Oral comprehension · History · Level A2/B1

Nelson Mandela

Portrait of Nelson Mandela in 1994, the year he became president of South Africa
Nelson Mandela in 1994. Photo: Kingkongphoto & www.celebrity-photos.com, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Listen to his biography

Listen once without stopping. Try to answer these questions: Who was Nelson Mandela? Why did he go to prison, and for how long? What happened in 1994? Don't worry if you don't understand everything!

How to work

  1. Test your understanding: listen and answer (12 questions). Read the feedback after each answer: it explains what you missed.
  2. Learn the key words: vocabulary activity (4 slides, 32 words). Then listen to the biography again: how much more can you understand now?
  3. Listen and read at the same time, and complete the text: fill in the gaps (5 parts, 40 words, each part with its own recording). Hover over the underlined words to see their translation.
  4. To finish, take the final test (20 questions, mark out of 20).

Audio: the biography of Nelson Mandela (1918-2013), in five parts.