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    Finn Needs Help

    trying to explain something in a language you do not speak wella hotel room corridorCEFR A2
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    Finn is staying at a hotel. His room is on the fourth floor. He walks out of his room and into the . The is long and quiet. Finn is looking for the ice machine. He does not know where it is. He sees a hotel worker near the lift. The worker is carrying some towels. Finn wants to ask for help. But Finn does not speak the language well. He only knows a few words. He feels a little . He takes a deep breath. He walks over to the worker. He decides to try his best. Finn smiles at the worker. He says, "Ice? I need ice." The worker looks at him.

    The worker does not understand. Finn tries again. He says, "Cold water. . You know, ice?" The worker shakes his head slowly. Finn looks around the . He sees a small picture on the wall. It is a picture of a . He points to the picture. He says, "Like this! Cold! Ice!" The worker's eyes get bigger. He starts to smile. He thinks for a moment. He says, "Ah! You want the ice room?" Finn his head quickly. He says, "Yes! Yes, please!" He feels very happy.

    The worker puts down his towels. He walks down the . Finn him. They stop at a small door. The worker opens the door. Inside, there is a big ice machine. Finn says, "Thank you so much!" He uses his hands to show that he is very . The worker laughs and says, "No problem!" Finn fills his cup with ice. He walks back to his room. He is smiling. He thinks about what happened. It was difficult to talk. But he did not give up. He used his hands. He pointed at things. He found the words. And in the end, it worked.

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    Key Vocabulary

    How to use these cards
    1. Read each word and its meaning.
    2. Tap “Cover the meanings”, then tap a card to check yourself.
    3. Tap “Quick quiz” for a short test. Tap “I know this” on cards you have learned.
    corridor
    /ˈkɒr.ɪ.dɔː/
    noun

    a long, narrow passage inside a building with doors on each side

    "Finn walked down the long corridor to find the ice machine."

    nervous
    /ˈnɜː.vəs/
    adjective

    feeling worried or a little frightened about something

    "Finn felt nervous because he did not speak the language well."

    local
    /ˈləʊ.kəl/
    adjective

    belonging to a particular place or area

    "He only knew a few words of the local language."

    frozen
    /ˈfrəʊ.zən/
    adjective

    turned into ice because of very cold temperatures

    "He said the word 'frozen' to help explain what ice is."

    snowflake
    /ˈsnəʊ.fleɪk/
    noun

    a small, flat piece of snow that falls from the sky

    "Finn pointed to a picture of a snowflake on the wall."

    grateful
    /ˈɡreɪt.fəl/
    adjective

    feeling or showing thanks for something kind that someone has done

    "Finn used his hands to show that he was very grateful."

    nod
    /nɒd/
    verb

    to move your head up and down to say yes or to show you understand

    "Finn nodded his head quickly to say yes."

    follow
    /ˈfɒl.əʊ/
    verb

    to go behind someone or to go in the same direction as them

    "Finn followed the worker down the corridor."

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    Useful Phrases

    How to use these cards
    1. Read each phrase and its meaning.
    2. Tap “Cover the meanings”, then tap a card to check yourself.
    3. Tap “Quick quiz” for a short test. Tap “I know this” on cards you have learned.

    take a deep breath

    to breathe in slowly and deeply, often to feel calm before doing something difficult

    "Finn took a deep breath before speaking to the worker."

    try your best

    to make as much effort as you can, even if something is hard

    "He did not speak the language well, but he decided to try his best."

    shake your head

    to move your head from side to side to say no or to show you do not understand

    "The worker shook his head because he did not understand."

    no problem

    a friendly phrase used to say that something was easy or that you are happy to help

    "The worker smiled and said, 'No problem!' after helping Finn."

    give up

    to stop trying to do something because it is too difficult

    "Finn found it hard to talk, but he did not give up."

    in the end

    finally, after a difficult or long process

    "In the end, Finn found the ice machine with the worker's help."

    look around

    to turn your eyes or body in different directions to see what is nearby

    "Finn looked around the corridor and saw a picture on the wall."

    point at something

    to direct someone's attention to something by holding out your finger towards it

    "Finn pointed at the picture of a snowflake to explain what he needed."

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