The Empty Till (B1 Reading Story)
Rising costs threaten the repair shop where Amira works. When money disappears from the till, the people trying to save the business begin to doubt one another.
B1 Intermediate
B1 · INTERMEDIATE
You can join everyday conversations, share opinions, and handle most travel and work situations on your own.
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A2
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B1 · YOU
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B2
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C2
Start Here
The present perfect tense
The B1 keystone tense. Learn how to talk about experience, change, and things that started in the past and still matter now.
B1 Grammar · 67 lessons
Learn grammar
Tense rules, confusing word pairs, and the small grammar choices that make your writing clear.
B1 Vocabulary · 42 lessons
Learn vocabulary
Tricky word pairs and homophones that intermediate learners often mix up. Clear, focused lessons.
Reading · Graded Stories
Read short stories made for B1
Original graded stories written at your level — each with key words, a comprehension quiz, and a grammar tip. New stories added regularly.
Ready for B2?
Move on when you can express opinions and discuss familiar topics with confidence.
The Letter in the Guitar Case (B1 Reading Story)
Daniel returns to his childhood home after twelve years away. An old guitar case and a letter bring back the music competition that ended a friendship.
Two Names on the Door (B1 Reading Story)
Maya and Tom have saved for years to open a bookshop together. As their dream comes closer, money worries and a secret test their long friendship.
The Kite Maker’s Promise (B1 Reading Story)
Sofia feels like a visitor in her new seaside town. A local kite festival offers a chance to share the skills and traditions her grandfather passed on to her.
Past Perfect Tense: Which Thing Happened First?
Quick Answer The past perfect is had + a past participle: had finished, had gone, had lost. It looks back from a past reference point. When I arrived, the train had left places the departure before the arrival. See the Pattern First In each sentence below, two things happened. The blue verb happened FIRST. When…
The Paper Map (B1 Reading Story)
Amira has planned every hour of her first solo trip to Portugal. When her phone stops working, a paper map invites her to travel in a different way.
The Bridge of a Thousand Stories (B1 Reading Story)
A flood destroys the bridge connecting two halves of a village. A stranger offers to rebuild it, asking for something unusual in return: true stories from those who cross.
The Woman Who Mended Clocks — The Life of Ines Vale (B1 Reading Story)
In this fictional life story, Ines learns to repair clocks in her grandfather’s Portuguese workshop. Follow her patient work, from an early apprenticeship to the town’s great clock.
The Repair Café (B1 Reading Story)
Dina takes a broken kettle to a community repair café. Among the tools and busy tables, she meets people who offer more than a working appliance.
The Weaver and the Silent River (B1 Reading Story)
With her village’s river dry, Mira shares her last water with a stranger. His unusual bargain will test her skills as a weaver and her willingness to help.
