- Sometimes it's the small,
simple words that make your English
sound more advanced and more natural.
And in today's lesson,
you'll learn to keep your English simple
with the same expressions that a lot of native
and advanced speakers use with the verb make.
And we'll learn these expressions in a story
about an entrepreneur and their dream vacation.
Hi, I'm your English coach, Christina,
and welcome to Business English with Christina,
where you become better at English
and better at business.
In today's lesson, it's story time.
I'm gonna tell you a story.
It's a fictional story, of course,
about an entrepreneur who decided
to go on their dream vacation
because they reached a big goal in their business.
The reason we're doing this
is because stories are a great way to learn new vocabulary
because they help you to remember better.
And especially if the story is something
that you can identify with and you can relate to,
maybe even a story that helps you dream about something.
And after the story, of course,
we will quiz you on the new vocabulary.
So a couple of years ago, I started a side business
while I was working at my regular job.
And suddenly, this year I got
a couple of big, important clients.
And to be honest, I just made a killing.
So I was able to quit my regular job
and bring in a small team to help me to run the company.
And then I made up my mind.
It was time for a long, overdue vacation.
Because I was busy running the business,
I didn't have a lot of time to plan ahead,
and I just decided I wanted to be more spontaneous.
And since I'm my own boss now,
that means that I can take some weeks away
whenever I want to.
So I bought a plane ticket to Malta.
Now, I did think of making a hotel reservation
before I went.
So I made a last-ditch effort to research some good hotels,
but then I figured, since it's not tourist season,
maybe I'll just go with the flow
and see what I feel like doing
and where I feel like staying when I arrive.
But when my plane landed,
I realized that they'd lost my luggage.
So I had to make do with the things I had
in my small carry-on.
But you know what?
I didn't mind because it means I just had to make do
with the essentials, my laptop,
a few clothes and toiletries.
And I mean, everything else you can buy.
So I took a taxi to Saint Paul's Bay.
It's this little seaside resort.
And in tourist season, it's really quite busy,
but this was the off-season.
So I was able to find a place to stay pretty easily.
And at reception, I grabbed a map
and decided to go out and explore the neighborhood.
And I went out, walked around for a while,
but then when it was time to make my way back to my hotel,
I realized that I couldn't make heads or tails of the map.
Now, before we find out what happened next in this story,
a quick little announcement for you.
If you're an entrepreneur or a business owner
and you know that you need to improve your English
so that you can increase your business,
go ahead and go get my English Habits Starter Kit
to help you start building those solid, essential habits
that will help you to improve your English regularly,
consistently, every day on the long term,
so that you see results.
The link for that English Habits Starter Kit
is down in the notes below this video.
Now, let's get back to the story.
So I ended up going down this small street,
and then that's when I saw this tiny door.
And it looked like it went into a house,
but actually it went into a restaurant,
and the smell of the food inside, oh my goodness.
It made my mouth water.
And I realized that I was actually really hungry.
So I went in and I ordered the aljotta,
which is this fish stew.
It's a local specialty.
And it's so good.
After dinner, I could think clearly.
And so, I was able to ask directions back to the hotel,
because in Malta, they all speak very good English.
And I walked along the beach as the sun set,
knowing that I could finally enjoy this vacation
when I want to because my business is working for me.
And that just made my day.
- Okay, now it's time to see
if you remember those expressions
that you heard in the story.
It's quiz time, boys and girls.
And here's your first quiz question.
What expression could complete this sentence?
I don't have my computer today,
so I'll just have to, mm, with my tablet.
Which expression would you use?
Make do, make my mind up, or make my way?
Here's the answer.
I don't have my computer today.
I'll have to make do with my tablet.
And of course, you can also check this quiz
and check the answers,
if you want to make some notes or write them down,
over at the blog.
And the link to the blog post for this lesson is,
of course, down in the notes.
All right, here's quiz question number two.
What expression would complete this sentence?
My client made a wise decision
bringing on an expert to help them.
Now they're.
Hmm.
Making my mouth water, making a killing,
making a last-ditch effort.
Here's the answer.
My client made a wise decision
bringing on an expert to help them.
Now, they're making a killing.
Okay, and here is the third and final question of the quiz.
Which answer best answers this question?
Why did the entrepreneur in this story
decide to go on vacation?
Because they achieved an important business goal,
because they finally had enough money,
because they finally were their own boss
and could leave when they wanted to,
or all of the above?
Of course, the answer is all of the above.
That entrepreneur definitely deserved that vacation.
Now, remember, if you want to achieve your goals,
small, regular habits are essential
to reaching those big, long-term goals.
And that's why I created
the English Habits Starter Kit for you,
to help you get those goals in place,
get those habits in place, fix your goals, get the habits,
and then be as regular and consistent as possible
reaching your goal step by step,
so that you too can take your dream vacation.
And as I always say, if you don't use it, you lose it.
So here's how you can use
what you learned in this lesson today.
Where is a place that you would travel to
if you reached an important goal
or milestone in your business?
What would be your dream vacation
to reward yourself for reaching that goal?
Share it with me in the comments, because I just,
I like seeing what you guys are interested in,
what you love doing, what your dreams are,
and the places you'd like to go,
because maybe I'll get some ideas
of my future vacation destinations from you guys.
So put your answer down in the comments below.
And if you enjoyed this lesson, please let me know,
so that I can continue to make
more business English lessons for you.
And there are three ways that you can help me.
First thing, give this video a thumbs up on YouTube
and subscribe to my channel,
so that you get the next business English lessons.
And there are some good ones coming up
in the next couple of weeks for the summer.
Second thing, go over to the blog post
and check out the article
and the written lesson that goes with this video lesson.
And while you're there, sign up to my newsletter,
so I can send you extra bonuses
over the next few weeks as well.
And the final thing that you can do
is continue learning with me with this next lesson,
all about how to pitch your business
in casual conversations.
And thank you so much for improving your English
and yourself with Business English With Christina.
And I'll see you next time.