Greeting - Basic
Listen to the Entire Lesson
There are many ways to greet someone. We'll learn about the most common way to greet someone in this lesson. I'll give a variety of example sentences.
Greeting someone you never met:
"Hi, my name is Steve. It's nice to meet you."
You can respond to this by saying,
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Jack."
Another common question to ask is
"What do you do for a living?"
You can respond to this by saying,
"I work at a restaurant."
"I work at a bank."
"I work in a software company."
"I'm a dentist."
Usually, you will not need to ask for a name. It is implied that each person should say their name. But in case they don't, you can ask,
"What is your name?"
Many times, I don't hear the name. If you would like for them to repeat their name, you can say,
"What was that again?"
"Excuse me?"
"Pardon me?"
There are many ways to greet someone. We'll learn about the most common way to greet someone in this lesson. I'll give a variety of example sentences.
Greeting someone you never met:
"Hi, my name is Steve. It's nice to meet you."
You can respond to this by saying,
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Jack."
Another common question to ask is
"What do you do for a living?"
You can respond to this by saying,
"I work at a restaurant."
"I work at a bank."
"I work in a software company."
"I'm a dentist."
Usually, you will not need to ask for a name. It is implied that each person should say their name. But in case they don't, you can ask,
"What is your name?"
Many times, I don't hear the name. If you would like for them to repeat their name, you can say,
"What was that again?"
"Excuse me?"
"Pardon me?"
Greeting Someone you Know
Listen to the Entire Lesson
"Hey John, how have you been?"
"Hi Bob, how are you?"
"Hi Nancy, what have you been up to?"
"Andy, it's been a long time, how are you man?"
If you meet someone unexpectedly, you can say,
"Hey Jack, it's good to see you. What are you doing here?"
or
"What a surprise. I haven't seen you in a long time. How have you been?"
If you see the person at a restaurant, you can say, "Do you come to this restaurant often?"
Or at the movie theater, "What movie did you come to see?"
Appropriate responses:
"Hi Steve, my name is Mike. It is nice to meet you as well."
"I heard a lot about you from John. He had a lot of good things to say."
"Wow. How long has it been? It seems like more than a year. I'm doing pretty well. How about you?"
A typical response to this type of greeting is simple.
"Not too bad."
If asked what you have been up to, you can respond with, "Same ole same ole." Or, "The same as usual."
Here are some other example responses.
"I'm pretty busy at work these days, but otherwise, everything is great."
"I'm doing very well."
"I finally have some free time. I just finished taking a big examination, and I'm so relieved that I'm done with it."
Restaurant Responses
"I've been here a couple of times, but I don't come on a regular basis."
"I come pretty often. This is my favorite restaurant."
"I can't believe we haven't seen each other before. I come here at least twice a week."
Movie Response
"I came here to see Matrix Revolution. How about you?"
"Hey John, how have you been?"
"Hi Bob, how are you?"
"Hi Nancy, what have you been up to?"
"Andy, it's been a long time, how are you man?"
If you meet someone unexpectedly, you can say,
"Hey Jack, it's good to see you. What are you doing here?"
or
"What a surprise. I haven't seen you in a long time. How have you been?"
If you see the person at a restaurant, you can say, "Do you come to this restaurant often?"
Or at the movie theater, "What movie did you come to see?"
Appropriate responses:
"Hi Steve, my name is Mike. It is nice to meet you as well."
"I heard a lot about you from John. He had a lot of good things to say."
"Wow. How long has it been? It seems like more than a year. I'm doing pretty well. How about you?"
A typical response to this type of greeting is simple.
"Not too bad."
If asked what you have been up to, you can respond with, "Same ole same ole." Or, "The same as usual."
Here are some other example responses.
"I'm pretty busy at work these days, but otherwise, everything is great."
"I'm doing very well."
"I finally have some free time. I just finished taking a big examination, and I'm so relieved that I'm done with it."
Restaurant Responses
"I've been here a couple of times, but I don't come on a regular basis."
"I come pretty often. This is my favorite restaurant."
"I can't believe we haven't seen each other before. I come here at least twice a week."
Movie Response
"I came here to see Matrix Revolution. How about you?"
Greeting - Example
Conversations
Listen to the Entire Lesson
Let's look at several example conversations. Then we can move on to the practice section.
Person A: "Hi, my name is Steve. It's nice to meet you."
Person B: "I'm Jack. It's a pleasure to meet you, Steve."
Person A: "What do you do for a living Jack?"
Person B: "I work at the bank."
Person A: "What is your name?"
Person B: "Jackson."
Person A: "What was that again?"
Person A: "Hey John, how have you been?"
Person B: "What a surprise. I haven't seen you in a long time. How have you been?"
Person A: "I'm doing very well. How about you?"
Person B: "I finally have some free time. I just finished taking a big examination, and I'm so relieved that I'm done with it."
Person A: "Hi Nancy, what have you been up to?"
Person B: "The same ole same ole." Or, "The same as usual. How about you?"
Person A: "I'm pretty busy at work these days, but otherwise, everything is great."
Person A: "Andy, it's been a long time, how are you man?"
Person B: "What a surprise. I haven't seen you in a long time. How have you been?"
Person A: "Do you come to this restaurant often?"
Person B: "I've been here a couple of times, but I don't come on a regular basis."
The next lesson is the interactive practice section. If you would like to repeat this lesson or previous lessons, feel free to go back and study as many times as you need. When you are ready, go to the practice section.
Let's look at several example conversations. Then we can move on to the practice section.
Person A: "Hi, my name is Steve. It's nice to meet you."
Person B: "I'm Jack. It's a pleasure to meet you, Steve."
Person A: "What do you do for a living Jack?"
Person B: "I work at the bank."
Person A: "What is your name?"
Person B: "Jackson."
Person A: "What was that again?"
Person A: "Hey John, how have you been?"
Person B: "What a surprise. I haven't seen you in a long time. How have you been?"
Person A: "I'm doing very well. How about you?"
Person B: "I finally have some free time. I just finished taking a big examination, and I'm so relieved that I'm done with it."
Person A: "Hi Nancy, what have you been up to?"
Person B: "The same ole same ole." Or, "The same as usual. How about you?"
Person A: "I'm pretty busy at work these days, but otherwise, everything is great."
Person A: "Andy, it's been a long time, how are you man?"
Person B: "What a surprise. I haven't seen you in a long time. How have you been?"
Person A: "Do you come to this restaurant often?"
Person B: "I've been here a couple of times, but I don't come on a regular basis."
The next lesson is the interactive practice section. If you would like to repeat this lesson or previous lessons, feel free to go back and study as many times as you need. When you are ready, go to the practice section.
Greeting - Interactive
Practice
Click on Listen All and follow along. After becoming
comfortable with the entire conversation, become Person A by clicking on the
Person A button. You will hear only Person B through the audio file. There will
be a silence for you to repeat the sentences of Person A. Do the same for
Person B. The speed of the conversation is native speed. Use the pause button
if the pause between each sentence is too fast for you. After practicing
several times, you will be able to speak as fast as a native.
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1
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A: "Hi, how are you
doing?"
B: "I'm doing great. How about you?" A: "Not too bad." B: "Do you come to this restaurant often?" A: "I've been here a couple of times, but I don't come on a regular basis. What have you been up to?" B: "I'm pretty busy at work these days, but otherwise, everything is great." A: "Well, have a good evening." B: "You too." |
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A: "It's nice to meet you. My
name is Jack."
B: "I'm Steve. It's a pleasure to meet you." A: "What was your name again?" B: "Steve." A: "So Steve, What do you do for a living?" B: "I work at the public library. How about you?" A: "I'm a University student." B: "That's great. It was nice meeting you." A: "Yeah. It was a pleasure meeting you." |
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3
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A:
"Hey Jack, it's good to see you."
B: "Wow. How long has it been? It seems like more than a year. I'm doing pretty well. How about you?" A: "Not too bad." B: "What movie did you come to see?" A: "I came here to see Matrix Revolution. How about you?" B: "I'm going to watch Finding Nemo." |
Bored - General Phrases
Listen to the Entire Lesson
Being bored means having nothing to do. When someone is bored, they often call people and try to entertain themselves or try to find something to do with a friend. So being bored is a good starting point for conversational English.
There are a couple of situations you can express to someone that you are bored. Most commonly, you will call a friend and tell them that you are bored or ask them to do something together. The other time is when someone asks you how you are doing. We will cover both situations in this session.
General Phrases
"I'm dying from boredom."
"I hate being bored."
"I don't have anything to do."
"My life is so boring."
"Life is so boring."
"I'm just watching TV until I find something to do."
"I was bored all weekend."
"I am so bored today."
"I get bored very easily."
"I get bored all the time."
A common place to get bored is when you have to visit family members.
"It's always boring whenever we go to our relatives."
"It's nice to visit my grandmother, but it gets boring after a couple of hours."
"My cousins are so boring. All they do is watch tv."
"There's nothing to do in the country side. I'm always bored there."
If you think you are a boring person, here is a way to say that you are boring.
"I think I'm a little boring."
"I'm a boring person."
Boring can be used to describe someone.
"He is a boring person."
"His personality is very boring."
"It's boring whenever she's around."
Using bored to answer a question is very common. Here are some general questions that someone might ask.
"How was your trip?"
"How was your vacation?"
"How was your weekend?"
"How was the lecture?"
"How was the class?"
"How was the game?"
Any of these types of questions can be answered with a simple answer.
"It was pretty boring."
"It was boring. I didn't do much."
"It wasn't as fun as I thought. It was a little boring."
"I was bored most of the time."
"Because it was disorganized, we had too much extra time. I was bored during our free time."
Being bored means having nothing to do. When someone is bored, they often call people and try to entertain themselves or try to find something to do with a friend. So being bored is a good starting point for conversational English.
There are a couple of situations you can express to someone that you are bored. Most commonly, you will call a friend and tell them that you are bored or ask them to do something together. The other time is when someone asks you how you are doing. We will cover both situations in this session.
General Phrases
"I'm dying from boredom."
"I hate being bored."
"I don't have anything to do."
"My life is so boring."
"Life is so boring."
"I'm just watching TV until I find something to do."
"I was bored all weekend."
"I am so bored today."
"I get bored very easily."
"I get bored all the time."
A common place to get bored is when you have to visit family members.
"It's always boring whenever we go to our relatives."
"It's nice to visit my grandmother, but it gets boring after a couple of hours."
"My cousins are so boring. All they do is watch tv."
"There's nothing to do in the country side. I'm always bored there."
If you think you are a boring person, here is a way to say that you are boring.
"I think I'm a little boring."
"I'm a boring person."
Boring can be used to describe someone.
"He is a boring person."
"His personality is very boring."
"It's boring whenever she's around."
Using bored to answer a question is very common. Here are some general questions that someone might ask.
"How was your trip?"
"How was your vacation?"
"How was your weekend?"
"How was the lecture?"
"How was the class?"
"How was the game?"
Any of these types of questions can be answered with a simple answer.
"It was pretty boring."
"It was boring. I didn't do much."
"It wasn't as fun as I thought. It was a little boring."
"I was bored most of the time."
"Because it was disorganized, we had too much extra time. I was bored during our free time."
Bored - Calling Someone
Listen to the Entire Lesson
The conversation when you call someone might sound something like this.
"Hello."
"Hi Jane, this is Jill. Do you have time to talk?"
"Hi Jill, sure, I was just watching TV."
"What are you watching?"
"I was just watching a re-run of friends. How about you? What are you doing?"
"Nothing much. I really wanted to start studying for the Psychology test coming up, but I can't seem to motivate myself."
As you can see, Even though Jill is very bored, she didn't say that she was bored. To sensitive people, they can misinterpret the situation. If I am bored and I call you, then that could mean that I am only calling you because I have nothing better to do. So if you are not very close friends, it is better to say something like, 'nothing much' instead of 'I am bored.'
If you are very close friends with someone, then the conversation can be more direct and honest.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm doing the laundry."
"I'm so bored. I have nothing to do."
"Why don't you come over and help me with the laundry?"
"I'd rather do my own house chores. Hey, you wanna take a break from your house work and have coffee at Starbucks with me?"
"Sure, that sounds great. I'll meet you there in thirty minutes."
The conversation when you call someone might sound something like this.
"Hello."
"Hi Jane, this is Jill. Do you have time to talk?"
"Hi Jill, sure, I was just watching TV."
"What are you watching?"
"I was just watching a re-run of friends. How about you? What are you doing?"
"Nothing much. I really wanted to start studying for the Psychology test coming up, but I can't seem to motivate myself."
As you can see, Even though Jill is very bored, she didn't say that she was bored. To sensitive people, they can misinterpret the situation. If I am bored and I call you, then that could mean that I am only calling you because I have nothing better to do. So if you are not very close friends, it is better to say something like, 'nothing much' instead of 'I am bored.'
If you are very close friends with someone, then the conversation can be more direct and honest.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm doing the laundry."
"I'm so bored. I have nothing to do."
"Why don't you come over and help me with the laundry?"
"I'd rather do my own house chores. Hey, you wanna take a break from your house work and have coffee at Starbucks with me?"
"Sure, that sounds great. I'll meet you there in thirty minutes."
Bored - Boring Work
Listen to the Entire Lesson
A different situation you can tell someone you are bored is when you are simply talking with a friend concerning a part of your life that is boring. For example, if you have a boring job, you can explain to your friend how boring it is.
"How is your work these days?"
"Work is so boring that I'm going crazy."
"I ran out of things to do and management is too busy to give me more work. I tried to find things to do with no luck. I'm basically sitting in my chair pretending to work."
"That sounds so boring."
"Tell me about it. Time goes so slow when you're bored. I'd rather be busy. Then at least the day would go by faster."
Similar type of boring work is when doing something that is routine. Some sentences expressing boring work are:
"I'm doing the same thing over and over again."
"My work is so repetitious that I am getting bored of it."
"My work does not interest me."
"I'm only working to pay the bills."
"I wish I had your job."
Because some people are so busy, they envy people who have nothing to do at work.
"I'm so bored. I have nothing to do at work. I just surf the Internet all day long."
"Dang! I'm so busy at work, it's driving me crazy. I really wish I had your job."
A different situation you can tell someone you are bored is when you are simply talking with a friend concerning a part of your life that is boring. For example, if you have a boring job, you can explain to your friend how boring it is.
"How is your work these days?"
"Work is so boring that I'm going crazy."
"I ran out of things to do and management is too busy to give me more work. I tried to find things to do with no luck. I'm basically sitting in my chair pretending to work."
"That sounds so boring."
"Tell me about it. Time goes so slow when you're bored. I'd rather be busy. Then at least the day would go by faster."
Similar type of boring work is when doing something that is routine. Some sentences expressing boring work are:
"I'm doing the same thing over and over again."
"My work is so repetitious that I am getting bored of it."
"My work does not interest me."
"I'm only working to pay the bills."
"I wish I had your job."
Because some people are so busy, they envy people who have nothing to do at work.
"I'm so bored. I have nothing to do at work. I just surf the Internet all day long."
"Dang! I'm so busy at work, it's driving me crazy. I really wish I had your job."
Bored - Interactive Practice
Click on Listen All and follow along. After becoming
comfortable with the entire conversation, become Person A by clicking on the
Person A button. You will hear only Person B through the audio file. There will
be a silence for you to repeat the sentences of Person A. Do the same for
Person B. The speed of the conversation is native speed. Use the pause button
if the pause between each sentence is too fast for you. After practicing
several times, you will be able to speak as fast as a native.
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1
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A: "Hey there. What have you
been up to?"
B: "Nothing really." A: "How about your work?" B: "It's so boring there. I really wish I had a different job." A: "Is it really that bad?" B: "Yeah. Most of the time, I have nothing to do. But whenever I have something to do, it's boring work because it is the same old thing." A: "Why don't you find a different job then?" B: "Maybe I should." |
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2
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A: "Hi Steve, what's your
plan for tonight?"
B: "I don't have any plans. Are you doing anything special?" A: "Well, if you're bored, let's plan on meeting up tonight." B: "That sounds like a good idea. Should we invite Bob?" A: "He's a little boring." B: "What do you mean?" A: "Well, he doesn't drink, play video games, pool, or really anything. The only thing he talks about is history." B: "You do have a point. We'll leave him out tonight." A: "Alright. Let's meet at 8:30 in front of the university bookstore." B: "Perfect. I'll see you later tonight." |
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A:
"Hello"
B: "Hi Jane" A: "Oh, hi Jill." B: "What are you doing?" A: "I'm doing the laundry." B: "I'm so bored. I have nothing to do." A: "Why don't you come over and help me with the laundry?" B: "I'd rather do my own house chores. Hey, you wanna take a break from your house work and have coffee at Starbucks with me?" A: "Sure, that sounds great. I'll meet you there in thirty minutes." |
How is your Day - General
Statements
Listen to the Entire Lesson
In this lesson, we are going to learn how to communicate to someone using the present tense. However, because this isn't a site teaching grammar, I do not want to spend too much time on details. I wanted to include this section primarily to show many different sentences using present tense and to have a dedicated practice section with only present tense sentences.
This lesson is a little shorter than others because speaking in the present tense is not as common as speaking in the future or past tense. Although speaking in the future tense or the past tense is more common, it is still important to know how to communicate in the present tense. Here are some example sentences:
"I see Bob over there by the newspaper stand."
"I'm going to the library."
"I'm on my way home."
"I'm going to the bus stop."
"Jack is going to the store."
"Jill is stopping by now."
"The meeting is starting now."
"The manager is waiting for you in her office."
"Tell the receptionist that you are here to see Mr. Hwang."
Questions:
A very common question you will run into is,
"How are you doing?"
"How is your day going?"
"What are you doing now?"
To answer these types of question, you must remember that you are talking about what is currently going on now, so you must use the present tense.
Here are some ways to answer the above question.
"I'm enjoying the beautiful weather without any worries in the world."
"I'm playing a video game on my computer because I have nothing to do."
"I'm at the grocery store buying ingredients for tonight's dinner."
"I'm at the gym working out."
As you can see, each sentence is starting with, 'I am' instead of 'I will be' or 'I was.' We will discuss past tense and future tense in the next sessions.
More descriptive answers you can give are the following:
"I'm pretty busy right now. I'm doing my homework because I have an exam tomorrow."
"My project deadline is coming up, so I'm currently in the process of finishing my tasks."
"I'm taking the day off from work today because I have so many errands. I'm going to the post office to send some packages to my friends."
"I'm looking for a job. The job market does not look that great, but I can't give up."
"I'm applying for a job at a consulting firm in Taiwan."
"I'm listening to music while thinking about my situation."
In this lesson, we are going to learn how to communicate to someone using the present tense. However, because this isn't a site teaching grammar, I do not want to spend too much time on details. I wanted to include this section primarily to show many different sentences using present tense and to have a dedicated practice section with only present tense sentences.
This lesson is a little shorter than others because speaking in the present tense is not as common as speaking in the future or past tense. Although speaking in the future tense or the past tense is more common, it is still important to know how to communicate in the present tense. Here are some example sentences:
"I see Bob over there by the newspaper stand."
"I'm going to the library."
"I'm on my way home."
"I'm going to the bus stop."
"Jack is going to the store."
"Jill is stopping by now."
"The meeting is starting now."
"The manager is waiting for you in her office."
"Tell the receptionist that you are here to see Mr. Hwang."
Questions:
A very common question you will run into is,
"How are you doing?"
"How is your day going?"
"What are you doing now?"
To answer these types of question, you must remember that you are talking about what is currently going on now, so you must use the present tense.
Here are some ways to answer the above question.
"I'm enjoying the beautiful weather without any worries in the world."
"I'm playing a video game on my computer because I have nothing to do."
"I'm at the grocery store buying ingredients for tonight's dinner."
"I'm at the gym working out."
As you can see, each sentence is starting with, 'I am' instead of 'I will be' or 'I was.' We will discuss past tense and future tense in the next sessions.
More descriptive answers you can give are the following:
"I'm pretty busy right now. I'm doing my homework because I have an exam tomorrow."
"My project deadline is coming up, so I'm currently in the process of finishing my tasks."
"I'm taking the day off from work today because I have so many errands. I'm going to the post office to send some packages to my friends."
"I'm looking for a job. The job market does not look that great, but I can't give up."
"I'm applying for a job at a consulting firm in Taiwan."
"I'm listening to music while thinking about my situation."
How is your day - Example
Conversation
Listen to the Entire Lesson
The present tense is more common in writing. As you can see by all the explanations I am giving, they are all written in the present tense. That is because it is instructional. Instructional writing is more commonly written in present tense. However, stories in novels are written in past tense.
The reason past and future tense is used more commonly than present tense when speaking is because usually you are telling someone what you have done or what you plan on doing. Speaking in the present tense is used primarily to tell someone what you are currently doing.
As in previous lessons in 'Bored and Greeting' it is very common to have a conversation using the present tense when you run into somebody or when you make or receive a phone call.
Let's use this time now to incorporate what we have learned so far.
Person A: "Hi Jack. What are you doing?"
Person B: "Hi Mary. I'm filling out a job application."
Person A: "Are you finished with school already?"
Person B: "No. I have one more semester, but it would be great to have a job lined up."
Person A: "How is your day going?"
Person B: "Quite busy. I'm preparing for my presentation tomorrow on our marketing strategy. I'm not even half done yet."
Person A: "You must feel stressed out now."
Person B: "That's an understatement."
Person A: "What are you doing now?"
Person B: "I'm playing pool with my friends at a pool hall."
Person A: "I didn't know you play pool. Are you having fun?"
Person B: "I'm having a great time. How about you? What are you doing?"
Person A: "I'm taking a break from my homework. There seems to be no end to the amount of work I have to do."
Person B: "I'm glad I'm not in your shoes."
The present tense is more common in writing. As you can see by all the explanations I am giving, they are all written in the present tense. That is because it is instructional. Instructional writing is more commonly written in present tense. However, stories in novels are written in past tense.
The reason past and future tense is used more commonly than present tense when speaking is because usually you are telling someone what you have done or what you plan on doing. Speaking in the present tense is used primarily to tell someone what you are currently doing.
As in previous lessons in 'Bored and Greeting' it is very common to have a conversation using the present tense when you run into somebody or when you make or receive a phone call.
Let's use this time now to incorporate what we have learned so far.
Person A: "Hi Jack. What are you doing?"
Person B: "Hi Mary. I'm filling out a job application."
Person A: "Are you finished with school already?"
Person B: "No. I have one more semester, but it would be great to have a job lined up."
Person A: "How is your day going?"
Person B: "Quite busy. I'm preparing for my presentation tomorrow on our marketing strategy. I'm not even half done yet."
Person A: "You must feel stressed out now."
Person B: "That's an understatement."
Person A: "What are you doing now?"
Person B: "I'm playing pool with my friends at a pool hall."
Person A: "I didn't know you play pool. Are you having fun?"
Person B: "I'm having a great time. How about you? What are you doing?"
Person A: "I'm taking a break from my homework. There seems to be no end to the amount of work I have to do."
Person B: "I'm glad I'm not in your shoes."
How is your day - Interactive
Practice
Click on Listen All and follow along. After becoming
comfortable with the entire conversation, become Person A by clicking on the
Person A button. You will hear only Person B through the audio file. There will
be a silence for you to repeat the sentences of Person A. Do the same for
Person B. The speed of the conversation is native speed. Use the pause button
if the pause between each sentence is too fast for you. After practicing
several times, you will be able to speak as fast as a native.
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1
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A: "What are you doing
now?"
B: "I'm watching TV." A: "What are you watching?" B: "I'm watching Friends. What are you doing?" A: "I'm doing my homework, but I really need to take a break." B: "You want to do something?" A: "Yes. But I shouldn't. I got to finish my assignment now." B: "Alright. Call me later then." A: "OK. Bye." |
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2
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A: "Where are you going
now?"
B: "I'm going to the bank." A: "Aren't you supposed to be at work?" B: "I'm working now. I'm making a deposit for our company." A: "Where do you work?" B: "I work for a restaurant as a controller." A: "Wow. That's great." B: "Great seeing you. I have to go now. I'll talk to you later." |
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A:
"Hi Steve. What are you doing here?"
B: "I'm meeting a friend here for dinner. How about you?" A: "I'm on my way home but I needed to stop by the book store to buy a text book." B: "Didn't you finish school yet?" A: "I have one more year, and then I'm done." B: "What are you majoring in?" A: "I'm majoring in Sociology" B: "How do you like your major?" A: "I really find the subject very interesting. I'm enjoying all my classes." B: "That's great." A: "I'd better go now. I don't want to miss the bus." B: "Alright, I'll talk to you later." A: "Okay. See you later." |
Tomorrow's Plan - I am going
to
Listen to the Entire Lesson
Talking about the future is something that is done very frequently. Whether we are talking about our dreams or simply telling someone what we will do tomorrow is all spoken in the future tense. As in the previous lesson, this isn't a grammar lesson. This lesson is to provide many different sentences using the future tense.
In the previous lesson, we concentrated on present tense using 'I am'
When we speak in the future tense, we can still use 'I am' but it is important what follows the two words that will make it future tense. Here are a couple of examples.
"I'm going to see Bob tomorrow."
"I'm going to meet John at the airport at 6 O'clock tonight."
"I'm going to go home in an hour."
"I'm going to go to the bus stop right after class."
"I'm going to do that tomorrow."
When using 'going to' after 'I am' it is important that a future indicator is present. For example, if I say, 'I am going to meet John', this can also be present tense that we practiced previously. But if you add a future indicator like 'at 6 O'clock tonight' then it becomes future tense.
Other future tense indicators are:
'going to go'
'going to be'
'I will'
'I have to'
Let's practice using these words:
"I'm going to be dead if I don't finish this project by tomorrow."
"I'm going to go home next week."
"I'll meet you there at five."
"I can't go tonight because I have to work late."
Talking about the future is something that is done very frequently. Whether we are talking about our dreams or simply telling someone what we will do tomorrow is all spoken in the future tense. As in the previous lesson, this isn't a grammar lesson. This lesson is to provide many different sentences using the future tense.
In the previous lesson, we concentrated on present tense using 'I am'
When we speak in the future tense, we can still use 'I am' but it is important what follows the two words that will make it future tense. Here are a couple of examples.
"I'm going to see Bob tomorrow."
"I'm going to meet John at the airport at 6 O'clock tonight."
"I'm going to go home in an hour."
"I'm going to go to the bus stop right after class."
"I'm going to do that tomorrow."
When using 'going to' after 'I am' it is important that a future indicator is present. For example, if I say, 'I am going to meet John', this can also be present tense that we practiced previously. But if you add a future indicator like 'at 6 O'clock tonight' then it becomes future tense.
Other future tense indicators are:
'going to go'
'going to be'
'I will'
'I have to'
Let's practice using these words:
"I'm going to be dead if I don't finish this project by tomorrow."
"I'm going to go home next week."
"I'll meet you there at five."
"I can't go tonight because I have to work late."
Tomorrow's Plan - Questions
and Answers
Listen to the Entire Lesson
When asking questions about the future, you can ask questions like:
"What are you going to do tonight?"
"What are you doing next week?"
"When do you plan on doing your homework?"
"When are you going to eat dinner?"
"What time do we have to leave for the airport?"
"What should we do tonight?"
There are many different questions you can ask. By changing a few words, you can make numerous questions properly about the future.
When you are answering questions that relate to the future, remember to use the future tense. Here are some ways to answer the questions directly above:
"What are you going to do tonight?"
"I plan on meeting John after dinner. We're going to go to a night club."
"I'm going to go to take my girlfriend out to dinner. And if we have time, we might try to see a movie."
"What are you doing next week?"
"Since I'm on vacation next week, I plan on going to Pusan to visit some friends down there."
"Next week I have to go shopping for all the Christmas presents. I have to buy a present for my dad, mom, and my two sisters."
"When do you plan on doing your homework?"
"I think I'm going to do my homework after I watch the world cup. I don't think I'll be able to concentrate until after the game is over."
"I'm so unmotivated to do my homework. But I'll eventually have to do it, so I'll get around to them probably after dinner."
"What time do you have to leave for the airport?"
"The flight comes in at 4:30, so I plan on leaving at about 3:30"
"The security is pretty tight so I should get there early. I plan on arriving there 2 hours before my flight leaves."
"What should we do tonight?"
"After dinner, let's go grab a couple of beers. Then we can go shopping for a couple of hours, and afterwards, we can rent a video and watch it at my place."
"I'm pretty busy tonight. I have to do the laundry, vacuum, and then make dinner, so I won't be able to meet you tonight."
When asking questions about the future, you can ask questions like:
"What are you going to do tonight?"
"What are you doing next week?"
"When do you plan on doing your homework?"
"When are you going to eat dinner?"
"What time do we have to leave for the airport?"
"What should we do tonight?"
There are many different questions you can ask. By changing a few words, you can make numerous questions properly about the future.
When you are answering questions that relate to the future, remember to use the future tense. Here are some ways to answer the questions directly above:
"What are you going to do tonight?"
"I plan on meeting John after dinner. We're going to go to a night club."
"I'm going to go to take my girlfriend out to dinner. And if we have time, we might try to see a movie."
"What are you doing next week?"
"Since I'm on vacation next week, I plan on going to Pusan to visit some friends down there."
"Next week I have to go shopping for all the Christmas presents. I have to buy a present for my dad, mom, and my two sisters."
"When do you plan on doing your homework?"
"I think I'm going to do my homework after I watch the world cup. I don't think I'll be able to concentrate until after the game is over."
"I'm so unmotivated to do my homework. But I'll eventually have to do it, so I'll get around to them probably after dinner."
"What time do you have to leave for the airport?"
"The flight comes in at 4:30, so I plan on leaving at about 3:30"
"The security is pretty tight so I should get there early. I plan on arriving there 2 hours before my flight leaves."
"What should we do tonight?"
"After dinner, let's go grab a couple of beers. Then we can go shopping for a couple of hours, and afterwards, we can rent a video and watch it at my place."
"I'm pretty busy tonight. I have to do the laundry, vacuum, and then make dinner, so I won't be able to meet you tonight."
Tomorrow's Plan - Example
Conversation
Listen to the Entire Lesson
Let's use this time to incorporate what we have learned so far.
Person A: "Bob is in the hospital, did you get a chance to visit him?"
Person B: "I'm going to see Bob tomorrow."
Person A: "I thought you had to meet John tomorrow?"
Person B: "I'm going to meet John at the airport at 6 O'clock tonight."
Person A: "I'm going home now, do you want to head out together?"
Person B: "No Thanks. I'm going to go home in about an hour."
Person A: "Didn't you need to buy a present for your brother's birthday?"
Person B: "I'm going to do that tomorrow."
Person A: "I'm going to go to the bus stop right after class, so I won't have time to meet you."
Person B: "That's OK. We can always get together tomorrow."
Person A: "Why do you look so stressed?"
Person B: "I'm going to be dead if I don't finish this project by tomorrow."
Person A: "I thought you had 2 weeks to finish this project."
Person B: "I don't have time to explain now. I'll talk to you later."
Person A: "Since we are done with school, when are you going back home?"
Person B: "I'm going to go home next week."
Person A: "Me too. Do you want to meet at the train station on Sunday?"
Person B: "Sure. I'll meet you there at five."
Practice asking questions:
"What are you going to do tonight?"
"What are you doing next week?"
"When do you plan on doing your homework?"
"When are you going to eat dinner?"
"What time do we have to leave for the airport?"
"What should we do tonight?"
Let's use this time to incorporate what we have learned so far.
Person A: "Bob is in the hospital, did you get a chance to visit him?"
Person B: "I'm going to see Bob tomorrow."
Person A: "I thought you had to meet John tomorrow?"
Person B: "I'm going to meet John at the airport at 6 O'clock tonight."
Person A: "I'm going home now, do you want to head out together?"
Person B: "No Thanks. I'm going to go home in about an hour."
Person A: "Didn't you need to buy a present for your brother's birthday?"
Person B: "I'm going to do that tomorrow."
Person A: "I'm going to go to the bus stop right after class, so I won't have time to meet you."
Person B: "That's OK. We can always get together tomorrow."
Person A: "Why do you look so stressed?"
Person B: "I'm going to be dead if I don't finish this project by tomorrow."
Person A: "I thought you had 2 weeks to finish this project."
Person B: "I don't have time to explain now. I'll talk to you later."
Person A: "Since we are done with school, when are you going back home?"
Person B: "I'm going to go home next week."
Person A: "Me too. Do you want to meet at the train station on Sunday?"
Person B: "Sure. I'll meet you there at five."
Practice asking questions:
"What are you going to do tonight?"
"What are you doing next week?"
"When do you plan on doing your homework?"
"When are you going to eat dinner?"
"What time do we have to leave for the airport?"
"What should we do tonight?"
Tomorrow's Plan - Interactive
Practice
Click on Listen All and follow along. After becoming
comfortable with the entire
conversation, become Person A by clicking on the
Person A button. You will hear only Person B through the audio file. There will
be a silence for you to repeat the sentences of Person A. Do the same for
Person B. The speed of the conversation is native speed. Use the pause button
if the pause between each sentence is too fast for you. After practicing
several times, you will be able to speak as fast as a native.
|
1
|
|
A: "Do you have any plans
tonight?"
B: "I have class until 5 O'clock, but I'm free after that." A: "Do you want to grab dinner?" B: "I don't have any dinner plans so that sounds great." A: "What time should we meet?" B: "I need to go to the book store first, so let's meet at 6 O'clock." |
|
2
|
|
A: "Let's go to Everland next
week"
B: "I can't. I'm way too busy." A: "What are you doing next week?" B: "On Monday, I'm going to meet my professor. Tuesday, I have a job interview. Wednesday, I'm going to the dentist. And on Thursday, I have to go visit my parents." A: "Why are you so busy?" B: "I've been procrastinating for a long time." |
|
3
|
|
A:
"What are you doing over the weekend?"
B: "I'm going to exercise, meet some friends, and then watch tv." A: "Who are you going to meet?" B: "My friend from middle school is visiting, so we are going to have dinner on Saturday." A: "How long is he going to stay?" B: "He is only here for a day." A: "Where are you going to eat dinner?" B: "I plan on taking him to an Italian restaurant." |
Yesterday - The Past - General
Statements
Listen to the Entire Lesson
In daily conversation, talking about the past is done very frequently. Whenever you meet a friend, you always tell each other what you have been doing recently. Friends are always interested in each other so they want to know how you have been spending your time in the past.
Today's lesson is going to target past tense communication. This goes hand in hand with the last two lessons and changing a few words around can make a future or present tense sentence into a past tense sentence.
To begin, here are a couple of sentences that are common to say:
"I went to the airport yesterday."
"I met Bob last week."
"I was an hour late for my meeting."
"I went to the bus stop, but I was 30 seconds late. A person on the street told me the bus just went by."
"I completed that task this morning."
Speaking in the past requires past tense words. Let's take a closer examination for the sentences above.
In daily conversation, talking about the past is done very frequently. Whenever you meet a friend, you always tell each other what you have been doing recently. Friends are always interested in each other so they want to know how you have been spending your time in the past.
Today's lesson is going to target past tense communication. This goes hand in hand with the last two lessons and changing a few words around can make a future or present tense sentence into a past tense sentence.
To begin, here are a couple of sentences that are common to say:
"I went to the airport yesterday."
"I met Bob last week."
"I was an hour late for my meeting."
"I went to the bus stop, but I was 30 seconds late. A person on the street told me the bus just went by."
"I completed that task this morning."
Speaking in the past requires past tense words. Let's take a closer examination for the sentences above.
|
Past Tense
|
Present
Tense
|
Future
Tense
|
|
Went
|
Go
|
Going to
go
|
|
Met
|
Meet
|
Will meet
|
|
Was
|
Am
|
Going to
be
|
|
Completed
|
Complete
|
Will
complete
|
As you can see by some of the examples in the chart, some words change when speaking in the past tense.
Besides some words that change, many times a word with the letter 'd' or 'ed' at the end changes the word to past tense. Here are some examples:
"I was being polite so I opened the door for him."
"I stapled the papers together to keep them organized."
"The paper ripped on the bottom, so I taped them together."
"I switched the presents around because I found out Jane doesn't like red lipstick."
"I was very interested in the topic so I paid close attention."
The tricky part is to know when to add a 'd' to the end of a word to make it past tense. There are exceptions that can cause confusion, for example,
"I rode my bike to school." It would be incorrect to say, 'I rided...'
"I built the house from scratch." Incorrect way is to say, 'I builded...'
"I sat on the chair next to the emergency exit." Incorrect way is to say, 'sitted...'
So remember to use past tense words correctly or the other person might not understand what you are saying.
Yesterday - The Past -
Questions and Answers
Listen to the Entire Lesson
When asking questions about the past, you can ask questions like:
"How did you enjoy the movie?"
"What time did you get home last night?"
"How was your date with Jackie?"
"How was the traffic going to the airport?"
"What have you been up to?"
"What did you do last weekend?"
"How was the party?"
"How come you didn't come to class yesterday?"
"How did your presentation go?"
Here are some ways you can answer these types of questions. Remember to use past tense because these actions already occurred.
"How did you enjoy the movie?"
"It was a long movie, but overall, the movie was great."
"I really didn't like the movie. It was slow and boring."
"I enjoyed the movie so much that I saw it again."
"What time did you get home last night?"
"I got home at two in the morning."
"I didn't make it home until eleven last night."
"I made it home at midnight."
"How was your date with Jackie?"
"The date went so well. We had dinner at a seafood restaurant. And then we saw a movie together."
"I don't think it went too well. We hardly had anything to talk about. I really thought Jackie was bored to death."
"The date was alright. She called me this morning to go out again, but I haven't responded yet."
"What have you been up to?"
"I just graduated from school so I'm happy that I'm done."
"I met Jackie yesterday and we spent the evening together in a nice restaurant."
"The only thing I have done in the last three months is computer games."
"What did you do last weekend?"
"Last weekend, I visited my parents."
"I went golfing on Saturday. I shot a great score."
"I stayed home and watched TV all weekend long."
"How come you didn't come to class yesterday?"
"I was very sick yesterday."
"I missed the bus and by the time I got to campus, class was already over."
"I slept in because I didn't hear the alarm ring."
"How did your presentation go?"
"It went ok. A few of the people asked some tough questions, but overall it was good."
"I messed up so bad. I brought the wrong folder from my office so I didn't have any notes."
"It was the best presentation of the day. My boss told me I was organized, focused, and spoke clearly."
When asking questions about the past, you can ask questions like:
"How did you enjoy the movie?"
"What time did you get home last night?"
"How was your date with Jackie?"
"How was the traffic going to the airport?"
"What have you been up to?"
"What did you do last weekend?"
"How was the party?"
"How come you didn't come to class yesterday?"
"How did your presentation go?"
Here are some ways you can answer these types of questions. Remember to use past tense because these actions already occurred.
"How did you enjoy the movie?"
"It was a long movie, but overall, the movie was great."
"I really didn't like the movie. It was slow and boring."
"I enjoyed the movie so much that I saw it again."
"What time did you get home last night?"
"I got home at two in the morning."
"I didn't make it home until eleven last night."
"I made it home at midnight."
"How was your date with Jackie?"
"The date went so well. We had dinner at a seafood restaurant. And then we saw a movie together."
"I don't think it went too well. We hardly had anything to talk about. I really thought Jackie was bored to death."
"The date was alright. She called me this morning to go out again, but I haven't responded yet."
"What have you been up to?"
"I just graduated from school so I'm happy that I'm done."
"I met Jackie yesterday and we spent the evening together in a nice restaurant."
"The only thing I have done in the last three months is computer games."
"What did you do last weekend?"
"Last weekend, I visited my parents."
"I went golfing on Saturday. I shot a great score."
"I stayed home and watched TV all weekend long."
"How come you didn't come to class yesterday?"
"I was very sick yesterday."
"I missed the bus and by the time I got to campus, class was already over."
"I slept in because I didn't hear the alarm ring."
"How did your presentation go?"
"It went ok. A few of the people asked some tough questions, but overall it was good."
"I messed up so bad. I brought the wrong folder from my office so I didn't have any notes."
"It was the best presentation of the day. My boss told me I was organized, focused, and spoke clearly."
Yesterday - The Past - Example
Conversation
Listen to the Entire Lesson
Study some examples and then we will be at the practice session.
Person A: "Why didn't you come to my party last night?"
Person B: "I'm sorry I couldn't make it. I had to go visit my grandmother at the hospital."
Person A: "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Is she doing ok?"
Person B: "They just completed a small operation and the doctors said she should recover."
Person A: "Did you get a chance to go to that new restaurant down the street?"
Person B: "Yeah. I ordered the special, but the server screwed up my order."
Person A: "That sucks. So what ended up happening?"
Person B: "They finally got my steak out, but it was overcooked. It was a terrible experience."
Person A: "What did you do last weekend?"
Person B: "I went on a date with Sammy."
Person A: "Really? How was it?"
Person B: "I couldn't ask for a better night. We talked all throughout our two hour dinner, and then we sat by the river and cuddled in the night."
Person A: "Didn't you finish finals week?"
Person B: "Don't remind me. I think I failed most of the exams."
Person A: "Why did you do so terrible?"
Person B: "My mind just went blank. I think I overloaded my brain. I just couldn't concentrate during the exams."
Study some examples and then we will be at the practice session.
Person A: "Why didn't you come to my party last night?"
Person B: "I'm sorry I couldn't make it. I had to go visit my grandmother at the hospital."
Person A: "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Is she doing ok?"
Person B: "They just completed a small operation and the doctors said she should recover."
Person A: "Did you get a chance to go to that new restaurant down the street?"
Person B: "Yeah. I ordered the special, but the server screwed up my order."
Person A: "That sucks. So what ended up happening?"
Person B: "They finally got my steak out, but it was overcooked. It was a terrible experience."
Person A: "What did you do last weekend?"
Person B: "I went on a date with Sammy."
Person A: "Really? How was it?"
Person B: "I couldn't ask for a better night. We talked all throughout our two hour dinner, and then we sat by the river and cuddled in the night."
Person A: "Didn't you finish finals week?"
Person B: "Don't remind me. I think I failed most of the exams."
Person A: "Why did you do so terrible?"
Person B: "My mind just went blank. I think I overloaded my brain. I just couldn't concentrate during the exams."
Yesterday - The Past -
Interactive Practice
Click on Listen All and follow along. After becoming
comfortable with the entire conversation, become Person A by clicking on the
Person A button. You will hear only Person B through the audio file. There will
be a silence for you to repeat the sentences of Person A. Do the same for
Person B. The speed of the conversation is native speed. Use the pause button
if the pause between each sentence is too fast for you. After practicing
several times, you will be able to speak as fast as a native.
|
1
|
|
A: "What did you do last
night?"
B: "I met some friends and we had some drinks at a bar." A: "Did you drink a lot?" B: "I got so drunk that I don't remember how I got home." A: "Why did you drink so much?" B: "I was so depressed. I just wanted to forget about everything." |
|
2
|
|
A: "How was the airplane
ride?"
B: "It was a twelve hour flight. It was so boring. I tried to sleep but it was too uncomfortable on the plane." A: "How about the movies they play on international flights?" B: "I saw both movies they played. I was just unlucky." A: "Did you take a book with you?" B: "I accidentally packed it with my luggage that I checked in." |
|
3
|
|
A:
"What did you do last weekend?"
B: "I went to a party." A: "How was the party?" B: "It was way too crowded and the food was gone before I got there." A: "What time did you get home?" B: "It was pretty boring so I left at ten and got home before eleven." |
Weather - Summer and Autumn
Listen to the Entire Lesson
In this section, we will learn about the four different seasons along with the difference between Celsius and Fahrenheit. Also, we will learn about weather in different parts of the world. In the next session, we will practice more dialog. But this is a good starting point when learning to hold a conversation about the weather.
Summer:
Depending on the location, summer can be warm and pleasant or unbearably hot and humid. Although you will describe summer in one particular way, you should be aware of how other people describe summer in different parts of the world.
In Nevada, Arizona, Egypt, or other places that are like deserts, people might say,
"Summer is very hot and dry. It's not so bad when we are in the shade."
"Summer is extremely hot. The sun will burn you if you don't wear sunscreen."
"Because it's not humid, it is easy to get used to."
In Seattle, the summer is the best season,
"Summer is the only time of year that it doesn't rain much."
"Summer is like paradise in Seattle."
"If summer wasn't so good here, I would move to a different city."
In New York, Korea, or other hot and humid places, people can say,
"Summer is both hot and humid here."
"I am always sticky because I sweat so much during the summer."
"Without air conditioning, I don't know how I would survive."
Spring and Fall / Autumn
From my perception, I noticed that spring and autumn are generally pleasant seasons for many areas of the world. I haven't heard enough to say one way or another, so I can only write down what I know.
"My favorite season is autumn."
"The only reason I don't like the fall is due to all the leaves I have to rake up."
"Fall is so beautiful because of all the different color leaves everywhere."
"It rains a lot around here during the fall."
"It gets cold in late autumn."
"In our country, autumn is just like summer. It's hot and humid."
"My favorite season is spring because of the budding flowers."
"I love the spring because it's not cold nor hot."
"The spring season here causes a lot of people to sneeze due to all the flowers appearing. Many people with allergies hate the spring."
In this section, we will learn about the four different seasons along with the difference between Celsius and Fahrenheit. Also, we will learn about weather in different parts of the world. In the next session, we will practice more dialog. But this is a good starting point when learning to hold a conversation about the weather.
Summer:
Depending on the location, summer can be warm and pleasant or unbearably hot and humid. Although you will describe summer in one particular way, you should be aware of how other people describe summer in different parts of the world.
In Nevada, Arizona, Egypt, or other places that are like deserts, people might say,
"Summer is very hot and dry. It's not so bad when we are in the shade."
"Summer is extremely hot. The sun will burn you if you don't wear sunscreen."
"Because it's not humid, it is easy to get used to."
In Seattle, the summer is the best season,
"Summer is the only time of year that it doesn't rain much."
"Summer is like paradise in Seattle."
"If summer wasn't so good here, I would move to a different city."
In New York, Korea, or other hot and humid places, people can say,
"Summer is both hot and humid here."
"I am always sticky because I sweat so much during the summer."
"Without air conditioning, I don't know how I would survive."
Spring and Fall / Autumn
From my perception, I noticed that spring and autumn are generally pleasant seasons for many areas of the world. I haven't heard enough to say one way or another, so I can only write down what I know.
"My favorite season is autumn."
"The only reason I don't like the fall is due to all the leaves I have to rake up."
"Fall is so beautiful because of all the different color leaves everywhere."
"It rains a lot around here during the fall."
"It gets cold in late autumn."
"In our country, autumn is just like summer. It's hot and humid."
"My favorite season is spring because of the budding flowers."
"I love the spring because it's not cold nor hot."
"The spring season here causes a lot of people to sneeze due to all the flowers appearing. Many people with allergies hate the spring."
Weather - Winter
Listen to the Entire Lesson
Winter has many differences between locations. Some places might be extremely cold like Korea, New York, Alaska, Greenland, etc, and some places might be perfect like Hawaii, Los Angeles, Mexico and other hot places.
Hot places that enjoy pleasant summer warmth:
"I don't think we have a winter here. During the winter months, it's still 80 degrees. So everyone loves the winter months because it's not too hot."
"Winter time is the best time to visit because the temperature is the best during January."
"I like to go to Hawaii for my winter vacations because it's so cold in my home city."
Cold places:
"It's freezing out."
"It doesn't snow often, but when it does, it stays around for several weeks because it stays cold."
"For 3 months, this city will be covered with a layer of snow because it will never melt."
"It doesn't get too cold here, but it's always raining and very gloomy."
"The winter here is cold and dry. We hardly get any precipitation."
Winter has many differences between locations. Some places might be extremely cold like Korea, New York, Alaska, Greenland, etc, and some places might be perfect like Hawaii, Los Angeles, Mexico and other hot places.
Hot places that enjoy pleasant summer warmth:
"I don't think we have a winter here. During the winter months, it's still 80 degrees. So everyone loves the winter months because it's not too hot."
"Winter time is the best time to visit because the temperature is the best during January."
"I like to go to Hawaii for my winter vacations because it's so cold in my home city."
Cold places:
"It's freezing out."
"It doesn't snow often, but when it does, it stays around for several weeks because it stays cold."
"For 3 months, this city will be covered with a layer of snow because it will never melt."
"It doesn't get too cold here, but it's always raining and very gloomy."
"The winter here is cold and dry. We hardly get any precipitation."
Weather - Fahrenheit and
Celsius
Listen to the Entire Lesson
It's unfortunate that some countries still use the Fahrenheit system. It would be so much easier if everything was in Celsius. But because the United States still uses the Fahrenheit system, knowing the conversion of Celsius to Fahrenheit will help when speaking to Americans.
"How do you convert Fahrenheit to Celsius?"
"Well, you subtract 32 from Fahrenheit, multiply by 5 and then divide by 9."
"How do you convert Celsius to Fahrenheit?"
"You multiply Celsius by 9, divide by 5, then add 32."
Here is an example dialog.
Person A: "What is the average temperature in Seoul during June?"
Person B: "It is usually about 26 degrees Celsius during June."
Person A: "What is that in Fahrenheit?"
Person B: "That would be about 80 degrees Fahrenheit."
Usually, it takes some time to convert degrees using the conversion method. So it's easier to have general temperatures already memorized. Here is a small table so you can quickly respond when talking with a foreigner about the temperature.
It's unfortunate that some countries still use the Fahrenheit system. It would be so much easier if everything was in Celsius. But because the United States still uses the Fahrenheit system, knowing the conversion of Celsius to Fahrenheit will help when speaking to Americans.
"How do you convert Fahrenheit to Celsius?"
"Well, you subtract 32 from Fahrenheit, multiply by 5 and then divide by 9."
"How do you convert Celsius to Fahrenheit?"
"You multiply Celsius by 9, divide by 5, then add 32."
Here is an example dialog.
Person A: "What is the average temperature in Seoul during June?"
Person B: "It is usually about 26 degrees Celsius during June."
Person A: "What is that in Fahrenheit?"
Person B: "That would be about 80 degrees Fahrenheit."
Usually, it takes some time to convert degrees using the conversion method. So it's easier to have general temperatures already memorized. Here is a small table so you can quickly respond when talking with a foreigner about the temperature.
|
Fahrenheit
|
Celsius
|
|
100
|
37.8
|
|
90
|
32.2
|
|
85
|
28.4
|
|
80
|
26.7
|
|
75
|
23.9
|
|
70
|
21.1
|
|
65
|
18.3
|
|
60
|
15.6
|
|
50
|
10
|
|
40
|
4.4
|
|
32
|
0
|
|
20
|
-6.7
|
|
10
|
-12.2
|
|
0
|
-17.8
|
You don't need to remember everything. But if you know a couple of numbers you can just change the other number slightly. For example, if you know that 80 degrees is about 27 degrees Celsius, then if the temperature is 77 degrees, you can figure that it will be about 25 degrees Celsius. Also, you don't have to be very accurate. In conversation, many people just want general numbers and being off by a half a degree will not do any harm.
Finally, during the winter months, it gets so cold that the temperature goes below 0 degrees Celsius. Let's practice a few sentences using negative numbers.
"How cold does it usually get in Korea?"
"Usually around minus 5 degrees Celsius, but sometimes it gets as cold as minus 12 degrees."
"How cold does it get in Alaska?"
"Depending on the area, but it's common for the temperature to be below 0."
"Is that in Fahrenheit or Celsius?"
"Fahrenheit."
"That means it's 20 below zero!"
Remember, although numbers below zero are negative numbers, it's not common to say, 'Negative 2 degrees.' It's not wrong to say it and everyone will understand, however, when speaking to many people, almost everyone says 'minus 2 degrees.' Another common way to say it is below zero is to say, '2 below' as in the example above.
Weather - Long Description
Listen to the Entire Lesson
Being able to speak specific sentences is good, however, it is more important to be able to say a whole paragraph when talking about topics such as the weather. I'll have a specific lesson about putting sentences together in a future lesson. But I'll give one advice now. Basically, make about 10 sentences. After you know your ten sentences about this question, you can say all of them one after the other so it is a long answer. The ten sentences should be in a list format.
We will learn how to speak longer in a future lesson, but if you want to give it a try now, here are two examples.
Question: "What is the weather like in Korea?"
Answer: "Well, the weather in Korea is unique with four distinct seasons. In the winter, the temperature is about zero degrees Celsius. But, because it doesn't rain much in the winter, there isn't much snow and the air is very dry. In spring, the days warm up significantly but the night gets a little chilly. The summer has two characteristics. It is very hot and humid most of the time, and for about 3 weeks or so, we have a rainy season called monsoon. It gets very rainy and windy during that time period. But we all look forward to autumn. It is a beautiful time of year and the temperature is very pleasant. If you plan on visiting Korea, I highly recommend visiting during autumn."
Question: "Which season do you like the most?"
Answer: "I like summer the most, but at the same time, I hate it. I like summer because it's warm. I don't mind the heat and I like the longer days. So, I can do more activities like swimming, bicycling, rollerblading, and many other outdoor activities. I usually take a short vacation during the summer so I always look forward to that. However, the part about summer I hate the most is during the monsoon season. I can tolerate the humidity, but when it gets hot and humid along with the rain and the wind, then it gets terrible."
Being able to speak specific sentences is good, however, it is more important to be able to say a whole paragraph when talking about topics such as the weather. I'll have a specific lesson about putting sentences together in a future lesson. But I'll give one advice now. Basically, make about 10 sentences. After you know your ten sentences about this question, you can say all of them one after the other so it is a long answer. The ten sentences should be in a list format.
We will learn how to speak longer in a future lesson, but if you want to give it a try now, here are two examples.
Question: "What is the weather like in Korea?"
Answer: "Well, the weather in Korea is unique with four distinct seasons. In the winter, the temperature is about zero degrees Celsius. But, because it doesn't rain much in the winter, there isn't much snow and the air is very dry. In spring, the days warm up significantly but the night gets a little chilly. The summer has two characteristics. It is very hot and humid most of the time, and for about 3 weeks or so, we have a rainy season called monsoon. It gets very rainy and windy during that time period. But we all look forward to autumn. It is a beautiful time of year and the temperature is very pleasant. If you plan on visiting Korea, I highly recommend visiting during autumn."
Question: "Which season do you like the most?"
Answer: "I like summer the most, but at the same time, I hate it. I like summer because it's warm. I don't mind the heat and I like the longer days. So, I can do more activities like swimming, bicycling, rollerblading, and many other outdoor activities. I usually take a short vacation during the summer so I always look forward to that. However, the part about summer I hate the most is during the monsoon season. I can tolerate the humidity, but when it gets hot and humid along with the rain and the wind, then it gets terrible."
Weather - Questions and
Answers
Listen to the Entire Lesson
In this session, we are primarily going to practice speaking key sentences that will help you carry a conversation about the weather.
Asking about the weather:
"Do you know what the weather will be like tomorrow?"
"Do you know if it's going to rain tomorrow?"
"Did you see the weather forecast?"
"What is the weather like in Korea/Seattle/Los Angeles?"
"How is the climate in Korea?"
"Does it rain much in Denver?"
"How different is the weather between Pusan and Seoul?"
"What is your favorite season of the year?"
Answering questions about the weather:
"The weather is supposed to be sunny and warm tomorrow."
"It's supposed to rain for the next several days."
"I didn't see the news yesterday so I don't know what the weather is going to be like."
"Weather in Los Angeles is usually hot in the summer and mild in the winter. It never really gets that cold."
"The weather in Pusan is very similar to Seoul. The main difference is that Seoul gets a little more snow in the winter and a little hotter in the summer. This is primarily because Pusan is right next to the water."
"My favorite season of the year is Spring. It's not too cold and the anticipation of a good summer puts me in a good mood."
Statements about the weather:
"I heard Seattle is a very gloomy city with so many clouds."
"The weather is beautiful this time of year."
"I hate the rain. It makes me feel depressed."
"Autumn is a great season."
"The summer months are so humid in Korea."
"I can't stand the cold winter months."
"It's a beautiful day today, isn't it?"
"I wish the weather was like this everyday."
"It's been raining for 5 days straight. I wonder when it will stop raining."
"I hate the snow. The roads are dangerous to drive in, and when it melts, the streets are very dirty."
"I love snowboarding so I always look forward to the winter."
"The winter months are tolerable because I don't mind the cold."
"Korea has four distinct seasons."
In this session, we are primarily going to practice speaking key sentences that will help you carry a conversation about the weather.
Asking about the weather:
"Do you know what the weather will be like tomorrow?"
"Do you know if it's going to rain tomorrow?"
"Did you see the weather forecast?"
"What is the weather like in Korea/Seattle/Los Angeles?"
"How is the climate in Korea?"
"Does it rain much in Denver?"
"How different is the weather between Pusan and Seoul?"
"What is your favorite season of the year?"
Answering questions about the weather:
"The weather is supposed to be sunny and warm tomorrow."
"It's supposed to rain for the next several days."
"I didn't see the news yesterday so I don't know what the weather is going to be like."
"Weather in Los Angeles is usually hot in the summer and mild in the winter. It never really gets that cold."
"The weather in Pusan is very similar to Seoul. The main difference is that Seoul gets a little more snow in the winter and a little hotter in the summer. This is primarily because Pusan is right next to the water."
"My favorite season of the year is Spring. It's not too cold and the anticipation of a good summer puts me in a good mood."
Statements about the weather:
"I heard Seattle is a very gloomy city with so many clouds."
"The weather is beautiful this time of year."
"I hate the rain. It makes me feel depressed."
"Autumn is a great season."
"The summer months are so humid in Korea."
"I can't stand the cold winter months."
"It's a beautiful day today, isn't it?"
"I wish the weather was like this everyday."
"It's been raining for 5 days straight. I wonder when it will stop raining."
"I hate the snow. The roads are dangerous to drive in, and when it melts, the streets are very dirty."
"I love snowboarding so I always look forward to the winter."
"The winter months are tolerable because I don't mind the cold."
"Korea has four distinct seasons."
Weather - Interactive Practice
Click on Listen All and follow along. After becoming
comfortable with the entire conversation, become Person A by clicking on the
Person A button. You will hear only Person B through the audio file. There will
be a silence for you to repeat the sentences of Person A. Do the same for
Person B. The speed of the conversation is native speed. Use the pause button
if the pause between each sentence is too fast for you. After practicing
several times, you will be able to speak as fast as a native.
|
1
|
|
A: "Hey John, it's beautiful
out today, isn't it?"
B: "Yeah. I wish it would be like this everyday." A: "Did you see the weather forecast?" B: "Unfortunately, it's supposed to start raining tomorrow night." |
|
2
|
|
A: "Do you know what the
weather is going to be like tomorrow?"
B: "It's supposed to be the same as today. I don't think the weather will change much for the next week or so." A: "That's great." B: "Why are you so happy? Do you have anything planned?" A: "Yeah, I'm going to Everland with my family this weekend so I was hoping for good weather." |
|
3
|
|
A: "I
can't believe it is raining so much."
B: "It's not that bad. Last year we had floods in 4 different areas of the city." A: "Really? Does it always rain so much during this time of year?" B: "This is not as bad as usual. During the monsoon season, we usually have rain for 3 weeks." |
Small Talk
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Many people believe small talk is very boring and not personable. Although that is true, there are many places where small talk is very important. In the western culture, strangers talk to other strangers frequently. On the other hand, small talk is not so common in the eastern culture. Because strangers are friendly to one another in the western culture, small talk is very important to master in regards to learning English. One other place small talk is important is in an interview. That is why this session will be important to learn.
The best way to learn small talk is to provide many examples. So this lesson will be taught using an example format.
Small talk involves many different topics. We will have several sessions on small talk once we have covered other subjects such as sports, jobs, school, etc. But for now, we will go through the basics of small talk conversation. To initiate small talk, we can use what we have learned from our previous several sessions:
One: "Hi Bill, how are you doing?"
Two: "I'm doing great. How are you doing?"
One: "I'm doing well myself."
Wasn't that simple? If you studied the material in prior sessions, this should be real easy for you. Now that we have initiated the small talk, it's your responsibility to keep the conversation going. In order to do so, you can talk about anything that is not too personal. Let's first ask what the other person has been doing lately.
One: "What have you been up to lately?"
Two: "Well, I just started to work at the bank so I'm pretty busy learning everything."
You can elaborate on what you have learned to keep the conversation alive. In this example, you are going to ask more questions about school and work.
One: "Does that mean you already finished school? I thought you had 1 more semester left."
Two: "I took summer courses, so I finished one semester early."
One: "It's great that you got a job. I'm really happy for you."
Two: "Thanks."
As you can now tell, the conversation is getting old. You have a choice of ending the conversation, or changing the topic. Let's practice ending the conversation.
One: "We should get together for lunch sometime."
Two: "Yeah, that would be great."
One: "I'll call you sometime."
Two: "Ok. I'll see you later."
One: "Alright. See ya."
Many people believe small talk is very boring and not personable. Although that is true, there are many places where small talk is very important. In the western culture, strangers talk to other strangers frequently. On the other hand, small talk is not so common in the eastern culture. Because strangers are friendly to one another in the western culture, small talk is very important to master in regards to learning English. One other place small talk is important is in an interview. That is why this session will be important to learn.
The best way to learn small talk is to provide many examples. So this lesson will be taught using an example format.
Small talk involves many different topics. We will have several sessions on small talk once we have covered other subjects such as sports, jobs, school, etc. But for now, we will go through the basics of small talk conversation. To initiate small talk, we can use what we have learned from our previous several sessions:
One: "Hi Bill, how are you doing?"
Two: "I'm doing great. How are you doing?"
One: "I'm doing well myself."
Wasn't that simple? If you studied the material in prior sessions, this should be real easy for you. Now that we have initiated the small talk, it's your responsibility to keep the conversation going. In order to do so, you can talk about anything that is not too personal. Let's first ask what the other person has been doing lately.
One: "What have you been up to lately?"
Two: "Well, I just started to work at the bank so I'm pretty busy learning everything."
You can elaborate on what you have learned to keep the conversation alive. In this example, you are going to ask more questions about school and work.
One: "Does that mean you already finished school? I thought you had 1 more semester left."
Two: "I took summer courses, so I finished one semester early."
One: "It's great that you got a job. I'm really happy for you."
Two: "Thanks."
As you can now tell, the conversation is getting old. You have a choice of ending the conversation, or changing the topic. Let's practice ending the conversation.
One: "We should get together for lunch sometime."
Two: "Yeah, that would be great."
One: "I'll call you sometime."
Two: "Ok. I'll see you later."
One: "Alright. See ya."
Movie Types - Comedy and
Horror
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Comedy: Funny movies with many jokes or actors acting in a funny way.
"I love all types of comedy because I love to laugh."
"Comedy is my favorite because it is very entertaining to me."
"I like comedy that makes fun of political things."
"Comedy is so hilarious that I always enjoy watching them."
Romantic Comedy: Funny movies with a strong romantic theme. Opposite to action because usually guys like action and the ladies like Romantic comedies.
"Many people view romantic comedy movies as chick-flicks."
Chick = girl
Flick = movie
Chick-Flick = a girly type of movie; a movie a girl will like; 'take your girlfriend to' type of movie... or something like that.
"Romantic comedy is funny movies that involve a lot of romance."
"I love all the story lines of romantic comedy movies."
Horror: Scary movies that will give you nightmares for 3 months.
"When I was a little kid, I couldn't sleep because of horror movies."
"Horror movies are not scary anymore."
"I have yet to see a movie that really scares me."
"I hate horror movies because I cannot sleep."
"I always have nightmares after watching horror movies so I try to avoid them."
Comedy: Funny movies with many jokes or actors acting in a funny way.
"I love all types of comedy because I love to laugh."
"Comedy is my favorite because it is very entertaining to me."
"I like comedy that makes fun of political things."
"Comedy is so hilarious that I always enjoy watching them."
Romantic Comedy: Funny movies with a strong romantic theme. Opposite to action because usually guys like action and the ladies like Romantic comedies.
"Many people view romantic comedy movies as chick-flicks."
Chick = girl
Flick = movie
Chick-Flick = a girly type of movie; a movie a girl will like; 'take your girlfriend to' type of movie... or something like that.
"Romantic comedy is funny movies that involve a lot of romance."
"I love all the story lines of romantic comedy movies."
Horror: Scary movies that will give you nightmares for 3 months.
"When I was a little kid, I couldn't sleep because of horror movies."
"Horror movies are not scary anymore."
"I have yet to see a movie that really scares me."
"I hate horror movies because I cannot sleep."
"I always have nightmares after watching horror movies so I try to avoid them."
Movies Types - Action and
Drama
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In the next three movie sections, we are going to learn about different movie types. Afterwards, we will cover having discussions about movies that you recently saw. But for now, let's work on movie types.
There are many different types of movies. You probably know them all in your language, but let's learn what they are in English. Also, we will learn how to say a couple of sentences related to a movie type. If you disagree with a sentence, feel free to change some words around so they fit what you want to say.
Although there are many categories, we will learn the most basic 10 types of movies.
Action
Drama
Comedy
Romantic comedy
Horror
Science fiction
Suspense (Thriller)
Western
Commentary / Non-Fiction
Action: Movies with lots of fighting, shooting, exploding, etc.
"What kind of movie do you like?"
"I like action movies because they are fast paced."
"Action movies are my favorite."
"I like all the action movies with a lot of guns."
"I like fight scenes that are choreographed."
Drama: Everyone knows drama. Like Titanic and Schindler's List
"What type of movies do you like?"
"I like all sorts of drama."
"I like movies that play with my emotion."
"Drama movies are great because they are the most realistic."
"The sad drama movies that make me cry."
In the next three movie sections, we are going to learn about different movie types. Afterwards, we will cover having discussions about movies that you recently saw. But for now, let's work on movie types.
There are many different types of movies. You probably know them all in your language, but let's learn what they are in English. Also, we will learn how to say a couple of sentences related to a movie type. If you disagree with a sentence, feel free to change some words around so they fit what you want to say.
Although there are many categories, we will learn the most basic 10 types of movies.
Action
Drama
Comedy
Romantic comedy
Horror
Science fiction
Suspense (Thriller)
Western
Commentary / Non-Fiction
Action: Movies with lots of fighting, shooting, exploding, etc.
"What kind of movie do you like?"
"I like action movies because they are fast paced."
"Action movies are my favorite."
"I like all the action movies with a lot of guns."
"I like fight scenes that are choreographed."
Drama: Everyone knows drama. Like Titanic and Schindler's List
"What type of movies do you like?"
"I like all sorts of drama."
"I like movies that play with my emotion."
"Drama movies are great because they are the most realistic."
"The sad drama movies that make me cry."
Movie Discussion - General
Statements
Listen to the Entire Lesson
In this movie section, we are going to have discussions about movies that we already saw. This is useful because whenever we come out of a movie theater, we always ask our friends what we thought about the movie. Sometimes, it's a simple answer such as, 'It was alright.' But sometimes, a good discussion can arise from a great movie. Let's get started...
Every time I finish watching a movie, I either ask someone, or someone asks me, "What did you think about the movie?" For the most part, the answer is a simple one line sentence:
"It was alright."
"It could have been better."
"It was pretty good."
"I liked it."
"It was entertaining."
"It was so stupid I almost fell asleep."
"Lame."
"Boring."
"Too unrealistic."
I can go on for a long time describing movies. I have listed a few so you get an idea how to answer simple movie questions.
Besides simple one line answers, there are a few reasons we need to say other things. It is because either we didn't understand something, want to describe a scene we liked, want to describe a scene that was stupid, or simply go on and on about how great the movie was.
In this movie section, we are going to have discussions about movies that we already saw. This is useful because whenever we come out of a movie theater, we always ask our friends what we thought about the movie. Sometimes, it's a simple answer such as, 'It was alright.' But sometimes, a good discussion can arise from a great movie. Let's get started...
Every time I finish watching a movie, I either ask someone, or someone asks me, "What did you think about the movie?" For the most part, the answer is a simple one line sentence:
"It was alright."
"It could have been better."
"It was pretty good."
"I liked it."
"It was entertaining."
"It was so stupid I almost fell asleep."
"Lame."
"Boring."
"Too unrealistic."
I can go on for a long time describing movies. I have listed a few so you get an idea how to answer simple movie questions.
Besides simple one line answers, there are a few reasons we need to say other things. It is because either we didn't understand something, want to describe a scene we liked, want to describe a scene that was stupid, or simply go on and on about how great the movie was.
Movie Discussion - Describing
a Movie
Listen to the Entire Lesson
Didn't understand:
"Do you remember the scene when Mary walked into the dining room? Why was she carrying a knife? She didn't use it and the cameras focused on it."
"I can't understand why she betrayed him. The whole movie concentrated on her trust and loyalty. It just doesn't make sense."
Good Scene:
"I love the scene when Russell Crowe showed his face to the emperor after the first gladiator fight."
"What did you think about the last fight scene between Neo and Agent Smith in the rain?"
"The courtroom scene between Jodie Foster and Richard Gere was absolutely amazing."
Great Movie:
"That was such a cool movie. It was the best movie I've seen in a long time."
"Anytime I see a great movie I tend to look at my watch often. That's because I don't want the movie to end."
"The movie was great. I liked everything about it. I'm definitely going to buy the dvd."
Situational questions:
"What would you have done? Would you have taken the million dollars and give up your wife for a night?"
"Would you choose money and fame, or family and stability?"
Some movies are known to be 'based on a true story.' These types of movies are very interesting because they actually happened. The only reason they are not considered to be a non-fiction movie is because the director or writer will add some scenes that didn't happen, or change some facts around so the movie is more appealing to the masses.
A conversation can start from movies such as Schindler's List. When coming out of a theater, I heard a couple talk briefly about this.
"What did you think about the movie?"
"I thought it was great. It was very powerful."
"How much of it do you think was true?"
"I learned about Germany and World War II in one of my classes, and this movie showed everything I learned from class."
"Wow. It's amazing that these things have happened in our history."
Didn't understand:
"Do you remember the scene when Mary walked into the dining room? Why was she carrying a knife? She didn't use it and the cameras focused on it."
"I can't understand why she betrayed him. The whole movie concentrated on her trust and loyalty. It just doesn't make sense."
Good Scene:
"I love the scene when Russell Crowe showed his face to the emperor after the first gladiator fight."
"What did you think about the last fight scene between Neo and Agent Smith in the rain?"
"The courtroom scene between Jodie Foster and Richard Gere was absolutely amazing."
Great Movie:
"That was such a cool movie. It was the best movie I've seen in a long time."
"Anytime I see a great movie I tend to look at my watch often. That's because I don't want the movie to end."
"The movie was great. I liked everything about it. I'm definitely going to buy the dvd."
Situational questions:
"What would you have done? Would you have taken the million dollars and give up your wife for a night?"
"Would you choose money and fame, or family and stability?"
Some movies are known to be 'based on a true story.' These types of movies are very interesting because they actually happened. The only reason they are not considered to be a non-fiction movie is because the director or writer will add some scenes that didn't happen, or change some facts around so the movie is more appealing to the masses.
A conversation can start from movies such as Schindler's List. When coming out of a theater, I heard a couple talk briefly about this.
"What did you think about the movie?"
"I thought it was great. It was very powerful."
"How much of it do you think was true?"
"I learned about Germany and World War II in one of my classes, and this movie showed everything I learned from class."
"Wow. It's amazing that these things have happened in our history."
Favorite - What's your
Favorite
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The word favorite is used a lot in spoken English. It is very common to talk about your favorite things with your friends or acquaintances. Topics can range from favorite movies, favorite TV shows, favorite food, favorite cars, etc. Since there are so many favorite things in the world, you should pay close attention to this lesson.
Asking questions is the most common way to use the word favorite:
"Who is your favorite singer?"
"Who is your favorite person?"
"Who is your favorite athlete?"
"Who was your favorite ex-girlfriend?"
"Who was your favorite elementary teacher?"
Are you following me? It's very easy. Just change the word at the end and you can make dozens of sentences.
"What is your favorite show?"
"What is your favorite movie?"
"What is your favorite dessert?"
"What is your favorite program?"
"What is your favorite class?"
"What is your favorite game?"
"What was the title of your favorite song?"
"What was the name of your favorite sit-com?"
We used 'who' and 'what' in our sentences. It's possible to use 'where', 'how', and 'when', but the most common is 'what' and 'who'.
I'll provide a couple of sentences for the other words.
"Where is your favorite vacation spot?"
"When is your favorite time of day?"
"How is your favorite noodles cooked?"
It's not common, because even though it is grammatically incorrect, you can ask the same question with 'what'
"What is your favorite vacation spot?"
"What is your favorite time of day?"
Nobody is really going to notice and it's not a big deal. After this lesson is over, I suggest practicing with 'what' and 'who', but don't bother with the others. It's not as important.
The word favorite is used a lot in spoken English. It is very common to talk about your favorite things with your friends or acquaintances. Topics can range from favorite movies, favorite TV shows, favorite food, favorite cars, etc. Since there are so many favorite things in the world, you should pay close attention to this lesson.
Asking questions is the most common way to use the word favorite:
"Who is your favorite singer?"
"Who is your favorite person?"
"Who is your favorite athlete?"
"Who was your favorite ex-girlfriend?"
"Who was your favorite elementary teacher?"
Are you following me? It's very easy. Just change the word at the end and you can make dozens of sentences.
"What is your favorite show?"
"What is your favorite movie?"
"What is your favorite dessert?"
"What is your favorite program?"
"What is your favorite class?"
"What is your favorite game?"
"What was the title of your favorite song?"
"What was the name of your favorite sit-com?"
We used 'who' and 'what' in our sentences. It's possible to use 'where', 'how', and 'when', but the most common is 'what' and 'who'.
I'll provide a couple of sentences for the other words.
"Where is your favorite vacation spot?"
"When is your favorite time of day?"
"How is your favorite noodles cooked?"
It's not common, because even though it is grammatically incorrect, you can ask the same question with 'what'
"What is your favorite vacation spot?"
"What is your favorite time of day?"
Nobody is really going to notice and it's not a big deal. After this lesson is over, I suggest practicing with 'what' and 'who', but don't bother with the others. It's not as important.
Favorite - Answering Questions
Listen to the Entire Lesson
To answer these types of questions, it is very easy. All you have to do is change 'your' to 'my', repeat the last portion of the question and add your answer. We'll practice a couple of times.
"What is your favorite show?"
"My favorite show is Smurfs."
"What is your favorite movie?"
"My favorite movie is Matrix."
"What is your favorite dessert?"
"My favorite dessert is cheesecake."
"Who is your favorite singer?"
"My favorite singer is Josh Groban."
"Who is your favorite athlete?"
"My favorite athlete is Tiger Woods."
"Who was your favorite elementary teacher?"
"My favorite elementary teacher was Mrs. Smouse."
Different ways to ask about favorite things
You don't necessarily have to use the word favorite. Favorite basically means what you like the most. So, you can ask favorite questions without the word favorite.
"What do you like to eat the most?"
"My favorite food is ice cream."
"What is a childhood memory that stands out?"
"My favorite childhood memory is a time I went fishing with my dad."
"Which professor do you like the most?"
"My favorite professor is Professor Kim."
Likewise, you can answer questions without using the word favorite.
"What is your favorite baseball team?"
"I like Seattle Mariners the most."
"What is your favorite type of food?"
"I love Italian food... especially pasta. They are so good."
"Who is your favorite music group?"
"I really enjoy listening to Depeche Mode."
To answer these types of questions, it is very easy. All you have to do is change 'your' to 'my', repeat the last portion of the question and add your answer. We'll practice a couple of times.
"What is your favorite show?"
"My favorite show is Smurfs."
"What is your favorite movie?"
"My favorite movie is Matrix."
"What is your favorite dessert?"
"My favorite dessert is cheesecake."
"Who is your favorite singer?"
"My favorite singer is Josh Groban."
"Who is your favorite athlete?"
"My favorite athlete is Tiger Woods."
"Who was your favorite elementary teacher?"
"My favorite elementary teacher was Mrs. Smouse."
Different ways to ask about favorite things
You don't necessarily have to use the word favorite. Favorite basically means what you like the most. So, you can ask favorite questions without the word favorite.
"What do you like to eat the most?"
"My favorite food is ice cream."
"What is a childhood memory that stands out?"
"My favorite childhood memory is a time I went fishing with my dad."
"Which professor do you like the most?"
"My favorite professor is Professor Kim."
Likewise, you can answer questions without using the word favorite.
"What is your favorite baseball team?"
"I like Seattle Mariners the most."
"What is your favorite type of food?"
"I love Italian food... especially pasta. They are so good."
"Who is your favorite music group?"
"I really enjoy listening to Depeche Mode."
Exercise - Walking Jogging and
More
Listen to the Entire Lesson
Walking:
"Every morning right when I get up, I like to take a thirty minute walk."
"I like to take walks with my dog."
"Golf is a healthy sport because of all the walking it requires."
"I heard from some doctors that walking is the healthiest form of exercise."
"There's a trail by my house that is a perfect 20 minute walk."
"We usually go to a nearby lake and walk around it."
Jogging:
"Every night, I go to an elementary school across from my house and jog a few laps around the playground."
"I go jogging in the morning when the air is still fresh."
"Some people find jogging stressful, but I find it as a way to relieve some of my stress."
"It feels so good after jogging for half an hour."
"I usually jog on a treadmill because it's convenient."
Sports: We will have another more comprehensive lesson on sports in a different lesson.
"I usually play a lot of basketball."
"I get enough exercise from soccer."
"I like to play sports because it is a good form of exercise and allows me to have fun all at the same time."
"Although bowling is a sport, I don't consider it a form of exercise."
"I play volleyball a couple hours a day."
"I practice baseball with my school team everyday."
"I'm in my high school's track and field team. I'm a long distance runner."
"I don't play soccer because it requires too much running."
"Running constantly is a hard thing to do."
Others:
"Aerobics is an excellent form of exercise."
"I use a video at home to do my aerobic sessions."
"I like to do aerobics because it targets specific areas."
"I get my exercise from rowing. I'm on the junior varsity crew team."
"I ride my bicycle to work every day."
"I take the stairs because it gives me a little bit of a work out."
"I go to the local park and ride my rollerblades.
Walking:
"Every morning right when I get up, I like to take a thirty minute walk."
"I like to take walks with my dog."
"Golf is a healthy sport because of all the walking it requires."
"I heard from some doctors that walking is the healthiest form of exercise."
"There's a trail by my house that is a perfect 20 minute walk."
"We usually go to a nearby lake and walk around it."
Jogging:
"Every night, I go to an elementary school across from my house and jog a few laps around the playground."
"I go jogging in the morning when the air is still fresh."
"Some people find jogging stressful, but I find it as a way to relieve some of my stress."
"It feels so good after jogging for half an hour."
"I usually jog on a treadmill because it's convenient."
Sports: We will have another more comprehensive lesson on sports in a different lesson.
"I usually play a lot of basketball."
"I get enough exercise from soccer."
"I like to play sports because it is a good form of exercise and allows me to have fun all at the same time."
"Although bowling is a sport, I don't consider it a form of exercise."
"I play volleyball a couple hours a day."
"I practice baseball with my school team everyday."
"I'm in my high school's track and field team. I'm a long distance runner."
"I don't play soccer because it requires too much running."
"Running constantly is a hard thing to do."
Others:
"Aerobics is an excellent form of exercise."
"I use a video at home to do my aerobic sessions."
"I like to do aerobics because it targets specific areas."
"I get my exercise from rowing. I'm on the junior varsity crew team."
"I ride my bicycle to work every day."
"I take the stairs because it gives me a little bit of a work out."
"I go to the local park and ride my rollerblades.
Exercise - US Culture
Listen to the Entire Lesson
Having lived in the United States and Korea, I realized one big thing immediately.
In Korea, I have to do a lot of walking. When I went to school or to work, I had to leave my house, walk to the bus stop or the subway which takes about 10-15 minutes, get off at my destination, and walk the rest of the way, which is another 15 minutes. Total time walking is about 25 minutes. This translates to 50 minutes a day round trip, and about 3-4 kilometers everyday. I didn't even know it, but I was exercising.
In America, everyone has a car. While going to work here, I literally walk about 7 minutes a day. That's a total distance of 300 meters. The reason is because I only have to walk to my car. I drive to work, and then I walk from the parking lot to my office. So, I realized I was gaining weight without having changed anything except the walking I wasn't doing.
I suppose that is why in America there is a big hype about exercising and losing weight. If you don't want to, you don't have to walk anywhere or exercise at all. In Korea, walking is part of the daily routine. So although you don't need to know this lesson as much as other lessons, it will still help when talking to foreigners about this subject. Let's continue with the lesson by doing the practice.
In the next exercise lesson, we will learn about speaking English in relation to working out in the gym
Having lived in the United States and Korea, I realized one big thing immediately.
In Korea, I have to do a lot of walking. When I went to school or to work, I had to leave my house, walk to the bus stop or the subway which takes about 10-15 minutes, get off at my destination, and walk the rest of the way, which is another 15 minutes. Total time walking is about 25 minutes. This translates to 50 minutes a day round trip, and about 3-4 kilometers everyday. I didn't even know it, but I was exercising.
In America, everyone has a car. While going to work here, I literally walk about 7 minutes a day. That's a total distance of 300 meters. The reason is because I only have to walk to my car. I drive to work, and then I walk from the parking lot to my office. So, I realized I was gaining weight without having changed anything except the walking I wasn't doing.
I suppose that is why in America there is a big hype about exercising and losing weight. If you don't want to, you don't have to walk anywhere or exercise at all. In Korea, walking is part of the daily routine. So although you don't need to know this lesson as much as other lessons, it will still help when talking to foreigners about this subject. Let's continue with the lesson by doing the practice.
In the next exercise lesson, we will learn about speaking English in relation to working out in the gym
Exercise - Interactive Practice
Click on Listen All and follow along. After becoming
comfortable with the entire conversation, become Person A by clicking on the
Person A button. You will hear only Person B through the audio file. There will
be a silence for you to repeat the sentences of Person A. Do the same for
Person B. The speed of the conversation is native speed. Use the pause button
if the pause between each sentence is too fast for you. After practicing
several times, you will be able to speak as fast as a native.
|
1
|
|
A: "Hey Michael. Where are
you going?"
B: "Nowhere special. I was just taking a walk." A: "What for?" B: "To get a little exercise. I'm so out of shape." A: "Hey, I play basketball with a bunch of friends twice a week. It's great exercise and it's fun too. Why don't you come out and play with us?" B: "That sounds great. Give me a call next time you guys play." |
|
2
|
|
A:
"All I do all day is work and watch TV. I really should start thinking
about my health."
B: "I never thought about that, but you're right. What do you think we should do?" A: "For starters, we should start doing more outdoor activities. That way we'll get some exercise." B: "I was thinking about taking tennis lessons. I always have an hour to spare in the afternoon. What do you think about that?" A: "That's not a bad idea. How much is it?" B: "I heard it is only about one hundred twenty dollars a month for 8 lessons." A: "Playing tennis twice a week will be a good start. Count me in." |
Exercise Gym - Lifting Weights
Listen to the Entire Lesson
Popular types of exercising are conducted in the gym or health club. When I refer to a gym, I am implying a health club. Two common types of exercising in the gym are working out / lifting weights, or using machines such as treadmills, bicycle machines, step machines, etc. It's common for guys to get together and talk about lifting weights. Likewise, girls get together and discuss the best methods to lose weight. In this lesson, we are going to lay the ground work on talking about exercising in the gym.
Lifting weights
Professional weight lifters are called body builders. But since the number of body builders are not significant, we are going to concentrate more on regular weight lifting.
I don't lift weights, but when I see a friend who is noticeably bigger due to lifting weights, these are the types of things I say.
"Have you been lifting?"
You do not need to say lifting weights. When you say lifting, it's understood that you are talking about weights.
"You got big man."
"How long have you been lifting?"
Other terminologies for lifting weights are:
Pumping Iron
Pressing Iron
Pressing Weights
Working Out
Weight Training
Hitting the Gym
Popular types of exercising are conducted in the gym or health club. When I refer to a gym, I am implying a health club. Two common types of exercising in the gym are working out / lifting weights, or using machines such as treadmills, bicycle machines, step machines, etc. It's common for guys to get together and talk about lifting weights. Likewise, girls get together and discuss the best methods to lose weight. In this lesson, we are going to lay the ground work on talking about exercising in the gym.
Lifting weights
Professional weight lifters are called body builders. But since the number of body builders are not significant, we are going to concentrate more on regular weight lifting.
I don't lift weights, but when I see a friend who is noticeably bigger due to lifting weights, these are the types of things I say.
"Have you been lifting?"
You do not need to say lifting weights. When you say lifting, it's understood that you are talking about weights.
"You got big man."
"How long have you been lifting?"
Other terminologies for lifting weights are:
Pumping Iron
Pressing Iron
Pressing Weights
Working Out
Weight Training
Hitting the Gym
Exercise Gym - Questions and
Answers
Listen to the Entire Lesson
Here are some questions you can ask.
"Where do you work out?"
"What club do you work out at?"
"When do you usually work out?"
"How often do you work out?"
"How many hours do you work out in a day?"
To ask how they work out or what their routine is, you can ask:
"When you bench, how many reps and sets do you do?"
Reps are repetition. In weight lifting terminology, this means how many times they lift in one set.
"Do you do low reps with heavy weights, or many reps with light weight."
"How many sets do you do when you work out your arms?"
If you are the person being asked these questions, here are ways you can answer:
"I work out at 24 Hour Fitness."
"I work out at Bally's."
"I work out at Samsung Health Club."
"I started lifting weights about 2 years ago."
"I have been lifting weights for about 2 years now."
"I just started 9 months ago."
"I usually work out 2 hours a day 4 times a week."
"I work out everyday for an hour."
"I go to the gym 3 times a week."
"I go in every other day."
"I can bench press 220 pounds."
"I squat 400 pounds."
"I curl 90 pounds."
"I'm trying to gain bulk so I'm doing low reps with heavy weights."
"I'm trying to get ripped, so I'm doing a lot of repetitions."
Ripped means to get lines to show up in the muscles. It's called ripped because when you rip a piece of paper, you see a line in the paper where the tear is. So a person is ripped when you can see lines on his body due to muscles.
Here are some questions you can ask.
"Where do you work out?"
"What club do you work out at?"
"When do you usually work out?"
"How often do you work out?"
"How many hours do you work out in a day?"
To ask how they work out or what their routine is, you can ask:
"When you bench, how many reps and sets do you do?"
Reps are repetition. In weight lifting terminology, this means how many times they lift in one set.
"Do you do low reps with heavy weights, or many reps with light weight."
"How many sets do you do when you work out your arms?"
If you are the person being asked these questions, here are ways you can answer:
"I work out at 24 Hour Fitness."
"I work out at Bally's."
"I work out at Samsung Health Club."
"I started lifting weights about 2 years ago."
"I have been lifting weights for about 2 years now."
"I just started 9 months ago."
"I usually work out 2 hours a day 4 times a week."
"I work out everyday for an hour."
"I go to the gym 3 times a week."
"I go in every other day."
"I can bench press 220 pounds."
"I squat 400 pounds."
"I curl 90 pounds."
"I'm trying to gain bulk so I'm doing low reps with heavy weights."
"I'm trying to get ripped, so I'm doing a lot of repetitions."
Ripped means to get lines to show up in the muscles. It's called ripped because when you rip a piece of paper, you see a line in the paper where the tear is. So a person is ripped when you can see lines on his body due to muscles.
Exercise Gym - Other Methods
Listen to the Entire Lesson
Other ways to work out in a health club
Many people lift weights in the health club, but many people also go to lose weight using machines such as the treadmill and bicycle machines.
Here are some things you can say in a conversation if you fall into this category.
"When I go to the health club, I usually spend 30 minutes on the treadmill, 20 minutes on the bicycle, and finally 10 minutes on the step master."
"There is no place to run in the city, so I have to do my running on the treadmill."
"It always rains around here so I like to exercise in the gym."
"I usually use the treadmill, but I try to work on the nautilus machines at least twice a week."
"My wife exercises four times a week."
"My husband can't last 10 minutes on the step machine."
Other ways to work out in a health club
Many people lift weights in the health club, but many people also go to lose weight using machines such as the treadmill and bicycle machines.
Here are some things you can say in a conversation if you fall into this category.
"When I go to the health club, I usually spend 30 minutes on the treadmill, 20 minutes on the bicycle, and finally 10 minutes on the step master."
"There is no place to run in the city, so I have to do my running on the treadmill."
"It always rains around here so I like to exercise in the gym."
"I usually use the treadmill, but I try to work on the nautilus machines at least twice a week."
"My wife exercises four times a week."
"My husband can't last 10 minutes on the step machine."
Exercise Gym - Interactive
Practice
Click on Listen All and follow along. After becoming
comfortable with the entire conversation, become Person A by clicking on the
Person A button. You will hear only Person B through the audio file. There will
be a silence for you to repeat the sentences of Person A. Do the same for
Person B. The speed of the conversation is native speed. Use the pause button
if the pause between each sentence is too fast for you. After practicing
several times, you will be able to speak as fast as a native.
|
1
|
|
A: "What do you do besides
work and watching TV?"
B: "When I have some time, I like to exercise." A: "Do you go jogging or do you go to a health club?" B: "I joined Samsung Health Club a couple of months ago." A: "How do you exercise?" B: "I usually spend 30 minutes on the bicycle for the cardio, and then I lift weights for about 45 minutes." A: "How often do you go?" B: "I want to go four times a week, but I'm too lazy. Last week, I only went to workout once." |
|
2
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A: "Hey Jimmy. Let's go
workout later today."
B: "Sure. What time do you want to go?" A: "How about at 3:30." B: "That sounds good. Today we work on Legs and forearm." A: "Hey. I just played basketball earlier, so my legs are a little sore. Let's work out on arms and stomach today." B: "I'm on a weekly schedule. You're messing everything up." A: "C'mon. We're only switching two days. You can do legs on Friday." B: "Alright. I'll meet you at the gym at 3:30 then." |
|
3
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A:
"Damn Scott. You got big."
B: "Yeah, I've been working out a lot." A: "How long have you been lifting weights?" B: "For a year and a half." A: "Yeah. Last time I saw you, it was like 2 years ago." B: "Has it been that long?" A: "How often do you go to the gym?" B: "I usually go every other day for about 3 hours." A: "That's a lot." B: "Yeah, I used to work out for an hour a day 4 times a week, and I saw no results. This is what you have to do to get noticeable results." A: "I don't think I have the discipline for that." B: "Just think of it as a hobby. Then it's actually fun." |
Happy and Feeling Good
Listen to the Entire Lesson
It's common to talk to friends and family when you are happy. Most of the time, you want to express why you are happy and share with close people how you feel. In this lesson, let's take a look at many different ways you can express yourself when you are happy.
General statements are usually short. Here are a few examples.
"I'm very happy right now."
"I'm happy."
"I haven't been this happy in a long time."
"I don't think I can be any happier right now."
"He is very happy."
"She is so happy right now."
"My wife is pretty happy."
"My husband is happy."
These sentences are very basic. Most of the time, you will be explaining why you are happy. Let's incorporate the reason into the sentence.
"I'm so happy I got a job offer."
"I was happy when I received an A for my final report."
"I'll be happy when that happens."
"This semester is such a headache. I'll be so happy when it's over."
"My brother was happy after passing the examination."
"I think my mother was happier than I was when I got into the University."
"If you find a job you are happy with, then that is the perfect job for you."
"It's more important to be happy with your job than what other people think."
"I don't think she will be happy if you do that."
"My parents won't be happy if I drop out of school."
"I think my professor was happy with my essay."
"My grandmother is always happy when I come visit her."
"My grandfather is always happy to see me."
"I'm so happy for you. That's wonderful news."
"Congratulations on your engagement, I'm so happy for you."
"I want to find a gift that she will be happy with."
"He never likes his presents, but he is happy with the fact that we tried."
"Happiness is probably the most important thing in life."
"My goal in life is to make other people happy."
It's common to talk to friends and family when you are happy. Most of the time, you want to express why you are happy and share with close people how you feel. In this lesson, let's take a look at many different ways you can express yourself when you are happy.
General statements are usually short. Here are a few examples.
"I'm very happy right now."
"I'm happy."
"I haven't been this happy in a long time."
"I don't think I can be any happier right now."
"He is very happy."
"She is so happy right now."
"My wife is pretty happy."
"My husband is happy."
These sentences are very basic. Most of the time, you will be explaining why you are happy. Let's incorporate the reason into the sentence.
"I'm so happy I got a job offer."
"I was happy when I received an A for my final report."
"I'll be happy when that happens."
"This semester is such a headache. I'll be so happy when it's over."
"My brother was happy after passing the examination."
"I think my mother was happier than I was when I got into the University."
"If you find a job you are happy with, then that is the perfect job for you."
"It's more important to be happy with your job than what other people think."
"I don't think she will be happy if you do that."
"My parents won't be happy if I drop out of school."
"I think my professor was happy with my essay."
"My grandmother is always happy when I come visit her."
"My grandfather is always happy to see me."
"I'm so happy for you. That's wonderful news."
"Congratulations on your engagement, I'm so happy for you."
"I want to find a gift that she will be happy with."
"He never likes his presents, but he is happy with the fact that we tried."
"Happiness is probably the most important thing in life."
"My goal in life is to make other people happy."
Happy and Feeling Good -
Questions
Listen to the Entire Lesson
Questions you might ask someone
"Do you think he will be happy with this present?"
"Do you believe money can buy happiness?"
"Do you think she will be happy if I show up?"
"What would make you happy?"
"Was your brother happy with the results?"
"When was your happiest time period?"
"How can you put a price tag on happiness?"
"How much money do you need to be happy?"
"Would you be happy if that happened to you?"
"Why are you so happy right now?"
"Why are you in such a good mood?"
"Did something good happen? You look so happy?"
"Why do you have such a big smile on your face?"
Questions you might ask someone
"Do you think he will be happy with this present?"
"Do you believe money can buy happiness?"
"Do you think she will be happy if I show up?"
"What would make you happy?"
"Was your brother happy with the results?"
"When was your happiest time period?"
"How can you put a price tag on happiness?"
"How much money do you need to be happy?"
"Would you be happy if that happened to you?"
"Why are you so happy right now?"
"Why are you in such a good mood?"
"Did something good happen? You look so happy?"
"Why do you have such a big smile on your face?"
Anger - Understanding
Listen to the Entire Lesson
There are only a few things you need to say when someone is talking to you about anger. The best thing to do is understand their feeling.
"I can't believe that happened. I'd be so pissed."
"I know how you feel. I was so angry when that happened to me."
"I can't imagine how angry you must feel. That has never happened to me."
"If that happened to me, I'd get revenge."
"What are you going to do to get him back?"
"That totally sucks, but I'm not surprised. I always knew he was a back stabber."
"The best thing to do is stop being his friend. He doesn't deserve to have any friends."
There are only a few things you need to say when someone is talking to you about anger. The best thing to do is understand their feeling.
"I can't believe that happened. I'd be so pissed."
"I know how you feel. I was so angry when that happened to me."
"I can't imagine how angry you must feel. That has never happened to me."
"If that happened to me, I'd get revenge."
"What are you going to do to get him back?"
"That totally sucks, but I'm not surprised. I always knew he was a back stabber."
"The best thing to do is stop being his friend. He doesn't deserve to have any friends."
Anger - Confronting
Listen to the Entire Lesson
When you are talking to the person that made you angry, it is common to lose control and say a lot of things. Here are some common sentences.
"I thought you were a friend. I had so much trust in you. I can't believe you did this to me."
"What were you thinking when you stabbed me in the back. Did it feel good?"
"Why'd you do it?"
"You know I still have feelings for Mandy. You didn't even consider my feelings. What? Am I not a friend or something?"
"You're not the only one hurting for money. You owe me five hundred dollars. I need it now."
"You didn't have to tell my parents that I owed you money. I said I would pay you back when I got my paycheck. I can't believe you would do this."
Sentences you can ask or say if you feel a friend is angry with you
"Are you mad at me?"
"Are you angry?"
"You're not disappointed are you?"
"Don't be angry with me. I really didn't mean it."
"I didn't know you were involved. I hope you're not mad at me."
"I really didn't know it was going to make you upset."
When you are talking to the person that made you angry, it is common to lose control and say a lot of things. Here are some common sentences.
"I thought you were a friend. I had so much trust in you. I can't believe you did this to me."
"What were you thinking when you stabbed me in the back. Did it feel good?"
"Why'd you do it?"
"You know I still have feelings for Mandy. You didn't even consider my feelings. What? Am I not a friend or something?"
"You're not the only one hurting for money. You owe me five hundred dollars. I need it now."
"You didn't have to tell my parents that I owed you money. I said I would pay you back when I got my paycheck. I can't believe you would do this."
Sentences you can ask or say if you feel a friend is angry with you
"Are you mad at me?"
"Are you angry?"
"You're not disappointed are you?"
"Don't be angry with me. I really didn't mean it."
"I didn't know you were involved. I hope you're not mad at me."
"I really didn't know it was going to make you upset."
Excited - General Sentences
Listen to the Entire Lesson
Being excited is another positive emotion. I'm sure everyone knows what it feels like to be excited, so let's get right into learning sentences.
The day before a big event, many people get excited. Here are some sentences you can use.
"I'm getting excited for golf tomorrow."
"I'm too excited to go to sleep now. Our trip tomorrow is going to be so fun."
"We're leaving for our camping trip tomorrow. I'm getting really excited."
"Tomorrow is going to be an exciting day."
"We're finally moving into our first house. It's a very exciting time for us."
"I have an interview tomorrow. Although I am scared, it's an exciting opportunity."
Regular sentences
"I'm excited to be here."
"Your sister must be really excited about starting law school."
"It's really exciting thinking about the benefits people will gain from our project."
"It's exciting starting a small business."
"I get excited thinking about how many people I will help."
"Don't get too excited. It's not guaranteed yet."
"I wouldn't get excited yet. You still have one more match to play."
"You didn't get the job yet, so don't get too excited about it."
Questions
"I'm pretty fired up about tomorrow. Aren't you excited too?"
"Are you feeling excited or scared about your interview tomorrow?"
"Do you get excited every time you get a phone number from a girl?"
"Is your brother excited about starting work?"
"Are you excited about your date tomorrow?"
Being excited is another positive emotion. I'm sure everyone knows what it feels like to be excited, so let's get right into learning sentences.
The day before a big event, many people get excited. Here are some sentences you can use.
"I'm getting excited for golf tomorrow."
"I'm too excited to go to sleep now. Our trip tomorrow is going to be so fun."
"We're leaving for our camping trip tomorrow. I'm getting really excited."
"Tomorrow is going to be an exciting day."
"We're finally moving into our first house. It's a very exciting time for us."
"I have an interview tomorrow. Although I am scared, it's an exciting opportunity."
Regular sentences
"I'm excited to be here."
"Your sister must be really excited about starting law school."
"It's really exciting thinking about the benefits people will gain from our project."
"It's exciting starting a small business."
"I get excited thinking about how many people I will help."
"Don't get too excited. It's not guaranteed yet."
"I wouldn't get excited yet. You still have one more match to play."
"You didn't get the job yet, so don't get too excited about it."
Questions
"I'm pretty fired up about tomorrow. Aren't you excited too?"
"Are you feeling excited or scared about your interview tomorrow?"
"Do you get excited every time you get a phone number from a girl?"
"Is your brother excited about starting work?"
"Are you excited about your date tomorrow?"
Excited - Interactive Practice
Click on Listen All and follow along. After becoming
comfortable with the entire conversation, become Person A by clicking on the
Person A button. You will hear only Person B through the audio file. There will
be a silence for you to repeat the sentences of Person A. Do the same for
Person B. The speed of the conversation is native speed. Use the pause button
if the pause between each sentence is too fast for you. After practicing
several times, you will be able to speak as fast as a native.
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A: "I can't wait to go skiing
tomorrow."
B: "I know. It's going to be so much fun." A: "I always get excited the day before." B: "I used to be like that. But I go skiing so often that I don't get excited anymore." A: "I only go skiing twice a year, so it's a real treat for me." B: "That makes sense." A: "What things make you excited?" B: "Whenever I go to Vegas, I get really excited." A: "Oh... that makes me excited too!" B: "Looks like anything fun makes you excited." |
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A: "Hey Jack. Are you excited
about starting work?"
B: "Yeah. I'm really looking forward to it." A: "What was more exciting, starting college or starting work?" B: "They're pretty similar, but in different ways. I really can't decide. How about you?" A: "For me, I think starting school was more exciting." B: "Does that mean work isn't that great?" A: "It's different for everyone, but because I knew school was going to be so much fun, I really got excited about it." B: "But work is a huge portion of our lives. I'm looking forward to making it fun." A: "That's a great attitude to have. I don't think you'll have any problems in the workforce." B: "I hope you're right." |
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A:
"Hey Suzie. Guess what? I'm having a baby!"
B: "Really? That's so great. Congratulations." A: "Thanks. I'm so excited. We've been trying for 8 months now." B: "That's really exciting. How many months are you pregnant?" A: "Three months." B: "Are you going to find out if it is a boy or a girl?" A: "I want to, but Bob doesn't. He wants to be surprised like the old fashioned way." B: "Maybe it's more exciting not knowing." A: "I'd rather know and buy all the baby things ahead of time." B: "There are so many things you have to prepare for." A: "I know I am going to be busy, but I know I can handle it. I have been looking forward to this day for a long long time." B: "It really must be an exciting time for you guys." A: "Thank you so much." |
Being Worried
Listen to the Entire Lesson
Some people might say worrying is useless, but it is an emotion that everyone has. Worrying doesn't help the situation, but we can't help to feel worried when something happens. Let's look at some sentences that are commonly used.
"I'm worried about my son."
"I'm worried about the situation."
"I'm so worried."
"I'm a little worried."
"He's very worried about work."
"He's worrying about his financial situation."
"She's worried about her dog."
"Our dog has been missing for 2 days. My wife is very worried."
"Our son slipped and hit his head. It's going to be a couple of days before we know how serious it is. I can't help but worry about it."
"I'd be worried if I was in that situation."
"I bet she's really worried."
"The doctor said something was wrong with my wife's blood test. I'm so worried."
"I lost my job and I'm having a hard time finding another one. I'm beginning to worry about how I'm going to take care of my family."
"My husband lost his job. Although I'm worried, I can't put pressure on him because he feels really bad."
Some people might say worrying is useless, but it is an emotion that everyone has. Worrying doesn't help the situation, but we can't help to feel worried when something happens. Let's look at some sentences that are commonly used.
"I'm worried about my son."
"I'm worried about the situation."
"I'm so worried."
"I'm a little worried."
"He's very worried about work."
"He's worrying about his financial situation."
"She's worried about her dog."
"Our dog has been missing for 2 days. My wife is very worried."
"Our son slipped and hit his head. It's going to be a couple of days before we know how serious it is. I can't help but worry about it."
"I'd be worried if I was in that situation."
"I bet she's really worried."
"The doctor said something was wrong with my wife's blood test. I'm so worried."
"I lost my job and I'm having a hard time finding another one. I'm beginning to worry about how I'm going to take care of my family."
"My husband lost his job. Although I'm worried, I can't put pressure on him because he feels really bad."
Worry - Serious Situation
Listen to the Entire Lesson
Sometimes, a person might not take a situation seriously. If something bad happened and they don't think it is bad, then a popular comment is to say something like this.
"I would worry if I were you."
"Do you think this is a joke? This is pretty serious."
"This is one of your last chances. Aren't you worried at all?"
When we are worried, the word doesn't have to be used to express that we are worried. Here are a few examples of what I am talking about.
"I don't know how I'm going to pay for the medical bills."
"I have so much debt. I don't know what to do."
"I just took the exam and I don't know if I passed or not."
"I only applied for three schools. What's going to happen if I don't get into any of them?"
"I just had my interview. I don't know if I got it or not."
"I hope they come out with the results soon. I hate the waiting."
"The doctor said there are some complications with the pregnancy. I'm praying nothing bad happens."
"My mother got into a car accident. She's in critical condition. I don't know what's going to happen."
"So many people are counting on me. What if I let them down?"
Sometimes, a person might not take a situation seriously. If something bad happened and they don't think it is bad, then a popular comment is to say something like this.
"I would worry if I were you."
"Do you think this is a joke? This is pretty serious."
"This is one of your last chances. Aren't you worried at all?"
When we are worried, the word doesn't have to be used to express that we are worried. Here are a few examples of what I am talking about.
"I don't know how I'm going to pay for the medical bills."
"I have so much debt. I don't know what to do."
"I just took the exam and I don't know if I passed or not."
"I only applied for three schools. What's going to happen if I don't get into any of them?"
"I just had my interview. I don't know if I got it or not."
"I hope they come out with the results soon. I hate the waiting."
"The doctor said there are some complications with the pregnancy. I'm praying nothing bad happens."
"My mother got into a car accident. She's in critical condition. I don't know what's going to happen."
"So many people are counting on me. What if I let them down?"
Being Worried - Talking to a
Worried Person
Listen to the Entire Lesson
When someone is worried, here are some sentences you might need to say.
"Stop worrying. It's only making you feel worse."
"You should try to think positive. Worrying is not going to help you."
"Don't worry about the planning. I'll take care of it."
"Don't worry about the money. I already took care of it."
"I'm sure you passed the test. Don't worry about it."
"You had a high GPA and you did well on your test. Don't worry about getting into school. I'm sure all of them will accept you."
"You're over reacting. The situation is not that bad. I don't think you should be worried at all."
"Worrying is not going to help your situation. Let's think of a step by step plan that will help your financial problem."
"The hardest part of your situation is that you can't do anything about it. I hope everything works out."
"Everything happens for a reason. I'm sure something good will come out of all this."
When someone is worried, here are some sentences you might need to say.
"Stop worrying. It's only making you feel worse."
"You should try to think positive. Worrying is not going to help you."
"Don't worry about the planning. I'll take care of it."
"Don't worry about the money. I already took care of it."
"I'm sure you passed the test. Don't worry about it."
"You had a high GPA and you did well on your test. Don't worry about getting into school. I'm sure all of them will accept you."
"You're over reacting. The situation is not that bad. I don't think you should be worried at all."
"Worrying is not going to help your situation. Let's think of a step by step plan that will help your financial problem."
"The hardest part of your situation is that you can't do anything about it. I hope everything works out."
"Everything happens for a reason. I'm sure something good will come out of all this."
Stress - School
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Unfortunately, stress is a common emotion that we all experience. Most of the time, stress is caused by pressure placed on us. We experience stress trying to live up to someone else's expectations. This is the same for school and work. We are given work to do and if there is so much, we experience stress.
School
"I'm stressing out. I have a mid term tomorrow and I haven't studied yet."
"I have a paper due tomorrow and I didn't even read the book. I'm so stressed."
"I always get stressed out during finals week. Even if I study a lot, there are always unexpected questions I don't know about."
"My parents give me so much stress. They expect me to get straight A's all the time."
"I would enjoy school a lot more if my parents didn't put so much pressure on me."
"My dad gave me a beating when I brought home a C on my report card."
"I'm so stressed. I'm taking the CPA exam next week and I'm not confident."
"I've been stressed like this for two weeks now. I'll be happy when this semester is over."
"I took too many classes this semester. I shouldn't have tried to do so much. Now I'm stressing like crazy."
"My English professor is stressing me out. He wants me to help him write his article."
"I'm having a lot of trouble in my political science class. It's stressing me out."
Unfortunately, stress is a common emotion that we all experience. Most of the time, stress is caused by pressure placed on us. We experience stress trying to live up to someone else's expectations. This is the same for school and work. We are given work to do and if there is so much, we experience stress.
School
"I'm stressing out. I have a mid term tomorrow and I haven't studied yet."
"I have a paper due tomorrow and I didn't even read the book. I'm so stressed."
"I always get stressed out during finals week. Even if I study a lot, there are always unexpected questions I don't know about."
"My parents give me so much stress. They expect me to get straight A's all the time."
"I would enjoy school a lot more if my parents didn't put so much pressure on me."
"My dad gave me a beating when I brought home a C on my report card."
"I'm so stressed. I'm taking the CPA exam next week and I'm not confident."
"I've been stressed like this for two weeks now. I'll be happy when this semester is over."
"I took too many classes this semester. I shouldn't have tried to do so much. Now I'm stressing like crazy."
"My English professor is stressing me out. He wants me to help him write his article."
"I'm having a lot of trouble in my political science class. It's stressing me out."
Stress - Work
Listen to the Entire Lesson
"I get a lot of stress from work."
"I'm sick of all the stress I have to deal with."
"The project I'm working on is giving me a lot of stress."
"I have a lot of stress because of my manager. He wants me to finish my project in four days."
"The most stressful thing about work is always making sure my manager is happy."
"If I don't butt kiss, I might get fired. It's so stressful living like this."
"Work is so stressful."
"There's this guy at work. He's the biggest butt kisser. It's stressful competing against this guy."
"I get a lot of stress from my coworkers. They're all way too competitive."
"I volunteered for another project and it's stressful to say the least. I'm working 14 hours a day."
"My company is over working me. They expect way too much from everybody."
"If the work doesn't kill me, the stress will."
"I get a lot of stress from work."
"I'm sick of all the stress I have to deal with."
"The project I'm working on is giving me a lot of stress."
"I have a lot of stress because of my manager. He wants me to finish my project in four days."
"The most stressful thing about work is always making sure my manager is happy."
"If I don't butt kiss, I might get fired. It's so stressful living like this."
"Work is so stressful."
"There's this guy at work. He's the biggest butt kisser. It's stressful competing against this guy."
"I get a lot of stress from my coworkers. They're all way too competitive."
"I volunteered for another project and it's stressful to say the least. I'm working 14 hours a day."
"My company is over working me. They expect way too much from everybody."
"If the work doesn't kill me, the stress will."
Stress - Questions and Answers
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"What do you do when you feel a lot of stress?"
"What do you do when you feel stressed out?"
"How do you relieve your stress?"
"After work, I usually go out with some friends and have a few drinks."
"We usually complain about our jobs over a bottle of Soju."
"Drinking is the way we deal with stress."
"On the weekend, my friends and I go out and drink a lot. It's the only way to stop thinking about work."
Although drinking to relieve stress is a normal practice. It is a bad interview question. When you are talking to friends, it is normal to say that you drink to take care of the stress, but if you talk to someone important, make sure you give a simple answer.
"I usually go to the river and relax by the water."
"I like to rent a movie and relax on the sofa. This really helps me deal with my stress."
"What stresses you out the most?"
"What makes you stressed the most?"
"Where do you get the most stress from?"
"My company gives me the most stress."
"My girlfriend gives me the most stress."
"I get a lot of stress from my parents."
"School is the most stressful for me."
"Everything about life is stressful."
"I have a lot of stress trying to pay all the bills."
"What do you do when you feel a lot of stress?"
"What do you do when you feel stressed out?"
"How do you relieve your stress?"
"After work, I usually go out with some friends and have a few drinks."
"We usually complain about our jobs over a bottle of Soju."
"Drinking is the way we deal with stress."
"On the weekend, my friends and I go out and drink a lot. It's the only way to stop thinking about work."
Although drinking to relieve stress is a normal practice. It is a bad interview question. When you are talking to friends, it is normal to say that you drink to take care of the stress, but if you talk to someone important, make sure you give a simple answer.
"I usually go to the river and relax by the water."
"I like to rent a movie and relax on the sofa. This really helps me deal with my stress."
"What stresses you out the most?"
"What makes you stressed the most?"
"Where do you get the most stress from?"
"My company gives me the most stress."
"My girlfriend gives me the most stress."
"I get a lot of stress from my parents."
"School is the most stressful for me."
"Everything about life is stressful."
"I have a lot of stress trying to pay all the bills."
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