Vanessa:
Hi. I'm Vanessa from SpeakEnglishWithVanessa.com. Are you
ready to learn a lot of English? Let's do it. Over the past couple months, I've been creating
some 30-second to one-minute short English lessons for my social media channel in China. If you're
in China, you can click on this code over here to follow me. But for those of you on YouTube,
maybe you can't visit this social media in China, so I want to give it to you here on YouTube.
You're going to see a lot of 30-second to one-minute English lessons pushed together in
this 45-minute lesson. I hope that you will improve your vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation,
cultural concepts, and you will gain a passion and excitement for English. These are all real
daily concepts in English. Generally, they are for beginner or low intermediate English learners, but
anyone can benefit. So I hope that you will enjoy them. Are you ready? Let's get started.
Peekaboo. Peekaboo. Peekaboo. His favorite game is,
peekaboo, peekaboo. He also loves a swing, a walker, and some baby toys. But his
favorite game is just with mommy. Peekaboo. Do you have a baby? You need to take
care of your baby. To take care of means you need to feed them, you need to help them
sleep, you need to change their diaper, you need to do everything for your baby. I need to change
my baby's diaper. Diaper. He is on a changing pad. A changing pad. I have some wet wipe or
just wipes. Yes. And I have some disposable diapers. Disposable diapers. Maybe you use cloth
diapers. Cloth diapers. To sleep like a baby. To sleep like a baby is an idiom that means you
sleep very well. I want to sleep like a baby. Do you sleep like a baby? I hope so. Do
you sleep like a baby? Yes, you're a baby. Oh, he's so cute. How can you compliment a
baby? You can say, "Look at all of his hair. Look at all of his hair. How cute. How cute.
How precious. How precious. He looks like you. He looks like you." When my baby is hungry, he
nurses, nurses, or he breastfeeds. He breastfeeds. This means I give him mine milk. But some babies
drink formula in a bottle. A bottle. But now, he's a little bit older, so he also eats solid
food. Solid food is regular food. What are you eating, Freddy? Some bread. Yum. When my baby,
Freddy, is ready for bed, he needs to sleep in the crib. The crib is a bed for a baby. Some babies
sleep with a pacifier, but Freddy doesn't like it. When he's a little bit older, he can sleep with a
blanket. Do you want to sleep with the blankets? It's cold. Do you know these winter clothes
in English? A long-sleeved shirt, a sweater, a sweatshirt, or a hoodie, a jacket, a coat, or
a winter coat with a hood, a hat or a beanie, a scarf, gloves, mittens, and winter boots.
Are you wearing a long-sleeved shirt today? Where do you put your clothes? I hang up my
clothes in the closet. The closet. The closet is a little room in my house. Or maybe you hang
up your clothes in a wardrobe. A wardrobe. A wardrobe is a separate piece of
furniture. I hang up my clothes on a hanger. A hanger. Do you hang up your clothes on a
hanger? Do you know these clothes in English? A shirt, a t-shirt, a button-up shirt
with a tie, a tank top, a skirt, a dress, shorts, shorts, not short, shorts, pants,
pants, not pant, pants, a sock, a sock, socks. Are you wearing socks today?
I sleep in a bed. A bed. My head is on my pillow. My pillow has a pillow case. On my bed,
there is a fitted sheet, a flat sheet, and a comforter. My bed has a mattress and a box
spring. These are on the bed frame. Some beds have a headboard and a foot board. Does your bed
have a headboard? Are you tired? You can say, "I'm exhausted. I'm drained. I'm worn out," or
more casually, "I'm beat. I'm pooped. I'm dead. I'm ready to crash." Are you ready to crash?
My dresser has many drawers. Can you say this with me? Drawers. Drawers. I use the draw
knob to open the drawer and get my clothes. The word knob has a silent K. Say it with
me. Knob, knob, knob. Do you have a dresser? Let's talk about the internet. The internet.
Can you say this in English? Wifi. Wifi. A web browser. A web browser. I click on
a link. I click on a link. The website is online. The website is online. Oh no,
the internet cut out. The internet cut out, it's not working. Our connection is slow, or
our connection is bad. I can't hear you. Can you hear me? Hello? Hello? Are you there?
Can you say this word with me? Business. Business. My business is on the internet. I teach
English on the internet. Business. Business. My business is on the internet. Where
can I speak English? How can I cook this fish? Is Vanessa from the United States? You
can look up these answers on the internet. To look up does not mean your eyes go up. No, to
look up means to research. When I have a question, I look up the answer on the internet.
Do you look up answers on the internet? What should I do? I need to log in with
my username, username, and password, password. Don't forget your password.
I log in to my social media accounts. I follow my friends. Sometimes I comment
on their posts. I check my notifications one time each day. Don't scroll
on social media too long. How often do you check your notifications? Some
English words can be a verb and a noun. I mop with my mop. I vacuum with a vacuum. But
remember, we do not broom with a broom, we sweep with a broom. We sweep with
a broom. How often do you sweep? Oh hi, I'm doing the housework. You
can use the verb do for housework. I'm doing the laundry. I'm doing the laundry.
He's doing the dishes. He's doing the dishes. Are you doing any housework today? My house is
as clean as a whistle. This means my house is very clean. My house is as clean as a whistle.
Or you can say, "My house is squeaky clean." My house is squeaky clean also means my house
is very clean. It's squeaky clean. Is your house squeaky clean. Hi, I'm cleaning up. I'm
cleaning up. Sometimes in English, we need to add up down or off to a verb. I am clearing off the
table. Clearing off the table. Then I will wipe down the table. Wipe down the table. Do you wipe
down your table? Today is trash day. I have to take out my trash and my recycling. I have to take
out my trash and my recycling. I take out my trash to the dumpster. The dumpster. In the
recycling bin, I put plastic bottles, cans, paper, glass, and cardboard. Do you recycle?
Oh, there are too many cooks in the kitchen. There are too many cooks in the kitchen. This
is a wonderful idiom in English that means too many people are trying to be the leader
and in control. This is not a good thing. When too many people are trying to be a leader,
there are too many cooks in the kitchen. Oh no, there's too many cooks in the kitchen.
Do you know these kitchen items in English? A spatula. This is a spatula. A pot. This is a
pot. A lid. This is the lid. A pan. This is a pan. Can you make an omelet? An omelet in
English, you need to crack the eggs then beat the eggs. Beat the eggs. Then you need
to melt the butter. Add the eggs to the pan. Add the eggs to the pan. Add the cheese. Add
the cheese. Fold the omelet. Fold the omelet. Have you ever made an omelet?
Do you know these different ways to cut in English? I cut the Apple. I cut. I slice
the Apple. To slice. I dice the Apple. I dice. I chop the Apple. I chop. You try it. Cut, slice,
dice, chop. Baking is more popular in the United States. I bake in the oven. Before I bake, I need
to turn on the oven. This is called preheating the oven. I need to preheat the oven. Do you have an
oven? It's laundry day. Laundry day. Do you know these items in English? Laundry detergent.
This is laundry detergent. A laundry basket. This is a laundry basket. The washer and
dryer. This is my washer. This is my dryer. Hi, I'm doing the laundry. Do you know
these common verbs for doing the laundry? The washer washes the clothes. Then I throw
them in the dryer. Throw in the dryer. Or you can hang dry your clothes. Hang dry
your clothes. Last, I fold the clothes. I fold the clothes. Do you fold your clothes?
Do you have a dryer? In America, it is very common to have a dryer. I need to take out the
lint collector. The lint collector. Lint is dust from your clothes. I need to clean out
the lint collector then I can put it back and dry my clothes. Some people use dryer sheets in
their dryer, but I use a dryer ball. A dryer ball. Do you have a dryer? Do you know the
settings of a washing machine in English? The power button. The power button turns on
the washer. Then you need to choose a setting. Normal is the most common setting. You can
choose the temperature, the spin speed, and the soil level. This is how dirty your clothes
are. Do you use the normal setting on your washer. Do you know these verbs for liquids in
English? I pour some water. I pour some water. Do you hear that? To slush. The water
sloshes in the kettle. To slosh. Oh oh, I spilled the water. I spilled the water. Do you
know these types of water in English? Water from a bottle is bottled water. Bottled water. Water
from the sink is tap water. This is tap water. This is sparkling water. Sparkling
water or flavored water. Flavored water. Is the glass half empty or half full. This is a
great English idiom. The glass half empty means you are feeling negative. The glass half full
means you are feeling positive and hopeful. I like to see life as a glass half full. Do you think
the glass is half full or half empty in life? Do you know these popular alcoholic drinks in
English? Beer, beer, wine, champagne, margarita, martini, Mojito, whiskey, rum, vodka, sake, eight.
Cheers. What's your favorite alcoholic drink? Do you know how to drink in
English? Every time we drink, we swallow. Swallow. I sip. I sip the water to sip
is just to drink a little. To sip. To swig. Ah, a lot of water. I swig a lot
of water. To chug. To chug. To finish your drink. To chug. Do you ever
chug your drink? Do you know what these are in English? It's a glass or a cup.
A glass or a cup. This is a coffee mug or a coffee cup. A mug or a cup. This is
a tea cup. A tea cup is for drinking tea. A tumbler. A tumbler keeps my tea or coffee
hot. A tumbler. Do you have a tumbler? I walk in the snow. I walk. I stroll in the
snow. I stroll. I run. I run. I sprint. I sprint. I hold my baby. I hold him. I pick up my baby. I
pick him up. I grab the toy. I grab it. I hug my baby. I hug him. I look at the bill. I look at the
bill. I squint at the small words. I squint at the small words. I stare at the shocking numbers.
I stare. Let's review. To look, to squint, to stare. I cut the paper. I cut the paper.
I snip the paper. I snip. I rip the paper. I shred the paper. I shred it.
Do you want to contact someone, but you want to be polite? You can ask, "Hey, what's your number?
Hey, what's your number." This is very polite, but be careful, you don't want to ask them on a
date, you want to be polite. So you can add, "Hey, hey, what's your number? Can I send
you a text? Hey, what's your number? Do you have a flip phone or a smart phone?" I
have a smartphone. My smartphone has a case, a screen protector to protect it from
scratches, and my smartphone has a touch screen. Do you like to listen to music on your phone?
You need headphones, headphones, or ear buds, ear buds. Or you can listen to
music on the phone's speaker. The speaker. Do you like to listen to music
on your phone? Oh no, my battery is low. My battery is low. I don't want my phone to
die, so I will plug in my phone. I will plug in the cord from my charger. This is the cord
and this is the plug. I plug in the plug in the outlet. The outlet is on my wall.
Do you hear alert on your phone? This means you have a lot
of notifications. A notification is a sound or light that you see when someone sends you a
message. For me, I don't like notifications, so I turn off the notification sound. This helps me
feel peaceful. Do you like the notification sound? My smartphone has some buttons. There is
a power button. The power button turns on or turns off my phone. There is a volume button
to turn up or to turn down the volume. There is a headphone jack for listening to music. And there
is a charging port for plugging in my phone. Are you waiting to hear some important
news from your family? You can say, "Send me a text. Send me a text." Or you can say,
"Give me a call. Give me a call," and they will give you a call on the phone. Do you like to send
a text or do you like to give a call? What is this in English? What is this? This is an external
hard drive. An external hard drive. Usually, an external hard drive has a lot of space, a
lot of memory. This has two terabytes of space. It's an external hard drive for my videos and
pictures. Do you have an external hard drive? What is this in English? This is a flash drive.
A flash drive. You can put documents, files, pictures, or videos on a flash drive and easily
carry it somewhere else. A flash drive. What's this in English? It's a tripod. A tripod.
Can you say that with me? A tripod? I put my camera or my phone on top of the tripod. Tri means
three. One, two, three. What's this in English? It's an extension cord. Extension cord. Can you
say that with me? Extension cord. When the plug is too far away, I use an extension cord.
Let's talk about the bathroom. The bathroom is a room in your house. The restroom is a room
in a public place like a restaurant or the office. Washroom. In the US, we do not say washroom,
this is a Canadian word. Port-a-Potty. A bathroom outside, usually at a park. A comb,
a brush, nail clippers with a nail file, and tweezers, cotton balls, cotton rounds, Q-tips,
bandages, or band-aids, a razor, shaving cream, and aftershave. I use a wash cloth to wash my
face. Do you use a wash cloth to wash your face? Hair ties, hair clip, a curling iron, a
straightener, a hairdryer, or a blow dryer. I blow dry my hair sometimes. Do you blow dry
your hair? This is my shower. My shower does not have a tub. This is a tub. My shower does not
have a shower curtain, it has a shower door. The water comes out of the shower head. I
turn on the water with the shower handle. I have shampoo and conditioner to wash my hair. Do
you use shampoo and conditioner to wash your hair? The sink, the drain, the faucets,
the house, hot and cold water handle, the counter or counter top, and the mirror.
Can you say this with me? Mirror. Mirror. Do you have a mirror in your
bathroom? This is the toilet. This is the flusher or the toilet handle. Don't
forget to flush the toilet. This is the toilet tank and down here is the toilet bowl. In the
US, we have a toilet lid and a toilet seat. Don't forget to put down the seat. This is toilet
paper on a toilet paper holder. A toilet plunger and a toilet brush. Do you have a toilet
brush in your bathroom? So you need to go to the bathroom, but you want to be polite, what
can you say? "Excuse me, where's the bathroom? Excuse me, where's the bathroom?" This is a great
question at your friend's house. A casual and comfortable place. Do not say bathroom at the
office. At the office, you can ask, "Excuse me, where's the restroom? Excuse me, where's the
restroom?" Where's the restroom is more polite for the office. "Excuse me, where's the restroom?"
I don't like beer. I don't like beer. Don't say I don't like beer, instead you can say,
"I'm not a fan of beer. I'm not a fan of beer." Can you say it with me? I'm not a fan of beer.
Are you a fan of beer? Goodbye. Goodbye. No, don't say goodbye. This is too serious. We say
goodbye when we are leaving for a long time, maybe forever. Goodbye. It's very serious.
Instead, you can just say, "See you later. See you later." This is great English. See you
later. What? What? No, if you don't understand, don't say, "What?" Instead, you can say,
"Sorry? Sorry?" This is very easy to remember. Sorry. Sorry. It's also very polite. Can you
say it with me? Sorry. Sorry. He threw three free throws. He threw three free throws.
He threw three free throws. Oh my goodness. This is a difficult sentence. It's called a tongue
twister. A tongue twister. Can you say it with me? He threw three free throws. He threw
three free throws. Can you say it quickly? He threw three free throws. He threw
three free throws. He threw three free throws. Whew, great work.
Dan: Will you marry me? Vanessa: Well, you're nice,
you're handsome, you're funny. Dan: Stop beating around
the bush. Will you marry me? Vanessa: To beat around the bush means to
be indirect. Stop beating around the bush, just tell me, will you marry me? Don't beat around
the bush. That's a good rule of thumb. Huh? What? Thumb? Rule of thumb? Well, this English idiom, a
rule of thumb, means a general rule or guideline. For example, texting your friend before you go to
his house is a good rule of thumb. It's a general rule to text your friend before you go to his
house. It's a rule of thumb. Hold your horses. Horses? What? I don't have horses. No, this is
an English idiom. To hold your horses means wait. For example, I want to learn 100 vocabulary words
today. I want to study eight hours today. Wait, hold your horses. Learn slowly.
Go step by step. Hold your horses. What is this in English? Paw, paw, claw, claw,
hoof, hoof. Notice, one hoof, two hooves. Hooves. Webbed foot. Webbed foot. Tail, tail, fur,
fur, feathers, feathers. What does a cow say? Moo. What does a lion say? Roar. A dog, woof,
woof. A cat, meow. A sheep, baa, baa. A duck, quack, quack, quack, quack. What does a
pig say? Oink, oink. A rooster, cock-a-doodle-doo. What does a rooster say in your language?
Do you know these tools in English? A screw driver, a screw driver.
There is a Phillips head screwdriver or a flat head screwdriver. A level. A level
for making flat things. A level. A mallet. A mallet for pounding. A hand. A hand saw for
cutting. Do you have any tools? I saw my friend yesterday. I saw a truck yesterday. I saw a saw
yesterday. A saw is a tool for cutting wood. A saw cuts woods. I saw a saw yesterday. How long is
something? You need a measuring tape. A measuring tape. I measure with a measuring tape. Do you have
a measuring tape? My husband is building a cover for our deck. Building is hard work, but it's
worth it. It's worth is a wonderful English phrase that means the reward is high. The work is hard,
but the reward is high. Learning English is hard work, but it's worth it. Keep up the great work.
My husband is building a cover for our deck. He needs to go up the ladder. Go
up the ladder to reach the roof. Then he goes down the ladder. He goes down the
ladder. Great work. To see at night, you need a flashlight. A flashlight. But my flashlight
never has batteries. I need to put batteries in my flashlight. Maybe you need AA batteries, those
are bigger, or AAA batteries, those are smaller. I need to put batteries in my flashlight. Do you
have a flashlight? I have a hammer, a hammer, and a drill, a drill. What do you do with
a hammer and a drill? I hammer the nail. I hammer the nail. I screw in the screw. I screw in the screw.
Do you like to eat out? To eat out is a common phrasal verb for eating in a restaurant. Let's eat
out. When you eat out, you can sit at a table with or at a booth, a booth, and the server will
give you a menu. A menu. Do you like to eat out? We are at a fast food drive through. A
drive-through is where you can order food from your car.
Dan: Hi, what can I get for you?
Vanessa: Can I get a burger, fries and Coke please?
Dan: Sure.
Vanessa: At a fast food restaurant, it's common to say,
"Can I get? Can I get a burger, fries and Coke? Can I get?"
Dan: Hi. Welcome to the melting pot. Do
you have a reservation with us today? Vanessa:
Yes. Two for Vanessa at six o'clock. A reservation, reservation, means that you called
the restaurant to save a table at a certain time. Two for Vanessa means two people and I am
making the reservation. This is a common way to save a table. Two for Vanessa at six o'clock.
Have you ever made a reservation. In America, it is necessary and polite to tip. Tipping means
you give 20% extra to your server. For example, if your bill is $40, you need to add $8 extra to
give to your server. This is necessary in the US. If you do not tip, you are very rude. So please
give a tip when you go to a restaurant in the US. In your country, is tipping normal. How can I pay
for my food at a restaurant? The waiter will leave the check on the table and walk away. When you
put the money or your credit card on the table, he will come back.
Dan: Here's your check.
Vanessa: Thank you.
Dan: Thank you. I'll be right back.
Vanessa: You should stay sitting at the table. In America, usually each person only pays for one meal.
We do not fight about the check. Who pays when you go to a restaurant? Important
notice. In America, we do not share food, except when we order an appetizer. Watch this.
Dan: Hi, are you ready to order?
Vanessa: Yes, we would like to get an appetizer, the garlic
bread, please. An appetizer is a small plate of food to share before the meal. The main course is
a larger plate for one person and only one person. We never share the main course. Do you share the
main course in your country? These are snacks. Can you say it with me? Snacks? I eat snacks
between meals or sometimes late at night. I eat snacks. What about you? Do you eat snacks? Where
do I keep frozen food? I keep frozen food in the freezer. In the freezer is my frozen foods. What
about you? Where do you keep your frozen food? These are seasonings, spices, and herbs, I use
them when I cook. I often use salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and cinnamon. What spices
do you use? These are dry goods. Dry goods don't need to go in the refrigerator, they can stay
in your room. I keep my dry goods in a cupboard, but you can keep your dry goods on a shelf
too. Where do you keep your dry goods? Do you plan what you will eat? This is
called a meal plan. A meal plan. I plan two weeks of meals. This helps me to save
money and be organized and save time. This is my meal plan. Do you make a meal
plan? What's this in English? You can put your food inside a Tupperware container. These
are Tupperware containers. Can you say it with me? Tupperware containers. Tupperware
containers are very useful for storing food. There is fresh fruit in the fruit tray. In
the fruit tray. It's not in the refrigerator, it's not in the freezer, the fresh fruit is in a
fruit tray. Where do you keep your fresh fruits? How did you enjoy all of these quick, rapid fire
English lessons? I hope it was helpful for you. And at the end of a lot of these lessons, I asked
a question. So my challenge for you is to answer one of the questions that you heard in this
lesson. Use the English that you learned, write it in the comments, and I can't wait to see what
you have to say. I'll be reading your comments, and make sure you read each other's comments
as well. Let's support each other. Well, thank you so much for learning English with me, and
I'll see you again next Friday for a new lesson here on my YouTube channel. Bye. The next step is
to download my free ebook, Five Steps to Becoming a Confident English Speaker. You'll learn what
you need to do to speak confidently and fluently. Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel
for more free lessons. Thanks so much. Bye.
