B1 · Intermediate · Following a Lead · 178 words · ~2 min read

☕ The Café Lead

Language focus: Making polite requests · following a lead

The Backpack & The Antique Key

Inside the café, the smell of fresh coffee and warm pastries was almost irresistible. Leo showed the diary to the owner, a cheerful woman named Frau Bauer. “Ah, this belongs to young Anton!” she exclaimed at once. “He drops by here practically every single day.”

“Could you possibly fill us in on where we might find him?” Sam asked as politely as he could. Frau Bauer explained that Anton was a young artist who sold his paintings at the Naschmarkt every Saturday — which, rather luckily, happened to be tomorrow.

Just then, the friends bumped into a group of art students who also knew Anton. “He’s always at the market by nine,” one of them said. “Honestly, getting there early is your best bet.” It was a bit of a long shot, but it was the only real lead they had.

As they left, Frau Bauer called after them, “Fingers crossed you find him!” Leo and Sam grinned at each other. For the first time since the mix-up at the station, things were finally starting to look up.

Key vocabulary (6 words)

irresistibleadjective
So attractive that you cannot refuse it.
pastrynoun
A sweet baked food made from dough.
ownernoun
A person who owns something.
artistnoun
A person who creates art such as paintings.
leadnoun
A piece of information that may help you find something.
grinverb
To smile widely.

Phrasal verbs in this episode

  • bump into — To bump into someone means to meet them by chance.
  • fill in — To fill someone in means to give them information they need.
  • drop by — To drop by means to visit a place informally.

Comprehension quiz

  1. Who does the diary belong to?

    • Anton
    • Frau Bauer
    • Leo
    Show answer

    Anton

  2. Where does Anton sell his paintings?

    • At the Naschmarkt on Saturdays
    • In a museum
    • Online
    Show answer

    At the Naschmarkt on Saturdays

  3. “Fill us in” means to…

    • give us information
    • pour a drink
    • complete a form
    Show answer

    give us information

  4. “A long shot” means something that is…

    • unlikely to succeed
    • very loud
    • far away
    Show answer

    unlikely to succeed

  5. “Drop by” means to…

    • visit informally
    • fall down
    • leave forever
    Show answer

    visit informally

  6. How do the friends feel by the end?

    • Things are starting to look up
    • Completely hopeless
    • Bored
    Show answer

    Things are starting to look up

All 20 B1 episodes

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