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Back to school - Interview with Maya

So thanks Maya for agreeing to this interview. Um, what year are you going to be in this year when you go back to school?

In the fourth year.

Mm-hmm.

And, and, so now, how old are you?

I’m nine.

Nine years old, right.

And um, are you happy to go back to school? Do you think it’s a good thing?

Yeah, because I need to see my friends, I really need to see them.

You really need to see your friends, right. So you miss your friends.

And, err, listen, the school holidays here are quite long, in Italy they are, um, 3 months long. In England they are only a month and a half. What do you think is better? Would it be better to have shorter holidays?

I think shorter, I want them like England, because it’s better. Because then, you don’t know what to do. Then you finish your homework, and then you don’t know what to do.

Then maybe your friends are on holiday so you can’t, um, say, “come over so we can play”. So yea, I think it needs to be one… a month and a half.

OK. Well they’ll probably be difficult to organise because here in Italy it’s so hot in the south, isn’t it. 

Yeah.

It’s even hot here, no?, but, but you know, if schools maybe had air conditioning that would be good wouldn’t it. No? You could have shorter holidays. It would be easier for Mummy and Daddy.

And em, so, what’s your favourite memory from err, or some of your favourite memories from the Summer holidays this year? What have you done?

I liked Puglia.

Mm hmm. Puglia was good, yeah.

Yeah, and then Bibione

and scout camp.

Scout camp yeah. What? So, you did some camping as well?

Yes.

Fantastic. That’s brilliant.

On my own.

And. On your own. Well, with your scout friends.

Yeah.

Brilliant.

And em, tell me about the equipment you need at school. Have you got your bag, your books, your pens?

Yeah, I have everything. I got my books. I got my notebooks. I got my pens. I got my pencils, rubber, um, pen-sharpener (?) …  pencil sharpener.

Yeah pencil sharpener. What have… you’ve got, also a compass this year, right?

A compass, yeah..

And err, what, what do you use the compass for?

To make nice circles, for like things for Halloween, Easter, or Christmas things, yeah

And when you’re gonna make… 

Cause I have a teacher that likes to do, um, creative stuff. So, yeah.

That’s really good. That’s really interesting.

And err, so um, what are you not looking forward to about going back to school? What are you not looking forward to?

Um, like, not waiting 15 minutes outside because my teacher is late 

Is that in the morning?

Yeah, in the morning.

Oh right. So sometimes that happens, they’re late?

At 8 o'clock.

Oh dear. Oh dear.

But at least you… it gives you more time to chat with your friends, doesn’t it.

Yeah but, still … it…  and then, last year, it was very cold.

Yeah?

So, we like this, like … 

So you were freezing outside.

freezing outside like oh my god, when she’s coming?

And err, yeah, I was very very…

Okay, but it’s nice and warm in school is it, once you get in?

Yeah. It’s nice and warm because they have nice um …um… those …

What are they called? They’re called radiators, aren’t they… 

Radiators

.. in English. They have some nice warm radiators.

Radiators

Okay, very good Maya. Well, thanks very much for this interview.

Okay

Bye bye.

Bye.

Language Focus

“Thanks for agreeing…” Thanks for viene sempre seguito da un verbo+ing. Un altro esempio è ‘Thanks for listening!’

“To go back to school" To go back vuole dire ritornare nello stesso posto.

“Come over” Vieni da me.

“they’ll [will] probably be difficult to organise” In questa frase sarebbe stato meglio usare il condizionale ‘would’ per un caso ipotetico e non il futuro ‘will’.

“When she’s [is] coming?” Piccolo errore di grammatica di Maya: con il verbo essere per formulare la domanda il verbo viene prima del soggetto: ’when is she coming? 

Well done for reading!

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