Episode 20

Adam

Hello and welcome to Episode 20 of the Learn English Elementary Podcast. I'm Adam and I'm alone today. Yes, that's right. We said goodbye to Rob last time. And some of you, like Waide from Libya, wrote to say that you'll miss him and thank him for the podcasts. So, if you're listening Rob… best wishes from all of us.

I’m also going to say goodbye today, but not forever. This is the last podcast of Series 3 of Elementary Podcasts. We’re going to take a short break over the summer and then start Series 4 again in a few weeks.

But there’s still a podcast today and we're going to hear more about Carolina. She's a Venezuelan student studying in Newcastle in Britain and I'm sure you remember that she's been a bit depressed recently. Let's hope today is better.

But first, let's hear some of your comments on the last podcast. Tess and Ravi talked about the Loch Ness monster and we asked you if you believe the story. Is there really a monster? And… none of you believe in poor Nessie! Except for Jimmy182 from Italy who said "I think aliens live in Loch Ness and they'll conquer us! And don't forget the Yeti too. I saw them both!" I think he’s not 100% serious…

Even so, a lot of you would like to visit Loch Ness one day - as Ariyan.y from Iran said, "for the beauty of its nature".

We also asked you to send us stories or legends about monsters from your countries. And you sent some fantastic stories. abbask370, from Pakistan, told the story of a huge snake, guarding treasure at the top of a mountain. Fazan, from India, also talked about a giant snake that guards treasure in a local castle. He said that people who visit the castle never come back - and the snake even eats the bones! Waide told a story about a woman who killed her son and turned into a big bird that kills boys. Tiago from Brazil wrote about a headless mule which breathes fire and gallops through the countryside on Thursday nights!

And Nessie, the Loch Ness monster, seems to have some family members around the world. Liya from China lives near lake TianChi - the deepest lake in China. A monster was reported there in the 1980s. People said its body was like a cow and its head was like a big tub and it moved very fast. And Hurrem from Turkey wrote about a monster reported in Van Lake, the biggest lake in Turkey.

Enough monsters! Now it's time to hear from Carolina again. Let's see if Emily's plan to cheer her up at the city farm worked.

Carolina

Carolina: So, this is the city farm. What a wonderful place.

Jamie: It's cool, isn't it? A place with lots of farm animals in the middle of the city.

Carolina: I love it.

Emily: Me too.

Carolina: Look! Pigs! Hello, little piggies! Can I touch him? Am I allowed?

Jamie: Yeah, you can touch him. Scratch his back. Pigs like that.

Emily: Look at the sheep. Aren't they cute?

Carolina: Hello, sheep. Beeee beeee

Emily: Beeee beeee? That's not what sheep say.

Carolina: What do they say, then?

Emily: Baaaa baaaa

Carolina: No. Beeee beeee

Emily: Baaaa baaaa

Jamie: So animals speak different languages. English sheep say 'baaaaa' and Venezuelan sheep say 'beeeee'. I thought it was only people.

Emily: Do you think an English sheep can understand a Venezuelan sheep?

Jamie: They'd have to go to a language school.

Emily: What do dogs say in Venezuela, Carolina?

Carolina: Uau uau. And in English?

Jamie and Emily: Woof woof.

Jamie: Or bow wow. Sometimes they say bow wow. That's similar. What about a donkey? Heehaw, heehaw.

Carolina: iiiiiiiiooooooo

Emily: That's brilliant. iiiiiiioooooo. That's much better than English. And cows?

Carolina: Mooo.

Emily: That's the same. So Venezuelan and English cows can understand each other. There's a good name for your band, Jamie. The Language of Cows.

Carolina: That's a clever name. It means everyone can understand each other – like cows. All over the world.

Jamie: I'll think about it.

Carolina: Brrr. It's cold. I'd like something to drink. A coffee or something. Do you think there's a café here?

Jamie: I think so. Over there, look. There's a shop too.

Carolina: Let's go and have a look.

Carolina: That's better.

Emily: Yeah. Much.

Jamie: What time is it?

Carolina: Half past six. We should go.

Jamie: What are you doing this evening, Emily?

Emily: I… um…

Carolina: Yes, that's a good idea, Jamie. We're going to the Chinese restaurant with Henry and Ivan. Why don't you come too, Emily?

Emily: Um, no I… um… I don't think so.

Carolina: Come on.

Emily: No, thanks… I can't. I'm doing something.

Carolina: What are you doing?

Emily: Oh, OK. I suppose I have to tell you. I'm seeing Cameron. He invited me out and I said yes.

Carolina: I knew it! I knew it! I said you liked him and he liked you!

Emily: OK. Calm down. You'll frighten the animals.

Jamie: That's great news, Emily. Cameron's a good guy.

Emily: I hope so.

Carolina: Listen! That…

Emily: Carolina del Barco! I know what you're thinking. Don't you say a word!

Adam

Well, Carolina certainly seems a bit happier now. And Emily's news seemed to make her very excited too. I wonder how things will go between Emily and Cameron? What do you think? And where should they go? What do you think is a good place for a first date? The cinema? A restaurant? A walk in the park? Write and tell us at www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish or leave a message on our Facebook page.

And tell us about the noises that animals make in your language. Do dogs go ‘woof’? Do frogs go ‘ribbit’? Do sheep go ‘baa’?

Now let's look at some of the language from the podcast. Carolina invites Emily out for dinner, but she can't go; she's busy. Listen to the verb forms that Emily uses to talk about her plans.

Emily: No, thanks… I can't. I'm doing something.

Carolina: What are you doing?

Emily: Oh, OK. I suppose I have to tell you. I'm seeing Cameron. He invited me out and I said yes.

Emily says "I'm doing something", Carolina says "What are you doing?" and Emily says "I'm seeing Cameron". The verb form is the present continuous or you might know it as the present progressive. "I am doing", "I am seeing". But she isn't talking about something that she's doing now, she's talking the future. It's quite common to use the present continuous to talk about the future in English, when we talk about things that we have already arranged to do, often with other people. For example, "I'm playing tennis with Graham tomorrow, and then we're having lunch with May". There are some exercises on the website to practise this and other interesting things too, like the verbs 'say', 'speak', 'talk', and 'tell'. And, of course, you can learn more of the noises that animals make in English! See if it's the same as in your language - and don't forget to write and let us know at www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish. We really enjoy reading all the messages you send and I'm sure you enjoy reading other people's messages too.

So that's all for Series 3! You’ll have to wait for Series 4 to find out how Emily’s date with Cameron went and to find out what Tess and Ravi are talking about next. But don’t worry, there are lots of other pages on the LearnEnglish website. You might want to try watching ‘Word on the Street’, a great series of videos where fans of Rob can see him. If you prefer audio, there’s Big City Small World. And if you only like Elementary Podcasts… then you’ll just have to wait for Series 4.

Thanks again for all your comments and for listening. Have a great summer. Bye!