Vanessa:
Hi, I'm Vanessa from SpeakEnglishWithVanessa.com. Are you
ready to learn a lot of English? Let's do it. I have something secret, surprise to show you.
Over the past couple months, I've been creating some quick 30-second to one-minute English lessons
every day for a social media channel that I have in China on WeChat. If you're in China, you can
check out my code here so that you can follow me and watch those lessons. But I thought, why should
my YouTube students miss out on these lessons? So today, I have combined all of them, all of
these quick, rapid-fire English lessons into one long lesson to share with you. I hope that you
enjoy it. They're all filmed with my phone, but I think that they'll still be useful for you. They
are for, generally, beginner or early intermediate English learners, so I hope that you'll be able
to learn a lot of vocabulary, grammar, idioms, pronunciation, a lot of fun, useful tips in these
lessons. Are you ready to get started? Let's start the rapid-fire English lessons. Let's go.
Welcome to our family. I'm Vanessa. This is Dan, Theo, Freddy, Pippen and Luna. This week, you
will get to know more about our family. I want to get to know more about you. Tell me how many
people are in your family. There are four people in my family, plus two cats. You will get to know
more about us and you will get to know more about English. I can't wait. This is my husband, Dan.
Dan: Hi.
Vanessa: What do you like to do in your free time? Dan:
I like to play disc golf. Vanessa:
Oh. Yeah, Dan's really into disc
golf. What else are you into? Dan:
I like to play hockey and I also like to watch ice hockey.
Vanessa: Oh, I'm not really into hockey, but I like
watching you play on your own team. What about you? What are you into? You can use
this expression to be into something to talk about your interests. Dan's into hockey,
Dan's into disc golf. Meet my oldest son. What's your name?
Theo: Theo.
Vanessa: Theo. And how old are you, Theo?
Theo: Three.
Vanessa: That's great. He's three years old. Who is this?
Theo: White squirrel.
Vanessa: Wow. White squirrel is Theo's favorite stuffed
animal. Stuffed animal is an animal that children love to play with. Notice the pronunciation,
stuffed, stuffed animal. The ED ending sounds like a T. Stuffed animal. Meet my new
baby, Freddy. Freddy, how old are you? Oh, he doesn't talk yet. He's learning English like you.
He's four months old. He likes to chew everything, kind of like a dog, but because he doesn't
have teeth, he gums things, he uses his gums. Thankfully, he's a very easygoing baby. Easygoing
means relaxed. He doesn't cry much. He never screams. I don't think it's because of my skill as
a mother, I think it's just his personality. He's easygoing. What about you? Are you easygoing?
Meet my fat cat, Pippen. We bought Pippen from an animal shelter when he was only six months
old. He was alone and scared, and we saved him. Pippen's favorite activity is staring
out the window and watching the birds. Sometimes, he goes outside and stares at
the birds closer. To stare is like this, to look without blinking.
Thankfully, he's never caught a bird in real life, only in his imagination.
Meet my silly cat, Luna. There's one thing you need to know about Luna, she is a chicken. What?
She doesn't look like a chicken, she looks like a cat. But no, she is a chicken. Do you know this
expression? A chicken. To be a chicken means that you're scared of everything. If she hears a loud
sound, she runs away. Poor Luna, she's a chicken. Welcome to my morning routine. I usually wake
up around 8:00 AM. The phrasal verb to wake up means your eyes open and you stop sleeping.
Sometimes, my alarm clock wakes me up, sometimes, my baby wakes me
up with his cute little face. Good morning. What time do you wake up?
Good morning, my alarm went off. I woke up, and now it's time to get ready. I wash my face,
put on some makeup, put on my glasses, and put on my clothes. Did you notice that I
used the phrasal verb to put on for makeup, glasses and clothes? To put on is a really useful
expression to know. So I have a question for you, what did you put on today? Let
me know in the comments. Bye. Every morning, I pick up my baby,
nurse him and change his clothes. The word clothes sounds like close the door.
Forget the TH, it's clothes. What kind of clothes do you want to wear today, Freddy? Do
you want to wear the dinosaurs or the stripes? This one. Okay. The dinosaurs? Let's do it. Baby
clothes are so cute. Do you drink coffee or tea? I never drink coffee, but I love tea. To make tea,
you need a tea kettle full of hot water, a teabag, or loose leaf tea. Pour the hot water over the
teabag and let it steep for three or four minutes. Now, my day can begin. It's done. What about
you? Do you drink tea or coffee in the morning? I never drink coffee, but do you
know someone who loves coffee? Dan:
I do. Vanessa:
Dan, my husband. How do you make coffee? Dan:
I grind it, I pour it into a filter, and I put it in the coffee machine and turn it on.
Vanessa: Do you drink black coffee?
Dan: Sometimes. But usually, I drink coffee with cream.
Vanessa: This is a common question about coffee.
Black coffee means no milk and no sugar. Do you drink black coffee? My husband always makes
breakfast for us. He usually whips up some oatmeal with honey and fruit. To whip up to make something
quickly. Do you have a presentation in 30 minutes? You need to whip up a presentation. Did your
teacher ask you why you were late for class? You need to whip up a reason. I forgot about school?
If you put on some nice clothes, drink some coffee, and eat a good breakfast,
you can start off on the right foot. What? The right foot? What about the left
foot? No, no, no. This is an expression. To start off on the right foot means that
you have a positive start. I want to start off on the right foot every morning so I try to
think some positive thoughts. What do you do to start off on the right foot in the morning?
Welcome to my kitchen. The sink is where I wash dirty dishes. The faucet is where the hot
and cold water come out, and I have hot and cold water handles. The countertop, or just counter,
is where I prepare food. The cutting board, this is a wooden cutting board, is where I
chop food. I keep food in the refrigerator. Refrigerator is such a big word but I have good
news, usually, we just say fridge. Can you say it with me? Fridge. Ah, it's so much easier.
I cook eggs on the stove and in the oven, I cook chicken. Do you have an oven?
I'm making a typical children's lunch, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Sometimes,
we call this PB&J. I'm going to eat a PB&J. When I was a child, I ate a peanut butter and jelly
sandwich almost every day. To make this sandwich, you can take a piece of bread, or we can call
this a slice of bread, and spread on the peanut butter. Then, we spread on the jelly, or you
can call this jam. We spread on the peanut butter and the jelly with a knife. Notice that
the K is silent. Can you say this word with me? Knife. Put the top piece on and you're done. So
easy. What about you? Do you like to eat bread? To eat food, you need dishes and
silverware, so let's talk about it. Bowls, notice the W is silent. Bowls, big plates,
little plates, cups, or a glass, glasses, mugs, water bottles, a sippy cup, forks, spoons, a
knife, knives. Notice the K is silent. Knives, chopsticks. What about you? Do you use chopsticks
every day? I eat rice a lot, do you? I never eat lice. This is rice, and lice are the little bugs
in your hair. It's very important to say rice correctly. To say the R sound, put your teeth
together and pretend like you are an angry dog, rice, rice. Don't say lice. L is with
your tongue out of your mouth, lice. I want to eat rice. I don't want to eat lice.
What about you? Do you eat rice every day? Ah, I'm hungry. I'm starving when are we going
to eat? Is dinner ready yet? Dinner's ready. Do you want some more? Oh, no, thanks.
I'm full. My eyes were bigger than my stomach. This idiom means that you put too
much food on your plate because you were so hungry. Now, you can't finish it because you're
full. Maybe you could eat it for a midnight snack. What about you? Are you hungry now?
A great way to remember vocabulary is to label items in your house. I heat up food in the
microwave. Heat up doesn't mean you're cooking, it means you're making it warm
again. I chop meat with knives. Chop and cut are the same thing. I put away my
food in the pantry. The pantry is where you can keep rice, flour, cans and jars of food. Writing
a key phrase is great, but writing a sentence is better. What do you put in your pantry?
When I was younger, my dad brought home the bacon. Now, I bring home the bacon.
Well, my husband also brings home the bacon. What does this idiom mean? Does it mean that we
are eating a lot of bacon? No, it's an expression that means to make money. When I was younger,
my mom watched me and my sister, and my dad went to work. That means that my dad brought home the
bacon. Notice the grammar, I bring home the bacon, he brings home the bacon, this is the present
tense, or my dad brought home the bacon, this is the past tense. What about you?
Who brings home the bacon in your family? Welcome to the outdoors. My family has a
weekly goal, to go hiking once a week, rain or shine. This expression rain or shine means
that we will do the activity if it's raining or if the sun is shining. We will do it
in any weather. We use this expression all the time. The outdoor concert will happen
rain or shine. The running race will happen rain or shine. What about you?
What do you like to do outside? I'm a busy bee. I take care of my three-year-old
son, I take care of my five-month-old son, I take care of my house, I take care of my
English teaching business, I take care of myself, and sometimes, I take care of my husband too. Can
you guess what to be a busy bee means? It means I'm really busy. This bee is busy getting the
pollen from all of the flowers. He is a busy bee. But I'm also a busy bee. What
about you? Are you a busy bee? I'm going for a walk in my neighborhood.
I'm going for a hike in the mountains. You can say I'm walking, or I'm hiking,
but it's much more natural to say I'm going for a walk, do you want to join me? I'm
going for a hike, do you want to come with me? This hiking trail is rocky, or this path is
rocky. Path, path. Do you see my tongue? Path. It's between my teeth. Oh, teeth. Say it
with me. Teeth, path. Your tongue should be out of your mouth and between your teeth,
with a stream of air flowing out. Teeth, path. Say it with me, I go for a hike on
the path. I go for a hike on the path. When you feel amazing, when you feel
wonderful, you are on top of the world. I'm on top of the world. Did you just get a
promotion at work? You are on top of the world. Did you just speak with someone in English? You're
on top of the world. Did you make an amazing meal and everyone loved it? You feel on top of the
world. Say it with me, I'm on top of the world. I went for a walk yesterday. I go for a walk
every day. I am going to go for a walk tomorrow. I have gone for a walk every day for three
months. I enjoy the nature when I was pregnant. I enjoy nature now in the summer. I am
going to enjoy nature in the fall. I have enjoyed nature every day of my life.
Do you feel tired? Do you feel annoyed? When I feel tired and annoyed, I go
outside to clear my mind. I feel relaxed, I feel calm, I feel happy when I go outside.
Let's practice this pronunciation. Clears, clears. Notice the L, my tongue is outside of my mouth.
Clears, and the R at the end, my tongue is not outside my mouth. Say it with me, going outside
clears my mind. Going outside clears my mind. Welcome to my workout. It's important to exercise
every day. The word exercise and workout mean the same thing. Some people work out at the gym, but I
don't work out at the gym, I exercise at home. Do you work out at the gym or at home? Some different
types of exercises are running or jogging, yoga, Pilates, jumping rope, Tai chi,
martial arts, pull-ups, sit-ups, squats, lunges, lifting weights, or weightlifting.
What exercises do you do? Vanessa works out on Wednesdays. Vanessa lifts weights very often. V,
my teeth are on my bottom lip with some vibration. Vanessa. Say it with me, Vanessa. W, my lips
make an wooh shape. Work. Say it with me, work. Let's say the challenge sentence.
Vanessa works out on Wednesday. Vanessa lifts weights very often. Great work.
I do some exercises. He does some exercises. I do yoga. She does yoga. I do Pilates. He does
Pilates. I do martial arts. They do martial arts. I do squats. They do squats. I do weightlifting.
We do weightlifting. I run. They run. What about you? Do you do yoga? When I
work out, my muscles get strong. Muscles. Notice the C is silent. Muscles. Don't say
muscles. No, no, no. The C is silent. I don't have strong muscles. What about you? Do
you have strong muscles? Why do you work out? Dan:
To get strong, to get fit, to get in shape, to get buff, and to get ripped.
Vanessa: What about you? Why do you work out? Before
I exercise, I need to warm up my muscles. To warm up means to stretch my muscles. After
I exercise, I need to cool down. To cool down means to stretch my muscles. Can you say it with
me? I warm up, then I cool down. Great work. When should you say hello, hi, or hey?
Hello is for structured situations, on the phone or giving a presentation. Hi is
for your boss, your coworkers, your family, your friends, anyone. Hey is for people you are close
with, your sister, your husband, your friends. Write a greeting to me in the comments,
like, hi, Vanessa. Is it normal to say how are you in English? No, we rarely
say this. Instead, you can say... Dan:
How's it going? How's it going? Vanessa:
Good. This means is your life going well? Yes, my life is going well. English speakers
feel comfortable being casual with everyone. We like to be friends with everyone. You can ask
how's it going with your boss, your family, your teacher, me, and your friends. Now I want to ask
you, how's it going? Should you say thank you to everyone? Yes, English speakers love to say thank
you. I recommend saying thank you. This is for bigger actions. For example, thank you for taking
care of my cats when I went on vacation. Thanks, this is for small actions. Thanks for holding
the door. Thanks for bringing me some coffee. Do you want to thank someone a lot? Just add so
much. Thank you so much for learning English with me. Thanks so much for learning English with
me. Can you say thank you in the comments? When someone says thank you, what can you say?
For big actions, you can say you're welcome. It's my pleasure. For example...
Dan: Thank you for teaching me English.
Vanessa: You're welcome. It's my pleasure to teach
you English. For small actions, you can say no problem. For example...
Dan: Thank you for making this lesson.
Vanessa: No problem. Thank you for being my
student. How can you respond? Oh no, you did something wrong. What should you
say? Just say I'm sorry. It's simple, it's clear, it's polite. Why are you late?
Dan: I'm sorry.
Vanessa: You forgot to buy rice.
Dan: I'm sorry.
Vanessa: Did you bump someone by accident? You
can say I'm sorry, or you can say... Dan:
Sorry about that. Vanessa:
Sorry about that is casual. If you bump me, what would you say?
Dan: Oh, I'm sorry.
Vanessa: What should you say? You can say, it's okay, or
no problem. You can say this in any situation. For example, your boss forgot to give you a paper
and he says, "I'm sorry that I forgot that paper." You can say...
Dan: It's okay. No problem.
Vanessa: Your friend is late to your dinner party and
your friend says, "I'm sorry that I'm late." You can say...
Dan: It's okay. No problem.
Vanessa: I'm sorry that sometimes, I speak too fast.
What can you say to me in the comments? Is it okay to say goodbye? No, no, no, no.
This is too serious. Instead, you can say... Dan:
Bye. See you later. Vanessa:
When you finish working, you can tell your coworkers...
Dan: Bye. See you later.
Vanessa: When your class is finished, you can
tell your teacher and your classmates... Dan:
Bye. See you tomorrow. Vanessa:
Bye, see you later, bye, see you tomorrow, is very common for saying goodbye. Now, I'm
finishing this lesson, what can you say to me? It's family time. Can you answer some
common small talk questions about family? Do you have a big family?
Dan: Yes, I have a lot of family members.
Vanessa: Do you live close to your family?
Dan: No, they live far away.
Vanessa: Do you see your family often?
Dan: No, I see them twice a year.
Vanessa: Tell me in the comments, do you have a big family?
Daughter. Daughter. I am a daughter. Notice the G and H are silent. Daughter. Notice the T changes
to D in American English. Daughter, der, daughter. Don't forget a clear R at the end of the word.
Daughter. Say it with me, daughter. I am a daughter. Are you a daughter? Don't say mother and
father to your parents. It's too formal. Instead, you can say not mother, mom, or children can
say mommy, not father, but you can say dad, or children can say daddy, not grandmother, you can
say grandma, not grandfather, you can say grandpa. My husband likes puzzles, my son likes puzzles.
My husband likes building, my son likes building. Like father, like son. This wonderful idiom means
the father and son are similar, but it can be bad too. For example, if the father says bad
words, the son will say bad words too. Like father, like son. Do you think fathers and
sons are often similar? Let's go shopping. Dan:
Can I help you find something? Vanessa:
Yes, I'm looking for a warm black coat. The phrase I'm looking for is great to use
when you're shopping. I'm looking for an English book. I'm looking for moon cakes. I'm looking for
baby diapers. I'm looking for the makeup section. Can I help you find something? Can you
use I'm looking for in the comments? Let's talk about buying. I bought this shirt
yesterday. Bought is the past tense of the verb to buy. I am buying this shirt today. Right now, I am
buying. I will buy another shirt tomorrow, in the future. I have already bought 10 shirts. I need
to stop buying shirts. What will you buy tomorrow? Hey, hey, come here. Ssh, ssh, I need to tell
you something. I hate shopping. I really hate shopping, going to the store, the bright lights,
all the people. No. If I need to buy something, I shop online. To shop online means you buy it
on the internet. It's so much better for me. What about you? Do you shop online or in a store?
I want to buy shoes. I wanna buy shoes. Want to, wanna. I wanna buy shoes. I am going to
buy shoes. I'm gonna buy shoes. Going to, gonna. I'm gonna buy shoes. What do you
wanna buy? What are you gonna buy? I bought this dress for $50, but after one week,
look what happened, this dress is a rip-off. A rip-off means that the price was high
but the quality was low. For example, the restaurant was very expensive but the food
didn't taste good. The restaurant was a rip-off. What a rip-off. Or you can say Vanessa's
lessons are not a rip-off, they're great. Can you describe a room in English? Walls are the
sides of the room. The ceiling is the top of the room. The floor is the bottom of the room. There's
an inside door, and I have an outside door. The windows in my room have a glass pane. Do
you have any windows in your room? Where do I sit in my living room? I sit on the couch.
Some people call it a sofa, but I say couch. The couch cushions are on the back of the couch,
the couch pillows are on the side of the couch, and the couch legs are on the bottom of the
couch. If your couch is smaller for two people, it's called a loveseat. Do you have a couch?
Do you use electronics? Of course. This is a charger. The long part is the cord. This
charger has two prongs, but sometimes, there are three prongs. This charger also has a
USB port. Where do I put the charger? I put it in an outlet. Do you have a charger?
Let's talk about lights. What is this called? It's a lamp, or table lamp. On
the outside, there is a lampshade, and on the inside, there is a light bulb,
or maybe you have a light on the ceiling. This is a ceiling light. Let's practice
the L pronunciation. The lamp is a light. The lamp is a light. Put your tongue between
your teeth. Say it with me, the lamp is a light. Great work. Do you have a lamp in your room?
Let's talk about the floor. Fun, right? This is a hardwood floor. This is a carpet, or
a big rug. This is a tile floor. This is a small rug. Here is a play mat where my son plays.
What kind of floor do you have in your house? Let's talk about TV. You can say television,
but TV is much more common. Say it with me, TV, TV. A TV remote, the power button,
the volume button, a TV sound bar, or maybe you have speakers, a TV mount, or
maybe you have a TV console. I never watch TV, but my husband likes to watch hockey
games on the weekend. Do you have a TV? I like house decorations. These are
paintings. Can you see my husband and I? The painting is in a frame. The frame is
hanging on the wall. These are not paintings, they are prints, but they are also in a frame on
the wall. Some decorations on my shelf, these are knick-knacks, little things that I
like to display on a shelf. Pictures, these pictures are in picture frames.
Do you have any pictures on your wall? Let's talk about cars. A compact car, a sedan,
a convertible car, a hatchback, a pickup truck, or a pickup, or a truck, a minivan, like I have,
an SUV, a sports car. What kind of car do you have? I have a minivan for my family. On the front
of the car, there is the hood. Inside the hood is the engine. Here are the headlights for driving
at night. The tire is here. The inside is the rim. On the side of the car is the gas tank. On the
back of the car, there is the trunk. In the trunk, you can carry things. There are also brake
lights for stopping, blinkers for turning, and a license plate. My license plate is
only on the back of the car. What about you? Do you have a license plate on the
back or on the front of your car? I use my key to unlock my doors. My key is a
remote, but some cars have a regular key. In some cars, you need to put the key into the ignition.
But in my car, I only need to push a button. After I start the car, I put the car in drive
or in reverse, and hold on to the steering wheel. Is your car key a remote like mine?
I'm sitting in the driver's seat. Here is my headrest. Beside me is the passenger seat. Behind
me is the backseat. Because I have two children, I have two car seats in my car. A car seat is
a special seat for a child to keep them safe. Because my children are small, their car seats
are rear-facing. But when they get older, their car seats will be front-facing.
Do you have a car seat in your car? When it rains, you need to turn on the windshield
wipers. When it's hot or cold, you need to turn the air vents towards yourself. To check your
speed, you need to look at the speedometer. To check your gas level, you need to look
at the gas gauge. When someone is annoying, you can honk your horn. Do you honk your horn
often? To see behind you while you're driving, you need to look in the rear view mirror. While you
drive, you look through the windshield. You can roll down your windows to get some fresh air. You
can put down the visor if the sun is too bright. Don't forget to put on your seatbelt. Buckle
up. Do you always wear your seatbelt? I hope so. Let's talk about the pedals of a car. Before I
drive, I need to take off the emergency parking brake. I push the gas pedal and the brake pedal.
I hit the brakes if somebody stops suddenly in front of me. A manual car will also have
a clutch pedal and a stick shift. My car is an automatic. It has a shifter for park, reverse,
and drive. Do you have a manual or automatic car? Welcome to my office. This is my home office.
I work from home as your English teacher, but maybe you work in an office. I usually
sit in an office chair and I sit at the desk. This is the desktop and these are the desk
legs. In my office, I have some office supplies, pens, or ballpoint pens, pencils, permanent
markers, whiteboard markers, tape, batteries, a notebook with paper, scissors.
Notice the C is silent. Scissors. Say it with me, scissors. What office supplies do you have?
Let's talk about electronics in the office. A desktop computer, a screen, a keyboard,
a mouse and mousepad, a laptop. This is not a notebook. In English, this is a
notebook, a tablet, a smartphone, headphones or earbuds, a microphone, and a webcam.
What electronics do you use in the office? Excuse me, when you have a minute, can I ask you a
question? Wow, this is super polite. If you speak English with your boss or coworkers,
please use this phrase. They will be so amazed because you're so polite. Say it
with me, excuse me, when you have a minute, can I ask you a question? Great job.
One child, two children. One woman, two women. One man, two men. One foot, two feet.
One tooth, two teeth. One half, two halves. One wife, two wives. Hmm. One knife, two
knives. One fish, two fish. One mouse, two mice. BTW, by the way. By the way, I have
to leave in 30 minutes. RSVP, respond please. You're invited to a dinner party at my house.
RSVP by October 30th. ASAP, as soon as possible. Please finish your homework ASAP. ETA, estimated
time of arrival. My ETA at your house is 5:30 PM. VS, versus. Coffee versus tea, tea is the best.
Let's talk about food. Fruit, fruit, vegetables, vegetables. Sometimes, we say veggies.
Meat, meat, fish, fish, grains, grains, dairy, dairy, dessert. I like dessert. Drinks,
drinks. What food do you like? Cookies are sweet. Chips are salty. Lemons are sour.
Coffee is bitter. Peppers are spicy. Fish is oily. Beans are healthy. And ice cream is unhealthy. Do you like ice cream? Do
you know these vegetable names in English? Cabbage, bok choi, potatoes, cucumber,
celery, green onions, garlic, ginger, radish, eggplant, bean sprouts, mushrooms.
Which vegetable is your favorite? Do you know how to say these fruits in
English? Apple, peach, pear, kumquat, mandarin, orange, starfruit, mango,
banana, strawberry, mulberry, jackfruit, lychee, dragon fruit, dates, durian. Which
fruit is your favorite? A bag of chips, a box of tea, a can of pumpkin, a jar of
jam, a package of noodles, a bottle of oil, a slice or piece of bread.
How did you enjoy all of those quick, rapid-fire English lessons? I hope that you enjoyed it. I
asked a lot of questions during these lessons. At the end of every little clip, I asked a question,
so my challenge for you is can you answer one of these questions in the comments? Let's read each
other's comments and just get to know more about each other, and also, practice English. 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.
