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    Free Daily English · Level A2 (Elementary) · Topic: a first day at work

    Priya's First Day

    Name: ______________________   Date: ____________

    It is Priya's first day at her new job. She feels excited and a little nervous. She arrives at the office early and looks around. The office is busy and there are a lot of people. A man comes over and smiles at her. "Hello, I'm David, your manager," he says. "Welcome to the team." Priya smiles and says, "Thank you, I'm happy to be here." David shows her to her desk and gives her a laptop. "We start work at nine," he says. Priya sits down and takes a deep breath. In the morning, Priya meets her colleagues.

    They are friendly and helpful. A woman called Sara sits next to her. "Don't worry," Sara says. "Everyone feels nervous on their first day." Priya laughs and feels a little better. Sara shows her how to use the computer system. It is not very difficult but there is a lot to learn. At lunchtime, Sara invites Priya to eat with the team. They go to a small café near the office. Priya listens and asks questions. She is starting to feel more comfortable. In the afternoon, Priya has her first real task.

    David asks her to write a short report. She works carefully and checks everything twice. She finishes the report before five o'clock. "This is really good work," David says, and he looks pleased. Priya feels proud of herself. At the end of the day, she says goodbye to her new colleagues. Sara says, "See you tomorrow!" On the way home, Priya thinks about the day. It was not easy, but it was good. She is already looking forward to tomorrow.

    Key vocabulary

    excited (adjective)feeling very happy because something good is happening“She is excited about her new job.”
    nervous (adjective)worried or a little frightened about something“He feels nervous before the interview.”
    colleague (noun)a person you work with“My colleagues are very helpful.”
    friendly (adjective)kind and pleasant to other people“The team is very friendly.”
    system (noun)a set of things that work together“I need to learn the computer system.”
    invite (verb)to ask someone to come somewhere or do something“She invites me to have lunch with her.”
    comfortable (adjective)feeling relaxed and at ease“I feel comfortable in my new office.”
    task (noun)a piece of work you need to do“My first task is to write a report.”
    carefully (adverb)giving attention to what you are doing“She checks her work carefully.”
    proud (adjective)feeling pleased about something you have done“He is proud of his work.”

    Useful phrases

    • Welcome to the team! — we say this to greet someone who is new to a group“This is Ana, she's joining us today. Welcome to the team, Ana!”
    • Take a deep breath. — we say this to help someone feel calm“Don't worry, just take a deep breath.”
    • There is a lot to learn. — we use this when something is new and complex“It's my first week — there is a lot to learn.”
    • Feel more comfortable. — we use this when someone starts to relax in a new situation“After lunch, I started to feel more comfortable.”
    • Look forward to something. — we use this when we are happy about something that will happen“I'm looking forward to my first day.”

    Word search

    Find all 10 key words from the story. They can read forwards, backwards, up, down or diagonally.

    ABCDEFGHIJKLM
    1FSCOYLLUFERAC
    2VLYKHMNERVOUS
    3IHSSETIVNIHRR
    4HATOTLYZFNCWW
    5TWFYZERJSHOXX
    6KFUZPJMDGZLJH
    7EJYLDNEIRFLDH
    8COMFORTABLESR
    9TAELFAEFXTAKJ
    10JTDUORPOIPGFT
    11CRUVWHHCGMUSM
    12NXQNKPXFOXETM
    13ZECHEEDHDWSSH

    Word search answer key (A2 (Elementary))

    Columns are lettered from the left, rows numbered from the top. The arrow shows the reading direction from the word's first letter.

    carefully: M1 ← · colleague: K4 ↓ · comfortable: A8 → · excited: F13 ↗ · friendly: J7 ← · invite: J3 ← · nervous: G2 → · proud: G10 ← · system: B1 ↘ · task: A5 ↗

    Free Daily English · Level B1 (Intermediate) · Topic: a first day at work

    Priya's First Day

    Name: ______________________   Date: ____________

    Priya had been looking forward to this moment for weeks, but as she pushed open the glass doors of the office building, a wave of nerves washed over her. The open-plan office was already buzzing with activity — phones ringing, keyboards clicking, people moving purposefully between desks. A tall man in his forties approached her with a confident smile. "You must be Priya," he said, extending his hand. "I'm David, your line manager." "Great to have you on board." Priya shook his hand firmly and returned the smile, hoping she looked more relaxed than she felt. David led her to a workstation near the window, handed her a laptop, and gave her a brief overview of the morning ahead.

    The first few hours passed in a blur of introductions, passwords, and internal systems. The colleague at the neighboring desk, a cheerful woman named Sara, turned out to be exactly the kind of person Priya needed on a day like this. "Don't stress about remembering everything at once," Sara said quietly, leaning over. "Nobody expects you to have it all figured out on day one." The reassurance was genuine and Priya felt some of the tension leave her shoulders. Over lunch at a cafe around the corner, she found herself laughing along with the rest of the team, and by the time they returned to the office, the environment felt considerably less intimidating than it had that morning. The real test came in the afternoon when David stopped by her desk with a task — a short analytical report summarising some recent customer feedback. It was straightforward enough, but Priya was determined to make a strong first impression.

    She worked methodically, cross-checking figures and choosing her words with care. When she submitted the report ten minutes before the deadline, David read it through and nodded approvingly. "Solid work for a first day," he said. "I think you're going to fit in well here." Leaving the office that evening, Priya felt a quiet but genuine sense of satisfaction. The day had been challenging in the way that good days often are — and she was already looking forward to the next one.

    Key vocabulary

    open-plan (adjective)describing an office without walls or dividers between desks“Most modern companies prefer open-plan offices.”
    purposefully (adverb)in a way that shows you have a clear aim“She walked purposefully towards the meeting room.”
    line manager (noun)the person directly responsible for managing you at work“You should discuss that with your line manager.”
    workstation (noun)a desk and computer set up for one person to work at“Each employee has their own workstation.”
    neighboring (adjective)next to or very close to something“The colleague at the neighboring desk was very helpful.”
    reassurance (noun)something said or done to make someone feel less worried“His reassurance helped her feel more confident.”
    intimidating (adjective)making you feel nervous or less confident“Large offices can feel intimidating at first.”
    methodically (adverb)doing things in a careful, ordered way“She worked methodically through each section of the report.”
    cross-checking (verb)verifying information by checking it against another source“Always cross-check your figures before submitting.”
    approvingly (adverb)in a way that shows you think something is good“He nodded approvingly at her work.”

    Useful phrases

    • Have it all figured out. — to fully understand or know how to deal with something“Don't worry if you don't have it all figured out straight away.”
    • Make a strong first impression. — to cause people to think well of you when they first meet you“Arriving on time helps you make a strong first impression.”
    • Fit in well. — to feel comfortable and accepted as part of a group“She was friendly and fitted in well with the team.”
    • A blur of... — used to describe a period when many things happened quickly“The first week was a blur of meetings and introductions.”
    • On board. — used to mean someone has joined a team or organization“Welcome on board — we're glad to have you with us.”

    Word search

    Find all 10 key words from the story. They can read forwards, backwards, up, down or diagonally.

    ABCDEFGHIJKLMNO
    1MFAMQCFYFCCLTRY
    2EPIPBQDPRMINEAG
    3TQUVPSZQKNIAACN
    4HNLRGRSHEHSTLRI
    5ONAKPOOMCSCZDOR
    6DGHLGOAVUWXRYSO
    7IGIGPNSRIWHAGSB
    8CIIOANAEENSRPCH
    9AYDGWNEDFDGBNHG
    10LBERCDEPXUULHEI
    11LRVEHNREOVLKYCE
    12YEVGXFMYLOHLMKN
    13GNITADIMITNIYIP
    14OSNOITATSKROWNJ
    15BYRTIAPPJTONTGY

    Word search answer key (B1 (Intermediate))

    Columns are lettered from the left, rows numbered from the top. The arrow shows the reading direction from the word's first letter.

    approvingly: C1 ↘ · cross-checking: N3 ↓ · intimidating: L13 ← · line manager: L1 ↙ · methodically: A1 ↓ · neighboring: O12 ↑ · open-plan: I11 ↖ · purposefully: B2 ↘ · reassurance: N1 ↙ · workstation: M14 ←

    Free Daily English · www.freedailyenglish.com/stories/priyas-first-day-2026-04-04