The Language Exchange Partner
A free A2-level English story for language learners, readable online in English, with an option to listen via the free Storyteller app.
Elsie feels nervous about her first language exchange meetup, but her Spanish partner puts her at ease.
Elsie signed up for a language exchange group to practice her Spanish. On her first night, she stood outside the community center. She did not go in.
She felt nervous about her accent. She worried about making mistakes.
Finally, she opened the door and walked inside. A man waved at her from a table near the window.
"Hi! Are you here for Spanish practice?" he asked. "My name is Dev."
"Yes," Elsie said. "This is my first time. My Spanish isn't very good."
Dev smiled. "Mine wasn't either, one year ago," he said. "Sit down. We can go slowly."
They sat together for an hour. Dev asked simple questions in Spanish. Elsie answered them one by one.
When she made a mistake, he did not laugh. He just repeated the word correctly and waited.
By the end of the night, Elsie felt relaxed and happy. She even laughed at her own mistakes.
"Same time next week?" Dev asked.
"Yes," Elsie said. "I'll bring a notebook next time."
