Niveau CECR : A1
Read/Listen first
You meet a friendly receptionist at a clinic. She asks for your name and you answer slowly. You say, “It’s Ana,” and you spell it: “A as in apple, N as in nest, A as in apple.” She smiles and repeats each letter to check. She then asks for your email. You spell it again, one letter at a time. When the room gets noisy, you say, “I’m sorry. Could you repeat, please?” She speaks clearly and writes your details. At the end, she reads the appointment time: “Tuesday at ten.” You listen and confirm: “Yes, Tuesday at ten.” The conversation is simple because you use short sentences, clear rhythm, and common words. You feel more confident with the alphabet, capital and lowercase letters, and polite requests.⚡ Learning goals
- Spell names and emails clearly during simple conversations.
- Ask for repetition politely and confirm information.
- Use a/an, be, and classroom imperatives in short sentences.
✨ Grammar Points — 4 Structures
1⃣ A/an with singular nouns
Rule: Use ‘a’ before consonant sounds and ‘an’ before vowel sounds.
Examples: a hat
an umbrella
an egg
Practice prompt: Complete: I have __ apple and __ banana.
✅ an / a
Exercise: Choose the correct article: __ email, __ city, __ watch.
✅ an email, a city, a watch
Common pitfall + fix: Don’t choose by letter; choose by sound (e.g., an hour).
2⃣ This/That for simple pointing
Rule: Use ‘this’ for near things and ‘that’ for far things.
Examples: This is my pen.
That is our class.
This email is correct.
Practice prompt: Say one sentence with ‘this’ and one with ‘that’.
✅ This name is correct. / That letter is unclear.
Exercise: Fill in: __ letter is A. __ poster is on the wall.
✅ This / That
Common pitfall + fix: Learners sometimes use ‘this’ for far objects; check distance.
3⃣ Imperatives for classroom requests
Rule: Use the base verb to give polite instructions.
Examples: Please repeat.
Speak slowly, please.
Spell your name.
Practice prompt: Make one polite request to your partner.
✅ Please spell your city.
Exercise: Choose the best option: (Repeat / Repeats / Repeated) your email, please.
✅ Repeat
Common pitfall + fix: Avoid adding ‘to’ + verb in imperatives.
4⃣ Be in the present (I am/You are)
Rule: Use ‘am/are/is’ to give basic information.
Examples: I am Marco.
You are Ana.
It is Tuesday.
Practice prompt: Say your name and city using ‘be’.
✅ I am Ana. I am from Porto.
Exercise: Fill in: It __ Monday. You __ from Paris.
✅ is / are
Common pitfall + fix: Don’t drop the verb ‘be’ in basic sentences.
✍️ Vocabulary (6 entries)
alphabet
Meaning: all letters in a language in a fixed order.
Synonyms: letters, ABCs
Chunk/Idiom: “learn the alphabet” — first steps in English
Example: Children learn the alphabet at school.
Morphology: noun; singular; neutral register.
Self-practice: Say it aloud: A to Z.
letter
Meaning: a single symbol like A, B, or C.
Synonyms: character, symbol
Chunk/Idiom: “write a letter” — on paper or screen
Example: The first letter in my name is M.
Morphology: noun; plural letters; neutral register.
Self-practice: Spell three letters from your name.
capital letter
Meaning: a big form of a letter, like A or B.
Synonyms: uppercase, big letter
Chunk/Idiom: “use a capital letter” — for names
Example: Write your city with a capital letter.
Morphology: noun phrase; plural capital letters; neutral.
Self-practice: Say two words that need capitals.
lowercase
Meaning: the small form of a letter.
Synonyms: small letter, lowercase letter
Chunk/Idiom: “in lowercase” — not capital
Example: Please write your email in lowercase.
Morphology: noun/adj.; lowercase letters; neutral.
Self-practice: Read one word in lowercase now.
spell
Meaning: to say letters of a word in order.
Synonyms: letter out, articulate
Chunk/Idiom: “spell your name” — at reception
Example: Please spell your last name slowly.
Morphology: verb; spells, spelling, spelled; neutral.
Self-practice: Spell your city aloud.
repeat
Meaning: to say something again.
Synonyms: say again, echo
Chunk/Idiom: “please repeat” — polite request
Example: Could you repeat your email, please?
Morphology: verb; repeats, repeating, repeated; neutral.
Self-practice: Ask a partner to repeat a word.
☁️ Examples (+ audio)
- Please spell your first name slowly.
- Could you repeat your email, please?
- This is my city. That is my school.
- I have an umbrella and a hat.
✏️ Exercises
1) Grammar
-
Choose the correct article: __ egg.
1) a 2) an 3) the
✔︎ Answer: 2) an — ‘egg’ starts with a vowel sound. -
Choose the best option: __ hat.
1) an 2) a 3) the
✔︎ Answer: 2) a — ‘hat’ starts with a consonant sound. -
Fill with the best answer: I __ Ana. (am/are)
→ Solution: am — Use ‘am’ with I. -
Fill with the best answer: Please __ your name. (spell/spells)
→ Solution: spell — Imperatives use the base form.
2) Vocabulary & Comprehension
-
What does ‘repeat’ mean?
1) say again 2) write fast 3) delete
✔︎ Answer: 1) say again — Repeat = say something again. -
Which is a capital letter?
1) a 2) A 3) aa
✔︎ Answer: 2) A — Capital letters are big forms. -
Fill with the best answer: My city is Par__.
→ Solution: is — Grammar item: ‘is’ with ‘city’. -
Fill with the best answer: Spell your name: M A R __ O.
→ Solution: C — The missing letter is C.
⚙️ Integrated content
Mini-dialogue — Natural situation
A: What is your email?
B: It is ana.atlas@example.com.
A: Could you repeat, please?
B: Sure—A N A, then at, then example dot com.
Why this matters
We often need to spell names and emails to book services and share contact details.
Verb & Adjective Pack (ready-to-use chunks)
• spell a name → “Please spell your first name.”
• confirm details → “Let me confirm your email.”
• say at/dot → “My email has ‘at’ and ‘dot’.”
️ Try and compare — guided production + model answers
Exercise 1 — Fill the blank
“It’s __ Tuesday at ten.”
→ ✔︎ on (Correct: use ‘on’ with days.)
Exercise 2 — Self-correction
You said: “It more cold today.”
→ Better: “It is colder today.”
Exercise 3 — Practice aloud
Say your name and city, then spell one letter.
