Neil and Georgie have a real conversation in easy English about hates – the things that make them angry! Learn to talk about the difference between annoying and frustrating, and hear some of the things that Georgie and Neil just can't stand. can't stand (something) really don't like something annoying / irritating causing a slight feeling of anger or upset annoyed / irritated slightly angry or upset frustrating causing some anger because something is delayed or prevented frustrated quite angry because you cannot do or complete something Neil Hello and welcome to Real Easy English. In this podcast, we have real conversations in easy English to help you learn. I'm Neil. Georgie And I'm Georgie. You can find a video version of this podcast with subtitles on our website, bbclearningenglish.com. Neil Hi, Georgie. How are you? Georgie I'm very well, thank you, Neil. How are you? Neil I'm OK. At the weekend, I went to a concert. Georgie Yes. Neil And I was trying to listen to the music. Lots of people around me were talking loudly, and I really hate that. Georgie Oh. It's quite annoying, I guess, yeah. Well, today we're actually talking about things that we don't like – things that we hate doing and things that we don't like other people doing. So, let's talk about your concert then. How... why didn't you like that? Neil I just think it's... it feels quite rude to me because lots of people want to listen to the music and they paid money to listen to the music, but other people have decided just to talk and it means I couldn't listen to my favourite music. Georgie Yeah, and the tickets are expensive! And you go there for a reason and other people can ruin the experience for you. This happens also in the cinema or the theatre. Yeah, I find that annoying too. I don't like it when people… when groups of people are walking down the street in a line and they don't leave space for other people to pass. I can sometimes be a bit impatient, and maybe that's my problem, but yeah, that annoys me. Neil Do you know what I can't stand? Georgie What? Neil I can't stand it when people leave litter or rubbish, especially in a beautiful, natural place. So, if I'm in the countryside and then I see some old wrappers or... Georgie Cans. Neil ...cans left lying on the ground, that makes me sad and angry. Georgie Yeah, because it spoils the beautiful environment. Is there anything that you hate doing personally? Neil Oh, lots of things. I really hate DIY. DIY is when you do repairs to your own house or flat. Georgie Yes. Neil I'm really bad at it. And because I know I'm bad at it, when I do it and it's a failure, everything about it makes me hate it. Georgie Another thing that I don't like doing is, similar to what I said before, I don't like going through crowds of people because again, I like to get to places quickly and if I can't move easily in a crowd that frustrates me. I find that annoying and irritating. Neil Yeah, it's really irritating, isn't it? Georgie And it's strange because usually I'm quite a calm and relaxed person and I just think, well, whatever happens happens. But for some reason, in these situations, I get very annoyed. It makes me very annoyed. Neil How about food? Is there any food that you can't stand? Georgie Actually, no. I eat most food and I really love food. When I was younger, I used to hate nuts for some reason. I don't like the texture but... or I didn't like the texture. But now I think I don't mind them so much. I just don't want nuts in my sweet treats. So, Neil, do you think that there's anything that you do that other people hate? Neil Oh, definitely. I've got kids and kids are very honest. And so my kids think I'm really annoying in the morning, especially if I ask them lots of questions when they're making their breakfast. Georgie I can really relate to that, to your kids actually, because I really don't like it when people ask me lots of questions in the morning. I'm just waking up. I don't want to talk to anyone at the moment. Anything else? Neil Well probably lots, but let's leave it there. How about you? Georgie There's definitely things that people find annoying about me. I'm very forgetful with my possessions – so, things that I own. I often leave bags, phones, jackets, umbrellas in restaurants and bars. And my friends and my sister get really annoyed because they have to follow me around making sure that I've got all of my things. And I think that's very annoying for them. It's annoying for me as well because I lose lots of things, like my phone a couple of times. Annoying for everyone! Neil OK. Let's recap the vocabulary we've heard in this episode, starting with can't stand. If you can't stand something, you really, really don't like it. Georgie The adjectives annoying and irritating describe something that makes you feel uncomfortable or angry when it happens. Neil Georgie just gave the adjectives that describe the situation, but annoyed or irritateddescribe the way you feel. So, if you are annoyed or irritated, something has made you angry. Georgie If you feel frustrated, you're annoyed because you can't do something. For example, if you're in a traffic jam, you can feel frustrated that you can't move somewhere quickly. The situation is frustrating. Neil That's it for this episode of Real Easy English, but don't forget to go to our website, bbclearningenglish.com, where you can download a free worksheet. Georgie And we'll be back next week with another conversation in Easy English. Goodbye for now. Neil Goodbye!

Phil and Becca have a real conversation in easy English about hot weather – when the sun is shining and the temperature is high. Learn to talk about heatwaves, air conditioning and how to make the most of those hot summer days. heatwave period of time when the weather is hotter than normal for that time of year make the most of (something) enjoy something as much as you can cool down / cool off feel less hot air conditioning / air con / AC method of making the air cooler in an enclosed space air conditioner machine that makes the air cooler Phil Hello and welcome to Real Easy English from BBC Learning English. Each week we have a real conversation in easy English to help you learn. I'm Phil. Becca And I'm Becca. You can find a video version of this podcast on our website, along with a free worksheet, subtitles and a transcript. That's at bbclearningenglish.com. Phil So, how are things, Becca? Becca Yeah, things are going really well, thank you, Phil. We've just had a really lovely weekend. It's very sunny, very nice. How are things for you? Phil Well, they're very good. As you said, it was a very sunny weekend and, yeah, I love the sunshine. I love it when the weather is a bit warmer. And that's what we're going to be talking about today. We're going to be talking about hot weather and what you do to stay cool. Becca Yeah, I love hot weather. I'm very excited for summer to come here soon. I really enjoy eating ice cream when it is very hot. That helps me to stay cool. Phil Yeah. Are there any other things? Are there any activities that you do when the weather's hot? Becca You mean apart from eating ice cream...? Phil Apart from eating ice cream, yeah! Becca I really don't like being hot when I'm in the city because I feel like the heat, kind of, stays and it's very difficult to find, like, a swimming pool or... I love to go to the beach. I think being in water can really help you cool down. How about yourself? Phil When it's really hot, when we get a heatwave, which is when you get a few days and it's a long way above normal temperatures, then I like to put a paddling pool in the back garden, which is like a little swimming pool, and you just fill it with water and then jump in. Becca Yeah, water can really help you cool off or cool down to become cold. So, how do you make the most of hot weather then? Because you mentioned we don't have many days of very hot weather here in the UK. Phil I spend a lot more time outside than I do during the winter, for example. If we've got nice warm weather and it's not raining, it's nice to be outside just to sit, spend some time reading, whatever... cooking outside, having a barbecue. Becca Yeah. Phil Eating outside – you can sit in the garden and eat dinner outside. All of those things you can do in the summer when it's warm and, of course, when it's not raining. Becca But that sounds lovely – really making the most of those long, hot days. Yeah. So, to make the most of something is to do as much as you can within the time or the space that you're in. Phil If it's a very hot day, do you prefer to be outside in the sun or to be inside near a fan, or near the air conditioner? Becca Ah OK. Yeah. Yeah, I prefer to be outside. I remember going on holiday with my friends, and they wanted to stay inside shopping centres where there was an air con, an AC, but I wanted to be out and walking. Although it's very important that if you are outside when it's very hot, that you drink water and you find places where you can cool down. Phil It depends as well on the country as well, I guess, because in England the summers are never very, very hot, but in other parts of the world, I guess it can probably be quite dangerous. Becca Yes. Yeah. And also adding on to that, because it isn't very hot often in the UK, in England, we aren't very well prepared for the heat. So, yeah, if you do come and visit the UK, just know that on a very, very hot day, it could be quite difficult to find an area that does have a fan or air conditioning. Phil OK. Let's recap the vocabulary that we heard during the conversation, starting with heatwave. Now, a heatwave is a period of time with very hot weather. Becca If you make the most of something, you enjoy it as much as you can. For example, I make the most of hot days by going outside for walks and getting an ice cream. Phil We also heard cool down, which means to feel less hot. So, for example, when it's really hot, I like to cool down by jumping in a paddling pool. And we can also say cool off, which means the same in this context. Becca And we had air conditioning. That is a machine that helps the space that you're in – so it could be your house or your work office – it helps that space feel less hot. It helps it feel colder. You might hear it shortened to air con or AC. Phil That's it for this episode of Real Easy English. Try the worksheet on our website to test what you've learned. And that's at bbclearningenglish.com. Becca And we'll see you next week with another real conversation in easy English. But for now, it's goodbye! Phil Bye!

Becca and Phil have a real conversation in easy English about old friends – the friends you have known for a long time. Learn to talk about the difference between keeping in touch, losing touch and getting back in touch, and find out what helps people to stay friends as they get older. old friend friend you have known for a very long time in touch seeing, speaking or writing to each other often keep in touch / stay in touch continue to see, speak or write to each other over a long period of time lose touch no longer see, speak or write to someone get back in touch begin to see, speak or write to someone again, after some time without contact stay friends continue to be friends over a long period of time Becca Hello and welcome to Real Easy English from BBC Learning English. This is the podcast where we have real conversations in easy English to help you with your learning. I'm Becca. Phil And I'm Phil. And you can watch a video version of this podcast on our website. It's got subtitles to help you learn. That's bbclearningenglish.com. Becca How are you today, Phil? Phil I'm good. I'm really good. What about you? Have you got any plans for this week coming up? Becca Yes. I'm really excited for the weekend because I'm going to meet up with some of my oldschool friends. I've known them since I was in year eight. Phil Well, Becca, today we're talking about old friends. And when we say old friends, we mean friends that we've had a long time, particularly since we were children. Becca So, Phil, do you have many old friends? Phil Yeah, I do have some, but I probably don't see them as much as I should. Becca Hmm. Why is that? Phil As you get older, you move away. You have families. You... And I'm just not very good at staying in touch with people, so I don't often see people that are very old friends. What about you? Do you have many old friends that you see often? Becca Yeah, I do, I do. I mean, luckily for myself, we don't live very far away, so it is easier to stay in touch. And by staying in touch, we mean, kind of, keeping that contact. So, I do have a couple of friendship groups. We have group chats where we, kind of, you know, keep in touch with each other there and we plan meetings. Although we find that when we plan to meet each other, we will then plan to meet each other the next time, months in advance – months before we meet – because, yeah, it is difficult when you are older and you get busy. Phil How often do you see your old friends? It sounds like you stay in touch quite a lot. Becca Yeah, we do. We stay in touch a lot over, like I said, group chats, social media, and we try to meet at least once every month, once every couple of months, you know, if we really try. So yeah, it is easier for us to meet up. So, when was the last time that you saw one of your old friends? Phil It was probably sometime last year, I think. But yeah, I probably only... Only a couple of times a year, I think, I'd see old friends. Becca And have you lost touch with any of your old friends? So, to lose touch is to lose that contact that you have with them. Phil Yes, I think I have. You don't notice it when it happens, do you, really? Because it's not like you have an argument or you decide, I'm not talking to that person anymore. You just... I don't know. You just don't see them for a long time. If I saw those people again, then I might get back in touch with them. But yeah, there's people that... There're definitely people that I used to know that I haven't seen for a long time. So yeah, I've definitely lost touch with some people. Becca So, do you think your friendship groups have, kind of, changed as you've grown older then? If you've lost touch with some old friends, you have newer friends now. Phil What has changed a lot is I have a lot more friends who are families, who have children the same age that we have. Because suddenly when you have children, you have so much in common with people in the same situation, and your children do. And if your children get on very well together, you're going to spend a lot of time together. Becca I see. So, that's where we're quite different, because a lot of my friends don't have families. And, you know, I don't either. So, it's quite easy for us to stay friends and to stay in touchwith each other. OK. Let's recap some of the vocabulary we learned in this episode, starting with old friend. And that's a friend that you've known for a very long time. Phil So, we had this idea of being in touch with someone – with a friend. And if you are in touch with someone, it means that you see them often. You speak to them often. So, if you keep in touch with someone, it means you continue to do those things even after a long time. Becca If you lose touch with someone, that means that you don't see or speak to them anymore. However, you can get back in touch with someone – that is to start seeing them or speaking to them again. Phil And if you stay friends with someone, it means that you continue to be friends with someone for a long period of time. Becca For example, it's easy for me to stay friends with some of my old friends because we live very close to each other. Phil That's it for this episode of Real Easy English. Try the worksheet on our website, bbclearningenglish.com, to practise and to help you have your own easy English conversations. Becca And we'll be back next week with another real conversation in easy English. But for now, it's goodbye. Phil Bye!

Neil and Becca have a real conversation in easy English about beaches – the area of sand, or pebbles, where the land meets the sea. Learn to talk about the difference between sandy beaches and pebbly beaches, how to cool down after you've been sunbathing, and the difficulties of eating picnics on the sand! sunbathe sit or lie in the sunshine to relax cool down do something, like swimming, to lower your body temperature when you are feeling too hot go for a swim go swimming, or spend time in the water to relax or cool down pebble/pebbly beaches beaches covered in small, smooth stones sandy beaches beaches covered in sand picnic meal that you eat outside Neil Hello and welcome to Real Easy English. We're back with another conversation in easy English to help you learn. I'm Neil. Becca And I'm Becca. And you can find a video version of this podcast on our website that comes with subtitles to help your learning. That's at bbclearningenglish.com. Neil Hi Becca. How are you? Becca I'm really well, thank you, Neil. How about yourself? Neil I'm very well. You look very relaxed, though. So, what have you been doing? Becca Well, I've recently been to the beach. I went to my... to visit my parents, and they live quite close to the beach, so that's probably why I look and feel very relaxed. Neil The beach. Fantastic! Well, we are talking about the beach today. OK. Becca, when you have a beach day, do you like to sunbathe, which means lying on the beach in the Sun doing nothing, or do you prefer to do something active, like swimming? People often play sports on the beach – that kind of thing. Becca I do love to sunbathe, but we don't have a lot of sun in the UK, and the temperatures aren't always the best for sunbathing. But it's still something I really enjoy doing. I'll sunbathe for a little bit. I'll kind of... I'll cook under the Sun and then I'll go for a swim to cool down. But yeah, I prefer more relaxing activities. I know some people enjoy, like, beach volleyball, or some people like long, long coastal walks. But yeah, I prefer, kind of, just staying in one spot and relaxing there. How about you? Neil I prefer to do something active at the beach. Swimming. I like to play beach football, beach cricket... Becca Ooh! Neil Whatever! And if I am lying or sunbathing, I like to read a book. But... Becca Yeah. Neil ...it's a bit uncomfortable. Becca It can be. It can be uncomfortable. Yeah. Also, you mentioned that you like playing some sports on the beach. I imagine it can be quite difficult to play sports on a pebbly beach. Pebbles are small stones, and very different to sandy beaches. Sand is quite soft and, I guess, easier for beach football and beach cricket. Neil Yeah, lots of the beaches in the UK are pebble beaches with stones on them rather than sand. And yes, it can be more difficult. It can really hurt your feet. Becca Sometimes it is quite funny on a pebbly beach to see people coming out of the sea from their swim and then, kind of, you know, finding it quite difficult to walk along the beach. It sometimes is quite funny. Neil How about food? So, do you take a picnic to the beach? Becca Yeah, sometimes. Another reason, actually... We talked about pebbly beaches. But I really love a pebble beach because it's easier to have a picnic on a pebble beach. I don't know about your own experiences, but every time I sit on a sandy beach with a lovely picnic, it always gets ruined by all of the sand. Neil Exactly. You end up with a kind of crunchy sandwich. Becca Yeah. Sandy sandwiches. Neil Sandy, sandy sandwiches! Becca Not tasty! So, I do love a picnic on the beach. But, yeah, you do have to be careful about where you are, and the wind as well. Neil Yes, especially in the UK. Becca Mmm. Yeah. Neil Because they're quite windy. Becca Very windy in the UK. Neil But the world is full of beautiful beaches. Have you got a memory of a favourite beach you've been to somewhere? Becca Yes, I have beautiful memories. Probably the most recent and the most beautiful was when I was in Thailand last February. Very cold and rainy in the UK, so I decided to go to Thailand, and I just remember seeing the sunset at the beach, and I'd never seen the Sun so red before. It was incredible. So, when the Sun is setting and it's, kind of... it looks like it's going below sea level, at night time. Just beautiful. Stunning. Neil Time now to recap the vocabulary we've heard in this podcast, starting with sunbathe. If you sunbathe, you sit or lie in the sunshine to relax. But you have to be careful in case you get burnt. Becca Yes, and if you sunbathe for too long, you might need to cool down. To cool downmeans to do something to cool yourself when you're feeling too hot. And you can do that by going for a swim. And to go for a swim is to literally go swimming, but it could also mean just to relax in the water. Neil We talked about two different kinds of beaches – pebble beaches and sandy beaches. Pebble beaches are covered in small, smooth stones. They can be difficult to walk on. A sandy beach is covered in sand, and sand is that fine grain and it's much more comfortable to walk on. Becca And lastly, we mentioned picnics. A picnic is a meal that you enjoy outside. Neil That's it for this episode of Real Easy English, but don't forget to go to our website to download a free worksheet. That's at bbclearningenglish.com. Becca And we'll be back next week with another episode of Real Easy English. Bye for now. Neil Goodbye.

Phil and Georgie have a real conversation in easy English about names – the words we use to identify ourselves and our pets. Learn to talk about who you were named after, whether your name is common or unusual, and find out Georgie's funny nickname! nickname informal name used by family and friends name (someone) give someone a name named after (someone) given the same name as someone else, because of them common shared by many other people unusual not shared by many other people Phil Hello and welcome to Real Easy English. We're back with another conversation in easy English to help you learn. I'm Phil. Georgie And I'm Georgie. You can find a video version of this podcast with subtitles so you can read along. It's all on our website. That's bbclearningenglish.com. Phil Hi. How are you, Georgie? Georgie I'm very well thank you, Phil. How are you? Phil I'm good. I'm very good. Today we're going to talk all about names. We're going to talk about our names and where they come from. Georgie Ooh, it's an interesting topic. Phil, what's the story behind your name? Were you named after anyone or anything? Phil I don't know if I'm honest. I don't know why I have my name. Georgie OK. Yeah, I wish I had a better story for my name, but my parents had friends that had a dog called Georgia, and they liked that name. And so they decided to call me Georgia, which might be the first time people are hearing that my name – my real name – is Georgia, not Georgie. Phil Ah. Georgie So, I guess I was named after a dog! So, your name is Philip, but lots of people call you Phil, which is a nickname. So, a nickname is an informal name given to you by friends and family, which is often a shortened version, like Phil. Phil Yes. Yeah, often it's a shortened name. In my case, that's the only one that's ever stuck, that people have ever called me. But you can also sometimes have, like, a jokey, fun name that might not be anything to do with your real name, but your friends call you that. Lots of people have them at school or in your family. Do you have any nicknames, Georgie? Georgie Yes, I have a nickname that my dad calls me, which is Billy, short for Silly Billy because I do lots of stupid things. Phil I'm getting the feeling... Do you like that nickname or...? Georgie I think it's quite... it's quite funny. It's quite sweet. I don't mind it that much. As long as it's only my dad that calls me Billy, it's OK. Do you like your name? Phil I've never thought about it a lot, so I think I do. It's... it's not an unusual name. It might be... I don't know, it might be difficult to have an unusual name, but I don't think it's too common either. It's not like everyone has it, so... Georgie Yeah. Phil I think that's perfect for a name. I like that. Georgie So Phil, have you ever had to name something, like a child or a pet? And was it difficult? Phil I had to name two people – two children. For my daughter, my wife was very keen on the name that we gave my daughter, so she... so that was easy for me. That's fine. For my son, I really wanted a name that worked in English and in Spanish and wasn't too different. And there's not actually that many boys' names that work easily in both languages, or that I could think of. Georgie Yeah, because your wife is from Argentina, so you needed a name that worked in both. Phil OK. Georgie, have you ever had to name something like a pet or someone? Georgie Well, actually, my parents are getting a dog in a few... in a couple of weeks, and we're thinking about names right now, so it's quite a relevant question. It is difficult, isn't it? Because you have to think of a name that you're going to like for a long time, that you're not going to get bored of because you use it so much. Phil Yeah. I guess with dogs' names, you don't want to have something that's too common, because when you call your dog, the whole park will come running to you! Georgie Yeah, exactly. We're trying to think of something a little bit more unusual and fun. Phil OK. Let's recap the vocabulary we heard during the conversation, starting with nickname, which is an informal name used by family and friends. Georgie We can use name as a verb, which means to give someone a name. For example, my parents named me Georgie. Phil If you're named after something or someone, you're given the same name as them because of them. For example, Georgie was named after a dog called Georgia. Georgie I was! Your name might be common, which means lots of people have the same name. Phil Or your name might be unusual, and that means that not many people have the same name. That's it for this episode of Real Easy English. Test what you've learned with the worksheet on our website. And that's bbclearningenglish.com. Georgie We'll be back next week with more easy English. Goodbye for now. Phil Bye!

Georgie and Phil have a real conversation in easy English about DIY – doing work yourself, without hiring a professional. Learn to talk about the difference between putting things up and putting things together, what DIY actually stands for, and the highs and lows of flat-pack furniture. DIY jobs completed without hiring a professional, such as fixing or painting things around the house; stands for Do It Yourself decorate paint something or change the way it looks flat-pack furniture furniture which is sold as a collection of parts, with instructions to build it put (something) up fix something to the wall put (something) together build something Georgie Hello and welcome to Real Easy English. We're back with another conversation in easy English to help you learn. I'm Georgie. Phil And I'm Phil. And you can find a video version of this podcast with subtitles to help you on our website. And that's at bbclearningenglish.com. Georgie Hello Phil. How are you? Phil I'm good, but I'm also a little bit tired because I've been doing DIY all weekend. Georgie Well, that's lucky because today we're talking about DIY. DIY stands for Do It Yourself and it means doing things to your home, such as fixing and painting. So, what kind of DIY have you been doing this weekend? Phil Yes, I've been trying to fix my water tank. Georgie OK. And do you do a lot of DIY? Phil More than I want to. I'm not very good at DIY. If it's something I can do, I will try and do it. Some things I would never touch, like electrics. I wouldn't go anywhere near that or gas because it's not safe. But if it's something that looks safe and I think I can do it, I will try it. Georgie OK. So, what kinds of things do you do around the house? Phil It could be things like painting and decorating your house, making it look nice – that I quite like. I can do that. Sometimes fixing things with bits of wood that need to go somewhere – I can do that. Putting up fences – I could do that, but that's probably it. What about you, Georgie? Do you do much DIY? Georgie No, I don't. I actually rent my flat, so that means I can't really do much to the place because it's not mine. But recently I have put up some lights in my room, because I changed rooms, so I've put up some nice fairy lights on the wall, and I've put up some frames with art and photos, so that's probably my limit. I wouldn't do anything else. Phil Do you enjoy DIY? Georgie No, I don't, because I'm quite a lazy person. So, if I see that something is broken or needs fixing, I will just ignore it – procrastinate, which means to delay something, postpone it – and wait for someone else to do it. I kind of get used to things being broken and forget that it's like that. So, yeah, I'm just a bit lazy. Phil, have you ever put together furniture, like flat-pack furniture? Phil Yes. Yes, I've done that. Yeah, quite a lot. Because, yeah, a lot of furniture you buy that's fairly cheap – you have to do that. I don't actually mind that. I quite like that. It's quite good to do it with someone and you work as a team. Georgie Mmm. Like an activity? Phil Yes. Yes, it can... Well, sometimes it's fun. Sometimes it's stressful. Georgie Yeah. If it goes well that can be a nice thing to do with someone, but if it goes badly it could lead to an argument. Do you have any big plans for your house? Phil I would really like to get a very nice bit of wood and make a nice bar for my kitchen. I'd love to do that, but it's expensive and I haven't done it yet. I keep procrastinating and not doing it. What about you? Georgie I rent my flat so I can't do anything big. I don't have big plans, but we do have an outdoor terrace, which at the moment it's not very... it's not in a very good state. So, I would like to clean it, maybe get some plants for it. I'd like to put some lights out there, actually, so that when people come round it will be really nice in the evenings. So, yeah, that's my plan. Ready for the summer. Phil That sounds lovely. Georgie OK. Let's recap the language we heard during the conversation, starting with DIY, which stands for Do It Yourself. These are jobs you do around the house, like fixing or painting. For example, I don't like DIY – I'm too lazy. Phil We also heard decorate, which means paint a room or change how it looks. Georgie We heard flat-pack furniture, which is furniture which comes with instructions so that you can build it yourself. Phil And we heard a couple of phrasal verbs. If you put something up, you fix it to the wall. So, for example, Georgie put up some picture frames in her bedroom. Georgie And if you put something together, you build it. For example, Phil likes to put togetherflat-pack furniture with someone else. Phil And that's it for this episode of Real Easy English. You can practise what you've learnt with a worksheet that's on our website, bbclearningenglish.com. Georgie And we'll be back next week with another conversation in easy English. Goodbye for now. Phil Bye!

Becca and Neil have a real conversation in easy English about fruit – the healthy and tasty food produced by flowering plants. Learn to talk about whether you like your fruit to be sweet or sour, how to tell when fruit is ripe, and if you prefer juicy or dried fruit. sour having a sharp or acidic taste ripe ready to eat, usually juicy juicy full of juice or liquid dried fruit fruit that has had most of its water removed, often by the sun, such as raisins or prunes Becca Hello and welcome to Real Easy English, where we have easy conversations to help you with your listening skills and learn new vocabulary. I'm Becca. Neil And I'm Neil. If you'd like to see a video version of this podcast, you can find it on our website at bbclearningenglish.com. The video has subtitles, which can help you learn. Becca Hi Neil. How are you doing today? Neil I'm good, thank you. I feel great because I just ate a banana. Becca Yum! Yeah, I saw you. You started off your day quite healthily this morning. I also had a banana. Neil Yes, I saw you eating your banana, and I thought, I'm going to eat a banana. Becca Ah really? Yes, bananas are delicious. And today we are actually talking about fruit. Neil We are, yes, and I love eating fruit. Becca Me too. Neil What kind of fruit do you like? Becca Ooh, besides bananas, I really love berries. And I like green apples and red grapes. I like lots of fruit. How about you? Neil Yeah, I really like fruit. I try to eat fruit every day and, like you, I like apples but not just green ones. The red ones – I like those too. And oranges. And I like frozen berries with my breakfast. Becca So, you mentioned oranges. Oranges can be a little sweet, but they're actually more sour, aren't they? Neil Yeah. Sour or sharp. Becca Sharp, yeah. Neil Yeah. That's the taste that you get from fruit like oranges, and more so with lemons or limes. These are called citrus fruit. Becca Yeah, citrus fruit. They have more of a sour taste. Neil Yeah. If you bite into a lemon, that's sour. Becca Yeah. The face that you make.... Neil Yeah. Becca ...when you bite into something citrus, yeah. Do you prefer sweet fruit or sour fruit? Neil Yeah, I like sweet fruit. And probably I like fruit when it's ripe. Becca OK. What does that mean – ripe? Neil It means that it's ready to eat. It's at its sweetest usually, probably quite juicy. If fruit is juicy, it means juice comes from it. And juice is a liquid – watery. And it's... If it's ripe, it's just before it goes bad or goes off. Becca Right, I see. So, if we're thinking about bananas, for example, a green-coloured banana perhaps isn't ready to eat. It's not ripe like a yellow banana. Neil Yeah, but a yellow one with, sort of, brown bits on it. That's a ripe banana. Becca Yeah, they're a bit too sweet for me. I kind of like that middle... Yeah, I like yellow bananas. Neil How about dried fruit? Do you like dried fruit? Becca Oh, I'm glad you asked. Yes, I really like dried fruit. So, I will often have raisins. So, raisins are dried grapes. And dried means that it doesn't have any of that juice or liquid. Neil So, Becca, here is a really important and interesting question. If you could only eat one fruit for the rest of your life, which would you choose? Becca Ooh, that is a very difficult question. We've talked a lot about the fruit that we love. But probably bananas because I do eat them every day. It feels quite strange to not eat a banana every day for me. And also I really enjoy banana bread and dried bananas. I completely forgot about those. They're really tasty. So yeah, there's lots of things you can do with bananas. Probably those. How about you? What fruit would you choose? Neil I think maybe it sounds boring, but the apple is the perfect snack. You always feel good after an apple, and it makes a fantastic noise when you bite into an apple. That noise is called a crunch. And it's a very... it's a very nice sound. Becca It is a nice sound. And so, we can describe apples as being crunchy. That's the adjective. Yeah. Becca OK. It's time to recap the vocabulary that we've learned. And we'll start with sour. And that is the taste, for example, in lemon or in vinegar – it's not very sweet. Citrus fruits, for example, like grapefruit, oranges, limes – they are very sour. Neil We used the word ripe. Ripe describes fruit which is ready to eat. Becca We also had juicy, and that's an adjective to describe something that has juice or liquid. So, for example, a juicy fruit like a strawberry – when you bite into it, juice will come out of it. Neil We also heard about dried fruit. Dried fruit has had all of the juice taken out of it, sometimes by the sun. So, for example, raisins are dried fruit. Becca That's it for this week's episode of Real Easy English. You can find a free worksheet on our website to test what you've learned from this episode. That's at bbclearningenglish.com. Neil And we'll be back next week with another episode of Real Easy English. Join us then. Goodbye for now. Becca Bye!

Neil and Becca have a real conversation in easy English about the dentist – the person we visit to check the health of our teeth. Learn to talk about why we wear braces, what fillings are for, and where to go if you have toothache. check-up visit to the dentist to check the health of your teeth, or to other health professionals to check for other health issues toothache pain in your tooth filling material used to fill a hole in your tooth braces devices, often made from wire, used to straighten or reposition teeth Neil Hello and welcome to Real Easy English. In this podcast, we have real conversations in easy English to help you learn. I'm Neil. Becca And I'm Becca. You can find a video version of this podcast with subtitles on our website, bbclearningenglish.com. Neil Hi Becca. How are you? Becca Yeah, I'm really good, thanks Neil. How about yourself? Neil I'm very well, thank you. Your teeth are looking very bright today. Becca Oh, well thank you. I recently went to the dentist, um, and I had a very good clean at the dentist. Neil Wow! Well, we're talking about the dentist today. Becca Oh really? Neil We are, yes. Do you like going to the dentist? Becca Does anyone like going to the dentist? It can be a bit scary sometimes. How do you feel about the dentist? Neil Um, well, I haven't been to the dentist for a long time. Becca When was the last time that you had a check-up at the dentist? A check-up is when you have your teeth looked at by the dentist. Neil Um, well, I haven't had a check-up for a while, um, but the dentist said my teeth were OK. There were no problems and, um, I don't have any toothache, so I don't feel like I need to go. Becca Right. And a toothache is when you feel pain in your teeth. Yeah. Neil Have you ever had anything done to your teeth? Becca I have, yeah. So, when I was 13, I had braces put on my teeth. And so, braces are, kind of like a wire that go across your teeth, um, and you have them done because they help to straighten your teeth. Neil My daughter had braces and they came off about a year ago, I think. Yes. It's funny when the braces come off because they... the kids look different! You're used to seeing them with braces. Becca Yeah, yeah. It's also really lovely to see a straight smile as well, with lovely straight white teeth. Neil Lots of people don't really like the dentist because they have to go in for a filling. What's a filling? Becca A filling – I've never had one. But a filling is when a dentist will fill a hole in your teeth with some kind of material. And usually that hole can get bigger over time if you, for example, have too much sugar in your diet. So I'm surprised that I've never needed a filling because I love sugar. Have you ever had a filling? Neil I had a filling in a baby tooth. And we sometimes call baby teeth 'milk teeth' as well. Those are the first set of teeth you have that fall out when you're still very young. But since then, I have never had a filling. Becca Have you ever had a really bad experience at the dentist? Neil Well, when I was really young, I had to have a piece of gum removed. Gum is the pink bit that your teeth come out of. I had to have that cut away, and that was very painful. I had an injection. The injection was more painful. Becca Oh, it is sometimes, isn't it? Was it an injection to make you – or to help you not to feel... Neil Yes. Becca ...the gum coming away? So, it is necessary that you have that injection or it will be really, really uncomfortable. Neil Time now for a recap of the vocabulary that we heard in this episode, starting with check-up. A check-up is when you go to the dentist for the dentist to check the health of your teeth. Becca Yes, and we also had toothache. Now, you'll go to the dentist when you have a toothache. An ache is a pain. So, a toothache is a pain in your teeth. Neil We also heard the word filling. A filling is a piece of material which is put into a hole in your tooth, and you get the hole in your tooth if you don't look after your teeth properly. Becca We also had braces. And braces are something that you attach to your teeth to help put them in the correct position or straighten them. Neil That's it for this episode of Real Easy English, but don't forget to test what you've learnt with the free worksheet that's on our website, bbclearningenglish.com. Becca And we'll be back next week with another conversation in real, easy English. But for now, it's goodbye. Neil Goodbye!

Becca and Georgie have a real conversation in easy English about memory – our ability to remember things from the past. Learn to talk about being forgetful, collecting mementos and reminiscing with friends. memory general ability to remember things; specific experience you remember from the past forgetful not good at remembering things reminisce talk about happy memories from the past memento an object that helps you think of a particular memory Becca Hello and welcome to Real Easy English. In this podcast, we have real conversations in easy English to help you learn. I'm Becca. Georgie And I'm Georgie. You can find a video version of this podcast with subtitles to help you learn on our website. Go to bbclearningenglish.com. Becca Hi Georgie. Georgie Hello there. Becca How are you doing today? Georgie I'm pretty good, thank you. How are you? Becca Good. Yeah, I'm also pretty good. But I forgot my lunch today... Georgie No! Becca ...which is a bit annoying. But today we are actually talking about forgetting things and memory, so it's a good topic... Georgie It is! Becca ...for today's podcast! Georgie Yes. And memory is your ability to remember things. So, Becca, do you have a good memory? Becca I usually do. This morning – not so much. Yes, I usually do have an alright memory but it depends on what I'm trying to remember. So, I will remember experiences and people very well, but when it comes to tasks or things that I have to do for myself, I must write them down or I will forget them. I won't remember them. Georgie I'm a very forgetful person. I... Yes, everyone knows me to leave things in the house that I needed to bring or when I... For example, an umbrella – if I take that out, it will get lost 100%. So, I have a terrible memory. Becca So, you don't have a great memory, Georgie? Memory we use to talk about the ability to remember something, but we can also refer to things from the past – our memories from the past. So, do you have any great memories? Georgie I've got lots of good memories. I think the best memory I have was when I was about eight years old. I went to a concert. And I went to this concert with my dad, my best friend and her dad, and it was outside – a summer's day. It was, kind of, sunset time. We were both on our dads' shoulders, singing, dancing. And she has the exact same memory, so I know that it's... I know that it's real. It's not fake. Becca You didn't dream it. Georgie No, I didn't dream it. But that's one of my favourite memories. Yeah. What about you? Becca I remember my first ever, kind of, live music, concert experience as well was around the time of November 5th. And here in the UK, we often go to see fireworks. And it was the first time seeing fireworks. Georgie Wow. Becca So, yeah. And also my first time, like, seeing a band play on a stage and, yeah, it was a great experience. That's probably why we remember these things, because they do bring us so much happiness and joy when we talk about them. Georgie Yeah, exactly. Do you like to think about the past and memories? I know some people don't like to. Becca Mmm. Yeah, I do. I think it's really lovely to be able to remember – especially the good things from the past. How about you? Georgie Yeah, I like to... I like to reminisce and reminisce means that we talk about things from the past, about memories with happiness. And that's really fun to do, especially with childhood friends. Becca Yeah. Georgie When I meet up with friends from school, it's a lot of fun to, kind of, think about the good times from school and talk about people that we used to know. Yeah, reminiscing is a fun activity. Becca Yeah, I enjoy it too. Georgie So, we can talk about things from the past. But some people also like to keep things, collect things from the past – mementos. That's what those are called. Do you like to keep mementos? Becca I love to keep mementos. Georgie What kinds of things? Becca I... So, I started a collection of fridge magnets from my first solo adventure. And so, you know, I get to see those little mementos every day and I'm reminded all of the places that I've been. It's nice to look at these mementos, and then we reminisce. Georgie Yeah. Becca Let's recap the language that we learn in that conversation, starting with memory. So, memory is the ability to remember something. But we can also have memories. And memories are things that we remember from the past. For example, I have a lot of good memories from when I was a child. Georgie We also heard forgetful, which describes a person who does not have a very good memory. I am a forgetful person. Becca If we reminisce about something, we talk about our memories from the past – memoriesthat make us happy. Georgie And we heard memento, which is an object which makes you think of a particular memory, place or event. Becca For example, I collect fridge magnets, which are a memento of all of the places that I've travelled to. Georgie And that's it for this episode of Real Easy English. We'll be back next week with another conversation in easy English. And don't forget to test what you've learned with the worksheet on our website. Go to bbclearningenglish.com. Becca And what would you like us to talk about on this podcast? You can send us a question at learningenglish@bbc.co.uk. Bye for now! Georgie Goodbye.

Georgie and Becca have a real conversation in easy English about work – the jobs we do and the way we feel about them. Learn to talk about being stressed or calm, being organised or disorganised and how a supportive environment can help someone who feels nervous. stress feeling of worry or tension, usually caused by a particular situation calm feeling of peace and relaxation, without strong emotions nervous worried, anxious organised well prepared or planned disorganised badly prepared or planned supportive helpful and encouraging to others Georgie Hello and welcome to Real Easy English, where we have real conversations in easy English to help you learn. I'm Georgie. Becca And I'm Becca. You can find a video version of this podcast on our website and test yourself with a worksheet on bbclearningenglish.com. Georgie Hello Becca. How are you? Becca I'm really well, thank you, Georgie. How about yourself? Georgie Yes, I'm good, thank you. Are you having a busy week? Becca It has been a little bit busy, but also quite fun. How about yours? Georgie Me too. I've had a busy week, but it's going well. And Becca, today we're talking about work. We're going to talk about what we're good at, at work, and also what we do when things go wrong. Becca Ooh. OK. Georgie So, what do you like about work? Becca I like that we have different tasks to do in the day, and some of them are creative, and then other tasks you really need to, kind of, put more thought and focus into. Georgie Becca, do you ever find work stressful? Becca Of course. I think that you will find work stressful at some point during your job or your career. Yeah, I think if I haven't planned things well – if I haven't done the preparation well – then I find things a bit stressful. Georgie Yeah. Becca How about yourself? Georgie Yeah, me too. When we have lots of projects as well, I feel like when we have a lot of things going on, it can be stressful to, kind of, juggle different tasks. And when we need to publish a new podcast or a new video series, it can be... there can be a lot of pressure to get things done. Becca So, would you say that you're someone who gets stressed easily at work? Because you seem to be quite calm all the time. Georgie Yeah. No, I don't actually get too stressed very often. Even when there's a bit of pressure at work, I tend to stay quite calm. I always just think, there's no point in worrying. Worrying doesn't actually fix the issues. And you can only do what you can do. So, yeah, I tend to stay quite relaxed. What about you? Do you get quite stressed or... Becca Yeah, as I previously mentioned, I think if... I'm usually quite an organised person but, you know, there are some times where I feel a bit disorganised. And if I don't prepare, I find myself in stressful situations and I might start feeling a bit nervous, especially as time gets closer to completing something. I really don't like having things late. Georgie Yeah. Becca Not just in work, but in my general life. Georgie So, you get nervous if you're not feeling organised. But are you good at being organised? Becca Yes. If I write things down, then I tend to stay organised. It's likely that I won't feel very stressed. I can start to relax a bit when I know that, you know, I've ticked things off my list. Do you write to-do lists? Georgie I do. I do write to-do lists. And that can be really helpful to, kind of, keep calm because you have your whole plan on a page that you can see. And you can, kind of, know where you are in your week, which is really helpful. Becca Yeah. Georgie What happens when things go wrong at work? What... how do you, kind of... how do you deal with these situations? Becca Well, I've only been here for a little while in comparison to yourself and the rest of the team. And I feel really thankful that you're all very supportive. So, if I do have something that I haven't quite finished, or I'm not really sure what I'm doing with it, or it just goes completely wrong, then I feel that I can come to yourself or any of the team to ask for a little bit of help or guidance. Georgie Oh, that's good! I don't think anything's gone completely wrong since you've been here. Becca Not yet... Audio listeners – fingers crossed! Georgie Fingers crossed! OK. Let's recap the language we heard during the conversation, starting with stress. Now, stress is a feeling of worry, usually caused by a particular situation. And you can describe a person as being stressed, and that is the feeling of having stress. And we can also say stressful, which describes the situation. Becca We also had calm, and that's when you don't feel stressed or worried about something. For example, Georgie is always very calm at work. Georgie We also heard nervous, which describes someone who worries a lot. Becca We had organised – someone who is organised plans very well and prepares very well. The opposite of organised is disorganised. Georgie And we heard supportive, and if someone is supportive, they help other people. Becca That's it for this episode of Real Easy English. We'll be back next week with another easy English conversation. Georgie And if you want more easy English, head to our website to try some of our other easy series – for example, the London Letter Challenge. Go to our website, bbclearningenglish.com. Becca Goodbye for now! Georgie Bye!

Neil and Becca have a real conversation in easy English about books – written words printed on pages and bound together with a cover. Learn to talk about biographies, novels and poems. fiction type of writing where the story is imagined non-fiction type of writing where the story is true novel fictional story of substantial length biography type of non-fiction book about a person's life autobiography type of non-fiction book where someone writes about their own life poem type of writing where words are arranged carefully, often in lines and verses, and chosen for their rhythm, sound and imagery as well as their meaning Neil Hello and welcome back to Real Easy English, the podcast where we have real conversations in easy English to help you learn. I'm Neil. Becca And I'm Becca. You can find a video version with subtitles of this podcast on our website bbclearningenglish.com. Neil Hi Becca. How are you? Becca Yeah, I'm well, thank you Neil. How about yourself? Neil I'm very good. I'm excited because we're talking about books and reading today, and I really love reading. How about you? Becca Yeah, I like reading as well. I do like reading. How often do you read, though? Neil Well, I read every day, but different types of things. So, I do... I sit down and read for the longest period of time and the most serious kind of book when I'm travelling to and from work. Becca Oh! OK. Neil Yeah. And when I'm at home, I read stuff that's not so difficult, because usually at home I just fall asleep if I read. Becca Yeah. So, I see a lot of people reading on the tube and I wish I could be that kind of person, but for me, I only read when I'm in a relaxed environment. So, like, sometimes I'll go to the park in summer or take a book to the beach. So, I do like reading, but I don't read as often as I feel like I should. Neil So, Becca, what kind of books do you like to read? Becca I like short books. I sometimes feel a bit stressed when I see a long, thick book. A lot of the books that I have on my shelf at home are poems. Poetry is a form of literature that... It's usually quite emotional and a lot shorter than a short story or, like, a novel, for example. Yeah, poems – they also sometimes have a lovely kind of sound quality to them, if you read them loud. So, some of the words might rhyme, and they use a lot of metaphor. So, I really enjoy short stories or books that have lots of poems in them. How about yourself, Neil? What stories or what books do you enjoy? Neil I like fiction. So, fiction is when the story is not true. It's made up by the writer. And I like novels. And novels are fiction books. That's just one quite long story. So, you know, probably more than 100 or 150 pages. Otherwise, it's a short story. Short stories are... Both ...shorter! Becca Yes. Have you ever read a non-fiction book? So, maybe, something that's based on, like, a real event or like a biography from someone's perspective that you really enjoyed? Neil Yeah, I like reading biographies as well. So, a biography is somebody's life story. I like biographies of musicians and people like that. Becca Yeah, I know you play guitar, so music seems to be quite a hobby that you enjoy. Neil Yeah. Becca Yeah. Neil Yeah, definitely. And I like reading about the lives of people who've worked in music. Becca Mmm. Neil Do you like non-fiction? Becca I prefer to watch non-fiction. I prefer to watch documentaries. I haven't read many non-fiction books. Neil Do you have a favourite author? Author – an author is a person who writes books. Becca Mmm yeah. So, actually a lot of my favourite authors – some of them have written novels. I prefer poets, so authors that have written poems. And I prefer them because they're quite moving and usually quite short as well. So, I find that the authors that I enjoy the most write short things, like poems or short stories. Neil OK. Let's recap some of the vocabulary we've heard in this podcast, starting with fiction. Fiction is a type of writing where the story is not true – it's made up. And the opposite is non-fiction. Non-fiction is a true story. Becca And our next word – novel. A novel is a fiction, and it's usually a longer story. Neil We also heard the word biography. A biography is a type of book about a person's life, and if that person wrote the story of their own life, it's called an autobiography. Becca We also mentioned poems. Now, poems are a shorter piece of writing, even shorter than a short story or a novel. And the sounds of the words and the ideas are very important in poetry. Neil That's it for this episode of Real Easy English, but don't forget to go to our website. That's bbclearningenglish.com, where you can find a free worksheet. Becca And we'll be back next week with another conversation in easy English. Goodbye for now! Neil Goodbye!

Neil and Becca have a real conversation in easy English about sunshine – the weather that brings brightness and warmth to our days. Learn to talk about clear skies, shade and sun cream. clear without anything in the way; without clouds blocking the Sun shade area where the Sun is blocked by an overhanging object, forming a darker and cooler space sunscreen/sun cream spray or lotion rubbed into the skin to protect it from harmful UV rays coast place where the land meets the sea Neil Hello and welcome to Real Easy English, the podcast where we have real conversations in easy English to help you understand. I'm Neil. Becca And I'm Becca. Find a video of this podcast with subtitles on our website, bbclearningenglish.com. Neil Hi Becca. How are you? Becca I'm really well, thank you, Neil. How about yourself? Neil I'm OK. But I wish it was sunny. Becca Mmm... me too. Neil At the moment, it's really horrible and rainy in the UK, but we're going to talk about sunny weather to make us happy. Becca I'm glad. I'm happy that's the topic today. Neil Do you like sunny weather? Becca Of course! I love sunny weather. I think everyone loves a little bit of sunshine. It's good for you. Neil Yes. Becca Yeah? Neil Absolutely. So, what do you like to do when the weather is sunny? Becca When the weather is sunny, I try to spend as much time as I can outside. So, I try to wake up earlier to see the Sun and I really enjoy walking, riding my bike, going to the beach. And I will try to stay out for the whole day, especially if the sky is clear, because then we'll have a beautiful sunset. Neil Absolutely. Wow. I can picture all of this. Becca Yeah. Neil In the summer in the UK, we're lucky because it's light really late. Becca Mmm. Neil And so you can do things outside in the evening. Becca Yes, you have a very long day in the British summer days. Neil Yeah. Becca Yeah. Neil But you can have too much Sun and of course the Sun can be dangerous. So, do you do anything to protect yourself from the Sun? Becca I unfortunately don't enjoy wearing sunglasses, but I know that they're a very good precaution for you. So, a good way to, kind of, protect yourself – protect your eyes from the Sun. I don't really enjoy wearing hats either. The only thing that I do, that I actually do most days even when it's not sunny, is wear sunscreen. Neil Ah yes. That's a very good idea. Becca Because my face is very important. Neil Yes. Becca So, I need to protect... Yeah, protect your skin. Neil So, sunscreen or sun cream is stuff that you put on your face, on your skin – arms, legs, body – to protect the skin from the Sun. Becca Yes. And it's very important that if you are going out on a sunny day, that you put sunscreen on every part of your skin that will be under the Sun, because if you forget a certain area, then you might get burnt. Neil Yes, and sunburn is horrible. Becca Yeah, it's really not very comfortable, is it? Neil No. Do you sit in the shade when it's really sunny? So, the shade is the darker part of outside – maybe a tree or something is in the way of the Sun, and you can sit in the shadeof a tree. Becca Yes, I do enjoy sitting in the shade of trees. Usually when you go to the park, there will be the, kind of, more shady areas. Neil When it's sunny, it's really nice sometimes to go to the coast. Now the coast is the part of the land that meets the sea. So, there might be a beach there, or cliffs, or... but the coastis that part where land and sea meet. Becca Yes, yeah. And cliffs are really lovely to go and have a walk on. They're usually quite high up from the sea level, so you get really beautiful views of the rest of the coast. I love going to the coast. Neil Time now for a recap of the vocabulary that we've heard in this episode, starting with the word clear. If we say something is clear, we mean that there is nothing in the way. So, a clear sky means there are no clouds in the way and you can see the Sun. The Sun is bright. Becca Our next word is shade. And shade happens when something blocks the Sun, for example, a tree. Now under the tree there will be a darker, cooler area where it's nice to go and relax, and get out of the hot Sun. Neil And we heard sunscreen or sun cream. That's something you rub on your skin so that you protect yourself from the Sun, so you don't get burnt. Becca And the last word we have is coast. Now, the coast is the place where the land meets the sea and sometimes you'll see a beach there. Neil That's it for this episode of Real Easy English. But don't forget, we have a worksheet so you can test yourself on the language you learn today. It's at bbclearningenglish.com. Becca And we'll be back next week with another conversation in easy English. We'll see you then. Neil Goodbye!

Phil and Georgie have a real conversation in easy English about water – the refreshing liquid that is crucial to our survival. Learn to talk about saving water, wasting water and feeling thirsty. thirsty feeling like you need to drink something enough as much as is needed drought period of time with little or no rain, when water is scarce save (water) use less water waste (water) use water that you don't need Phil Hello and welcome to Real Easy English. This is the podcast where every week we have a conversation in easy English to help you learn. I'm Phil. Georgie And I'm Georgie. You can watch this podcast on our website, where you'll also find a transcript and a worksheet to help you learn. Go to bbclearningenglish.com. Phil Hi Georgie. How are things? Georgie Things are good, thank you, Phil. How are you? Phil I'm good. I am a little bit thirsty though. Georgie Are you, Phil? Well, today we're going to talk about water – drinking it, using it and hopefully not wasting it. Phil So, Georgie, do you like drinking water? Georgie I was going to say that I think everyone likes drinking water, but actually, I do know people that don't like drinking water. I do like drinking water. I always bring a bottle of water to the office. Neil used to laugh at me because I had a bottle that was about two litres. So, yeah, I do like water. What about you? Phil Yeah, I like to drink water. I think I drink quite a lot in a day, and sometimes I feel bad if I don't. It makes me feel much better. But my children find drinking water boring. They're always asking for juice or, well, fizzy drinks as well, but we don't let them usually. Georgie Oh really? Phil But yeah, I ask them to drink water and they don't. They don't want to and I don't understand it. Georgie You can make water a bit more interesting by putting, like, a flavoured cordial in it, like a strawberry or berry flavoured thing. Do you do that? Do you have that at home? Phil Maybe I should try it. Maybe that's what we need to do. Georgie Yeah. How much water do you drink? Do you think you drink enough? Phil I don't really measure it, but I usually drink when I'm thirsty. And if I don't drink water, I notice it because I don't feel good if I haven't drunk enough water. Georgie Yeah. Sometimes I get a headache if I don't drink enough water. Phil And we've been talking about drinking water, but of course we use water for lots of things apart from drinking. Do you ever try to save water, Georgie? Georgie Yes, I do. I try to not have too many showers. I'm not stinky, but I have one shower a day. And I try to... I do love to have a bath, but I think it's better to have a shower. I think you save more water by having a shower. What else do I do to save…? What do you do to save water, Phil? Phil One thing we do is we collect rainwater to water the plants in the garden. It depends how much it's rained, but if we have that, then it's good to use that. Also trying to make sure we fix things if a tap is dripping or there's a leak somewhere. Trying to fix a leak – that can help save water. Georgie Those are really good. Good ways to save water. Phil, have you ever experienced a drought? So, a drought is a period of time where there's not enough rain. Phil There have been times where you hear about there not being enough rain and people are worried about it. But it's not common here that you can't get water. Often, they ask you not to use water to water your plants or wash your car or something. So, yeah, and I think it is getting more common that you hear about droughts more here. Georgie Yeah, it sometimes happens in the summer. I remember when I was younger, they told us to stop using the hosepipe – so, like a long tube that you use to water plants. But it doesn't usually last that long in this country. We are very lucky. I've been to other countries where they have lots of signs in the bathrooms saying please save water, don't use too much water, to try to avoid wasting... wasting so much water. Phil Let's recap the language we heard during this conversation, starting with thirsty. And if you feel thirsty, it means you feel like you need to drink something. Georgie We also heard enough, which means as much as you need. Phil and I think that we drink enough water. Phil And then we heard drought, which is a period with little or no rain. Georgie And during a drought you need to save water. If you save water, you use less. Phil But if you waste water, then you use water that you don't need. Georgie And that's it for this episode of Real Easy English. Head to our website for more programmes to help you with your English. That's bbclearningenglish.com. Phil And we'll be back next week with another conversation in easy English. Bye for now! Georgie Goodbye!

Georgie and Phil have a real conversation in easy English about weekends – the Saturdays and Sundays when many of us take a break from work. Learn to talk about taking it easy, getting things done and making the most of your weekend. make the most of use an opportunity well, without wasting time get (something) done complete something take it easy do little or no work, with only simple tasks chill relax this weekend the weekend at the end of the current week. Georgie Hello and welcome to Real Easy English. In this podcast, we have real conversations in easy English to help you learn. I'm Georgie. Phil And I'm Phil. Remember, you can watch a video of this podcast on our website with subtitles to help you understand it. And that's bbclearningenglish.com. Georgie Hello Phil. How are you doing? Phil I'm good, I'm good. And I'm looking forward to the weekend. Georgie Me too. It's been a busy week and actually today we're talking about weekends. We'll talk about what we usually do at the weekends. So, Phil, do you like weekends? Phil I love weekends. It's just great. You don't need to get up as early as you do during the week. And it's just a bit more relaxed. That's nice. Georgie I know. Who doesn't like weekends? Everyone needs some time off and time not doing work. What do you usually do at the weekends? Phil Usually, as I say, I usually get up not very early, certainly not as early as during the week. My children go to play music at the weekends, so we have to make sure that they have breakfast and maybe we take them there or we pick them up, but apart from that, it's time... it's time when you don't have to do something specific. So, maybe there's things to catch up on, maybe clean the house, but it's less pressure. Georgie Yeah, you can kind of choose what you feel like doing. For me, it depends whether I've had a busy week. If I've had a busy week of work, and sometimes I have social plans every evening, then at the weekends I prefer to just chill and catch up on my home things, like cleaning. But if I've had quite a quiet week, I like to be quite active. So, I like to make plans with friends, do some exercise. Yeah, so it kind of depends, but that's why weekends are good, because you can kind of choose what you do. Phil Yeah. I always think it's nice to make the most of the weekend when you can, particularly... especially, you get up on a Saturday or a Sunday and it's really sunny and it's nice – you kind of want to do something don't you? Go out for a walk or visit somewhere new. Georgie Yeah, that's true. But if it's raining, my favourite thing at the weekend is to, yeah, not set my alarm, wake up still kind of early, go down, make a coffee, bring it to bed, have a coffee in bed, and either read or watch an episode of something, a YouTube video. That's my favourite thing, because you don't have to suddenly get up and go. Phil OK. So, we're talking about weekends, Georgie. Do you have any plans for this weekend? Georgie Yes, I do. So, a lot of my friends are turning 30 years old this year, and on Saturday I have a 30th birthday party, so that's in the evening. I think it will probably be a late night, so on Sunday I think I'm going to take it easy. So, just relax, not make any plans and just see... see where the wind blows me! Phil That's nice. Georgie What about you, Phil? Phil Well, we had quite a busy weekend last weekend, so this weekend, there's a lot of things that we need to get done. We can't just take it easy. Georgie Urgh. Phil We need to clean the house and just organise some of those... those life admin things – those little tasks that we haven't done. We need to get them done... Georgie Yeah. Phil ...this weekend. Georgie Will you do anything fun? Phil We'll see. If we get time, yeah. Georgie If you get the... if you get the things done. Phil Yes. If we get everything done, we can... Well, we can chill or we can do something nice. Georgie Ah nice. OK. Let's recap the language we heard during the conversation. We heard make the most of something. If you make the most of your weekend, you use the time well – you don't waste it. Phil We also heard get something done, which means to complete a task. It might be something like cleaning your house. If you do that, you got something done over the weekend. Georgie We also heard take it easy or chill, which means you relax and don't do much. Phil We talked about this weekend and when we say this weekend, we mean the one that's coming – the one that's at the end of this week. Georgie And that's it for this episode of Real Easy English, but we'll be back next week with another conversation in easy English. Phil Try the worksheet on our website to practise what you've learnt. And that's at bbclearningenglish.com. Georgie Goodbye for now! Phil Bye!

Neil and Georgie have a real conversation in easy English about chocolate – the delicious sweet treat that many of us love! Learn to talk about cravings, cutting down and giving up. lots of/a lot of a large amount of loads of a very large amount of give up (a food) stop eating (a food) forever, or for a prolonged period of time cut down on reduce craving stong desire or feeling of needing something like food Neil Hi Georgie. How are you? Georgie I'm very well thank you, Neil. How are you? Neil I'm pretty good. Georgie And what are we talking about in this episode? Neil So today, Georgie, we're talking about chocolate. Georgie Ooh, I love chocolate. Neil I know, that's my next question. Do you like chocolate? Georgie I do. I think you and everyone else in the office knows that I like chocolate a lot. My dad always jokes when I go home that if they have any chocolate in the house, it will disappear if I go home, because I'm always looking in the fridge and the cupboards to find it. What about you? Are you a chocolate fan? Neil I do like chocolate, yeah. I don't think about chocolate all the time, or I don't feel like I need to have chocolate, but I do like it and when I have it, I really enjoy it. Georgie Mmm. What kind of chocolate do you like? Neil Well, I like really dark chocolate – the one that's kind of bitter. Georgie Yeah. Neil Almost too bitter. I think that's a really, really nice one. You can have a... you only need a really small amount. So, you are famous in your house for eating chocolate, but how often do you eat chocolate? Georgie Well, I have a terrible habit of eating chocolate after most meals. Maybe breakfast, I avoid chocolate...? That's a lie actually! This morning, I had a chocolate croissant, so forget that! After something savoury, I usually want something sweet and so I usually have a chocolate bar after lunch. Then after dinner, the same thing happens. I get a sugar craving and need something sweet. A sugar craving means that you really want it. You really need it. Your body is telling you that you want it. Neil So, it sounds to me like you couldn't give up chocolate. Georgie Hmm. I think about it sometimes – giving up chocolate, which means to stop eating it completely. But I think a more realistic option for me would be to cut down on chocolate – so eat less of it, reduce my chocolate consumption. I just can't imagine not eating chocolate. It would take away so much enjoyment from my life. And Neil, life is short. Neil There was actually a really sad look in your eyes when you were talking about giving up chocolate, so... Georgie So, obviously I like chocolate a lot. You said that you don't like it as much. Does that mean you eat it less? How often do you eat chocolate? Neil Well, when I have chocolate or when there is chocolate around, I eat lots. I eat loads. In fact, it's hard not to finish the whole bar, even if it's a big one. But fortunately, I suppose, I don't really think about chocolate much. It's not like every day I think I need my chocolate, but when it's there, I really love it. Georgie OK. So, do you not buy much chocolate for the house then? Do your kids not eat much chocolate? Neil No, not really. I don't think we do. There are times of the year when chocolate is around more often, like Christmas and Easter. Georgie Oh yeah. Neil But the rest of the time, no, we're not a very chocolatey house. Georgie No. Do you prefer plain chocolate – so, just chocolate on its own? Or, you know, flavoured chocolate – things that have... chocolate that has other flavours in it? Neil Actually, I do like some maybe unusual combinations. So, some chocolate bars you can get that have got chilli. Georgie Mmm. Neil Some even with wasabi. Georgie Oh! I've never tried that. Neil Yeah. Georgie What's it like? Neil I'm not sure about the wasabi one but the chilli one is really good. Georgie Another unusual one is salted caramel in chocolate. Or salt – just sea salt with chocolate. That's really good as well. Neil Yeah. And ginger. Georgie Yeah. Ginger's good. Neil The list could go on. OK. Let's recap the vocabulary we've heard in this podcast. We had lots of or a lot of, which means a large amount, and we can also say loads of – loads ofchocolate. Georgie We also heard the phrasal verb give up. If you give up a food like chocolate, you stop eating it. Neil We also heard the phrasal verb cut down on, which means to have less of something. Georgie For example, I really need to cut down on chocolate. We also heard the word craving, which is when you have a really strong feeling of needing or wanting something like a food. Neil That's it for this episode of Real Easy English, but why not test what you've learnt with a free worksheet that's on our website, bbclearningenglish.com. Georgie And we'll be back next week with another episode. Thank you for joining us and goodbye. Neil Goodbye!