Brief Summary
This Leo English Podcast episode focuses on practicing how to talk about the past in English, covering various time frames and experiences. Jack and Emma share personal stories and examples to illustrate the use of past tense, relevant vocabulary, and common phrases. They discuss recent events, childhood memories, school experiences, first experiences, embarrassing moments, and significant life events. The episode also includes a vocabulary review and encourages viewers to share their memorable childhood memories in the comments.
- Discusses using past tense and time-related vocabulary to describe events from the recent and distant past.
- Explores sharing personal stories about childhood, school, and significant life events.
- Reviews useful vocabulary and phrases for discussing past experiences.
- Encourages viewers to engage by sharing their own memorable childhood memories.
Introduction
Jack and Emma introduce the topic of the podcast: talking about the past in English. They highlight the importance of being able to share memories and experiences with others, whether discussing recent events, childhood, or funny stories. They encourage viewers to like the video and subscribe to the channel to support their work in creating English learning content.
Recent Past
Jack and Emma begin by discussing their recent activities. Emma mentions visiting her parents and cleaning her apartment over the weekend, while Jack recounts going hiking with friends and cooking dinner. They transition into discussing the recent past, focusing on events from yesterday and last week, and emphasize the use of the simple past tense. Emma shares that she worked, answered emails, and went to the gym yesterday, while Jack taught English classes, went grocery shopping, and called his sister. They highlight the use of time words like "yesterday," "last week," "last month," "last year," and "ago" when talking about the recent past.
Past Travel Experiences
Emma shares her experience of visiting Paris with her best friend, detailing the landmarks they visited, the food they ate, and the perfect spring weather. Jack then talks about his trip to Japan three years ago, mentioning the amazing food, polite people, and peaceful temples in Kyoto. He also mentions learning basic Japanese phrases to show respect for the local culture.
Childhood Memories
Emma and Jack transition to discussing childhood memories, with Emma describing her upbringing in a quiet small town with a big garden where she played hide-and-seek, rode bicycles, and climbed trees. Jack shares his experience growing up in a city apartment building, playing football in the street, riding skateboards, and playing video games at the arcade. They emphasize the use of the past tense when talking about childhood, using phrases like "when I was a child" or "when I was young." Emma admits she was afraid of the dark and thunderstorms, while Jack reveals he was afraid of dogs. Emma also shares that she had a cat named Whiskers, while Jack always wanted a dog but couldn't have one due to the small apartment size.
School Memories
Emma and Jack discuss their school memories, sharing both good and bad experiences. Emma recalls a memorable field trip to a science museum when she was 10 years old, which sparked her love for science. Jack remembers his high school graduation and the joy of celebrating with friends. Emma admits she struggled with math and even cried after failing a test, but later improved with the help of a tutor. Jack shares a similar experience with history, finding it boring and difficult to remember dates and names.
First Experiences
Emma and Jack discuss first experiences, highlighting their special and memorable nature. Emma recalls her first day at university, feeling nervous and getting lost, but eventually making a friend who helped her find her classroom. Jack remembers his first job interview at 22, feeling nervous and forgetting his prepared answers, but learning from the experience despite not getting the job.
Embarrassing Moments
Emma and Jack share embarrassing moments from their past. Emma recounts accidentally sitting in the wrong classroom in college and quietly leaving when she realized her mistake. Jack shares an incident where he waved at a stranger, thinking they were a friend. They conclude that embarrassing moments are a part of life and often make good stories later.
Important Life Events
Emma and Jack discuss important life events in the past, such as graduations, weddings, and new jobs. Jack shares that getting his first apartment at 25 was a significant step towards independence. Emma recounts starting her own business five years ago, highlighting the risks and rewards of the decision. They emphasize that these big life events shape who we are today and that sharing these stories involves using the past tense and adding details about feelings and actions.
Vocabulary Review
Emma and Jack review useful words and phrases for talking about the past:
- Productive: Accomplishing a lot of work.
- Sibling: A brother or sister.
- Grew up: The place where you lived as a child.
- Memorable: Something you remember clearly because it was special.
- Embarrassing: Something that makes you feel shy or uncomfortable.
- Field trip: A school activity outside the classroom.
- Stay in touch: To continue communicating with someone.
- Tutor: A private teacher.
- Independent/Independence: Being able to take care of yourself without help.
- Risky: Something dangerous or with a chance of loss.
- Come alive: Something becomes interesting or exciting.
Review of Main Points
Emma and Jack review the main points of the lesson:
- Talking about the recent past using the simple past tense and time words.
- Sharing childhood memories using phrases like "when I was a child."
- Discussing school memories, including field trips and favorite subjects.
- Recounting first experiences and using phrases like "my first."
- Sharing embarrassing moments and using the word "embarrassing."
- Discussing important life events and adding details about feelings and actions.
Question of the Day and Conclusion
Emma and Jack ask viewers to share their most memorable childhood memory in the comments. Emma shares her memory of going to the beach with her family every summer, while Jack recalls learning to ride a bicycle with his father. They encourage viewers to practice writing in English and share their own stories. They thank viewers for watching, encourage them to like the video and subscribe to the channel, and remind them to keep practicing and not be afraid to make mistakes.
