Click any sentence to jump to that moment
Tap an underlined word to see what it means.
Tomás worked at a food delivery pickup point. It was a busy place. Many people came to collect their orders every day. Tomás liked his job. He was good at packing bags and checking orders. But today was different. Today, his manager asked him to speak to the other workers. Tomás had to give a short talk. He had to the new system for collecting orders. Tomás felt his heart beat fast. His hands started to . He looked at the door and wanted to go home. He took a deep breath. He said to himself, "I can do this." He walked to the front of the room. All the workers looked at him. Tomás felt very . Tomás looked at his notes. His notes were on a small piece of paper. The paper shook in his hands.
He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He stopped. He took another deep breath. Then he started to speak. His voice was very quiet at first. One of his said, "Speak up, Tomás, we can't hear you!" Tomás felt his face go red. He looked down at the floor. Then he looked up again. He saw his friend, Priya, in the group. Priya smiled at him. Her smile was warm and kind. Tomás felt a little better. He started to speak again. This time, his voice was louder. He said, "The new system is simple. All orders go on the left shelf. orders go on the right shelf." The workers listened carefully. Tomás talked for five minutes. He everything slowly and clearly.
He answered two questions from his . His voice did not at the end. When he finished, the workers clapped. His manager said, "Well done, Tomás. That was very clear." Tomás felt surprised. He also felt very happy. He walked back to his place. Priya came over to him. She said, "You were great! I was so of you." Tomás laughed a little. He said, "I was so scared. My hands were the whole time!" Priya said, "Nobody noticed. You looked very ." Tomás could not believe it. He thought about the talk for the rest of the day. He felt of himself. He knew that next time, he would not be so . He was already looking forward to the next time.
feeling worried or frightened about something
"Tomás felt nervous before he spoke to the other workers."
to move quickly from side to side or up and down
"The paper shook in his hands because he was so nervous."
a person you work with
"One of his colleagues asked him to speak louder."
needing attention very soon
"Urgent orders go on the right shelf."
to hit your hands together to show you are pleased
"When Tomás finished speaking, the workers clapped."
not worried or excited; relaxed and quiet
"Priya told Tomás that he looked very calm when he spoke."
to make something clear and easy to understand
"Tomás had to explain the new system to the other workers."
feeling pleased about something you or someone else has done well
"Priya said she was proud of Tomás after his talk."
take a deep breath
to breathe in slowly and deeply, often to feel calmer
"Tomás took a deep breath before he started to speak."
speak up
to speak louder so that others can hear you
"His colleague said, "Speak up, Tomás, we can't hear you!""
feel your heart beat fast
to notice your heart working quickly, usually because you are nervous or excited
"Tomás felt his heart beat fast when he thought about the talk."
look down at the floor
to direct your eyes downward, often because you feel embarrassed or shy
"When his face went red, Tomás looked down at the floor."
well done
used to praise someone for doing something good
"The manager said, "Well done, Tomás. That was very clear.""
the whole time
during all of a particular period, from start to finish
"Tomás said his hands were shaking the whole time he was speaking."
could not believe it
to feel very surprised about something
"Tomás could not believe it when Priya said he looked calm."
look forward to
to feel happy and excited about something that will happen in the future
"Tomás was already looking forward to the next time he would speak."
Finished the A2 version? Challenge yourself with the B1 intermediate story.
One short story every morning at your level, with audio, key words and a quiz. Free. Unsubscribe any time.