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everyone today we'll be talking about
everyday American culture in the
US last time we talked about American
supermarkets and how they're unique this
time we're going to look at how much it
actually costs to live in New York City
when you think about America perhaps one
of the first things that might come to
mind is the bright lights and the fast
pace of the big city for sure in New
York City everyone who visits wants to
go to the big tourist locations Central
Park Time Square the Statue of Liberty
but how much does it actually cost to
live there in this video we're going to
talk about the actual living cost of New
York City let's start with the most
basic thing you need to live in New York
an apartment without an apartment you
can't really say you live in New York
City but if you want to live in the city
you should be prepared to live in a
small space more than half of the
apartments in New York City are 700
Square ft or smaller that's about 65
square m this could be for a studio
apartment which has no walls between the
kitchen and the bedroom or it could be a
one-bedroom apartment which does have a
separate bedroom these kinds of places
cost cost on average
$1,890 or
$2,100 respectively so expect to pay a
pretty high price if you want to live in
the city but keep in mind that a
separate payment is required for heat
and water in your apartment for an
average apartment about 915 Square ft in
New York City about
$145 is required for utility bills this
covers heating electricity water and
garbage for internet and phone however
that's a totally separate payment
one of the best things about living in
New York City is how convenient things
are if you walk down the street you can
quickly find a coffee shop a bookstore
or a supermarket because of this people
who live there rarely have cars it's
quite expensive to keep one in the city
instead people use public transportation
like buses or the subway for a monthly
transit pass you can expect to pay about
$120 and if you want to use a taxi fair
start at
$2.50 New York City is known for its
wide variety of delicious restaurants
you can find food from all over the
world you can get anything from a food
cart hot dog to an expensive steak
dinner in New York City because of this
wide variety however it's hard to
determine a specific average for a meal
when living in New York City you can
imagine going to concerts shows baseball
games and so on but the cost of these
can get pretty pricey if you want to see
the latest film in New York City you can
expect to pay about $15 per ticket
if you want to do something a little
more exciting and check out a Yankees
baseball game for example it'll cost you
about $50 a ticket and if you want to
check out Broadway and see one of the
latest shows you can expect to pay about
a couple hundred for the best seats
there are lots of ways to determine the
cost of living in New York City but
these are just a couple important
aspects so how does New York City
compare to big cities in your country
what are some things that are different
and what else would you like to know
about American culture let us know in
the comments if you enjoyed this video
hit the like button and subscribe to our
Channel and if you want to learn more
about American culture click the link in
the description sign up for your free
lifetime account and start learning with
us today we'll see you next time
bye ah this kicked on in the middle of
the shot
jerk big cities in your country
no
memories comment to us please compare to
big cities in your country
what are some things that are different
let's try that one more time your hair
my hair is like I want to be in the
picture just that
one then subscribe to our
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unas after the wind
yeah hi everybody welcome back to ask
Alicia the weekly series where you ask
me questions and I answer them BBE let's
get to your first question this week
first question this week comes from
kavisha samarin I hope I said your name
right hi kavisha kavisha says what are
the differences between do and does and
is and are can you teach me yeah sure so
let's start by looking at do and does we
use do and does as part of a question
that we're asking and we decide to use
do or does according to the subject so
when we use the subject you for example
we use do like do you something
something something and when our subject
is he she or it we use does does he does
she does it we can of course use other
subjects with do as well do I or do they
or do we but for today's lesson let's
use you because it's a very easy example
to use so we can ask yes or no questions
by putting do and does at the beginning
of this question for example do you have
a pen or does he have my wallet we can
ask these simple yes or no questions we
can also use do and does in information
questions that begin with a wh question
like who what where when and so on for
example what do you do means what is
your job or what does he do means what
is his job so we use do and does as part
of these different kinds of questions so
we have these simple yes no questions
where do and does come at the beginning
of the question and we have these
information questions where these words
come in the middle of the question so
the key here though is to remember that
we use do with certain subjects I you we
they and we use does with other subjects
he she and it so this is a quick
introduction I hope that that helps you
understand the differences between do
and does so let's talk a little bit now
about the differences between is and are
the key here is to remember that is is
used with singular subjects and are is
used with plural subjects so to give a
very very basic example he is something
something and we are something something
so in the he is something something
example pattern we have a singular
subject he is that's one person in the
we are pattern we have we as the subject
which represents more than one person so
a plural subject right so we can expand
this we can use this in other ways too
so for example two dogs are at the park
that's another way to make the subject
plural or we could say one dog is at the
park to make the subject singular so the
key here is that is is used for singular
subjects and R is used for plural
subjects also keep in mind that these
are used in present tense situations if
you want to make these past tense we
would use these as was and were so I
hope that this quick introduction helps
you understand the differences between
do and does and is and are thanks very
much for the question okay great let's
move on to your next question next
question comes from Matthew hi Matthew
Matthew says hi Alicia I'm from Peru and
I'm 17 years old I always watch your
videos thank you my question is how can
I improve my listening and how long does
it take I'm very good at grammar and
other things but sometimes I worry when
I don't understand conversations yeah
sure let's talk about some ways that you
can improve your listening skills so I
know that a lot of people of course want
to listen to something to improve their
listening skills but like you said it
sometimes really hard to catch all the
words if you're watching maybe a movie
or like a YouTube video or something
sometimes you have subtitles right you
have captions at the bottom of the
screen so you can read what's being said
and that's really helpful right but what
do you do if you're listening to like a
podcast for example or maybe a news
report those are kind of difficult
situations because there's no captions
right so what do you do the thing that I
recommend a lot for listening practice
is to find materials that have a script
so sometimes you can find podcasts or
other language learning materials that
also have a script so it's not just
listening but you have the option to
listen and to read along so this is
really really helpful for exactly the
reason that you mentioned in your
question if you can't quite catch a word
or maybe there's a new expression or
something like that or maybe the way
that the person speaks is kind of unique
or something you haven't heard before
you can check the script and see what
that person said like what were the
words that person used and you can think
about how that person how that speaker
connected words in a certain way so you
might be listening to something that has
a kind of special dialect maybe or they
speak very very uniquely or maybe they
have kind of a funny way of speaking
whatever that might be if you have a
script you can check the script and that
will tell you what the other person
actually said and you can kind of think
about that like H maybe it's different
from the way you've heard that word
pronounced in the past or maybe that's a
totally new word that you need to go and
look up so this can be a really great
way to work on improving your ability to
catch those new sounds and to hear how
people link sounds together so that
would be one tip is to choose materials
that have a script or if you watch
videos with captions that's also great
too but make sure that you have
something that you can read so you can
check your understanding that's tip one
my other tip for improving your
listening skills would be to listen
multiple times reading and not reading
the script so that means for example you
listen three times let's say so the
first time you listen with no script you
just listen and try to see what can I
understand the second time you listen
and you read at the same time and the
third time you listen with no script
again to see how much you've improved so
another tip with this kind of listening
practice is to try to space out your
listening sessions over many days so of
course if you want to and if you have
time you can listen multiple times on
the same day but the point is to improve
your listening skills over time right
it's not just to improve your listening
skills for one day so if you listen for
example to the same lesson three times
in a week and you have a script to refer
to you can refresh your mind on the
script a couple times throughout the
week you're probably going to see
improvements in your listening skills
over time it'll probably be a lot better
than if you just listen one time and try
to cram everything in in one listening
session so this can be another way to
improve your long-term listening skills
and it will also help you to remember
any new vocabulary that you find in your
listening and your script reading
exercise exes so those would be my two
big tips for working on your listening
skills to choose materials that have
scripts that you can check and refer to
and to space out your listening practice
over time and to make sure you practice
with and without the script so you
retain and remember those new words so I
hope that this helps you and good luck
as you develop your listening skills
also you mentioned in your question how
long does it take please keep in mind
that this is always an ongoing process
we are always developing our listening
skills and always developing our ability
to recognize new words Even in our
native language so just work on what's
in front of you and try to set some
small goals that you know that you can
achieve for yourself that will hopefully
help you to keep your motivation up so
thanks very much for your question all
right let's move on to the next question
next question comes from chitra yum hi
chitra chitra says hi Alicia the word
people and the word persons which one is
correct for the plural form can you
answer this yeah great question okay so
generally speaking in most cases you
will use the word one person for a
single person and two or more people for
multiple people this is probably going
to be the case in the vast majority of
situations so that means in very very
close to all situations there are a few
situations where you may see someone in
writing probably using persons to mean
the plural of person and there may be
some situations where you see people
people with an S so we can talk quickly
about these but these are kind of rare
situations so the key guide that I want
you to remember is one person two or
more people that's the one that you can
use in most situations but let's talk
about these other kind of rare
situations in very legal or formal or
perhaps official writing like in rules
and contracts and these kinds of things
you may see
sometimes persons being used instead of
people like two persons or three persons
something like that you may see this
Choice used in those kinds of situations
we generally don't use this in everyday
communication and everyday conversation
so this is kind of this rare or uncommon
use of persons next let's talk about the
use of people so people with an S this
use is typically used specifically when
we're talking about different ethnic or
racial groups so for example if we're
talking about maybe a tribe of Native
people we might use peoples to talk
about multiple tribes in one region so
for example if a news article is talking
about tribe A Tribe B and tribe C in the
article they might say the peoples of
the region that use of peoples refers to
three different tribal or ethnic groups
so this is a very very specific use of
this peoples this is pretty much the
only time that we use this S at the end
of the word so you may see this from
time to time when talking about specific
racial groups or specific ethnic groups
or specific tribal groups but again in
most situations you can follow the rule
of singular one person or multiple two
or more people so I hope this clarifies
any doubts that you have about the uses
of these words thanks very much for
sending along your question all right
that is everything that I have for this
week thank you as always for sending
your great questions remember you can
send them to me at
englishclass101.com
asken Alicia also there is a link in the
YouTube description please send me your
questions there don't send them to me in
a YouTube comment or in a Facebook
comment or whatever there's too many
questions so make sure to send them to
the official question submission page
also if you like this lesson please
please please don't forget to give it a
thumbs up and subscribe to this channel
if you haven't already also check us out
in English class 101.com for some other
things that can help you with your
English studies thanks very much for
watching this week's episode of ask
Alicia and I will see you again soon
bye hi everybody my name is Alicia and
I'm joined again in the studio by
Michael hello and today we're going to
be talking about some misconceptions
about America so let's get right into it
let's start with you Michael what is
your first misconception that you've
heard about
America I'm going to have to start with
the Arrogant American
stereotype so this this I think maybe in
the past had been uh a little bit more
accurate but ever since the internet and
ever since like the 60s with the Vietnam
War and uh the hippie movement and
everything going on then this has really
died down a bit you know I'm proud to be
an American but I'm not one of the the
stereotypical Americans that we're
number one we're the best blah blah this
really has died down um yeah I hear this
a lot though on the internet and whatnot
um yeah I know what you mean that the
whole you know number one one thing at
least for me one of the things that I I
don't know I feel like if you say that
there's a greatest country in the world
I I don't know I think that's a silly
thing to say that you're the greatest
country in the world not that I don't
you know support America or you know
appreciate all the things that America
does like for me and for people around
the world I feel like I'm I'm treading
in Dangerous Waters right here right now
but I don't know there are plenty of
good things about other countries too
I'm going to stop here before I can
before I get on my Soap Box anyway I'm
going to go to my first one my first one
um is maybe I don't know maybe this is
one that you've got as well hamburgers
are the only American
food this is a misconception that I have
heard a lot uh hamburgers and variations
of hamburgers cheeseburgers bacon
cheeseburgers avocado Burgers veggie
burgers whatever anything Burger is not
the only American food there are plenty
of other American foods like uh if you
even if you just stick around like the
fast food ballpark for a while there are
like hot dogs there are like Philly
cheese steaks which are delicious if you
go to the South there's all kinds of
interesting um like Louisianan food that
you can try down there you can eat
crocodile you can eat frog legs which I
mean probably is borrowed to some extent
from French cuisine um there's lots of
fresh fish like salmon from Washington
Oregon where I'm from we talked a lot
about TexMex and like California Burrito
culture there's so much good stuff to
try in America and it's not just Burgers
like American food is more than just
burgers that drives me crazy when people
say oh you're Americans you must love
hamburgers right well they're great but
there's so much other good stuff to
try likewise just with the hamburger
thing when you think hamburgers you
think fast food right and so that's the
other stereotype that even if you want a
good authentic American hamburger don't
go to one of the fast food restaurants
and that's what they think oh you you're
American you can't appreciate the real
good high quality cheese and blah blah
blah if you have a really good authentic
American hamburger you'll you'll be
really happy yeah yeah you'll be really
happy it's really good
um did I miss any like key American
foods I feel like I kind of like the big
ones as far as like you know region
Centric foods that are that are big that
was the first thing I thought of and you
got to it is Louisiana as far like
something that people don't usually
think about when they think about
American food and that's amazing food
and I think you know to to take that a
little bit further um while traveling
and teaching people would say oh your
name's not a really American name
because my last name is German
but I would tell them that there is no
American name like a truly American name
would be like the Native Americans from
way back when and one of the beauties of
America is that it's the Melting Pot as
you always hear and then it's a lot of
different cultures so as you were saying
about Louisiana food it's probably
borrowed from French and you know
American food isn't just hamburgers it's
there's a whole wide array and as we
talked about before the Mexican food so
absolutely there's a big variety and
it's not just one thing yeah explore
explore American Cuisine there's a lot
of it to explore I think all right uh
what's your next
misconception next misconception is well
this one's a little bit specific to
where I'm from is that everybody skis or
snowboards in Colorado so this is
something I think this is natural when
you meet somebody from any different
state Province whatever is that you
think about the tourist attractions of
that place and you say you know so I
meet another American even yeah even
within America and they say oh you're
you're from Colorado do you and
snowboard and yeah you know sometimes
just because I'm from there doesn't mean
I'd do it and to me I think you know
it's kind of a rough analogy but it'd be
like meeting someone from France and
being like Oh do you go to the Eiffel
Tower every day like yeah once when I
was a kid you know um yeah same thing
with America oh you know just as the
whole country it's what the Statue of
Liberty and these kinds of things you
ever get that or yeah every once in a
while or like um I'm from Oregon so we
have like you know Ski and Snowboard
culture there but I'm trying to think of
if there's when I say that I'm I was
raised in Oregon if there's something
that I usually get back and I don't
think I do I think California maybe more
so like if you say you're from
California it might be something like oh
well do you surf or do you go to the
beach or I think that there's it's
really easy to kind of make an image uh
of that of that state or what that
State's people might be like and then to
ask a question about that but I don't
think that it's necessarily like out of
I don't know malice that people say such
things I think it's just trying to make
a connection like oh i' I'm familiar to
some degree with your state or I I know
something about your state maybe this is
the way we can have a conversation about
it but yeah like kind of pigeon hoing
people like trying to stereotype People
based on you know where they're from and
what you presume they might like to do I
guess it could come off as a little like
uh a little irritating for some yeah I
don't I don't mind it because I know
that it's it's good intentions they're
just trying to make a connection and I I
do the same thing that I think of all
the musicians or famous actors or
actresses from whatever the country
they're from and I'll say that hopefully
you're just trying to make conversations
so it's not a big deal but again it's
it's a stereotype and just try to relate
it and put put yourself in the shoes
like what what kind of tourist
attractions and stereotypes do I not
relate to yeah yeah or saying oh I've
been there to such and such attraction
before it was really nice that kind of
thing yeah I think it's it's it's not
necessarily bad it's just one of those
things like okay all right uh next one
let's see the next one that I have I
I've heard this now and now and
then this one that I've heard is
Americans all own guns I've heard this I
don't hear it so me too Sam
Sam oh gosh we both had this one but
this is one that I think maybe it's
because of action movies maybe it's
because of the news stories that come
out about shootings in America which are
horribly tragic and unfortunate but for
some reason some people have this image
that Americans all own guns um I don't
own a gun me either so I there's one
person two people who do not own gun
guns um and I know that there are plenty
more there are a lot of people who do
not own guns and um I mean whether or
not you support guns maybe that's a
different issue but I just this is this
is one point that's always just a little
bit confusing to me that I don't know I
guess maybe this comes from like West
old western movies where we're like you
know Cowboys
are depicted as kind of like this gun
toing like gun loving shoot them up sort
of country but I don't think that it's
that I don't I don't think that that's
America yeah well all of America there
are parts of America there are some
people in America who like guns fine
okay that's your thing it's just not
mine and it's not some other people's
yeah I think the fact that we both have
to kind of like stop and hesitate it is
it is an issue you know it's a it's a
Hot Topic it's what Second Amendment
right so it's always people are
constantly debating this um but I tell
people I can't think of of five people
like in all of my friends and family
five people I can't think of five who
own a gun you know there's some people
who like military something like this
but like private people that's really
not common there's only a handful of
people I know that own a gun uh and they
go out shooting it's not like a big deal
um but it is it is a Hot Topic but I I
hate this every time oh America cowboy
guns this kind of h no I'm not I'm not a
cowboy not don't have guns I don't know
have you ever gone shooting though um my
parents had um do you know clay pigeons
clay pigeon shooting my parents used to
do that with their friends they had um
they would just go to a small shooting
range and they it's just like this
little disc made of clay and it it it
was just a sport it was just for sport
they'd shoot it or they'd like fly what
do you call it like fling fling I guess
they'd throw like this clay pigeon in
the air and then you'd aim and try to
shoot it it was like a sport um and so
my parents had a couple for that and
then I think they sold them after a
while because they just they just didn't
do it very often um I I fired that a
couple times and I really didn't like it
it just made me feel really
uncomfortable um how how old were you I
was
probably 17
18 or so yeah it's about the age you
would know if you like it or you don't I
suppose but I it just made me really
really uncomfortable I didn't like it um
but I don't know I I've have known
people who who use them for hunting like
I knew somebody um in high school and
college his dad had one um but they he'd
go out hunting every year and he'd go
out and kill a deer and then they'd
bring it home and they'd like prepare it
and the family would have would have
that um to eat throughout the winter
that was like just one of their family's
Traditions um but as far as like a
handgun I don't think I've ever met
anyone that I know of no wait I did know
one guy see that's he was a
little I'm not going to say anything i'
I'm really uncomfortable on this video
so far feel like it's getting
controversial yeah yeah okay so let's go
to the last one cuz it's not
controversial
let's go to the last one U my last one
is it'll be quick and easy to see the
whole country no America is huge
especially well compared to a lot of
other countries around the world America
is very very large um I've heard of
people saying you know like they're
going to go to visit New York and then
they say okay and then we're going to
we're going to rent a car and we're
going to drive to
California and the Americans in the room
will go you know how long that's going
to take you right you have some concept
of how far that is like oh you know a
few hours or you know couple days like
no it's far it's like 5,000 miles across
the country so you should plan some time
I heard about a guy recently who took
like a month to bicycle from New York to
California it's crazy little bit he had
some he had some people give him car
rides along the way um but have you ever
run into somebody who like has no no
concept of how large the country is all
the time really usually I mean again
like we're talking about the you want to
make a connection so usually they just
name everyone knows New York Texas
California that's pretty much it when
you think America and so even even
Americans I know you you really don't
put it on scale of how how big it is
unless you look at a picture and you
place like Europe on top and you go wow
this is this is pretty huge um generally
though I I haven't met anybody who's
like planning a trip and going I think
when you plan a trip they make a little
more preparations but yeah same thing
they really have no idea no like frame
of reference I guess cuz it's kind of
its own yeah thing and then if you even
want to include like Alaska Hawaii which
are just way out there yeah good luck
with that your week long
trip yeah it's quite large all right so
those are some common misconceptions
about America anything else you want to
add to this or anything else you would
like to clear up um don't you dare say
anything about America because it's not
true my
gosh just happened those are some
misconceptions about America so maybe
we've cleared up few things about
America or maybe we've only intensified
a few of your misconceptions about
America who knows but thanks very much
for joining us this time and we will see
you again when we have another fun topic
to discuss
bye going to the beach hi everybody
welcome back to top words my name is
Alicia and today we're going to be
talking about 20 travel phrases that you
should know so let's go do you have any
recommendations the first phrase is do
you have any recommendations this is
great to use when you get to a
restaurant where you don't know what the
food is you don't know anything about
the local Cuisine or you're just feeling
a little bit adventurous you can ask the
weight staff do you have any
recommendations how much is this how
much is this this is useful when you're
out shopping or when you're in a
restaurant and the price is not clearly
marked or something is not clear to you
so you can ask how much is this usually
when you point to something I would
recommend like pointing to the menu or
pointing to an item how much is this I'd
like this you can point to something and
say I'd like this uh if you want to say
I'd like uh one for example I don't know
you're getting beer I'd like one of
these if however you're in a situation
where you can't point you can say I'd
like 10 of the blah blah blah I'd like
10 of the blue t-shirts please can I try
this on is useful when you're shopping
for clothes so you find something that
you'd like to try just ask the staff can
I try this on you can just say I want to
try this on if you like do you speak
English you might get asked this phrase
so you should say if you're watching
this video you should probably say yes
or you can say yes a little if you're
not feeling very confident if you're
watching this video and you're
understanding this part and you say no
then things that's a little strange I
have a reservation usually the staff
will greet you and you can say I have a
reservation hello I have a reservation
it's at 7:00 the name is Alicia usually
we say the name is or it's under meaning
the reservation is under my name or um
it's for name or uh it's in name water
please depending on which country you're
from water may or may not automatically
be brought to your table when you're at
a restaurant if you would like more
water however you can say water please
to make it a little more polite I would
like wave at the weight staff and say
could I please have some more water do
you take credit cards do you take credit
cards in case you're not sure if the
shop that you're in will accept credit
cards or debit cards you can ask them do
you take credit cards so it doesn't mean
do you take meaning are you going to
take my card but this take means do you
accept credit cards this isn't what I
ordered so if you're at a restaurant you
order steak and you get Lobster instead
you can look at it and go oh this isn't
what I ordered be careful though say
this politely if you look at the weight
staff and you say this isn't what I
ordered they're going to be like I don't
know just be a nice customer excuse me
but I don't think this is what I ordered
or this isn't what I ordered can you
please check could we have the menu
please if for some reason you don't
receive a menu when you come to the
table you can again just wave at a
member of the staff and say could we
have the menu please could you give me a
discount could you give me a discount
means uh I would like a cheaper price
essentially it depends on which country
you're in if haggling or bargaining
meaning uh talking to the seller to try
to reduce the price my family didn't
bargain we didn't haggle so I don't
haggle depends on you and your culture
but uh just yeah just be be aware of the
culture that you're in and the place
that you're in before you ask this
question do you have any vegetarian
dishes ah this is useful some people uh
have specific eating requirements or
eating needs maybe food allergy for
example you can replace vegetarian with
the specific dietary requirement that
you have do you have any vegan dishes do
you have any gluten-free dishes do you
have any low fat dishes do you have any
low carb dishes do you have any
fish-free dishes do you have
any could you take a picture of me
please if you are in a location where
you would like to take a picture but you
don't want to do a selfie or you don't
have a selfie stick or whatever you want
someone else to take a picture of you a
stranger that you don't know you can ask
them could you take a picture of me
please or excuse me would you mind
taking a picture of me please I'm
allergic to blah blah blah if you have a
food allergy or even uh an allergy to a
medicine this is the phrase you can use
to explain that I'm allergic to wheat or
I can't eat wheat for example is the
Wi-Fi free meaning can I use the Wi-Fi
free of charge keep in mind some places
have
a a password that you have to ask the
staff for so you can say is the Wi-Fi
free if they say yes you can then follow
that up with can I have the password I'd
like to have a non-smoking seat please
so when you go to a restaurant you have
an option between smoking and nonsmoking
sections the staff will say smoking or
nonsmoking you can say I'd like to have
a nonsmoking seat please quite honestly
though the most natural response is just
to say non-smoking could I get a map map
maybe it's a map of the subway system
for the city that you're in or maybe
it's a map of the area around your hotel
you could say could I have a map as well
could I have the check you're finished
at your Cafe you're finished at the
restaurant and it's time to leave it's
time to pay so you say to the weight
staff excuse me could I have the check
another more common expression perhaps
is excuse me check please you might also
hear Bill excuse me can I have the bill
where is the bathroom very important
question if you're traveling in America
we don't really use the word toilet or
washroom very much we use bathroom or
restroom to talk about um toilet
facilities excuse me can you tell me
where the bathroom is uh or excuse me
I'm looking for the bathroom or I'm
looking for the restroom is this the
train for blah blah blah or is this the
train that goes to blah blah blah to
confirm with someone that I'm indeed on
the correct train line if I say is this
the train Bound for or San Francisco you
can use that to check if you're correct
so that's the end those are 20 travel
phrases that you can use when you're
traveling in an English-speaking country
give them a try I hope that they go well
for you of course there are many
different variations on these themes so
be sure to experiment a little bit
thanks very much for watching this
episode of Top words and we will see you
again soon bye the things that I do
before I travel to a country where I
cannot speak the language I actually
learned numbers okay F hi everybody
welcome back to top words my name is
Alicia and today we're going to be
talking about the top 10 ways to prepare
for travel so let's go choose your
destination the first step is to choose
your destination destination is the
place you want to go so of course choose
your destination to begin your travels
in a sentence if you choose your
destination based only on price you
might be
disappointed buy a guide book the next
expression is buy a guide book or maybe
download a guide book at this point buy
a guide book so once you have chosen
your destination you can buy a guide
book for your destination which will
give you tips about what to do there in
a sentence I bought my guide book on the
internet and it was great you can buy a
guide book at a used bookstore for Less
save money phrase for travel is save
money so once you have chosen your
destination and bought a guide book you
need to save money if you haven't saved
money already so travel can be expensive
you need to save money for your actual
uh Transportation as well as for the
things you plan to do in your
destination so in a sentence I'm trying
to save money for a trip to Europe next
year saving money is hard but it's worth
it when you're on the trip book a flight
the next step is to book a flight so
you've saved your money you've chosen
your destination you've bought the guide
book now you need to to book your flight
so to book means to reserve it's the
same as in like book a restaurant for
example uh book a hotel book a flight so
in a sentence I booked my flight for my
vacation last week research the costs
research the costs well I hope you do
this before you book your flight but uh
you research the costs of where you're
going to go how much does it cost to eat
there how much does transportation cost
there uh how much are sightseeing
attractions going to cost there those
kinds of things so you need to research
the costs for your trip in a sentence
I've researched the costs for my
upcoming vacation in Europe and it seems
pretty reasonable request vacation time
the next step is to request vacation
time or to request time off or to ask
for time off so at your job if you need
to take time away from your job to go
traveling somewhere you need to request
vacation time in a sentence I'm going to
request vacation time next week and I
feel a little bit nervous book
accommodations the next expression is
book accommodations or just book a hotel
uh or book a hostel something like that
book in Airbnb as well is fine so this
means to reserve the place you are going
to stay in your destination uh let's see
in a sentence uh I booked my hotel on
the internet obtain an international
driving license the next one uh for some
of you perhaps if you are just you
really want to do all of the things you
can obtain an international driving
license so maybe if you really really
really want to be able to drive a car in
your destination you can get a driver's
license permission to drive a car in the
country of your destination so in a
sentence I'm taking the test for my
international driver's license next week
I hope I pass pack the next one is the
verb pack so to pack pack means to put
things in a suitcase or to put things in
a box uh this motion of putting things
in something else for the purpose of
taking them elsewhere is packing we do
it when we move to a new house or when
we travel in a sentence I need to pack
for my trip next week get a Visa the
next expression is get a Visa so in some
countries you need to get a Visa before
you go to the country even if you're
just there as a tourist you need to get
a Visa special permission to be in that
country sometimes you have to pay money
for it so you need to research this
before you travel in a sentence I got my
Visa when I arrived in Australia all
right so those are 10 phrases that you
can use as you prepare to travel I hope
you enjoyed and I hope that you can use
these the next time you plan to travel
somewhere thanks very much for watching
please be sure to like And subscribe if
you haven't already and check us out at
englishclass101.com for more fun stuff
thanks very much for watching watching
and we'll see you again soon bye hi
everyone my name is Bridget and welcome
to today's lesson the topic for this
lesson is top 10 must know phrases for
the restaurant let's get started a table
for three
please a table for three please you tell
them the number of people that you are
total so that the host can bring you to
an appropriate table a table for two
please a table for five please could I
please please see a menu could I please
see a menu usually menus are given to
you as soon as you sit down at your
table but if that's not the case and you
need to ask this is a polite way to do
it could I please see a menu I'd like to
try this dish I'd like to try this dish
when looking at a menu hopefully you'll
find something you want to eat I'd like
to try this dish could you leave out the
onions could you leave out the onions if
there's an ingredient in the dish that
you're ordering that you don't want you
can always ask the waiter if it could be
prepared without that ingredient so for
example I might say could I get the
burger but with no cheese could you pass
the salt could you pass the salt when
you're at a restaurant especially if
you're at a big table with a lot of
people you might not always be able to
reach things so you would ask could you
pass me the salt could you pass me the
ketchup could you pass pass me another
napkin waiter waiter a waiter is someone
who takes your order and brings you food
in America and in many other Western
countries it's more polite to call a
waiter to your table by simply saying
excuse me or if you see another waiter
walking by but it's not your waiter you
can always say excuse me if you see our
waiter could you please let them know to
come to our table is there any dairy in
this dish is there any dairy in this
dish this is something you would say if
you have a dairy allergy a dairy
intolerance or you just don't like Dairy
you're asking the waiter about the
ingredients in a particular dish I do
this all the time is there any cheese in
this no okay and if there is an
ingredient that you don't want for
example onions you could say are there
any onions in this and the waiter might
say yes and if you don't want it you
could always request could you leave out
the onions could you prepare it without
the onions please can we get Separate
Checks can we get Separate Checks this
is actually something that's very common
especially in America if you might go
out with a group of friends or even if
you're on a date sometimes you might
want to get Separate Checks pay for your
own things that way you can all pay
separately just for what you yourself
ordered and you won't have to worry
about owing each other money or
calculating off a big huge bill are
there any specials today are there any
special specials today a special at a
restaurant is a dish that isn't usually
on the menu it's something that's
special but it's a special that the chef
is offering that day or that week or
that month so sometimes if you don't see
what the specials are you'd ask your
waiter excuse me are there any specials
today could we have the bill please
could we have the bill please this is
how you request that the check or the
bill comes to your table could we get
the check please could we get the bill
please you're asking this to your waiter
who will then bring you the check and
you can pay and that brings us to the
end of today's lesson if you guys
enjoyed this lesson please don't forget
to give us a thumbs up and subscribe to
our Channel if you have any questions or
comments leave them below and don't
forget to go to
englishclass101.com to learn more
English hi everybody welcome back to
English topics my name is Alicia and I'm
joined by Davey hi Davey so today our
topic is is going to be how to start a
conversation in English so both of us
have tried to prepare a few tips uh that
might help you as you try to start
conversations uh in your English
language studies so let's
begin you want to start first again oh
okay I'll start I'll start okay start
we're giving tips on how to start a
conversation I will start today my first
tip very important I trying to follow
myself right now don't be shy very
important tip uh this isn't really so
much a language learning tip well it
doesn't seem like a language learning
tip but I think it really is because
whenever you communicate uh in a second
language or a foreign language it can be
really nerve rcking it can make you very
nervous and very anxious to try and do
that especially if you're talking to
someone for the first time uh and so the
first thing is just to remind yourself
that it's not a big deal and not be shy
and be confident and if you can maintain
that attitude as you begin to talk to
talk to someone it will be much easier I
think I agree I agree or even like you
say even if you are shy just pretend
that you're not shy that's a good tip
you know it's like even if you can just
pretend just for a few minutes just to
start the conversation or to continue a
conversation a little bit it can be good
even if you feel shy I agree and you
might find too oftentimes people who
would say that they are shy when they
talk to someone in another language they
can have a different personality it's a
chance to have a different personality
in a different language um so if you
tell yourself that too uh when you speak
English when you speak another language
you're more confident than you are when
you speak your own language yeah that's
true I've heard that before actually
people who say that they feel like
they're more outgoing when they speak
English if that's the case maybe that's
good for you also just in general
another point about um maybe not only
starting conversations But continuing
them um where comfortable English
language speakers are with interruptions
to some point like you shouldn't always
interrupt the other but they are pretty
comfortable with it see he just did it
so we're we're kind of we're very
comfortable with it so you don't need to
wait for an invitation to speak in a
conversation you can just join in or
maybe agree with the person who's
speaking or disagree with the person
who's speaking as a way to join a
conversation that's already in progress
yeah nice one that's a good one okay I
will share a tip mine are a little bit I
don't know they're very dependent on
maybe who you're talking to uh maybe
what your relationship is so let's say
for this one you are in a place where
like a I don't know a restaurant or a
bar or something and you don't know the
person you'd like to speak to but maybe
I don't know there's someone attractive
you'd like to speak to or maybe you want
to speak with the bartender something so
um maybe okay maybe this is better if
you're trying to speak to a fellow
customer so I have it's it's sort of
small make a simple comment about
something happening in the surroundings
so this should be uh one a a simple
comment at two something that the other
person can clearly see and three
something that you can agree on easily
so for example if somebody uh has just
walked by the restaurant wearing like
crazy hat I don't know you could say
like oh did you see that guy something
like that something that it's easy to
agree on to initiate the conversation or
maybe I don't know there's a TV in the
bar um like whoa did you see that play
or something that maybe you can identify
that you maybe shared with the other
person um during the time you've been in
that space together so this should be a
very simple comment don't make a weird
comment here make it make it very
very relaxed create a relaxed
environment that the other person feels
they can join in
easily that's a very good tip I don't
know I'm trying to think of maybe a time
that I used this or maybe I wanted to
make a comment like and there was
another person that happened to be there
and we had a moment where we agreed on
something but then the conversation
didn't really continue yes so it's kind
of a good way to test and see if that
other person wants to speak to you too
yes yeah that's a good point and makes
me think this isn't one of my tips this
is an a free tip you're getting a free
freebie tip now is I think uh tips
everywhere they're every they're flying
around so many uh to be be patient wait
for your opening too because you might
want to talk to this person next to you
but if you just butt in with a question
out of nowhere it might seem very
strange but if you wait and have have a
moment wait for that guy with the funny
hat to walk by and then you have your
opening then you have a natural Point uh
that you can enter the a conversation
someone patient totally and going back
to your point about not being shy like
don't be so focused on waiting for that
moment that you just pick something
really strange yes yeah like if I like
walked up to you I don't know you in a
bar I was like did you hear that noise
like that's a really strange question
maybe he did hear that noise but that's
a really strange question um to
introduce yourself yeah it's true this
actually all this this kind of relates
too to my my second tip which is very
similar to to to your tip about U making
an a kind of comment was ask an indirect
question and I noticed a lot of the
comments your your tip was to make a
comment but a lot of your comments the
examples you gave are questions right
and importantly I think that those
questions should be kind of indirect
questions for example if I'm standing at
the bus stop and I want to start a
conversation with someone else standing
at the bus stop let's say it's very very
hot but if I turn to that person and say
do you think it's hot that's very
strange but if I say something like oh
it's pretty hot today right you know
that's a little bit more casual a little
bit more informal yeah um you don't want
to scare people with these very direct
questions that's true that's true and
and even even a question that's a great
example do you think it's hot is a
really weird question very strange
question but but again keeping or giving
people that opportunity to agree with
you like you're you're throwing a little
opinion out there it's hot right oh yeah
it's hot that's true that's a really
really good one I totally agree or and I
but I think for that exact same reason
I've had some people come up to me and
they they tried to begin a conversation
with how are you and I'm like that's
yeah that's a that's a that's an
introduction that you use for people
that you already know yes um so don't
try to start a conversation with how are
you it sounds too familiar and it's a
little confusing to the person strangers
don't always want to tell you how they
are that's true what if I'm bad I don't
want to tell you what if I feel bad that
day yeah so don't use how are you to
introduce yourself nice one okay what do
you have next um actually okay maybe
this is somewhat related to the one you
just um mentioned okay um I've got okay
this is maybe in a like a party or a
social event situation I have
energetically introduce yourself and ask
a question about where you are um so
this might be a little specific but if
you go to a social event you're there to
meet people and to speak to people if
you go up to someone and you just
introduce yourself with a big smile and
say hi my name is Alicia have you ever
been to one of these events before
something like that can get the
conversation started um but again this
is I feel like it's a tip that's good in
a place where um maybe everyone is there
for a similar purpose if you do that
like on to use your example at the bus
station it's a little bit weird or if
you're if you're just in public you pass
someone on the street it's a little
strange to just walk up and introduce
someone energetically um but if you're
in a location where you have this chance
um there are a couple of nice little
introductory questions you could use um
for events like I don't that's one that
I would I've used like hi is this your
first time here or um who do you know at
this party something like that how did
you find out about this event that sort
of thing also similar kind of question
in those situations is asking someone
for help or for information because it
lets that other person know that you're
not a a scary or threatening person in
that situation either if you're asking
for help you know oh can you can you
tell me where the kitchen is I need to
put this in the refrigerator something
like that and then that that shows the
other person that you're not you're not
an expert on this you're asking for
their help and that kind of gives people
uh an easy thing to engage you on easy
thing to talk about yeah absolutely
asking for help can be a nice way too
yeah that's a good point I think asking
for help it also of puts you in a
slightly vulnerable position it makes
you seem a little bit like oh I need
help so you know please take care of me
it's a little bit interesting so that's
a good tip too I think okay uh I think
we're on to number three for you we are
uh my last one is a very important one
this comes at the end though is uh don't
take it personally if the person doesn't
want to talk a lot of times if you try
and start a conversation with a stranger
they don't always want to talk to you
people try and talk stranger tries to
talk to me I might be very busy I might
have had a bad day I may not want to
talk to them that doesn't mean that
they're a bad person or they can't speak
English or anything like that so if you
have that experience you know my first
tip was don't be shy you might be very
nervous about starting a conversation
with someone and then you work up the
courage you go and you ask them a
question and they don't want to talk to
you that's okay don't take it personally
it has nothing to do with you um you
know you can find someone else to talk
to MH that's true that's true and I
think that's especially important
because especially depending on the
culture that you're from you might have
heard like oh English speakers
particularly Americans they're so
friendly or so outgoing then but you
know if a stranger tries to speak to me
or to you maybe we're going to ignore
you on the street because we don't know
who that person is or you know maybe
like you say we've had a bad day or
whatever it is there are so many reasons
not to want to talk to a person that you
don't know so don't be offended don't be
sad don't be discouraged don't don't
think that oh my my English is so bad
this person didn't want to talk to me
don't think that that it could be any
any other reason why someone doesn't
want to talk to you that's true that's
true nice tip that's really important
okay then we will move on maybe to my
last one uh okay so for my last one this
is maybe uh among people that you have
some acquaintance with so maybe uh
you're not super close to them but
you've seen them before um or maybe it's
co-workers you're not super close to but
anyway you'd like to make your
relationship with those people deeper
you can share a story about something
you did recently something interesting a
small short story don't tell a long
10minute story about I don't know going
shopping for milk on the weekend that's
that's boring but St something
interesting that you did relatively
recently that maybe they can find
something of Interest or something of
value in so maybe you found a new
restaurant that was good maybe you went
to a concert and that was exciting maybe
you met someone interesting so if
there's something that you can share
about yourself that the other person
might find valuable that's a good way um
to to initiate conversation yeah on that
point if I can add another another free
tip oh my gosh on on that note it made
me think you spoke earlier about being
vulnerable asking uh asking for help can
show that You're vulnerable tell an
embarrassing story that's good too don't
don't brag don't talk about this great
new car that you bought no one wants to
hear that talk about how you you lost
your car keys immediately after you
bought your new car tell an embarrassing
story tell something that will make the
person laugh and will make you um be
vulnerable and and look like a a normal
person that's true that's true like
telling actually that's a good strategy
it's called
self-deprecation so making it means to
make yourself look bad or to put
yourself in a lower status a lower
position and it can be very effective
for making friends and like making
people laugh uh I totally do this it's
it's actually a lot of fun when you
think about it like a story about
something bad happening is often times
more interesting than a story about
something good happening that's true so
all the best comedies are about terrible
things happening yeah so if you have
something like a little yeah like you
lost your car keys or you had some kind
of funny episode where maybe you don't
look like the hero of the story that's a
really really good one to share have you
had anything happen to you recently oh
my gosh I probably have I lost my bag I
just came back from uh traveling in
Europe and my bag got lost between Dubai
airport and Tokyo Airport and so my bag
didn't uh arrive so I had to go two days
without any of my clothes or anything um
and then when I finally got my bag I was
like Yay I got it from the I got it from
the delivery guy I was so happy I opened
it up and like my sunscreen had exploded
inside my bag I was
like at least I have my objects I have
my clothes and things and they won't get
sunburned exactly now I won't sunburn
any of my clothes so yeah so I mean it's
like a small
relatable that moped small relatable
story uh that maybe yeah someone else
can identify like oh that happened to me
one time and then the conversation rolls
from there so nice tip nice tip okay are
you out of are you out of free tips are
those all your free tips that's all for
today for conversation STS all I get
today we can't continue this
conversation that's a different subject
all right well we'll finish there for
today thanks very much for joining us
for this episode of English topics Davey
thanks very much for joining us thank
you for having me uh if you liked this
video please make sure to hit the like
button and subscribe to our Channel as
well also if you want to find more
content like this please make sure to
check us out at
englishclass101.com
if you have any ideas for how to start a
conversation um that you use please make
sure to leave it in a comment too so we
can check it out thanks very much for
watching this episode and we'll see you
again soon bye
[Music]
bye are you struggling to understand
conversations in your target language
this video will improve your listening
skills using practice dialogues how do
you know if your language skills are
improving
our team of teachers have designed a
free quiz to determine your actual
learning level so click the link in the
description to get your free assessment
and unlock lessons that are right for
[Music]
you in this lesson you'll listen to a
dialog with the text second you'll
review the key vocabulary followed by
the English translations and finally
you'll review the dialogue with the text
again to master what you
learned first listen to the dialog with
a text on the
screen okay everybody shift information
has been posted for the month it looks
like we'll visit 25 cities in 30 days do
we normally visit 25 different cities in
one month yes sometimes we visit even
more where's our first stop
Charlotte hey I have friends in
Charlotte it would be nice to see
them
now you will hear the key vocabulary
followed by the English
translation
shift scheduled time for a person to
work
shift shift
posted a fixed or placed on a wall board
or
website
posted
month any of the 12 divisions of the
calendar year
month
visit to go to and stay at a place for a
short period of
time
visit
30 a cardinal number representing the
third cycle of
10
30
normally in a norm normal or regular
way
normally
different not alike
dissimilar
different
cities two or more large or important
towns
cities
cities stop
an interruption in a
journey
stop
stop finally let's review the dialogue
again see if you can understand more
this
time okay everybody shift information
has been posted for the month it looks
like we'll visit 25 cities in 30 days do
we normally visit 25 different cities in
one month yes sometimes we visit even
more where's our first stop
Charlotte hey I have friends in
Charlotte it would be nice to see
them this is the end of the lesson in
this lesson you improved your listening
and mastered key vocabulary for everyday
life
conversation don't forget to click the
link in the description to get your free
assessment and unlock lessons that are
right for your learning level keep
practicing and move on to the next
lesson
[Music]
are you struggling to understand
conversations in your target language
this video will improve your listening
skills using practice dialogues how do
you know if your language skills are
improving our team of teachers have
designed a free quiz to determine your
actual learning level so click the link
in the description to get your free
assessment and unlock lessons that are
right for
[Music]
you in this lesson you'll listen to a
dialogue with the text second you'll
review the key vocabulary followed by
the English translations and finally
you'll review the dialogue with the text
again to master what you
learned first listen to the dialogue
with the text on the screen
[Music]
excuse me I'm not from San Jose could
you tell me how to get to Alexander's
please Alexander's you mean the little
Steakhouse on the corner I'll bet that's
it I'm a flight attendant and my crew is
supposed to meet me there in a few
hours well it's three streets that way
then turn left there's a big sign that
says Alexander
thank you you're
welcome now you will hear the key
vocabulary followed by the English
translation
Steakhouse a restaurant that specializes
in serving
Stakes
Steakhouse
attendant a person employed to provide a
service attendant
streets public roads in a city or
town
streets
Corner an angle where two or more sides
meet
Corner
flight active
flying
flight
crew a group of people who work on and
operate some kind of
ship
crew
turn to move in a particular
direction
turn finally let's review the dialogue
again see if you can understand more
this
[Music]
time
excuse me I'm not from San Jose could
you tell me how to get to Alexander's
please Alexander's you mean the little
Steakhouse on the corner I'll bet that's
it I'm a flight attendant and my crew is
supposed to meet me there in a few
hours well it's three streets that way
then turn left there's a big sign that
says
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[Music]
lesson today's video is on Words
Americans overuse I haven't seen these
words yet but um apparently it's going
to be a series of words that we as
Americans I'm American um we overuse we
use too often so let's start uh oh the
first word is definitely definitely is
definitely a word that Americans overuse
we use it to um put emphasis at the end
of a phrase to put emphasis at the end
of a sentence uh as
in oh that party last week was so great
yeah definitely or to agree with
somebody like that uh oh God literally
oh just in the last few days I've seen
the word literally so many times on the
internet and used in just such stupid
ways the word
literally uh means actually or truly
something this is literally the best
hamburger I've ever eaten so literally
meaning truly or actually would mean
that in that person's entire life that
is the best hamburger they've ever eaten
however it gets misused a lot in
sentences um like George Bush was
literally supporting the war in Iraq or
something like that taking a phrase like
that literally would have to mean that
you know the president the former
president would be you know physically
supporting a war with his body onward
onward hilarious hilarious is the next
word I like to use the word hilarious
when something is actually funny um
hilarious of course means something that
is really funny super funny it's a step
above funny maybe two steps three steps
I don't know ever people like to use
this word in place of laughter so uh for
example friends are talking and instead
of just laughing the friend will say
that's
hilarious well if it's so hilarious just
laugh oh this must be the last one cuz
this is the worst one this word is like
um I've probably said it several times
already today for the for the purposes
of this video um the word like is used
as a filler word so it's the same as
something such as um or uh or H for
example we use like um as a filler word
when we're trying to think of something
you it's not uncommon to hear the word
repeated like three four five times in a
row when someone is thinking they'll say
oh you know that party that I went to
like like uh like uh like uh do you know
who was there it just invades your
speech sometimes when you're trying to
think of something and no other filler
words come out but the word like does ah
this wasn't the last word there is
another one
seriously seriously is used oh it's it's
good for anytime you receive bad news um
well not from your boss it's a really
casual word um but if you hear something
um like your friend lost their job and
you can sympathize with them or maybe
empathize with them by saying seriously
oh that's too bad or oh tell me like all
your problems oh my God I just use like
oh good God I hate myself is that the
end it's the end all right well I hope
you enjoyed learning about a few um
words that Americans overuse I'm sure
that there are more words that Americans
overuse but perhaps you'll find those
out on your own thanks very much for
watching and we'll see you again next
time
bye-bye
[Music]
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