Daily Story·

    Zainab's Favorite Stall

    making a recommendation to a frienda road-side food stallCEFR A2
    0:00 / 0:00

    Click any sentence to jump to that moment

    Speed
    📖

    Story

    Tap an underlined word to see what it means.

    Zainab walked to the road-side food after work. It was a warm evening. The was small but very busy. Many people were standing near it. The smell of food was strong and good. Zainab loved this . She came here often. She knew the man who worked there. His name was Omar. Omar always smiled at her. Zainab looked at the on the board. There were many things to choose from. She already knew what she wanted. She wanted the vegetables with rice. It was her favorite meal.

    Zainab's friend, Leila, was with her. Leila had never been to this before. She looked at the board. She did not know what to . "What is good here?" Leila asked. "Everything is good," said Zainab, "but you must try the vegetables." Leila looked at the board again. "Are they ?" she asked. "No, they are not ," said Zainab. "They are soft and full of ." Leila smiled. "OK," she said, "I will try them." Zainab was happy. She liked to help her friend. Omar took their . He wrote it down on a small piece of paper. They waited near the . The food came quickly.

    Omar put the plates on the . "Here you are," he said. Leila looked at her plate. The vegetables looked beautiful. They were yellow, red, and green. She took her first bite. Her eyes went wide. "This is really good!" she said. "I told you!" said Zainab, and she laughed. They ate together and talked. Leila finished all her food. "I will come back here," said Leila. "I am glad," said Zainab. "This place is special to me." They both felt happy. It was a lovely evening at the .

    🔑

    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.
    stall
    /stɔːl/
    noun

    a small shop or table on the side of a road where people sell food

    "Zainab bought her lunch from a food stall near the road."

    menu
    /ˈmen.juː/
    noun

    a list of food and drinks that you can order

    "She looked at the menu and chose the rice dish."

    order
    /ˈɔː.də/
    verb

    to ask for food or a drink in a restaurant or stall

    "He ordered a plate of grilled vegetables."

    grilled
    /ɡrɪld/
    adjective

    cooked directly over or under heat

    "The grilled corn smelled wonderful."

    flavor
    /ˈfleɪ.və/
    noun

    the taste of a food or drink

    "The soup had a rich, warm flavor."

    spicy
    /ˈspaɪ.si/
    adjective

    having a strong, hot taste from spices

    "She did not like spicy food, so she chose the mild dish."

    recommend
    /ˌrek.əˈmend/
    verb

    to tell someone that something is good and they should try it

    "Zainab recommended the grilled vegetables to her friend."

    counter
    /ˈkaʊn.tə/
    noun

    a flat surface at a stall or shop where food is served

    "Omar placed the plates on the counter for them to take."

    💬

    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.

    must try

    used to strongly recommend something to someone

    "You must try the soup here — it is amazing."

    full of flavor

    having a very strong and pleasant taste

    "The grilled vegetables were full of flavor."

    I will come back

    used to say you want to return to a place

    "The food was so good that she said, "I will come back.""

    I told you

    used to say you were right about something

    ""I told you it was delicious!" said Zainab."

    Here you are

    said when you give something to someone

    ""Here you are," said Omar, and he put the food on the counter."

    knew what she wanted

    had already decided on a choice

    "She looked at the menu for only a second because she knew what she wanted."

    took their order

    listened to and wrote down what people wanted to eat

    "The man at the stall took their order and smiled."

    What is good here?

    asking someone to recommend food at a place

    ""What is good here?" she asked her friend."

    1 Story→→

    Finished the A2 version? Challenge yourself with the B1 intermediate story.

    Get tomorrow's story in your inbox

    One short story every morning at your level, with audio, key words and a quiz. Free. Unsubscribe any time.

    Your level

    We'll email you once to confirm. We only use your address to send the daily story. See our privacy policy.

    More stories to read