The Reading / Listening - First Dates - Level 2

First dates can be romantic. However, many people wonder when the best time is to contact their partner after a first date. Scientists at a university in Germany studied the best time. They asked 500 people about this and published their findings in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. The researchers found the best time to text is the morning after the date. This shows you are happy and are interested in a second date. The researchers said waiting too long could send the wrong message. The other person might think you are not interested in going on more dates.

In the study, participants had to imagine an enjoyable first date at an Italian restaurant. They then had to rate how much they wanted a second date. This depended on how long after the date the text was sent. The researchers said a follow-up text the morning after the date made people want to take the relationship further. The Psychology Today website agreed. It wrote: "A next-morning text shows you're interested and had a good time." The study only looked at texting. It did not look into traditional method of communication — phone calls.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    First Dates - Level 0 First Dates - Level 1   or  First Dates - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/02/09/first-date-best-time-text-leuphana-university-luneburg/
  • https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-psychology-of-relationships/202601/how-long-should-you-wait-to-text-after-a-date
  • https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/02654075251377184


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. First dates can be
  2. many people wonder when
  3. contact their partner
  4. the best time to text is the
  5. interested in
  6. waiting too
  7. send the
  8. interested in going
  1. wrong message
  2. on more dates
  3. a second date
  4. the best time is
  5. long
  6. romantic
  7. morning after
  8. after a first date

Paragraph 2

  1. an enjoyable first date at an
  2. rate how much they wanted
  3. This depended
  4. the date the
  5. a follow-up text the
  6. take the relationship
  7. The study only looked
  8. traditional method
  1. morning after
  2. at texting
  3. Italian restaurant
  4. of communication
  5. on how long after
  6. a second date
  7. further
  8. text was sent

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

First dates (1) _________________________________________________. However, many people wonder when the best time is (2) _________________________________________________ partner after a first date. Scientists at a university in Germany studied the best time. They asked 500 people about this and published (3) _________________________________________________ the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. The researchers found the best time to text is (4) _________________________________________________ the date. This shows you are happy and are interested in a second date. The researchers said waiting too long could send (5) _________________________________________________. The other person might think you are not interested (6) _________________________________________________ more dates.

In the study, participants had to (7) _________________________________________________ first date at an Italian restaurant. They then had to (8) _________________________________________________ they wanted a second date. This depended on how long after the date the (9) _________________________________________________. The researchers said a follow-up text the morning after the date made people want to take (10) _________________________________________________. The Psychology Today website agreed. It wrote: "A next-morning text shows you're interested and had (11) _________________________________________________." The study only looked at texting. It did not look into (12) _________________________________________________ communication — phone calls.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Firstdatescanberomantic.However,manypeoplewonderwhenthebes
ttimeistocontacttheirpartnerafterafirstdate.Scientistsatauniversityi
nGermanystudiedthebesttime.Theyasked500peopleaboutthisandp
ublishedtheirfindingsintheJournalofSocialandPersonalRelationships
.Theresearchersfoundthebesttimetotextisthemorningafterthedate.
Thisshowsyouarehappyandareinterestedinaseconddate.Theresearc
herssaidwaitingtoolongcouldsendthewrongmessage.Theotherperso
nmightthinkyouarenotinterestedingoingonmoredates.Inthestudy,p
articipantshadtoimagineanenjoyablefirstdateatanItalianrestaurant.
Theythenhadtoratehowmuchtheywantedaseconddate.Thisdepende
donhowlongafterthedatethetextwassent.Theresearcherssaidafollo
w-uptextthemorningafterthedatemadepeoplewanttotaketherelatio
nshipfurther.ThePsychologyTodaywebsiteagreed.Itwrote:"Anext-
morningtextshowsyou'reinterestedandhadagoodtime."Thestudyonl
ylookedattexting.Itdidnotlookintotraditionalmethodofcommunicati
on—phonecalls.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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