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English & the UK: Birmingham

English & the UK: Birmingham

In this week's Premier Skills English Podcast, Jack and Rich continue a mini-series of podcasts called 'English & the UK' which focus on four Premier League cities. They will tell you more about what you can find in these cities and focus on some of the language you will need when visiting places in these cities. The city they are visiting in this episode is Birmingham and the language focus is on phrases connected to surprising news and disbelief. They also talk about different accents in the UK. Do you know what 'Brummie' is? Your task is to tell us some surprising facts about a city you know well. Don't forget to listen to the end of the podcast because we have a new football phrase for you to guess, too. Enjoy!

Transcript

If the listening was a bit difficult, you can listen again and read the transcript at the same time.
Read the transcript and listen at the same time.

Welcome - English & the UK - Birmingham 

Jack: Hello my name’s Jack

Rich: and I’m Rich and welcome to this week’s Premier Skills English podcast

Jack: Where we talk about football and help you with your English.

Rich: We recommend that you listen to this podcast on the Premier Skills English website because that is where we have the transcript, language examples, activities, quizzes and a discussion page to help you understand everything we talk about.

Jack: However, if you’re listening on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, you can leave answers to our questions in the review section. We do read all the reviews and would love to hear from you. 

Rich: In this week’s podcast, we’re continuing our new mini-series of podcasts that focus on English and the UK. In these podcasts, you will learn more about cities in the UK and at the same time lots of useful English words and phrases.

Jack: In each podcast, we focus on one UK city. In our last podcast, we spoke about London and the things you can see and do in the city.

Rich: And we looked at the language we use to recommend things to people. We introduced phrases such as ‘If I were you, I’d see the important sights in the morning’, ‘Tottenham’s new stadium is worth visiting ’ and ‘the Science Museum is an absolute must-see’. 

Jack: If you want to go back and do this lesson you can find it on the Premier Skills English website by clicking skills > listen > podcasts. If you are on Spotify or Apple Podcasts you’ll find it in the playlist, it’s called ‘English & the UK: London’.

Rich: In this episode, we are going to talk about the UK’s second biggest city - Birmingham. 

Jack: You will hear me and Rich talking about some of the things that we know about Birmingham.

Rich: And I’m going to surprise Jack with some things that he doesn’t know about Birmingham.

Jack: You will hear the roleplay in two parts, after each part we will focus on the language you heard. In this episode, we’ll be looking at the language you need to give surprising facts and phrases we use to show surprise or disbelief. 

Rich: Phrases like Did you know that ..?, Believe it or not, but … and ‘you’re pulling my leg’.

Jack: We’ll also ask you to tell us a few surprising facts about a city you know well in this week’s task a little later on. 

Rich: All the cities we focus on in this series are home to Premier League teams so listen out for the football connections in the podcast.

Jack: One of those connections is our football phrase section so don’t forget to listen to the end of the podcast because that’s when we ask you to guess our weekly football phrase.

Football Phrase 1 

Jack: But, before we look at all that, let’s look at last week’s football phrase. If you didn’t hear it last week we’ll give you one more chance to guess and give you the correct answer at the end of the show when we give you a new football phrase.

Rich: It was my phrase last week and it was a tricky one. I said it would be.

Jack: I think it might have been too difficult but we did get a couple of listeners who told us the right answer. So a big well done to Romakisel a Tottenham fan from Russia!

Rich: Romakisel is new on the Premier Skills English website too so a big welcome from us. And of course, Luibomyr from Ukraine got the correct answer too. His football English is nearly always spot on.

Jack: OK, it was a very difficult phrase last week so let’s give everyone another chance to guess it. We’ll give you the answer at the end of the show. 

Rich: OK, here we go. The football phrase last week was to throw the kitchen sink at something. This phrase means to do everything in your power to do something. In football, it usually describes a team that is attacking with everything they have to score a goal and break down a strong defence. 

Jack: Very hard! We’ll tell you the answer to this football phrase at the end of the show and I’m going to think of a phrase that is a little bit easier than that one for you to guess this week.

Rich: And if you can guess Jack’s football phrase and write it in the comments section on the Premier Skills English website, we will announce your name in next week’s show. 

Introduction to Roleplay

Jack: You are now going to listen to roleplay 1. 

Rich: You will hear me and Jack talking about what we know about Birmingham in the UK.

Jack: After the roleplay, we will ask you to think about the conversation and we’ll talk about the language we use.

Rich: While you listen, we want you to answer a question. The question for this roleplay is: What does Jack know about Birmingham?

Roleplay 1

Jack: I never knew that your dad was from Birmingham, Rich. Does he speak with a Brummie accent?

Rich:  Not really. He hasn’t lived there for years so he’s lost most of his accent, but it comes out occasionally, especially when he’s angry!

Jack: Is it difficult to understand?

Rich: No, not really, but there are lots of words and phrases that you will only hear in Birmingham.

Jack: Like what?

Rich: I remember as a kid my nan nan, that’s what we’d call my grandmother, would always say ‘all right bab’ to me.

Jack: Ahh! This is like hello, how are you?

Rich: Yes, more or less. All right? Is like hello and ‘bab’ is a word that is often used as a term of endearment to family and friends or even strangers in shops and stuff. Do you know Birmingham?

Jack: I’ve been to Birmingham a few times but I don’t know it that well.

Rich: I’m sure you know lots of things about Birmingham.

Jack: Well, I know that it’s got three universities, the University of Birmingham is well known. What else do I know? It’s got a Premier League football team - Aston Villa - they got promoted last season. And what else? Shopping. It’s really famous for shopping … not sure what else.

Rich: You don’t know very much about Birmingham, do you? OK, I think I should tell you a few things that might surprise you.

Language Focus 1

Rich: Did you get the answer to the question? What does Jack know about Birmingham?

Jack: Well, the answer is not much really. I know that it’s got a famous university, a Premier League football team and it’s a good place to go shopping.

Rich: Not good enough! In the next roleplay, I’m going to tell Jack a few surprising things about Birmingham but first, let’s look at a few of the words and phrases we have just used.

Jack: OK, so I asked Rich if his dad spoke with a Brummie accent. First, let’s look at that word - accent. An accent is the way someone pronounces words.

Rich: In the UK, accents often depend on geography - where you are from. There are lots of different accents in the UK.

Jack: The word Brummie describes someone or something from the city of Birmingham so people from the city speak with a Brummie accent.

Rich: Many regions or cities in the UK have special names for the people or things from there. A cockney or cockney accent is from London, a scouser is from Liverpool and a scouse accent is from Liverpool and a Geordie or a Geordie accent is from Newcastle.

Jack: In the roleplay, Rich used the phrase ‘A term of endearment’. A ‘term of endearment’ is a word that is used to show affection towards someone.

Rich: Some common terms of endearment are ‘darling’, ‘sweetheart’, ‘dear’ and ‘love’.

Jack: Many terms of endearment are used in specific cities or regions. In Birmingham, it’s common to use the word ‘bab’ in this way.

Rich: Some others are hen in Glasgow, pet in Newcastle, babes in Essex and love in the North of England.

Jack: If someone calls you ‘pet’ or ‘love’ they don’t want you to be their pet or love it’s just a term of endearment so don’t take offence or get angry about it. They are being friendly.

Roleplay 2

Jack: You are now going to listen to roleplay 2. 

Rich: I’m going to tell Jack some surprising things about Birmingham.

Jack: After the roleplay, we will ask you to think about the conversation and we’ll talk about the language we use.

Rich: While you listen, we want you to answer a question. The question for this roleplay is: What do you think Jack is most surprised by?

...

Jack: OK, so surprise me. What do I not know about Birmingham?

Rich: Right, I’m going to tell you five surprising facts about Birmingham that I’m sure you don’t know.

Jack: I’m sure I won’t.

Rich: Did you know that Birmingham has more canals than Venice?

Jack: Get away! It does not. 

Rich: It does. Birmingham has 56 kilometres of canals and is the heart of the canal network in England. Most of the canals were built during the Industrial Revolution at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries when Birmingham expanded and became an important centre of industry.

Jack: OK, tell me something else I don’t know.

Rich: So, you know Birmingham has a Premier League club.

Jack: Yep, Aston Villa.

Rich: And you know they’ve won the European Cup.

Jack: Yes, I do; though it was quite a long time ago!

Rich: So, what’s Aston Villa’s nickname.

Jack: Easy. The Villains.

Rich: How do you spell it?

Jack: V-I-L-L-A-I-N-S Villains meaning like the bad guys; the criminals.

Rich: Believe it or not, their nickname is Villans. V-I-L-L-A-N-S. No second ‘I’ so nothing to do with criminals and anyway I think most fans prefer to just say the Villa.

Jack: Well, you learn something new every day. Give me another.

Rich: OK, Birmingham fact number three. You may not believe this but curry is from Birmingham.

Jack: You’re pulling my leg! It’s not true. Curry is from India.

Rich: Alright I’ll give you that, but more specifically the curry dish Balti is believed to have been created in Birmingham in the 1970s and since then curry has become the most popular dish in the UK.

Jack: I love a Chicken Balti. 

Rich: Did you know that Birmingham is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the UK? There has been a lot of immigration from the Indian sub-continent since the 1950s up until the present day and this is very noticeable in the city’s culture and festivals throughout the year.

Jack: It’s true. I saw something in the paper last month that there were around 140,000 people in a park in Birmingham celebrating Eid-ul Fitr the festival to celebrate the end of Ramadan.

Rich: OK, I’ve got another Birmingham fact for you. Guess what! Birmingham has the biggest library in Europe.

Jack: You’re kidding. I should have known that. I’ve been there!

Rich: Birmingham library gets over 3 million visitors a year and is actually the 10th most visited place in all of the UK. It also has the UK’s most important William Shakespeare collection. Did you know that William Shakespeare was from Stratford-upon-Avon just south of Birmingham?

Jack: Yes, I did and it’s well worth a day trip. I went to the Royal Shakespeare Company theatre as a birthday treat not long ago. Right, you said you were going to give me five Birmingham facts. One more to go.

Rich: OK, I’m going to go back to football and Aston Villa. This may sound strange, but you know Tom Hanks is an Aston Villa fan.

Jack: The Hollywood actor?

Rich: Yep. He’s an Aston Villa fan.

Jack: You’re having a laugh!

Rich: And if you don’t believe that did you know that Prince William supports the Villa too!

Jack: Yeah! I knew that one I saw him at Wembley when they got promoted!

Language Focus 2

Rich: Did you get the answer to the question? What is Jack most surprised by?

Jack: I was surprised by quite a lot but I suppose what I was most surprised by was Tom Hanks being an Aston Villa fan. That was surprising.

Rich: Let’s look at some of the language we used in the roleplay. I used quite a lot of phrases that can be used to introduce surprising facts or information.

Jack: The phrase Rich used the most was ‘Did you know …?’ This question form is used a lot to introduce information intended to surprise the listener.

Rich: In the roleplay I said things like: Did you know that Birmingham has more canals than Venice? Did you know that Birmingham is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the UK? and Did you know that William Shakespeare was from Stratford-upon-Avon just south of Birmingham?

Jack: But there are other phrases we can use, too. An informal phrase we often use when speaking is ‘Guess what?’ followed by the information. The person often responds to this question by saying ‘what?’ before the information is given.

Rich: Other common phrases to give a surprising fact use the word ‘believe’. Some examples are: ‘Believe it or not, but … ‘You may not believe this but, ‘You won’t believe this but..’

Jack: When we are given a surprising fact we use different phrases to show that we’re surprised or to show disbelief. I used a variety of phrases to do this in the roleplay. These included: ‘get away!’, ‘You’re kidding!’, ‘You’re pulling my leg’ and ‘you’re having a laugh’.

Rich: We’ll look at this language in more detail on the website. There are more explanations and activities for you to do connected to this lesson on the Premier Skills English website. You’ll find this podcast on the homepage or under skills > listen > podcasts.

Task

Jack: This week we want you to tell us two surprising facts about your city or a city you know well.

Rich: We want you to use the language we used in the roleplays to tell us about these facts. One of your surprising facts should be true and one should be false.

Jack: Please write each fact as a new comment on the website.

Rich: Then we want you to respond to other listener’s facts and use phrases you’ve learned in this podcast like ‘you’re kidding’ or ‘you’re pulling my leg’ about the facts you don’t believe are true.

This week’s football phrase:

Rich: OK, it’s time for this week’s football phrase. It’s Jack’s turn this week so I’m sure the phrase will be nice and easy.

Jack: Well, it won’t be as difficult as your phrase last week that’s for sure. Right, this week’s football phrase is ***-***. The phrase is a type of pass in football when you pass to a teammate, run and your teammate returns the ball to you immediately. It’s often used to get past a defender. If you can count you will surely get this phrase right.

Rich: Yes, that’s definitely easier than mine last week. Let’s see who can get it right. Write your answers in the comments section on the Premier Skills English website and we’ll announce your name on next week’s show.

Jack: Ok, and before we finish here’s the answer to last week’s super difficult football phrase that Rich gave you. The answer was to throw the kitchen sink at something.

Rich: Right, that’s all we have time for this week. Bye for now and enjoy your football!

Vocabulary

How much did you understand?

In the podcast, Rich and Jack used some words and phrases that might be new for you. Do you know the words in bold?

Birmingham has 56 kilometres of canals and is at the heart of the canal network in England.

Curry has become the most popular dish in the UK.

Birmingham is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the UK.

There has been a lot of immigration from the Indian sub-continent since the 1950s.

I saw Prince William at Wembley when Aston Villa got promoted.

There were a few more tricky words and phrases in the podcast. Try the activity below, then, listen to the podcast again to hear how we used the words. This can really help your understanding.

Activity 1

Activity 1: In this activity, try to match the words and phrases to their definitions. All of the words were in this week's podcast.
Can you match the words to the definitions?

Birmingham is the UK's second biggest city.

UK Cities

Birmingham

In the podcast, you heard Rich and Jack talking about Birmingham that with a population of over a million people is the UK's second biggest city. In the past, Birmingham was a major industrial city and was at the heart of the Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries. Thee days, Birmingham's economy is based around the service sector and the city is a major shopping destination.  Birmingham is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the UK with over half of the school-age population being from non-white British families. Birmingham is home to two football clubs; Birmingham City who currently play in the Championship and Aston Villa, who were promoted to the Premier League last season and in terms of major trophies (20) are the fifth most successful English team in English football history.

Language

Accents & People

An accent = the way someone pronounces words (often affected by geography and social class)

Birmingham is famous for its distinctive accent. It's not difficult to understand but it may be an accent you haven't heard on English courses unless your teacher is from Birmingham. The UK has lots of different accents and each has different sounds. Many accents are connected to cities and the people from those cities often have a similar nickname. We mentioned a few different accents in the podcast. Have a look at the table below and if you want to hear some examples of accents from around the UK this video is a good place to start.

City Accent People
Birmingham Brummie Brummies
Newcastle Geordie Geordies
London Cockney Cockneys
Manchester Mancunian Mancunians 
Liverpool Scouse Scousers
Glasgow Glaswegian Glaswegians
Norwich Norfolk  Norwegians

Vocabulary

Terms of endearment

term of endearment = a word that is used to show affection towards someone

In the podcast, Rich and Jack spoke about terms of endearment. Partners often use these terms about each other or maybe parents for their children. Some standard examples are words such as 'darling', 'sweetheart' and 'dear'. However, in the UK many terms of endearment are connected to the region you are in and the accent that you use. These terms of endearment are also often used by strangers in shops, cafes etc. In the podcast Rich spoke about what his grandmother from Birmingham used to say to him:

All right, bab?

This basically means 'How are you?'. Bab is a term of endearment and there are many different terms of endearment in the UK. Have a look at the table below and see what people might call you in different UK cities. Which one do you think is the strangest?

City Term of endearment
Birmingham Bab
Newcastle Pet
Manchester Cock
Essex Babes
Sheffield/Leeds Love
Glasgow Hen
Leicester/Nottingham/Derby Duck

Children playing cricket at a Primary School in Birmingham.

Language

Surprising facts or news

In the second roleplay, Rich surprised Jack with some facts about Birmingham that he didn't know. We can use specific phrases to introduce something that is surprising. Take a look at these sentences from the podcast and check that you understand the words in bold.

Did you know that Birmingham has more canals than Venice?

Believe it or not, their nickname is the Villans. 

You may not believe this but curry is from Birmingham.

Guess what! Birmingham has the biggest library in Europe.

This may sound strange but, you know Tom Hanks is an Aston Villa fan.

In this week's task, we ask you to think about a surprising fact about a city that you know well. Think of a fact now, add the five phrases in bold above and say your fact five times. Which phrase do you like best?

Aston Villa played in the first-ever English League in 1888-89. They finished second.

Vocabulary

Showing disbelief

In the second roleplay, Jack was surprised by Rich's facts about Birmingham. He showed his surprise or disbelief by using some specific phrases. Take a look at these sentences from the podcast and check that you understand the words in bold.

  1. Rich: Did you know that Birmingham has more canals than Venice?

    Jack: Get away! It does not. 

  2. Rich: OK, Birmingham fact number three. You may not believe this but curry is from Birmingham.

    Jack: You’re pulling my leg! It’s not true. Curry is from India.

  3. Rich: OK, I’ve got another Birmingham fact for you. Guess what! Birmingham has the biggest library in Europe.

    Jack: You’re kidding. I should have known that. I’ve been there!

These phrases can be used to show surprise or disbelief. Do you think Jack was just surprised in these examples or did he not believe what he was saying?

Try the activity below, and complete the gaps with words and phrases you heard in this podcast.

Activity 2

Activity 2: In this activity, check that you have learned some of the key phrases from the podcast.
Can you write the word in each gap?

Quiz

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Task

Surprising facts about a city you know well

Stratford-upon-Avon is a short trip away from Birmingham: the birthplace of William Shakespeare.

This week we want you to tell us two surprising facts about your city or a city you know well.

We want you to use the language we used in the roleplays to tell us about these facts. One of your surprising facts should be true and one should be false.

  1. Write each fact as a new comment on the website. Use language you have learned in this podcast such as: 'You won't believe this but ...', 'Did you know' ...?' and  'Believe it or not ...'.
  2. Respond to the facts you think are false by using language from this podcast such as: ‘You’re kidding!’, ‘You’re pulling my leg!’ and 'You're having a laugh!'.

We all look forward to reading your surprising facts and don't forget to make a guess at our football phrase!

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Comments

JEFFDCP's picture
JEFFDCP
28/05/2023
CO
89
points

You won't believe this but Bogota is the city biggest the latin american.


JEFFDCP's picture
JEFFDCP
28/05/2023 00:50
Colombia
Arsenal
89

You won't believe this but Bogota is the city biggest the latin american.

JEFFDCP's picture
JEFFDCP
28/05/2023
CO
89
points

Did you know Bogota is the city count with a wide variety of rivers and water brokens trough in.


JEFFDCP's picture
JEFFDCP
28/05/2023 00:45
Colombia
Arsenal
89

Did you know Bogota is the city count with a wide variety of rivers and water brokens trough in.

hsn's picture
hsn
28/11/2021
TR
5560
points

Task
• I'll tell some facts about my hometown city. You won't believe this but it was one of biggest city when Roman Empire unlike now. Believe it or not there is a mosque. It had an open dome. It was used as an observatory for a long time. Now this dome covered by the glass. Did you know, there were lot of ethnic people who deal with craftmanship. After a time they went other cities or abroad.
Notes
• I've just learned that Aston Villa FC is Birmingham team. I always supposed it as a London team.
• I wonder which accent we are learning at this website-:)
• I couldn't understand why terms of endearment are used for cities.I think it's a tradition.
• Terms of Endearment is also a movie name directed by James L. Brooks. I suggest to watch.
• I'm very surprised to hear that there a big muslim community in the Birmingham.


hsn's picture
hsn
28/11/2021 17:56
Turkey
Tottenham Hotspur
5560

Task
• I'll tell some facts about my hometown city. You won't believe this but it was one of biggest city when Roman Empire unlike now. Believe it or not there is a mosque. It had an open dome. It was used as an observatory for a long time. Now this dome covered by the glass. Did you know, there were lot of ethnic people who deal with craftmanship. After a time they went other cities or abroad.
Notes
• I've just learned that Aston Villa FC is Birmingham team. I always supposed it as a London team.
• I wonder which accent we are learning at this website-:)
• I couldn't understand why terms of endearment are used for cities.I think it's a tradition.
• Terms of Endearment is also a movie name directed by James L. Brooks. I suggest to watch.
• I'm very surprised to hear that there a big muslim community in the Birmingham.

bimasuci18's picture
bimasuci18
06/08/2021
ID
12
points

Did you know that the Indonesian football league stopped for 16 months or about 500 days?


bimasuci18's picture
bimasuci18
06/08/2021 22:34
Indonesia
Manchester United
12

Did you know that the Indonesian football league stopped for 16 months or about 500 days?

mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
06/06/2020
TR
6539
points

This week's football phrase is ( one-two pass )


mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
06/06/2020 16:16
Turkey
Manchester United
6539

This week's football phrase is ( one-two pass )

mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
06/06/2020
TR
6539
points

Surprising facts about Turkey 2
Izmir was a Greek city at the ancient times


mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
06/06/2020 16:13
Turkey
Manchester United
6539

Surprising facts about Turkey 2
Izmir was a Greek city at the ancient times

mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
06/06/2020
TR
6539
points

Surprising facts about Turkey 1
Believe it on not, Istanbul is the biggest city in Europe


mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
06/06/2020 16:11
Turkey
Manchester United
6539

Surprising facts about Turkey 1
Believe it on not, Istanbul is the biggest city in Europe

Kotaiba Khalid
30/06/2019
IQ
6
points

Did u know that leicester city have aot of indian immigrants also?
U r kidding. It is not true.


Kotaiba Khalid
30/06/2019 08:44
Iraq
Arsenal
6

Did u know that leicester city have aot of indian immigrants also?
U r kidding. It is not true.

Torofootball
30/06/2019
MX
120
points

*** ***


Torofootball
30/06/2019 03:05
Mexico
Manchester United
120

*** ***

Rafael Robson's picture
Rafael Robson
29/06/2019
BR
615
points

Believe it or not, São Paulo is also home to the largest number of Japanese people outside of Asia.

My guess for the phrase is "tic-tac".


Rafael Robson's picture
Rafael Robson
29/06/2019 23:59
Brazil
Tottenham Hotspur
615

Believe it or not, São Paulo is also home to the largest number of Japanese people outside of Asia.

My guess for the phrase is "tic-tac".

Rafael Robson's picture
Rafael Robson
29/06/2019
BR
615
points

Birmingham seems to be a lovely city to visit in the UK.
But talking about my country, Brazil, did you know that São Paulo is our largest and oldest city?


Rafael Robson's picture
Rafael Robson
29/06/2019 23:56
Brazil
Tottenham Hotspur
615

Birmingham seems to be a lovely city to visit in the UK.
But talking about my country, Brazil, did you know that São Paulo is our largest and oldest city?

englishman
29/06/2019
DZ
1734
points

Did you know that I am very happy with Premier skills English.


englishman
29/06/2019 15:51
Algeria
Manchester City
1734

Did you know that I am very happy with Premier skills English.

Ganter
28/06/2019
CZ
7
points

I guess that the phrase is: ***-*** ****


Ganter
28/06/2019 09:44
Czech Republic
Liverpool
7

I guess that the phrase is: ***-*** ****

Keisuke.M
28/06/2019
JP
20
points

I guess this week's football phrase is "***-***" ****.

Actually, I'm huge fan of Tom Hanks. So I become a fan of the Villa lol.

I hope being coach in the U .K. someday.


Keisuke.M
28/06/2019 02:47
Japan
West Ham United
20

I guess this week's football phrase is "***-***" ****.

Actually, I'm huge fan of Tom Hanks. So I become a fan of the Villa lol.

I hope being coach in the U .K. someday.

Keisuke.M
28/06/2019
JP
20
points

My guess is "***-***".

I hope being coach in the U.K. someday.


Keisuke.M
28/06/2019 02:34
Japan
West Ham United
20

My guess is "***-***".

I hope being coach in the U.K. someday.

Palaciosdn's picture
Palaciosdn
27/06/2019
AR
47
points

You may not believe this but Messi is from Lanus, Argentina like Maradona


Palaciosdn's picture
Palaciosdn
27/06/2019 20:25
Argentina
Manchester City
47

You may not believe this but Messi is from Lanus, Argentina like Maradona

Palaciosdn's picture
Palaciosdn
27/06/2019
AR
47
points

I think that phrase is: ***-*** ****

I live in Lanus, a city in Argentina. Believe it or not Diego Maradona was born in this city. In fact, he lived here for some years.


Palaciosdn's picture
Palaciosdn
27/06/2019 20:19
Argentina
Manchester City
47

I think that phrase is: ***-*** ****

I live in Lanus, a city in Argentina. Believe it or not Diego Maradona was born in this city. In fact, he lived here for some years.

lakerwang
27/06/2019
CN
337
points

Fact 1: You must know that Chinese, which is usually referred to as Mandarin, is the official language of People's Republic of China, and Cantonese is a kind of accent that's mainly used in Guangdong and Hongkong. I guess most Chinese you see in the UK speak Cantonese. Did you know that in term of linguistics there's more difference between Mandarin and Cantonese than between Spanish and Portuguese?

The football phrase is "***-***".


lakerwang
27/06/2019 17:25
China
Chelsea
337

Fact 1: You must know that Chinese, which is usually referred to as Mandarin, is the official language of People's Republic of China, and Cantonese is a kind of accent that's mainly used in Guangdong and Hongkong. I guess most Chinese you see in the UK speak Cantonese. Did you know that in term of linguistics there's more difference between Mandarin and Cantonese than between Spanish and Portuguese?

The football phrase is "***-***".

Rafael Robson's picture
Rafael Robson
28/06/2019
BR
615
points

Interesting information Lakerwang, but a Chinese from other parts of China can understand, or speak, the Cantonese?


Rafael Robson's picture
Rafael Robson
28/06/2019 15:38
Brazil
Tottenham Hotspur
615

Interesting information Lakerwang, but a Chinese from other parts of China can understand, or speak, the Cantonese?

lakerwang
04/07/2019
CN
337
points

Unfortunately, They can't unless they have learned it. Cantonese sounds like a kind of foreign language for other Chinese although these two languages share the same system of formal writing.


lakerwang
04/07/2019 01:44
China
Chelsea
337

Unfortunately, They can't unless they have learned it. Cantonese sounds like a kind of foreign language for other Chinese although these two languages share the same system of formal writing.

coreuser
26/06/2019
JO
229
points

I think that phrase is:
***-*** pass


coreuser
26/06/2019 19:54
Jordan
Manchester City
229

I think that phrase is:
***-*** pass

kozmo330's picture
kozmo330
26/06/2019
KR
32
points

My answer is ‘***-***'.

1. Did you know that there is the world’s longest bridge fountain in Seoul?

2. High sodium intake is a huge problem throughout the world. You may not believe this but South Korea’s salt intake is the highest in the world. So South Koreans are vulnerable to heart disease.


kozmo330's picture
kozmo330
26/06/2019 15:25
South Korea
Tottenham Hotspur
32

My answer is ‘***-***'.

1. Did you know that there is the world’s longest bridge fountain in Seoul?

2. High sodium intake is a huge problem throughout the world. You may not believe this but South Korea’s salt intake is the highest in the world. So South Koreans are vulnerable to heart disease.

Liubomyr's picture
Liubomyr
25/06/2019
UA
4417
points

I think that the phrase is '***-***'


Liubomyr's picture
Liubomyr
25/06/2019 14:03
Ukraine
Watford
4417

I think that the phrase is '***-***'

elghoul's picture
elghoul
24/06/2019
DZ
3988
points

My guess is ***-***.

You won't believe that but the town in which I live currently is well known for his horses caring. In the late eighties and probably before horse carriages used to stop and spend the night in facilities in the main road. You still have buildings with special square inside for horses. Of course they does not work nowadays.

Did you know that there were also pet caring houses inside the town. You are pulling  my leg. I can't imagine having carinh services for cats or dogs.


elghoul's picture
elghoul
24/06/2019 13:49
Algeria
Manchester City
3988

My guess is ***-***.

You won't believe that but the town in which I live currently is well known for his horses caring. In the late eighties and probably before horse carriages used to stop and spend the night in facilities in the main road. You still have buildings with special square inside for horses. Of course they does not work nowadays.

Did you know that there were also pet caring houses inside the town. You are pulling  my leg. I can't imagine having carinh services for cats or dogs.

kozmo330's picture
kozmo330
24/06/2019
KR
32
points

it’s wall pass.


kozmo330's picture
kozmo330
24/06/2019 12:31
South Korea
Tottenham Hotspur
32

it’s wall pass.

Rich's picture
Rich
24/06/2019
ES
594
points

Hi Kozmo330,

Yes, it's sometimes called 'wall pass'. I think this phrase is more often used in the US than in the UK. Do you know what it's called in the UK?

Welcome to Premier Skills English. We hope you enjoy the website!

Rich - The Premier Skills English Team


Rich's picture
Rich
24/06/2019 13:36
Spain
Liverpool
594

Hi Kozmo330,

Yes, it's sometimes called 'wall pass'. I think this phrase is more often used in the US than in the UK. Do you know what it's called in the UK?

Welcome to Premier Skills English. We hope you enjoy the website!

Rich - The Premier Skills English Team

kozmo330's picture
kozmo330
26/06/2019
KR
32
points

Thank you for your hint.


kozmo330's picture
kozmo330
26/06/2019 15:26
South Korea
Tottenham Hotspur
32

Thank you for your hint.

Camelia Nguyen
23/06/2019
VN
822
points

Why I can't open the transcript?


Camelia Nguyen
23/06/2019 10:30
Vietnam
Manchester City
822

Why I can't open the transcript?

Rich's picture
Rich
23/06/2019
ES
594
points

Hi Camelia,
Oops! I put the transcript in the wrong place! Thanks for letting us know. You should be able to read it now.
Hope you enjoy the podcast.
Rich - The Premier Skills English team


Rich's picture
Rich
23/06/2019 20:50
Spain
Liverpool
594

Hi Camelia,
Oops! I put the transcript in the wrong place! Thanks for letting us know. You should be able to read it now.
Hope you enjoy the podcast.
Rich - The Premier Skills English team

mehrannasrollah
22/06/2019
IR
1
points

the ***-*** pass


mehrannasrollah
22/06/2019 16:24
Iran
Liverpool
1

the ***-*** pass

romakisel
22/06/2019
RU
70
points

Thank you for your Warm Welcome
Football phrase - The ***-*** pass


romakisel
22/06/2019 13:48
Russia
Tottenham Hotspur
70

Thank you for your Warm Welcome
Football phrase - The ***-*** pass

Leaderboard

Top Scorers
RankNameScore
1Alex_from_Ukraine6578
2mobeckham6539
3hsn5560
4wsanta5086
5kwesimanifest4779
6Liubomyr4417
7elghoul3988
8assemjuve3705
9aragorn19863557
10Gergő Nagy3396
Country ranking
RankNameScore
1Colombia74676
2Ukraine33885
3Spain29525
4Serbia27426
5Brazil23505
6Albania20578
7Vietnam20460
8Turkey20111
9Macedonia19074
10Bosnia and Herzegovina16333
Club ranking
RankNameScore
1Manchester United146938
2Liverpool111453
3Chelsea90265
4Arsenal86299
5Manchester City58908
6Tottenham Hotspur19499
7Newcastle United10626
8West Ham United7701
9AFC Bournemouth4915
10Crystal Palace4568

Level

3
Average: 3 (1 vote)

Goals

Skills: Listening

Language: Phrases to introduce surprising news or information

Language: Phrases to show surprise or disbelief

Task: A surprising fact about a city you know well