Retell practice for English speaking
A real-life story, “Lost Suitcase”. Hear it, then retell it from notes. Free, no sign-up.
Try one now: your suitcase is lost
You’re at the airport baggage desk. Hear the story, then try retell practice yourself.
- Listen to the story
- Retell it out loud from short notes
- See what to fix, then say it again
Free, no sign-up · Notes and tips in your language · We don’t keep your recordings · Mic needed from step 2
What is retell practice?
Retell practice is a speaking exercise in which you listen to a short passage and then say it back in your own words, using only brief notes. Teachers call it a retelling exercise, and interpreters do a faster version when they take notes and then deliver the message in another language. Done in English, it is also called English retelling practice.
It works because it separates two jobs that normally fight each other. In free conversation you must decide what to say and how to say it at the same time. In retell practice the content is already decided, so all your effort goes to wording, pace and grammar. And you can compare your version with the original, which free talking never gives you.
The passage on this page is a lost-luggage report at an airport, a real moment where being clear matters. You retell it, compare it with the original, borrow the phrases a native speaker would use, and retell it again. Every story in our English speaking practice works the same way.
How to do retell practice, step by step
One round of retell practice · a few minutes
1. Listen and read along
Hear the passage once, then replay any sentence. Read the text and open the translation if a word is new.
2. Retell from notes
Look at the notes only, not the text, and say the passage in order, one line per note.
3. Compare with the original
See which points you covered and missed, and the native phrases you can borrow for next time.
4. Retell it again
Do the second take and see which fixes you landed.
What a good retelling exercise needs
Three levels of notes
Detailed notes give you phrases, Keywords notes give you only ideas, and notes in your own language give you no English at all. You make the exercise harder as you improve.
Feedback against the original
A checklist of the key points you covered and missed, each with the original sentence quoted, so you know exactly what dropped out.
Phrases you keep
The native phrases you borrow are saved in your phrasebook and brought back for review, so one round of retell practice pays off weeks later.
A score out of 100 on every take
Key points, mistakes, natural phrases, pauses and clear sounds all count, so you can see exactly what changed.
Example: a retell practice first and second take
Passage: “Lost Suitcase” (B1) · retell practice in action
Take 1
My suitcase… not coming. I flew from Toronto, the plane of AC 862. It is blue, a wheel is broken, and ribbon yellow.
Take 2
My suitcase didn’t come out on the belt, and I think it’s lost. I flew in from Toronto on flight AC 862. It’s a large blue suitcase with a broken wheel and a yellow ribbon. Could you track it down today?
Example take, written to show the typical change
Phrases in this passage
- I think it's lostI believe it is missing
- in case you need to reach meif you must contact me
- What happens nextwhat is the next step
- pick it upcollect it myself
- in the meantimewhile waiting
- track it downfind it after searching
Every scenario goes from easy to hard, and this story comes from Travel & Airport. See every scenario.
Who retell practice is for, and where to start
Pick the card that sounds like you.
Beginners
Start with short passages in everyday words, where each sentence is easy to hold in your head while you speak.
English speaking practice for beginnersLearners stuck on a plateau
If your English has stopped improving, longer stories with natural linking phrases push you out of simple sentences.
Intermediate English speaking practiceIELTS candidates
Part 2 is a retell in disguise: you speak for a minute or two from a cue card. Retelling trains the same control.
IELTS speaking practiceTravelers and expats
Need to talk to a person, not a passage? Play both sides of a short dialogue and rehearse the real exchange.
English conversation practiceQuestions about retell practice
What is the difference between retelling and shadowing?
In shadowing you repeat a speaker almost at the same time, which trains sound and rhythm. In retelling you say the passage afterwards in your own words, which trains wording, grammar and organization. They complement each other; this site focuses on retelling.
Do I need to memorize the passage?
No. You work from short notes, a few words per sentence, and rebuild each sentence yourself. If your version differs from the original, that is fine; the feedback checks that the points are there and shows you the more natural phrases.
How long should the passage be?
Short. For daily retell practice, a story you can hear in under a minute works best: long enough to need notes, short enough to remember and repeat several times a day. Stories here get longer as a scenario gets harder.
Is retell practice good for beginners?
Yes, because the ideas are provided. Beginners use the Detailed notes, which show the key phrases, and move on to Keywords notes when they feel ready. The passage level goes up one step at a time.
How do I get better at retelling?
Do a round once or twice a day, and switch to lighter notes as it gets easy: Detailed, then Keywords, then notes in your own language. Borrow at least one new phrase each time. Retell practice gets you speaking more freely as the notes give you less English.
The easiest way to improve your spoken English.
Free English speaking practice: one short story, a few minutes, no sign-up.
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