Living with your ex after a break-up – B1 English Listening Test

Summary

The narrator recounts living in a shared apartment with her ex-boyfriend Adam and friends Sarah and Luke after a breakup. Unable to afford moving out, she relocates to a storage room, maintaining an uneasy truce with Adam. Despite an agreement not to date others, she develops feelings for a school acquaintance, leading to tension when Adam overhears her discussing him. This culminates in Adam bringing a girl home, further straining their relationship. The living situation becomes unbearable, affecting friendships, until the narrator finally moves out after six months, unable to reconcile with Adam or her friends.

Takeaways

• 🏡 The narrator lived in a shared apartment with her boyfriend Adam, and friends Sarah and Luke.
• 💔 The narrator decided to end her relationship with Adam, which he took badly.
• 📝 They had just signed a 6-month rental agreement, making it difficult for the narrator to move out.
• 🛌 The narrator moved into a small storage room, giving Adam the master bedroom.
• 👗 The narrator's clothes didn't fit in the storage room, requiring her to still enter Adam's room.
• 🤗 She turned to Adam for comfort after a rough day, which gave him false hopes.
• 🚫 They agreed not to date anyone else while living together, which the narrator initially respected.
• 💘 She developed an attraction to a guy at school and started a flirtatious relationship.
• 🗣️ Sarah, their roommate, was informed about the new guy, leading to gossip.
• 👀 Adam overheard the gossip, which led to awkwardness and a breach in their agreement.
• 🎉 Adam brought a girl home from a party, seemingly to show indifference.
• 🏠 The narrator and Adam avoided each other, making the apartment environment tense.
• 👥 The situation strained the friendships within the apartment.
• 📅 The narrator waited until the 6-month lease was up before moving out.
• 😔 The experience negatively impacted her friendships, particularly with Sarah.

Q & A

What was the initial living arrangement described in the script?

The initial living arrangement was a shared apartment with the narrator, her boyfriend Adam, and another couple, Sarah and Luke, who were their friends.

Why did the narrator decide to end the relationship with Adam?

The narrator decided to end the relationship with Adam because she couldn't see them staying together long term.

How did Adam react to the breakup?

Adam took the breakup quite badly and hoped that they would get back together.

What was the narrator's solution to the problem of not being able to afford moving out after the breakup?

The narrator moved into a small storage room in the apartment, giving Adam the master bedroom that they had shared before.

Why did the narrator sometimes go into Adam's room after the breakup?

The narrator had to go into Adam's room occasionally because there wasn't enough space in the storage room for all her clothes.

How did the narrator's interaction with Adam after a rough day affect their situation?

The narrator's interaction with Adam for comfort after a rough day gave him false hopes and made the situation tense for a while.

What agreement did the narrator and Adam make regarding dating other people while living together?

They agreed that they wouldn't date anyone else while living in the same apartment.

How did the narrator's relationship with a guy from school complicate the situation?

The narrator's relationship with a guy from school complicated the situation because Adam overheard her discussing him with Sarah, leading to awkwardness and tension.

What did Adam do in response to finding out about the narrator's interest in another man?

In response, Adam went out partying and brought a girl home to show that he didn't care or was pretending to show it.

How did the living situation affect the friendship between the narrator, Adam, Sarah, and Luke?

The living situation made the apartment very tense, and it affected their friendships, with the narrator being distant and polite, and the friends avoiding each other.

What was the final outcome for the narrator after the 6-month rental agreement?

The final outcome for the narrator was that she moved out after the 6 months were up, which also affected her friendship with Sarah and Luke.