How travel-ready are you without reaching for your phone?

Your phone will get you the words. It won't get you the moment.

Translation apps are really good these days. Just point your phone at a menu and you'll know exactly what you're ordering.

What they can't do is keep you in the exchange. The waiter asks a follow-up, the pharmacist says something kind, the receptionist offers you an alternative, and by the time you've typed it in, the moment has moved on. You get the information. You miss the conversation.

The gap between the two is smaller than most people think. It's a few dozen phrases and the confidence to use them, which is roughly what a first level of any language is for.

So here's the quiz. Ten real situations, plus three short replies to listen to, spoken at normal speed with the background noise you'd really hear. Answer honestly, there's no final score to fear!

The quiz10 moments · 3 replies

Ready when you are

Each one is a situation you'd meet on an ordinary trip. For each, ask yourself whether you could do it in the language, out loud, without your phone in your hand. Understanding the reply counts, and three times you'll hear one for real. Have your sound on.

What Level 1 actually gives you

Every one of the ten moments in this quiz is something we've developed our beginners' course to help you do. Not eventually, but from your very first lessons.

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Openings

How to start an exchange with a stranger so they answer you in the language rather than switching to English.

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Asking for things

Politely, in a way that sounds like a person rather than a phrasebook. You'll do this constantly when you travel.

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Catching the reply

Numbers, times, prices, platforms and directions, at the speed people actually say them.

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Getting unstuck

Saying you didn't follow that, asking for it again more slowly, and keeping the conversation alive.

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Explaining yourself

Allergies, preferences, what you need and what you'd rather avoid. The things that matter.

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Small talk

Where you're from, why you're here, and asking something back. Where trips turn into memories.

Common questions

Is this a test I can fail?

No. It's a snapshot, not an exam, and the result is only there to show you where you are. Most people who've never studied a language score low on it, which is entirely the point.

Why is the audio so fast?

Because that's how people talk. The language in the replies is simple, beginner material, but it's spoken at normal speed with a station or a restaurant going on around it. That's the gap most learners notice on their first trip, so it's the fair thing to test.

What if I'm interested in a language you don't teach?

Tell us anyway. There's an option for it when you choose a language, and we do read them.

I already speak a bit. Is this still for me?

Yes, and the result will tell you honestly if a beginner course would be too easy for you.

Do you collect my email?

Not for the quiz. If you came from one of our emails, we note your language and your result on your subscriber record, so what we send you next is about the right level. Nothing else.