More and more people around the world are using electronic communication: mobile phones, text messages, e-mail etc. There are still some places where this is not true, but they are fewer and farther between. If you are learning a language where people use electronic communication, you need to learn how to talk about it and how language changes when it is used this way.

Beginning Learners:

Talking on the phone is harder than talking face to face, because you only get part of the auditory message and can’t see the speaker’s face. Still, there are some things you can learn from the beginning about answering the phone:

Possible vocabulary:

Useful phrases:

• What to say when you answer the phone
• What you say when you are ending a phone call
• I’d like to add X money to my phone.
• Where can I add minutes to my phone?

You might also get a friend to help you figure out how to read some of the top-level words on the phone interface, such as: Messages, Call history, Contacts, etc.

Texting may be difficult because there are abbreviations that may be different from what you are used to. This is something more suitable for Intermediate learners, unless you are texting someone who speaks a language you already know.

Intermediate Learners:

Talking on the phone can be daunting, but maybe your LH will let you practice by calling him or her, until you get more comfortable.

If you use a mobile phone a lot it would probably be worthwhile to learn all the words you don’t know related to your phone’s interface, such as ring tones, settings, etc.

Try texting messages to a friend, maybe your LH