We're excited to introduce Story Mode — a brand new feature on whachama that helps you improve your reading and listening comprehension through short, engaging stories in your target language.
Each story is written to feel natural and idiomatic, with side-by-side translations, audio narration, and comprehension questions to test your understanding.
How to get the most out of each story
We recommend the following approach for each story:
- Listen first. Hit the "Play All" button and listen to the entire story without reading. Let the sounds and rhythm of the language wash over you. Don't worry about understanding every word — just get a feel for the flow.
- Read and listen line by line. Go through each sentence one at a time. Play the audio, read the text in the target language, and try to work out the meaning on your own before peeking at the translation.
- Take the comprehension test. After you've gone through the story, answer the multiple-choice questions at the bottom. These test whether you understood the key points of the story.
- Go back if needed. If you struggled with the test, go back and reveal the translations for the sentences that tripped you up. Then try the test again on your next visit.
Five difficulty levels
Stories are available at five levels to match where you are in your learning journey:
- Beginner — Simple vocabulary and short sentences
- Elementary — Basic vocabulary with simple sentence structures
- Intermediate — Broader vocabulary with compound sentences
- Upper Intermediate — Varied vocabulary with complex structures
- Advanced — Rich vocabulary with sophisticated grammar and idioms
Start at a level that feels slightly challenging — you should understand most of the story but still encounter some new words and patterns.
More stories coming
We're continuously adding new stories across all languages and difficulty levels. Each story covers a different everyday topic — from shopping at a market to attending a job interview — so you'll always have something fresh to read.
Mark stories as "Read" to track your progress, and check back regularly for new additions.
Head over to the
Stories page to get started!
