Immersion Module

A Warm Welcome for Old Friends

Improve your reading comprehension through a narrative set in the world of hospitality & hosting guests.

Beginner English
Sarah had been looking forward to this evening for weeks. She decided to for her childhood friends who were visiting from out of town. Hosting was her passion, and she wanted everything to be perfect. From the moment she woke up, Sarah was , cleaning the living room, polishing the silverware, and preparing a feast that would satisfy any appetite. She believed that hospitality was not just about food, but about making people feel truly seen and valued. When the doorbell finally rang, she smoothed her apron and rushed to the entrance to . Her face lit up with a genuine smile as she embraced each friend. Please, come in and , she insisted, leading them toward the plush seating area. She took their coats and gestured toward the sofa, encouraging them to after their long journey. To her surprise, one of her friends had brought along a cousin Sarah hadn't met before. Sarah didn't hesitate for a second; she smiled and remarked that . She knew that a house full of laughter was a happy home. She quickly brought out a tray of appetizers to and get everyone talking. For Sarah, hosting was because she genuinely enjoyed the company of others. She told her guests to just and not worry about any formalities. She spent the next hour making sure everyone had a drink in hand, virtually waiting on them hand and foot to ensure their comfort. Her friends often said Sarah had a because she always put the needs of others before her own. Even when a small glass of juice was accidentally knocked over on the rug, she stayed calm and told her guest that there was . She quickly cleaned it up and returned to the conversation without a hint of annoyance. As the evening progressed, the house was filled with the aroma of spices and the sound of shared memories. Eventually, as the clock struck midnight and yawns began to surface, Sarah suggested they so everyone could get some well-deserved rest. She walked them to their rooms, ensuring they had extra blankets and pillows, embodying the true spirit of hospitality until the very end.

Context Clues

Look for meaning in the surrounding sentences before tapping the highlighted badges.

Active Reading

Read once for the overall plot, then a second time to master the specific expressions.

Story Glossary

Detailed breakdown of phrases used in the narrative.

roll out the red carpet

/ሮል አውት ዘ ሬድ ካርፔት/

idiom

በታላቅ ክብር መቀበል

to give someone a very grand and special welcome

ለአንድ ሰው ልዩ አቀባበል ማድረግ

Contextual Note

This idiom comes from the practice of laying a red carpet for royalty or important officials to walk on.

as busy as a bee

/አዝ ቢዚ አዝ ኤ ቢ/

simile

በጣም ስራ የበዛበት

very busy and active

አንድ ሰው በስራ ተወጥሮ ሲቆይ የሚነገር

Contextual Note

This comparison suggests someone is working hard and moving constantly, like a bee in a garden.

show them in

/ሾው ዘም ኢን/

phrasal verb

አስገባቸው

to lead or escort someone into a room or building

እንግዶችን ወደ ውስጥ እንዲገቡ መጋበዝ

Contextual Note

Commonly used when a host meets a guest at the door and brings them inside.

make yourself at home

/ሜክ ዩርሰልፍ አት ሆም/

colloquial expression

እንደ ቤትዎ ይሁኑ

to make yourself feel comfortable in someone else's house

እንግዳው ሳይሸማቀቅ እንዲዝናና መጋበዝ

Contextual Note

A polite way to tell guests they should relax and act as if they were in their own home.

take a load off

/ቴክ ኤ ሎድ ኦፍ/

idiom

ቁጭ በሉና እረፍት ያድርጉ

to sit down and relax

መቀመጥ እና ድካምን ማረግ

Contextual Note

Usually used to encourage someone who has been standing or traveling to sit down.

the more the merrier

/ዘ ሞር ዘ ሜሪየር/

proverb

ሰው በበዛ ቁጥር ይደምቃል

the more people there are, the more fun it will be

የሰዎች መብዛት ደስታን ይጨምራል የሚል አባባል

Contextual Note

Used to say that an increase in the number of people is welcome.

break the ice

/ብሬክ ዘ አይስ/

idiom

መሽማቀቅን ማስወገድ

to do or say something to relieve tension or get conversation started

አዳዲስ ሰዎች እንዲቀራረቡ ጨዋታ መጀመር

Contextual Note

Used in social situations where people don't know each other well.

a piece of cake

/ኤ ፒስ ኦፍ ኬክ/

idiom

በጣም ቀላል

something that is very easy to do

በቀላሉ ሊከናወን የሚችል ነገር

Contextual Note

Refers to a task that requires very little effort.

chill out

/ቺል አውት/

slang

ዘና በሉ

to relax or calm down

መረጋጋት እና መዝናናት

Contextual Note

A very common informal way to tell someone to stop stressing and enjoy themselves.

wait on someone hand and foot

/ዌይት ኦን ሃንድ ኤንድ ፉት/

idiom

እጅና እግር መሆን

to provide everything someone needs or wants

ለአንድ ሰው ሁሉንም ነገር በማቅረብ ማገልገል

Contextual Note

Describes serving someone very attentively, often more than is necessary.

heart of gold

/ሀርት ኦፍ ጎልድ/

metaphor

ቅን ልብ

to be a very kind and generous person

በጣም ደግ ሰው

Contextual Note

Comparing a person's character to gold implies they are valuable and pure in their kindness.

no use crying over spilled milk

/ኖ ዩዝ ክራይንግ ኦቨር ስፒልድ ሚልክ/

proverb

ካለፈ በኋላ መቆጨት ጥቅም የለውም

it is useless to worry about unfortunate events that have already happened

በተበላሸ ወይም በጠፋ ነገር ላይ ማልቀስ ትርጉም እንደሌለው መግለጫ

Contextual Note

Used to encourage someone to move on from a mistake that cannot be fixed.

call it a night

/ኮል ኢት ኤ ናይት/

idiom

ለዛሬ ይብቃን

to stop what you are doing and go to sleep

ምሽቱን አቁሞ ወደ መኝታ መሄድ

Contextual Note

Commonly used to signal the end of a social gathering in the evening.