– English Lyrics

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

Welcome to Real Easy English,  the podcast where we have real  

conversations in easy English  to help you learn. I'm Georgie.

And I’m Neil. To read along with  this podcast, visit our website:

BBC Learning English dot com.

How are you today, Neil?

I'm very well, Georgie. How are you?

I'm pretty good, thank you, as well.

So, Georgie, what are we talking about in today's episode?

Today's episode is all about films and television.

We'll talk about our favourite movies and shows.

Great, let's get started.

OK, Neil. So, what kinds of films do you like?

I like foreign films, films that are not in English,

because I like stories from other countries.

What about you?

I like two kinds of films.

One type of film I really like is films that you can learn from,

and the other type of film is films that you can escape from reality.

So usually quite silly films or fantasy films.

OK. Do you have a favourite film?

Yes, I do, I really love the Harry Potter series.

So, Georgie, can you tell us about your favourite film,

the Harry Potter film you mentioned?

Yes. So you want to know about the plot, which is what happens in the film.

So Harry Potter is all about a boy who discovers that he is a wizard,

that is someone who does magic.

And he goes to a school for magic, called Hogwarts,

and he meets his best friends, Ron and Hermione,

who are other characters in the film.

And he spends a lot of his time

trying to escape a dark wizard called Voldemort and it's very dangerous.

It's a great film!

Wow, it sounds like there's lots of interesting characters in these films.

Yes. Very evil characters and also really nice characters.

Mm. So, Georgie, you talked a lot about your favourite film, Harry Potter,

and the grammar you used to describe the film was present simple.

So, for example, you said the film is about a boy

who discovers that he is a wizard and he goes to a school,

a special school for wizards, and he makes friends with Ron and Hermione.

All present simple.

Yes, that's right.

We use the present simple to describe the plot of a story like a book or a film.

We also use the present simple to tell stories sometimes,

things that happened to us in the past, which is interesting.

What about you? What's your favourite film?

Well, I think my favourite film is from when I was a kid,

and it's Raiders Of The Lost Ark.

Wow. I haven't seen that.

It's very old, but it's got Indiana Jones, and he was my hero when I was a kid.

— Really? — Yeah.

Why was he your hero?

Because it was, he's all about action and adventure and catching bad guys.

Oh, interesting! See, I'm not a big fan of action and adventure.

So, Georgie, do you watch lots of movies?

I actually don't, because I have quite a short attention span.

I actually prefer to watch TV or series.

What about you?

Yeah, again, I think there's so much choice these days,

sometimes actually I watch nothing, because I don't know what to choose.

But sometimes, I really get into a TV series

and, yeah, watch it all very quickly and talk about it a lot.

— Mm-hm. That's called binge watching. — Mm.

How do you watch these series?

Erm, on TV. But, you know, I stream them, like everybody these days.

So, you just used the word stream.

You 'stream' TV shows and movies

and that means 'watching films or TV using the internet'.

You can watch things whenever you want when you stream things.

OK. Let's look again at the vocabulary we learned during the conversation.

We learned 'plot',

which means 'the story of a film, TV programme or book', so what happens.

'Character', that's 'a person in a story'.

And 'stream' — 'watch a film or programme online'.

And we learned how to use present simple to talk about what happens in a film.

For example, Harry Potter 

goes to a magic school called  Hogwarts and meets two best friends.

Thanks for listening to Real Easy English. You  

can find more easy conversation on our  website: BBC Learning English dot com.

Next time, we'll be talking about pets.

Bye for now.

Bye.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
podcast ˈpɒdkæst B1	noun - a digital audio file made available on the internet for downloading to a computer or mobile device, typically available as a series, for playback
conversation kəŋˈvɜːrseɪʃən A2	noun - a talk, especially an informal one, between two or more people, in which thoughts, feelings, and ideas are expressed
favourite ˈfeɪvərɪt A1	adjective - liked or enjoyed more than anything or anyone else
foreign ˈfɒrən A1	adjective - relating to a country other than one's own
escape ɪˈskeɪp A2	verb - to break free from confinement or control
fantasy ˈfæntəsi A2	noun - the faculty or activity of imagining things, especially things that are impossible or improbable
plot plɒt B1	noun - the story of a film, TV programme, or book, including the elements of the narrative
character ˈkærəktər A2	noun - a person in a story or work of art
wizard ˈwɪzərd A2	noun - a person who practices magic
magic ˈmædʒɪk A1	noun - the power of apparently influencing the course of events by using mysterious or supernatural forces
dangerous ˈdeɪnʤərəs A1	adjective - able or likely to cause harm
evil ˈiːvəl A1	adjective - profoundly immoral and malevolent
grammar ˈɡræmər B1	noun - the system and structure of a language or of languages in general
stream striːm B1	verb - to watch or listen to a video or audio broadcast over the internet
attention əˈtenʃən A2	noun - notice or interest in something or someone
choice tʃɔɪs A1	noun - an act or the possibility of choosing
binge bɪndʒ B2	verb - to watch multiple episodes of a TV series in one sitting

Key Grammar Structures

• So Harry Potter is all about a boy who discovers that he is a wizard, that is someone who does magic.

  ➔ Present Simple Tense

  ➔ The Present Simple describes facts or general truths; e.g., "Harry Potter is," "he discovers."

• I like foreign films, films that are not in English, because I like stories from other countries.

  ➔ Simple Present with Likes and Descriptions

  ➔ The simple present 'like' expresses preferences; clauses describe characteristics.

• He spends a lot of his time trying to escape a dark wizard called Voldemort and it's very dangerous.

  ➔ Present Simple with -ing Form (Present Continuous/Participle)

  ➔ "Spends" is present simple; "trying" is a present participle showing ongoing action.

• We use the present simple to describe the plot of a story like a book or a film.

  ➔ General Present Simple Explanation

  ➔ "Use" and general statements in present simple to describe habitual or universal truths.

• All present simple.

  ➔ Present Simple Summary

  ➔ This confirms the use of present simple tense throughout for describing plots and habitual facts.

• You 'stream' TV shows and movies and that means 'watching films or TV using the internet'.

  ➔ Present Simple for Definitions and Routines

  ➔ "Stream" in quotes shows a verb used in present simple to explain meaning or habits.

• I actually don't, because I have quite a short attention span.

  ➔ Present Simple Negative and Because for Reason

  ➔ "Don't" negates the verb in present simple; "because" introduces a reason.