August 19, 2021

Days of the week, when were you born? (Beginner)

18 minutes

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For fun: Here's a reading of a picture book that is perfect for beginners:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeJxXeG-bLI

In this podcast we'll introduce the days of the week, a few more verbs, and some numbers.

1. Monday is the first day of the work week.
2. Tuesday comes after Monday.
3. Wednesday comes after Tuesday.
4. Thursday follows Wednesday.
5. Friday is the last day of the work week.
6. Saturday and Sunday are the weekend.

7. I have an English conversation class on Mondays and Wednesdays.
8. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have an English grammar class.
9. On Fridays I practice English with a friend from Arizona.
10. On Saturdays and Sundays I work at the supermarket.

11. How many days are there in a week? Seven. (7)
12. How many days are in a year? Three hundred sixty-five. (365)
13. How many hours are in a day? Twenty-four. (24)
14. How many minutes are in an hour? Sixty. (60)
15. How many seconds are in a minute? Sixty.

16. What year were you born in?
17. I was born in 1952 (nineteen fifty-two). I'm sixty-nine years old. (69)
18. She was born in 1999. (Nineteen ninety-nine). She's twenty-two years old.
19. Mary was born in 1986. (Nineteen eighty-six). She's thirty-five years old.
20. Pedro was born this year. He is five (5) months old.

Grammar note: French and Spanish use the verb "to have" with ages. ("J'ai 22 ans" or "Tengo 22 años.") English uses the verb "to be." So in English we say "I am 30." "He is 42." And the question is: "How old are you?" Or "How old is he/she?"

Let's end the podcast with a quick review of the stages of life.
A brand new baby is called a "newborn" baby. But soon that changes to "baby". Around the age of one, babies become "toddlers" because they are starting to walk. From around the age of two to twelve is childhood and we call these young people "children". (One child, two or more children.)
Then the children become teenagers, starting at age thirteen. At age 18 we usually say "young adult." Then people are "in their twenties", their "thirties", and so on. Usually between 40 - 50 we start to say "middle-aged".
Retirement ages vary from country to country. In the USA people usually retire in their 60s. And from age 75 and up, we call old age or the people are "elderly" or "senior citizens."