Your Phone: Look at the time and date on your phone right now. Say them out loud in a full English sentence. For example: "Today is September 6th. The time is 3:45 PM."
- Find a Local Schedule: Use your phone to find the opening and closing times for a local business in Siem Reap (like the Angkor National Museum or a cafe). Read the times aloud in English.