ESL listening Archives

Restaurant ESL

Taking your young adult ESL learners to a restaurant, or at least talking about restaurant culture, is an important step in acclimatizing them to life in a new country through a very “typical” English experience. As you probably know, restaurants are the perfect way to introduce a number of different subjects to your students:

• Food
• Table etiquette
• Manners
• Asking directions
• Common restaurant expressions

Exposing students to the above subjects is an important step in building confidence for life outside the home. Restaurant experiences are often spontaneous, so they require students to be ready and comfortable with the language.  James from Engvid provides several great teaching points you can incorporate into your classroom lesson or class trip to a restaurant. Here are some things he highlights:

• The differences between fast food, casual and fine dining
• Using “May I have…” or “Can I have…”
• The meaning of “Party of” or “Table of/for”
• What’s in a menu?
• What is a drink order?
• The differences between appetizers, main course, pls sides or substitutes, and dessert
• What is a “Special”
• Paying for the meal; cheques, bills, taxes and tips
Check it out below!

While “role plays” have their place in the classroom, there’s nothing better than experience to really cement something in a students mind. That’s why taking them out to a restaurant for the real thing is invaluable.

Go over the above points during one or two classes and get your students comfortable. Then take them out for a meal and coach them through the experience. They’ll be nervous and make mistakes, but with you there they’ll begin to build up their confidence.

Good luck and good teaching.

Question: What is your favourite kind of restaurant? (Leave a comment below):


Happy Valentines Day Charlie Brown!


See if you can find the following emotions in the video:

  •  Hope
  • Anticipation
  • Excitement
  • Fear
  • Dissapointment
  • Guilt
  • Anger
  • Gratitude



Video Credit:


 Happy Valentines Day!

Listen and watch the video below.

or click here for PDF Printable Version for handouts: PDF

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Find the following words and expressions in the text and work with a partner to figure out their meaning.





“Sweetie Pie”






“Apple of Your Eye”





















Video Credit:


Some of the best advice you’ll receive today.

(This requires advanced listening and comprehension skills).

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1. What does the speaker mean by the word, “closet”? What is a ‘closet’?
2. What are some examples of a ‘hard conversation’?
3. What does it mean to be “real” with someone?
4. What are some ‘hard closets to come out of’?
5. Can you think of some people in the news who have experienced some ‘hard times’?
6. What does it mean to stay in your closet?
7. What are some of the risks of staying in your closet according to the video?
8. What are the 3 steps to come out of the closet and explain how to do each.
9. Do you have a ‘closet’ to come out of? Consider if you are ready.

Topic: Being able to face your fears and make admissions and state truths about yourself you held inside.

Keywords: face your fears, coming out of the closet, acceptance, self love

Click on Video and Listen: