The Conversation App - Student Guide
Contents
What Is The Conversation App?
Our Conversations app is a listening and speaking practice tool. It looks and feels like a real messaging app. You will have a conversation with a speaker who sends you voice messages. You listen to what they say, then choose how to reply. Every time you use it, you can take a different path through the conversation and practise different vocabulary.
Getting Started
When the conversation loads, you will see a play button in the chat area. This is the speaker's first voice message. Tap or click the play button to listen. You do not need to read anything yet, just listen. The speaker will introduce themselves and explain the situation. After the voice message finishes, your reply options will appear at the bottom of the screen.
Making Choices
After you listen to each voice message, two or three reply options will appear at the bottom. Read them carefully and choose the one you think is best. Your reply will appear as a blue message on the right side, just like in a real messaging app. The speaker will then record a new voice message in response to what you said.
The choices change the direction of the conversation. For example, if you are calling about a problem with a computer, you might choose to describe different problems. The speaker will respond differently depending on what you choose. This means you can do the same conversation many times and have a different experience each time.
While the speaker is preparing their reply, you will see a message that says they are "recording a voice message". This is just like a real messaging app where you can see when someone is typing or recording.
Wandering Paths
Every conversation has a branching structure — like a tree with many different routes through it. When the speaker asks you something, your choice doesn't just change the next message; it can send the whole conversation in a completely different direction. Choose to agree and the talk might stay friendly and wrap up quickly. Push back and the speaker will challenge you, opening up longer, more complex exchanges.
Some paths converge again later, others lead to entirely different endings. This means the same conversation might last four exchanges one time and eight the next, with different vocabulary along each route. The diagram below shows how a single opening can branch into very different conversations depending on what you decide to say.
What Happens If You Choose the Wrong Answer?
Some conversations include a wrong answer in the choices. If you choose it, the speaker will tell you that your answer was not quite right and ask you to try again. Do not worry, this is part of the learning process. Just listen to the feedback message and then choose a different option.
Changing the Speed
If the speaker is talking too fast, you can slow down the audio. Look for the speed icon in the top right corner of the app. It shows a snail or a rabbit. Tap it to switch between normal speed and slow speed. The app will remember your choice, so next time you use it, the speed will be the same.
You can also replay any voice message at any time. Just tap the play button again to hear it once more.
Finishing the Conversation
When the conversation reaches the end, you will see two buttons: "Try Again" and "Show Transcript". If you tap "Try Again", the conversation will restart from the beginning and you can make different choices. If you tap "Show Transcript", you can read everything that was said.
Reading the Transcript
The transcript shows the full conversation you just had. The speaker's messages appear on the left with the words written out, and your replies appear on the right in blue. You can tap any of the speaker's messages to hear the audio again. This is very useful for understanding words or phrases you missed the first time.
Some words in the transcript will be highlighted. These are key phrases, useful vocabulary for you to learn. You can find their meanings in the vocabulary section.
Studying the Vocabulary
After you finish a conversation and view the transcript, a vocabulary icon will appear in the header. Tap it to see a list of the key phrases from your conversation. Each phrase has a simple definition to help you understand it.
The vocabulary you see depends on the path you took through the conversation. If you make different choices next time, you might learn different phrases. This is another good reason to try the conversation more than once.
Tips for Learning
Listen before you read. The conversation is designed to practise your listening skills, so try to understand the speaker from their voice message before you look at the transcript.
Try every path. Each conversation has many different paths. The more paths you try, the more vocabulary you will learn and the more natural the conversation will feel.
Use the slow speed first. If you are finding it difficult, switch to slow speed. Once you feel more comfortable, try it at normal speed.
Study the vocabulary after each conversation. The key phrases are common in real English conversations. Try to use them in your own speaking and writing.
Replay the audio in the transcript. Tap on the speaker's messages in the transcript view to hear them again. This helps you connect the written words with the spoken sounds.
