A1 English: elementary

A1 is where English starts to work for everyday life: talking about your routine, your family and where you live, asking simple questions, and saying where things are and where you were.

6 grammar lessons, 61 words in 3 topic decks, 10 graded texts, and writing and speaking practice with AI feedback.

What you can do at A1

• Listening: I can follow slow, clear instructions and simple questions about me.
• Reading: I can understand short messages, timetables and simple personal descriptions.
• Speaking: I can talk about my family, my job or studies and where I live in simple sentences.
• Writing: I can write a short message about my day or my plans.
• Speaking: I can order food, buy a ticket and ask for prices.

What learners find hard at A1

The -s on he, she and it (she lives), using do and does to ask questions, and choosing between in, on and at for times and places. These small words carry a lot of meaning and are easy to drop.

What the A1 lessons cover

All 6 A1 grammar lessons

Free to read, with examples and practice questions.

1. I live, she lives: the present simple
2. Where do you live? Asking questions
3. I'm working now: the present continuous
4. There is a park near my house: there is / there are
5. Where were you yesterday? Was and were
6. At seven, on Monday, in June: in, on and at

A1 vocabulary

• My home, my street, my day: 20 words and phrases, each with a plain-English definition and an example
• Food, drink and shopping: 21 words and phrases, each with a plain-English definition and an example
• People, family and describing them: 20 words and phrases, each with a plain-English definition and an example

Reading at A1

• The new neighbour: Sam has a new neighbour, Amira. They meet on the stairs, and Sam shows her the street.
• The wrong bus: Kenji is tired on a rainy Monday morning, and he gets on the wrong bus to work.
• An email from Kraków: Ana writes to her friend Lucía about her new job, her flat and the weather in Kraków.
• Room for rent: Three friends describe the free room in their house, the rent and the house rules.
• My grandmother Leila: The writer describes their grandmother in Morocco: how she looks, her day and her family lunches.
• Four days in Edinburgh: On holiday with her sister, a woman writes a short diary about the weather, the city and a sick day.
• At the doctor's: Daniel visits the doctor because his back hurts, and she gives him some simple advice.
• Lunch at the Blue Door: A small café's opening times, menu and prices, and what two colleagues have for lunch there.
• Life on Harbour Street: Lars describes his street in a small town by the sea, in summer and in winter.
• A note for Marco: Yuki leaves a note for her friend Marco, who is looking after her flat and her cat for a week.

Questions