--- title: "Telling a Story About Yourself" description: "Learn how to organise and rehearse a personal recount in a new language. Written questions check decisions about setting, event order, past-time language, endings and repair. They do not assess spoken" canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/languages/telling-a-story-about-yourself-mt_Y03mNSjNK9 source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/languages/telling-a-story-about-yourself-mt_Y03mNSjNK9.md retrieved: 2026-11-12 --- > **Agent view.** This is the Markdown twin of the page, for tools and assistants. > When to use this site, and the call that answers each job: https://lightmysky.com/agent-instructions.md > API description (OpenAPI 3.1): https://lightmysky.com/openapi.json · Authentication: https://lightmysky.com/auth.md > Pricing: https://lightmysky.com/pricing.md · Catalog: https://lightmysky.com/llms.txt · Full catalog: https://lightmysky.com/llms-full.txt > Every machine-readable file on this domain: https://lightmysky.com/.well-known/ai-catalog.json > Ask for Markdown with `Accept: text/markdown`, a `.md` address, or `?mode=agent`. # Telling a Story About Yourself Learn how to organise and rehearse a personal recount in a new language. Written questions check decisions about setting, event order, past-time language, endings and repair. They do not assess spoken delivery. Subject: Languages · Area: Sounds & Conversation · Ages 11 to 13 Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/languages/telling-a-story-about-yourself-mt_Y03mNSjNK9 ## Ready when they can - Identify information that establishes a recount's setting, event order and outcome - Choose suitable checks for past-time language, rehearsal length and a forgotten word in written scenarios - Distinguish a reason for an action from an opinion or another event ## Lesson: Tell a short story about yourself Choose one experience to recount. Give the time and place near the start, then tell the events in order. Use the words you have learned for first, then and finally. Close with the outcome or how you felt. A reason explains why something happened or why you acted. An opinion tells what you thought. Either can add detail, but a recount does not need both. **Example.** Here is an English example of the plan: 'Yesterday I visited the community garden. First I watered the beans. Then I picked tomatoes. Finally I carried them home. I felt pleased because I had helped.' The order words connect the events. Use familiar words in your new language for your own recount. *(drawing: Watering came before picking, and carrying the tomatoes home came last.)* Make the past time clear using the ways taught in your language course. Some languages use past verb forms; others use time words or context without changing the verb. Even where past forms are used, they need not all be the same tense. In English, 'I was drawing when the doorbell rang' combines two past forms. Check that your learned forms and time words fit what you mean. Tell your recount aloud and time it. Aim for about a minute at a pace a listener can follow. If it runs too long, remove details that do not explain the main events. Keep enough setting and an ending so the listener can follow. If you forget a word, pause. Try describing its meaning with words you know, or restart with a shorter sentence. These are ways to repair your speech. You may ask for help, including in a shared language, then return to the recount. Practise with someone you trust. **Recap.** Give the setting, order the events and close with an outcome or feeling. Make past time clear, rehearse aloud and use a pause or repair when needed. *Original lesson, practice questions and flashcards written for this learning dataset.* ## Practice 8 questions on this page, each with its working shown. ## Needs first - [Choosing conversation strategies](https://lightmysky.com/learn/languages/choosing-conversation-strategies-mt_SZsWbcNJIv) ## Optional connections - [Reporting & Recounting](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/reporting-and-recounting-mt_ds2TOtP8I1)