– English Lyrics

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

Hello

and welcome back to my Slow English

podcast.

[music]

I am visiting China

right now.

And if you didn't know,

I have been learning Chinese

for about 3 years now.

But honestly,

nothing prepared me for the Chinese that

I would actually need in China.

The real life Chinese.

The words that help you sound natural,

blend in,

and even get those little compliments

from locals.

There's something really special about

being in a country. and actually

connecting with people in their own

language.

It feels so good to see someone be

genuinely surprised

or impressed

when you can speak to them, even just a

little. And it's such a nice feeling

when you can finally understand the

little phrases

and just the way people here really

speak. All those tiny things

help you sound more polite,

natural,

respectful,

and confident.

My sister Brianna

is going to help me walk through each

scenario.

Now, if you're ever lost and you need to

ask for directions,

you can say,

"Excuse me, I am lost.

Do you know where

this is?" Whatever you need to find.

Excuse me. Do you know where the ATM is?

Yes, there's one two blocks down on this

road. Great. Thanks a lot. That's a

better way of asking for directions.

Most native English speakers would ask

this way. They wouldn't say, "Where is

the ATM?"

They would say, "Do you know where the

ATM is?"

A little longer, but a lot more natural.

Sorry. Do you know where the closest

Walmart is from here? The nearest

Walmart is on Fifth Avenue between Brick

and Maine. Oh, I see. Is it this way or

that way? This way.

Thanks a lot. I really appreciate it.

Hi. Sorry. Do you know where the crispy

cream is? Yes. Try the second floor to

your right. Keep going until you see the

food court. The crispy cream is there.

[laughter]

[gasps]

I love it. Oh, okay. Okay. Thanks a lot.

Is it up the escalator or down the

escalator? We're on the fifth floor, so

you need to go down the escalator until

you're on floor two. Oh, okay. Okay,

that's super helpful. Thanks a lot. No

worries.

What's the first thing you do when you

land

in a new country?

You probably go straight to the

bathroom.

Right.

[snorts] At least that's what I do right

away.

Asking for the bathroom. Excuse me.

Where is the bathroom? It's up the

stairs to the left. Oh, okay. Okay.

Thank you. No problem.

Something you will definitely end up

doing is going to eat at a restaurant.

Going to a restaurant. Good morning,

good afternoon, or good evening,

depending on what time it is. Good

morning. Can I have a table for two,

please? Yes. Write this way, please.

And maybe if it looks [snorts] full,

there's no room. You can ask, "Is there

a table for two?" Let me check.

Unfortunately, we don't have a table

available. The wait time would be about

50 minutes.

Should I put you down on the list? Yes,

please put me down. Perfect. I've added

your name. We'll call you now. When you

are ready to order,

you could say, "Excuse me." "Hi, are you

ready to order?" "Yes." "Can I have a

number nine without salad?" "Sure thing.

Would you like to add anything to

drink?" "Yes." "Can I have a water,

please?" "Of course." "Would you like

ice?" "Yes,

just a little bit, please." Sure thing.

Anything else I can get you? Not at the

moment. Thanks. This sounds very

natural. This is what you'll hear from a

waitress or waiter taking your order. In

English, we use please and thank you a

lot. I think a little more than other

countries do. Right now, let's say

you're ordering fast food. That's a

little bit different, right? You don't

get served by someone. You have to go to

the counter and order yourself.

Ordering fast food. Good afternoon. May

I take your order? Good afternoon. Can I

get the double cheeseburger

without pickles, please? You got it.

Would that be in a combo? Yes, please.

All right. Small, medium, or large?

Large, please. And what drink would you

like? We're out of Coke. Do you have

Fanta? Yep, we do. I'll have a Fanta,

please. Okay. To confirm your order, you

want a number 12 without pickles, large

fries, and a small Fanta. That's right.

Your order will be ready soon. Please

wait on the side. Thank you. Now, you'll

eventually

need to go to the store. And I don't

know about you guys, but I feel like

stores are where people make the most

conversation with me. It might go

something like this. Hello. Good

morning. How are you? Hey, I'm great.

How are you? Not too bad. How can I help

you today? I'm looking for the sunscreen

section

and also the chapstick. That would be in

aisle 9 next to the makeup. Great.

Thanks. Okay. If you need anything else,

I'll be right here. Thanks a lot. What

phrase did you learn today? What English

phrases would you like to learn?

>> How would they know what English phrases

they want to learn?

>> What are some other situations that you

find yourself in where you could use

some more English phrases? What do you

think the most difficult situation to be

in is?

The other day when we were out and

about,

we wanted to buy fresh produce at a

local market. So, the woman was very

busy. She did not have a lot of time to

listen to us and be patient with us. She

was very, very busy. It was difficult

because we didn't speak the language.

So, it takes longer to get the food we

want, the amount that we want, and

to ask questions about the produce. So,

I'd say that was the most difficult

situation since she did not speak any

English. It was a very local business,

and she was very busy. I think when

you're asking for directions, it's the

hardest situation to be in because

you're lost, you're frustrated, and you

just want to arrive where you need to

arrive. We got lost on our first day in

Shanghai. We were asking everyone, but

nobody spoke English and nobody knew

what hotel we were talking about.

So, it was super frustrating to have all

of our luggage with us and not know

where we were going. I think speaking

English when going to the US is a big

help. I think many people in the USA

don't encounter a lot of people that

don't speak English. So, they're very

bad at communicating when somebody

doesn't know their language. This can

make it very difficult when you're

traveling if you don't know the correct

words. So they are bad at listening and

they are also bad at speaking sometimes

because they're very used to speaking to

people who know their language. So they

will still speak to you in the same way

that they would speak with a local. They

speak very fast. They don't speak slow.

So it's good to know what they might say

and how to interpret it. So, it's good

to know the different phrases they might

use, not just the basic ones. The basic

ones are good to know, but almost nobody

actually uses those. Tell us about a

strange or not so common habit that

people who speak your language have.

Maybe they say please too much or

[snorts] thank you a lot. Maybe they

never say thank you. Tell me in the

comments below. Thank you for joining

us. I'll see you next time. Bye bye.

Don't forget to like and subscribe.

Bye. And if learning through videos

isn't really your thing, then you can

always check out my podcast on Spotify,

Apple Music, and all streaming platforms

where you can just listen. It's perfect

for when you're on the go, in an

airplane, maybe on the road, and you

feel like practicing

your English. Check it out. The link is

in the description.

[music]

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
visiting /ˈvɪzɪtɪŋ/ B1	verb - to go to see a person or place
learning /ˈlɜːrnɪŋ/ A2	verb - to gain knowledge or skill by study, experience, or being taught
prepared /prɪˈpeəd/ B1	adjective - ready or equipped for something
natural /ˈnætʃərəl/ B1	adjective - existing in or caused by nature; not made or caused by humankind
connecting /kəˈnektɪŋ/ B1	verb - to establish a relationship or link
impressed /ɪmˈprest/ B1	adjective - feeling or showing admiration and respect for someone or something
phrases /freɪzɪz/ A2	noun - a group of words that express a concept
polite /pəˈlaɪt/ A2	adjective - having or showing behavior that is respectful and considerate of other people
confident /ˈkɒnfɪdənt/ B1	adjective - feeling or showing self-assurance
directions /daɪˈrekʃənz/ A2	noun - instructions about how to get to a particular place
native /ˈneɪtɪv/ B1	adjective - belonging to a particular place by birth
escalator /ˈeskəleɪtər/ B1	noun - a moving staircase
produce /ˈprɒdjuːs/ A2	noun - agricultural products such as fruits and vegetables
frustrated /ˈfrʌstreɪtɪd/ B1	adjective - feeling or expressing distress and annoyance resulting from an inability to change or achieve something
encounter /ɪnˈkaʊntər/ B2	verb - to unexpectedly experience or be faced with (something difficult or hostile)
interpret /ɪnˈtɜːprɪt/ B2	verb - explain the meaning of (information, words, or actions)

Key Grammar Structures

• I have been learning Chinese for about 3 years now.

  ➔ Present Perfect Continuous

  ➔ The phrase "have been learning" highlights an action that started in the past and continues to the present.

• Do you know where the ATM is?

  ➔ Question Formation with 'Do'

  ➔ The question is formed using 'Do' to ask for information in a polite and natural way.

• Is there a table for two?

  ➔ Present Simple in Questions

  ➔ The Present Simple is used in questions to inquire about availability or existence.

• Can I have a number nine without salad?

  ➔ Modal Verb 'Can' for Requests

  ➔ The modal verb 'Can' is used to make polite requests.

• Would you like to add anything to drink?

  ➔ Conditional 'Would' for Polite Offers

  ➔ The conditional 'Would' is used to make polite offers or suggestions.

• I'm looking for the sunscreen section and also the chapstick.

  ➔ Present Continuous for Actions in Progress

  ➔ The Present Continuous is used to describe actions happening at the moment of speaking.

• We got lost on our first day in Shanghai.

  ➔ Past Simple Passive Voice

  ➔ The Past Simple in passive voice is used to describe an action that happened in the past with emphasis on the subject being affected.

• They will still speak to you in the same way that they would speak with a local.

  ➔ Future Simple with 'Will' for Predictions

  ➔ The Future Simple with 'Will' is used to make predictions about future actions.