Do you like cats? If you do, this is the perfect episode for you! In this Simplified Speech episode, Andrew and Morag discuss those feisty and adorable creatures: cats!

Fun fact

Maine Coon cats are the largest breed of domestic cat, with the average female weighing between 3.6 and 5.4 kilograms, and the average male weighing between 5.9 and 8.2 kilograms. They can even reach 120 centimetres in length! They’re known for being particularly friendly with other household pets and children.

Expressions included in the learning materials

* Back in the saddle

* To scrounge/to scrounge off

* (You can’t) teach an old dog new tricks

* To be on the same page

* To go broke

Sample transcript

Andrew: Hey, Morag. How are you?

Morag: Hey, Andrew. I’m doing OK. Had a bit of a cold a couple days ago. Not so much fun.

Andrew: That isn’t fun. Do you feel a little bit better now?

Morag: I at least have my voice back, and that’s very important.

Andrew: That is super important for us because, well, we need to hear you, right?

Morag: I’m glad I’m back in the saddle, yeah.

Andrew: Cool. I’m feeling pretty happy. I just got in the door, and I’m happy every time I come home because, right now, there is a huge family of cats living right outside my apartment.

Morag: Wow, that’s sounds possibly adorable, possibly annoying.

Andrew: They are nice cats, but it’s very strange. I’ve never seen so many wild cats in one place before. It’s kind of like that Japanese island where all the cats are living. Have you seen this island before?

Morag: I’ve never seen that, but it sounds awesome.

Andrew: Yeah, this is what the front of my apartment building reminds me of. You know, I’m living in Korea and the situation with cats here is a little bit different than what I’m used to back in Canada. I don’t see too many street cats in Canada, but here they definitely exist. And the street cats near my apartment decided to have kittens. So now there’s, no joke, probably between 12 and 15 kittens outside of my apartment.

Morag: Oh my God! I can definitely see how you’re happy when you come home.

Andrew: Yeah, they’re so cute. And I took some pictures, so I’ll put a picture on the blog so that everybody can see these cute kittens. And, yeah, so I’m in a good mood. And it’s funny that we’re talking about cats, because the topic of today’s episode is cats.

Morag: That’s right, Andrew. Today we’re going to do a Simplified Speech episode. It’s where we will have a conversation using natural English, but speak slower than we normally do.

Andrew: And if you want to take full advantage of this episode, we recommend that you visit our website, Culips.com, and sign up to become a member. Culips members get access to our learning materials, which include full transcripts, detailed vocabulary explanations, and quizzes for every episode. And using the learning materials is the best way to study with us. So if you’re not a member yet, join today.

Morag: And to all of you who are members, thanks a bunch. Your support is very much appreciated.

Andrew: Yes, totally.

Audio/Learning Materials: Culips, Photo: Shutterstock