Practise understanding spoken English with short conversations and comprehension questions. Start with one activity, listen for the main idea, then check the details and your answers.
Choose a practice activity
- English Listening Practice: a short partner-read conversation with five questions and explained answers.
- Let’s Take a Picture: practise photo requests and check details from a conversation.
Using the conversation scripts
Some lessons provide a written script without a recording. For those activities, ask a partner to read the conversation aloud while you keep the script hidden. Reading the script yourself is useful reading and speaking practice, but it does not test understanding of another speaker.
- Read the questions before listening.
- Listen once for the situation and main idea.
- Listen again for the details, then compare your answers with the script and answer key.
For recorded audio with transcripts and activities, visit British Council LearnEnglish listening activities. This is an external resource.
Browse the listening lesson directory
Choose a conversation topic below. Check each lesson’s instructions for the available practice format.
- Dogs, Dogs, Dogs – ESL Lesson, FAQs, and Practice Quiz
- English Listening Practice – ESL Lesson, FAQs, and Quiz
- ESL Listening Exercise: A Thief in the Night
- ESL Listening Exercise: Asking about Restaurants
- ESL Listening Exercise: Chores
- ESL Listening Exercise: In a Hotel
- ESL Listening Exercise: Let’s Take a Picture
- ESL Listening Exercise: Movies
- ESL Listening Exercise: Shopping for Clothes
- ESL Listening Exercise: Telephone Call to a Business
- ESL Listening Exercise: The Birthday Party
- ESL Listening Exercise: The Fishing Spot
- ESL Listening Exercise: The Job Interview
- ESL Listening Exercise: The New Apartment
- ESL Listening Exercise: The Weather’s Great!
- ESL Listening Exercise: What do you like to do?
- Get the phone! – ESL Lesson, FAQs, and Quiz
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