Elsie signed up for a language exchange group to practice her Spanish. On her first night, she stood outside the community center. She did not go in.
埃尔西报名参加了一个语言交换小组，想练习她的西班牙语。第一天晚上，她站在社区活动中心门外，没有进去。
She felt nervous about her accent. She worried about making mistakes.
她担心自己的口音，也害怕说错。
Finally, she opened the door and walked inside. A man waved at her from a table near the window.
最后，她推开门走了进去。靠窗的一张桌子旁，有个男人向她招手。
"Hi! Are you here for Spanish practice?" he asked. "My name is Dev."
“嗨！你是来练西班牙语的吗？”他问，“我叫德夫。”
"Yes," Elsie said. "This is my first time. My Spanish isn't very good."
“是的，”埃尔西说，“这是我第一次来。我的西班牙语不太好。”
Dev smiled. "Mine wasn't either, one year ago," he said. "Sit down. We can go slowly."
德夫笑了笑。“一年前我也不太好，”他说，“坐吧。我们可以慢慢来。”
They sat together for an hour. Dev asked simple questions in Spanish. Elsie answered them one by one.
他们一起坐了一个小时。德夫用西班牙语问一些简单的问题，埃尔西一个一个地回答。
When she made a mistake, he did not laugh. He just repeated the word correctly and waited.
她说错的时候，他没有笑。他只是把那个词正确地重复一遍，然后等着她。
By the end of the night, Elsie felt relaxed and happy. She even laughed at her own mistakes.
到晚上结束时，埃尔西觉得轻松又开心。她甚至会对自己的错误笑出声来。
"Same time next week?" Dev asked.
“下周同一时间？”德夫问。
"Yes," Elsie said. "I'll bring a notebook next time."
“好，”埃尔西说，“下次我会带一个笔记本来。”
