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Today, you're coming with me to the 00:00
grocery store, the pharmacy, and the gas 00:01
station to immerse yourself in real-life 00:04
English. No amount of AI lessons or 00:07
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are you ready to join me at the grocery 01:20
store? Back when my son was so small and 01:22
so adorable. Let's go. 01:26
All right, first things first, we are 01:28
going to go through the parking lot and 01:30
get a cart. I call this just a cart, but 01:33
some people call it a shopping cart, and 01:37
here in the South where I live, people 01:39
call it a buggy, a buggy. Our first stop 01:41
is the free fruit snack for kids. This 01:45
is Freddy's favorite thing to do in the 01:48
grocery store, so I sure hope they have 01:50
something for him. 01:52
Look at this, Freddy. 01:55
You want a banana? 01:57
Yeah? 01:59
Okay, can you open it? 02:01
Maybe you need some help. 02:05
Wow. 02:07
Hold it down there. 02:11
>> [gasps] 02:12
>> Yummy. 02:13
>> [laughter] 02:16
>> All right, let's go get some stuff from 02:18
the produce section. 02:20
Notice that I said the word produce 02:23
section. This just means where you can 02:26
buy fruits and vegetables, but let's pay 02:28
attention to the pronunciation of that 02:30
word produce. The emphasis is at the 02:32
beginning, produce, produce. 02:35
There's another word which is a verb, to 02:39
produce something. I produce one YouTube 02:41
video every week. Here the emphasis is 02:45
at the end, produce. I produce a video. 02:48
This is different than the produce 02:53
section. We're in the produce section 02:56
right now, and let's see what's going to 02:59
happen next. Who knows? It could be 03:01
anything. 03:03
>> [laughter] 03:04
>> Should I get the single ones or should I 03:07
get the bag? 03:10
Well, let's see. There's 03:14
94 cents for this, and there's 1 2 3 4 5 03:17
6 in here for $5. It's a better deal, 03:21
but they're in a bag. Look at this. 03:23
Oh. 03:28
Yeah, let's get some lemons. 03:31
When you're buying produce, you have two 03:33
options. You can buy loose produce, like 03:35
the broccoli that I bought, or you can 03:39
buy bagged produce, like the lemons that 03:41
I bought, or here, like the potatoes. 03:45
And really, there are so many to choose 03:48
from. It's pretty unbelievable the type 03:51
of options that we have these days. I 03:53
feel so lucky to have these options. As 03:56
we go through the bulk section, where 03:59
you can buy items in bulk, you'll see 04:01
these bananas in a bag that are on sale. 04:04
I want you to know the difference 04:08
between on sale and for sale. These 04:09
bananas are on sale. That means there is 04:13
a discount. It's on sale. But really 04:16
every item in the grocery store is for 04:19
sale. For sale means that you can buy 04:22
it. There's no special discount, there's 04:25
no special price. It's just for sale. 04:27
Here we are at the deli counter. At the 04:31
deli counter, you can order freshly 04:33
sliced lunch meat. You might say, "I'd 04:35
like half a pound of turkey, please." Or 04:38
"I'd like a pound of cheddar cheese, 04:41
please." We decided to not order 04:43
anything today because there was only 04:46
one person working early in the morning 04:48
and the wait was too long. But that's 04:51
all right. Let's move on to the next 04:53
thing. 04:55
In the bakery, you can get some freshly 04:56
baked donuts, bread, or cakes. Because 04:59
Freddy is turning two soon at the end of 05:04
March, we've been talking about cakes a 05:07
lot recently. He's very excited about 05:09
getting a birthday cake or cupcakes. 05:11
Let's see. 05:14
What cake would you like for your 05:16
birthday? 05:17
This one? Yeah. 05:18
>> This one or this one? This one. This 05:20
one? This one. This one? This 05:22
one. This one? Oh, the one with the 05:25
cereal all over it? 05:27
>> [laughter] 05:28
>> That looks exciting. 05:30
You know what would be really good? 05:33
Yeah. You get some hummus. 05:35
You want some hummus? That's bell pepper 05:38
hummus. That's yummy. 05:40
Yummy Freddy. 05:42
Thank you. 05:45
In the grocery store, you have the 05:48
option to get fresh fish or frozen fish. 05:50
But, watch out because usually the fresh 05:54
fish has been previously frozen. You can 05:56
also get fresh cuts of meat or you can 05:59
get prepackaged meat. If you want to get 06:03
a fresh cut of meat, you could say, "I'd 06:06
like 2 lb of ground beef, please." This 06:09
is a really polite and common statement 06:12
that you can use. 06:14
Now, I'm going down in aisle. Notice 06:16
this pronunciation. Aisle. The S is 06:19
silent. Go down in aisle or you can say, 06:23
"It's on aisle three." Great 06:27
pronunciation. 06:30
Crackers? You're excited about crackers? 06:37
>> [laughter] 06:41
>> All right, we got to get some pretzels. 06:44
I want to get this kind. 06:47
Hold it. You want to hold it? 06:51
Okay. 06:54
And I'm going to get this one. 06:59
That's our special snack. Take it. 07:02
Good job, Theo. 07:06
>> special snack. We don't get many treats 07:07
like chips and stuff, but pretzels. 07:09
I love pretzels. Always got to get 07:12
pretzels. Yep. I'm walking past a case 07:14
of frozen meat and on the other side is 07:17
an end cap. An end cap is a shelf on the 07:21
end of an aisle. The chips are on the 07:24
end cap. We're going to get some poster 07:27
board 07:29
for Theo. 07:31
And for Freddy. 07:34
Okay, you need some poster board, too? 07:36
Ha ha. 07:40
Is it down here? Oh, let's go down here. 07:41
Where are you going? We need some poster 07:44
board. Oh, look at this. 07:46
Yes. Next, I'm going to be walking to 07:52
the dairy section. The dairy section 07:55
includes milk products like milk, 07:58
yogurt, cheese, and also for some reason 08:01
eggs are included in this. The dairy 08:04
section is refrigerated. 08:07
There are refrigerated items in this 08:10
section. Let's take a look at this 08:13
pronunciation. 08:14
Refrigerated. 08:16
Refrigerated. 08:20
That final T is going to sound like a D 08:22
in American English because it's 08:25
surrounded by vowels. This is very 08:27
common for American English. I'm going 08:29
to say the word again and I want you to 08:32
try to say it with me. Refrigerated. 08:33
Refrigerated. 08:37
I'm in the refrigerated section getting 08:38
some refrigerated 08:42
items. I hope that this helps. I know 08:45
this word is tricky, but you can do it. 08:47
All right, let's go get yogurt. 08:50
Where's the yogurt? 08:53
That way. 08:55
That's right. It's that way. 08:58
Do you think we need to buy any eggs? 09:02
We actually don't need to buy 09:06
We don't need to buy any eggs because 09:07
our chickens make so many eggs. 09:10
We are looking for a plain whole milk 09:14
yogurt. 09:17
Vanilla. 09:20
Vanilla, vanilla. 09:22
I don't want vanilla yogurt. 09:24
Plain whole milk yogurt, but this is so 09:32
expensive. 09:35
Do we need yogurt that bad, Freddy? We 09:37
need yogurt. Okay. We need yogurt that 09:39
bad. 09:42
Okay. I know, but I don't know. 09:45
Okay. 09:48
Now it's time for a little splurge. A 09:49
splurge is something you don't need. 09:52
Maybe it's a little too expensive, but 09:54
you really want it. I'm going to get 09:57
some sparkling water with a little bit 09:59
of fruit juice in it. It's so tasty. 10:02
Let's talk a little bit about alcohol. 10:05
In the state where I live, North 10:08
Carolina, you can buy wine and beer in 10:10
the grocery store. This is a very simple 10:13
thing to do, but if you want to buy hard 10:16
liquor, so this is considered like rum 10:19
or vodka, you need to go to a special 10:22
store called a liquor store. Here in the 10:26
South where I live, we call these an ABC 10:29
store, but you need to go to this 10:32
specialized store if you want to buy 10:34
something else, not just wine and beer. 10:37
But for now, I'm not going to get any of 10:40
it. 10:42
I need to get some more gardening 10:43
gloves. 10:44
Believe it or not. 10:46
Yeah, mine have holes in all the 10:48
fingers. 10:50
The point of gardening gloves is to keep 10:52
your hands safe, but if they have holes 10:53
in all the fingers 10:55
and this will save me a trip to Lowe's. 10:57
Before we check out, there's one keyword 10:59
that I haven't talked about yet and we 11:02
need to talk about it. Can you guess 11:04
what it is? It's the word grocery. 11:06
Grocery store, that's where I'm at and 11:10
I'm buying groceries. There's two 11:12
different pronunciations for this and 11:15
it's just a regional difference or a 11:17
personal preference. You can say grocery 11:19
with an s sound in the middle. Grocery, 11:24
grocery, 11:27
but for me, I say grocery 11:29
with a sh 11:33
sound in the middle. Grocery store. 11:35
Grocery store. Both of these options are 11:38
correct, and it just depends on what you 11:41
feel the most comfortable saying. So, 11:43
you could say, "I'm at the grocery 11:45
store." Or, "I'm at the grocery store." 11:48
"I'm buying groceries." 11:52
Or, "I'm buying groceries." Both of 11:55
these are beautiful, very natural, and 11:58
it's the most common expression that 12:01
you're going to hear in the US when we 12:03
talk about a store where you buy food. 12:05
It's the grocery store. 12:07
Now, it's time to check out. We can use 12:09
this word as a noun or a verb. Let's 12:13
check out. Or, let's go to the checkout. 12:16
You can also say the checkout counter. 12:21
Let's go to the checkout counter. I need 12:24
to buy the things that I put in my cart. 12:26
Let's check out. It's time to check out. 12:29
At the checkout counter, watch out 12:32
because there are a lot of snacks and 12:35
junk food waiting for you. The grocery 12:37
store wants you to splurge and buy these 12:41
things. For me, I try to avoid them. 12:44
It's always unhealthy, not really a good 12:47
choice. But, this is here to make a 12:49
last-minute purchase. I want to know, in 12:52
your country, are there a lot of snacks 12:54
and junk food options waiting at the 12:57
checkout? I think this is kind of common 13:00
around the world, but let me know in the 13:02
comments if this happens in your 13:04
country. Now, I'm asking the kind 13:05
checkout lady if I have her permission 13:08
to film while I'm checking out. I wanted 13:11
to give you this experience to see the 13:14
final step at the grocery store. Well, I 13:16
forgot all of my bags today, so I can 13:19
>> [laughter] 13:23
>> I can help to check out, too. 13:23
Um let's do paper. 13:26
Now all of the items are going down the 13:30
conveyor belt and the checkout lady is 13:33
scanning them while I put them in my 13:35
bag. I usually bring my own bags, but 13:38
this day I was so focused on filming I 13:41
totally forgot. So I chose to get paper 13:44
bags. I can compost the paper bags in my 13:48
garden, but you might choose to get a 13:51
plastic bag because you can reuse them 13:54
as a trash bag in your house. It's time 13:56
to pay for all of these groceries. I'm 14:00
scanning my membership card so that I 14:03
can get a few discounts and she asked me 14:05
if I want to use cash or credit or she 14:08
might say cash or card and you can 14:12
choose which one. 14:14
Thank you. Thanks to you too. I 14:17
appreciate your help. 14:19
>> [laughter] 14:20
>> Yes. Bye. 14:22
Now I go out through the automatic doors 14:26
like magic and load the groceries in the 14:29
car. I load the groceries in the car and 14:33
then at home I will unload the 14:36
groceries. 14:38
Thank you for going to the grocery store 14:40
with me. Now it's time to hop over to 14:42
the pharmacy and see how real American 14:44
pharmacies work plus learn some 14:47
essential vocabulary for daily life. And 14:49
see when my daughter was just a tiny 14:52
little baby. Let's go. 14:55
All right, are you ready to join me 14:57
Vanessa and my baby Matilda inside the 14:59
pharmacy? Let's go. 15:02
So inside a pharmacy in the US there are 15:03
a lot of things that you can purchase. 15:06
You might think that a pharmacy is just 15:08
for medicine, but that's not true. 15:11
There's a lot of different sections, so 15:12
let's walk around. Here we are in the 15:14
cosmetics section. Cosmetics means 15:17
makeup. 15:19
And you can see down each aisle like 15:23
this. 15:26
You can buy soap, shampoo, really 15:27
anything you can imagine. 15:31
Um little toys and trinkets. 15:33
There are endless amounts of things you 15:37
can get at a pharmacy. In fact, this is 15:39
something that the US is kind of known 15:41
for for having stores that are a 15:43
one-stop shop. That means you can stop 15:46
one place and get everything you need. 15:48
Very convenient and kind of a 15:51
stereotype. 15:52
This is where you would go if you were 15:58
celebrating a birthday party and you 16:00
wanted to buy some balloons, candles, 16:02
themed birthday plates for your kids, 16:05
birthday cards, any cards for really any 16:09
occasion. In fact, this is something 16:11
that pharmacies are known for is having 16:13
lots of cards. So, if you are on the way 16:15
somewhere and you realize, [music] 16:18
"I forgot to bring a card." Well, you 16:21
can just stop into a pharmacy. Let's 16:23
see. 16:25
So, over here you can see this is the 16:34
actual pharmacy part. 16:35
You can go to the clinic. You can 16:38
actually see somebody who is a certified 16:39
nurse or doctor, someone who can give 16:44
you some advice about a medical issue. 16:45
Generally, it's a good idea to make an 16:48
appointment, but you can always drop in 16:50
and ask if they have any 16:52
any way that you can talk with someone 16:54
if you have an issue. Um over here, you 16:55
can see 16:58
it says in big letters what we came for, 17:00
pharmacy. 17:03
So, at the pharmacy, this is where you 17:05
would go if you were going to pick up a 17:07
prescription. And in the US, there's a 17:09
couple different ways to get medicine. 17:11
Unfortunately, a lot of medications that 17:13
are pretty typical like an antibiotic, 17:16
you have to have a prescription, which 17:19
means you need to see a doctor first. 17:22
You have to pay to see the doctor. The 17:24
doctor has to evaluate if you need that 17:25
medicine and then they will send a 17:28
prescription to your chosen pharmacy. So 17:29
when you go to a doctor in the US, 17:33
they'll ask, "What is your preferred 17:34
pharmacy?" And you'll choose maybe a 17:37
place like this and you'll say uh the 17:39
address and the location and then you 17:42
can come here and you can pick up your 17:44
prescription whenever it's available. 17:47
I see my baby has noticed the 17:50
microphone. 17:51
You want to grab that? Not a good idea. 17:53
Um it is possible that you could ask the 17:57
pharmacist or if they have a little 18:01
clinic like this, you could ask them for 18:03
some advice. So if you have no 18:06
appointment, if you just need some 18:08
medical advice, maybe you're on a 18:09
vacation and you have a cough that won't 18:11
go away, you can ask, "Hey, do you have 18:13
any recommendations? What should I do?" 18:15
You could ask them for advice. Who knows 18:17
what they'll say, but it's always worth 18:20
it and it's no problem to ask. Um let's 18:22
take a look at some of the aisles to see 18:25
what kind of medication you can get over 18:26
the counter and I'll explain what that 18:29
means. 18:30
So for example, 18:34
uh this is the children section, but 18:36
let's say you have allergies, terrible 18:38
allergies. 18:40
>> [laughter] 18:41
>> And you visit the US during 18:41
like a spring season, you will need to 18:45
get some allergy medicine. This is 18:47
something that you can get over the 18:49
counter. These are children's allergy 18:51
medications 18:54
um in the children section. Um but you 18:55
can get allergy medicine, you can get 18:58
pain and fever relieving medicine over 19:00
the counter. And I've always been a 19:03
little bit confused by this phrase 19:05
because where's the counter? 19:07
There's no counter. 19:10
Instead, that's the counter uh where you 19:12
actually have to have a prescription. 19:15
So, don't be confused. Over-the-counter 19:16
means that you can just walk in and get 19:19
it. You don't need a prescription, you 19:21
don't need a doctor's approval. You can 19:23
just walk in and get anything 19:25
over-the-counter, even though that's the 19:28
counter. Don't be confused. Sometimes 19:30
English is strange. All right, let's 19:32
keep walking and see what else you can 19:34
get. 19:35
Need some Kleenex? You can get Kleenex. 19:47
You can get wrapping paper if it's 19:50
Christmas time like it is now. 19:51
Uh you can get reading glasses if you 19:54
forgot your reading glasses. 19:57
Uh you can even get some kind of like 19:59
minor medical supplies. 20:02
There are some hearing aids. There are 20:04
some braces for your arm. 20:07
There are alarm clocks. 20:10
Uh paternity testing kits. 20:13
>> [laughter] 20:17
>> I didn't even know you could get that 20:17
here. There's thermometers, 20:18
uh pain medication. 20:21
Um sometimes in the US we do use You all 20:24
right, baby? Sometimes we do use the 20:27
brand name. 20:29
Oh, little cough? Maybe you need some 20:31
medication. 20:33
We do use the brand name to talk about 20:35
medications. So, if you ask a 20:37
pharmacist, 20:39
um I have a cough, what should I do? And 20:41
they recommend a specific brand name to 20:44
you and you're not familiar with it, you 20:46
can just ask, oh, is that a cough 20:48
medication or is that a fever-reducing 20:50
medication? You're welcome to ask for 20:52
clarification because sometimes I don't 20:54
know what the medication is either. 20:57
So, feel free to ask for clarification 20:59
if you're not sure. All right, let's 21:01
keep going. 21:02
Lots and lots of medication. Lots and 21:05
lots. 21:08
>> [laughter] 21:09
>> All right, we're getting to the section 21:12
of stuff. Not Not medicine anymore. 21:14
Candy candy candy. Oh, so if you need to 21:17
buy any dry goods, maybe last-minute 21:20
Christmas presents. 21:23
>> [laughter] 21:24
>> Um you can get toilet paper, laundry 21:25
detergent, all of these types of dry 21:28
goods. And there's even lots of 21:30
different types of food. So, let's go 21:32
take a look at the food. 21:34
There's candy and candy and candy and 21:38
candy. 21:40
Lots of candy. Um 21:42
but there might be, you know, seasonal 21:44
items as well. Right now, it is almost 21:46
Christmas. I know it's after Christmas 21:48
when you're watching this, but imagine 21:50
Christmas. 21:51
Um so, lots of candy for stockings and 21:52
different seasonal things. 21:55
Um there's many toys down here. Let's 21:57
actually go down the next aisle. I want 21:59
to show you something. 22:01
These types of things are like 22:07
grab-and-go snacks. So, you could get 22:09
pistachios, 22:12
chocolate-covered almonds. I love that 22:15
kind of stuff. 22:17
Um more trail mix, dried fruit, chips, 22:19
lots of soda, lots and lots of soda. 22:23
Uh beef jerky, lots of beef jerky 22:27
apparently. 22:29
Different types of popcorn and juices. 22:31
And back here, 22:34
it's a little bit loud. There are 22:39
coolers where you can get cooled drinks. 22:41
And guess what? In some pharmacies in 22:43
the US, you can buy 22:46
alcohol. Did you hear that right? 22:49
Alcohol. 22:51
>> [laughter] 22:52
>> You can get beer and wine in some 22:53
pharmacies. 22:55
And that's really normal. Um here, I 22:56
guess in this pharmacy, I don't see any. 22:59
Um it might be state by state, too. 23:02
Different states have different rules, 23:04
but don't be surprised if you walk into 23:06
a pharmacy and there's wine. Grab a 23:08
bottle of wine and go have a party. 23:11
Let's go down here for the last section. 23:13
This is the baby section. So, if you 23:19
have a baby like I do and you need to 23:22
buy anything like specific baby 23:24
medicine, 23:27
um baby soaps, 23:28
diapers, wipes, any of these types of 23:30
things, you can get this here. So, it's 23:32
pretty incredible. Pharmacies are so 23:35
inclusive. Many different things. They 23:38
are really a one-stop shop. Now, I must 23:40
say that often times pharmacies in the 23:42
US are going to be more expensive than 23:45
going to somewhere like Walmart or 23:49
purchasing something online if you have 23:52
that option. But, you know what? 23:55
Sometimes when you're visiting or you're 23:56
traveling, it's nice to just go to one 23:58
of these places that's an easy access 24:00
and one-stop shop and you can just get 24:03
whatever you need to get. All right, I'm 24:05
going to grab a pack of baby wipes. 24:07
You always need baby wipes when you have 24:11
a baby and we're going to go to the 24:12
checkout and I'll show you how the 24:13
checkout works. If I remember right, 24:14
this pharmacy has a couple checkout 24:17
options. So, let's go see. 24:19
Oh, you can even get stuff for your car. 24:23
>> [laughter] 24:25
>> Pretty amazing. If you need some washer 24:26
fluid or something for your car or to 24:28
wash your clothes, 24:31
it's here. 24:32
Welcome. If you have your extra So, I'm 24:39
going to use the self-checkout because 24:41
that's 24:44
the easiest option and there's nobody 24:45
here right now. Um 24:46
and I think those are pretty much 24:49
pretty much the same all around the 24:51
world. 24:52
>> I did. Um one little note as I do this, 24:54
there is a photo studio. So, if you want 24:57
to have any pictures printed and you 24:59
don't have access to doing that online, 25:02
If you are finished shopping, 25:04
>> place to do that. So, you can 25:05
um 25:07
get your pictures printed here. 25:08
All right, I'm going to 25:10
>> Scan coupon now. Touch to continue or 25:11
touch finish. 25:14
And I'm going to continue. 25:15
No. Your total is $5. 25:18
>> And I will use my card. 25:20
>> System processing. Swipe or insert card 25:22
and follow instructions on PIN pad. All 25:24
right, now I know in some countries you 25:27
have to just put your card in really 25:28
quickly. Sometimes in the US it's quick. 25:29
Sometimes you [music] have to leave it 25:32
in there. So, please read the PIN pad 25:34
little screen and make sure you're doing 25:37
it the right way. 25:38
All right, I don't want a receipt, so 25:40
I'll click no receipt. 25:41
And that's it. I'm not going to use a 25:44
bag, I'll just carry it out myself. 25:46
Let's go. You're welcome. 25:48
>> I just want to let you know there also 25:53
is an ATM at a lot of CVS's. Um, you can 25:55
use the ATM or what you can do if you go 25:58
to the checkout counter where there's an 26:02
actual person there. Um, I think you can 26:04
do this at the self-checkout, too. You 26:06
can choose cash back and you can get 26:08
cash back. So, if you need $20 in cash, 26:11
um, you're welcome to go to the counter 26:15
and buy something small, buy a little 26:18
candy bar or some gum, 26:21
and then ask for some cash back. And you 26:23
can get cash back or you can use the 26:25
ATM. That's what we call it in the US. 26:27
In fact, it's right here. ATM. 26:29
You can use that as well to get money 26:33
back. All right, let's leave. Come on. 26:34
All right, I want to show you something 26:39
else down here. [laughter] 26:40
This uh is kind of a blast from the 26:41
past. I don't know if in your country 26:43
people use DVDs still or if they're more 26:45
likely to use Netflix. In the US DVDs 26:48
are not very common, but this is a 26:51
machine 26:54
where you can rent 26:55
DVDs, and they will come out of here. I 26:57
guess this little slot. 27:01
They'll come out, and you can actually 27:03
take the physical DVD home. It's called 27:04
a Redbox. 27:07
Um it's kind of a blast from the past. I 27:08
don't know how many people actually use 27:10
these. But, you know what? If you need a 27:11
DVD, go for it. Enjoy the Redbox at the 27:14
pharmacy. 27:17
Thank you for coming to the pharmacy 27:18
with me. Now it's time to do our final 27:20
errand and go to the gas station. We 27:23
need to fill up the car with gas so that 27:26
we can get where we need to go. Let's 27:28
go. 27:30
Hey, I just realized my light's on and I 27:31
need to fill up. Want to come with me? 27:34
There's a couple expressions I want to 27:36
share with you. The first one is my gas 27:38
gauge. So, on my dashboard, there is a 27:41
gauge that shows me E to F, and that 27:43
means empty to full. Right now, the gas 27:47
gauge is closer to E, so that's why 27:50
we're heading to the gas station. And 27:53
usually, if you have a somewhat modern 27:55
car, 27:57
if your car is low on gas, you will see 27:58
a fuel light or a gas light appear on 28:01
your dashboard. And that's a little 28:05
warning to let you know, get some gas 28:06
soon so that you don't run out. There's 28:09
two idioms we can use to talk about my 28:11
situation right now. We could say I'm 28:13
running on empty or I'm on E, and that's 28:16
referring to empty. Now, we use this to 28:21
talk about the car. I'm running on 28:23
empty. That means I have hardly any gas 28:25
in my car. It's just fumes coming out. I 28:27
better get to a gas station soon. But, 28:30
we can also use this for your personal 28:32
life. Let's say that you've been working 28:34
really hard. You've been staying up 28:36
late. You've also been taking care of 28:38
your family. You're exhausted. You have 28:39
no energy left. You can say, 28:42
uh guys, I'm running on empty. I'm on E. 28:44
I just need to take a nap. Can you guys 28:49
just chill for a moment so that I can go 28:52
to the other room and take a 15-minute 28:54
nap. I'm running on empty. So, this is 28:56
great for talking about your car or for 28:59
yourself. All right, let's head to the 29:01
gas station where I will introduce you 29:03
to some more great daily life English 29:05
expressions. 29:07
All right, here we are at the gas 29:09
station. In the US, we call this a gas 29:10
station and there's usually a little 29:13
convenience store where you can buy 29:15
little snacks and things like that. Now, 29:17
I want to let you know that there's 29:19
different terms we use for gas that you 29:20
will hear all around the world and in 29:24
the US. You've heard me say a few times 29:26
gas. Well, this is not talking about 29:28
steam. This is short for gasoline. 29:31
So, we put gasoline in the car and in 29:35
the US, we shorten that to gas. But, you 29:37
could also say fuel. I need to put some 29:39
fuel in my car. And there's a specific 29:42
type of fuel called diesel fuel that in 29:45
the US is not common for ordinary cars 29:48
like what I have, but big trucks, 29:52
construction vehicles, 29:55
uh 18-wheelers, these type of big 29:57
tractor trailers, they use diesel fuel. 29:59
And I want to let you know that in the 30:02
US, we do not use the word petrol to 30:03
talk about what you put in your car for 30:07
fuel. But, this is more common in Europe 30:09
and in the UK. 30:12
So, if you hear someone in another 30:14
English-speaking country say, "I need to 30:15
put some petrol in my car." They're 30:17
talking about the fuel, the liquid that 30:20
goes in the car. But, here we call it 30:22
simply gas. Now that I've pulled up to 30:24
the pump, I need to open the fuel door. 30:28
Usually, there's a little button or a 30:30
latch down here to open the fuel door 30:32
and I'm going to start choosing which 30:35
grade of fuel I want. So, come on to the 30:37
other side of the car and let's start. 30:39
Here in the US, we have self-service gas 30:41
stations. That means you have to pump 30:44
the gas to yourself. But, a long time 30:46
ago, they used to have full-service gas 30:49
stations where there was someone who 30:51
worked here who would pump the gas for 30:53
you. But, I have to do it myself, and 30:55
that includes paying for the gas. You 30:57
have a couple options. For me, I'm going 31:00
to pay at the pump, but if you have 31:02
cash, you need to pay inside. For me, 31:05
I've never done this I think because 31:08
it's so much more convenient to pay with 31:11
a card at the pump. So, let's see how 31:13
that works. I'm going to choose to pay 31:15
with my card, so I will choose the 31:17
option for debit. You could also choose 31:19
credit if you want. I need to insert and 31:21
remove my card, and then I will have to 31:25
choose which grade I want. But, we're 31:28
going to let it process for a moment. 31:31
I'm going to add my PIN, 31:33
which will keep my card information 31:36
safe. 31:38
It's authorizing. Do I want a receipt? 31:39
Nope, I don't need a receipt. 31:41
And now I'm going to need to choose 31:44
which grade I want. All right, so I 31:46
already put in my payment information. 31:48
Now I need to take out the pump and 31:50
choose which grade. I'm going to choose 31:54
87. That's the lowest. It's the 31:56
cheapest, also, but it's also what my 31:59
car needs. And I need to put it in the 32:00
gas pump. So, I'm going to take off the 32:04
gas cap 32:06
and insert the gas pump 32:08
into the gas tank. 32:11
Turn it on, 32:13
and you can see here that it is starting 32:15
to add gas to my car, and the price is 32:17
going up and up and up. 32:21
>> [laughter] 32:23
>> Here in the US, we generally have 32:23
cheaper fuel than other countries, 32:25
especially Europe, but you know, 32:28
>> [snorts] 32:31
>> it still adds up after some time. All 32:32
right, now that the gas is pumping, let 32:34
me tell you some basic vocabulary here. 32:36
This is the gas pump. It's the piece 32:39
that I put into my gas tank, and the 32:41
tank is the term that we use for that 32:44
container that holds the gas in your 32:45
car. And after I finish pumping gas, 32:48
that's the verb we use, to pump gas, 32:51
I will need to close the gas cap so that 32:54
everything is sealed in the car and it's 32:57
not a flammable hazard. All right, my 32:59
gas just finished, so I'm going to put 33:03
the nozzle back, very important step, 33:05
and I will also close my gas cap. Make 33:09
sure it's locked, close the gas door, 33:12
and that's about it. There's some other 33:15
things that you can do at the gas 33:17
station if you would like. For example, 33:18
you could use a squeegee and clean off 33:21
your windshield. You could throw away 33:23
some trash. A lot of gas stations also 33:25
have an air pump. Sometimes they're 33:28
free, sometimes they're a dollar, 33:30
but you can add some air to your tires 33:33
if you need to, or you could go into the 33:35
convenience store and pick up some 33:36
snacks if you feel like it. So, are you 33:38
curious how much it cost me to fill up 33:40
my car with gas? 33:42
Well, here in the US we use gallons. 33:44
That might not be the same for you, but 33:46
I put about 15 gallons of gas in my car, 33:48
and it cost me $46. 33:52
For me, I don't drive an awful lot, so 33:55
this will last several weeks, but it's 33:56
still an expense that you have to pay if 33:59
you want to get around in the US. 34:01
Great work joining me at the gas station 34:03
and learning the real-life English that 34:06
you need to know. Don't forget to 34:09
download today's free PDF worksheet that 34:11
includes all of the vocabulary that you 34:13
just learned in today's lesson, plus you 34:16
can download the bonus speaking 34:18
practice, where you'll get a chance to 34:20
practice speaking with me and using what 34:23
you just learned. If you don't use it, 34:26
you're going to lose it and forget it. 34:28
So, make sure you download the free 34:30
worksheet. Just click on the link in the 34:32
description, enter your name and email 34:34
address, and voila, just like that, it 34:36
will land in your email inbox so that 34:39
you never forget what you learned today. 34:41
Well, thank you so much for learning 34:43
English with me, and I'll see you again 34:45
next Friday for a new lesson here on my 34:47
YouTube channel. Bye. 34:49
But wait, do you want more? I recommend 34:52
watching this video next where do you 34:54
will join me at three more essential 34:56
places that you need to learn how to 34:59
speak about: the donation center, the 35:01
bank, and the post office. I'll see you 35:04
there. 35:06

– English Lyrics

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[English]
Today, you're coming with me to the
grocery store, the pharmacy, and the gas
station to immerse yourself in real-life
English. No amount of AI lessons or
trainings can prepare you for how the
real world works. So, join me, and by
the end of this lesson, you will be able
to go out into the real world and use
English with confidence. If you're new
here, hi, I'm Vanessa from
speakenglishwithvanessa.com,
and for over the past 10 years, I have
been teaching real-life English to over
7 million of you here on YouTube. And
every single week, I create a free PDF
worksheet for you. This worksheet
includes everything you're about to
learn today, plus I have included a
special speaking bonus. You will have
the chance to have real speaking
practice with me. It is essential that
you not just listen to today's lesson,
but that you immediately use what you've
learned. So, when you download this free
worksheet, you can also download the
speaking practice and get using it right
away. How can you get this worksheet?
Well, all you need to do is click on the
link in the description, enter your name
and email address, and voila, just like
that, this worksheet will land in your
email inbox. It is my gift to you. So,
are you ready to join me at the grocery
store? Back when my son was so small and
so adorable. Let's go.
All right, first things first, we are
going to go through the parking lot and
get a cart. I call this just a cart, but
some people call it a shopping cart, and
here in the South where I live, people
call it a buggy, a buggy. Our first stop
is the free fruit snack for kids. This
is Freddy's favorite thing to do in the
grocery store, so I sure hope they have
something for him.
Look at this, Freddy.
You want a banana?
Yeah?
Okay, can you open it?
Maybe you need some help.
Wow.
Hold it down there.
>> [gasps]
>> Yummy.
>> [laughter]
>> All right, let's go get some stuff from
the produce section.
Notice that I said the word produce
section. This just means where you can
buy fruits and vegetables, but let's pay
attention to the pronunciation of that
word produce. The emphasis is at the
beginning, produce, produce.
There's another word which is a verb, to
produce something. I produce one YouTube
video every week. Here the emphasis is
at the end, produce. I produce a video.
This is different than the produce
section. We're in the produce section
right now, and let's see what's going to
happen next. Who knows? It could be
anything.
>> [laughter]
>> Should I get the single ones or should I
get the bag?
Well, let's see. There's
94 cents for this, and there's 1 2 3 4 5
6 in here for $5. It's a better deal,
but they're in a bag. Look at this.
Oh.
Yeah, let's get some lemons.
When you're buying produce, you have two
options. You can buy loose produce, like
the broccoli that I bought, or you can
buy bagged produce, like the lemons that
I bought, or here, like the potatoes.
And really, there are so many to choose
from. It's pretty unbelievable the type
of options that we have these days. I
feel so lucky to have these options. As
we go through the bulk section, where
you can buy items in bulk, you'll see
these bananas in a bag that are on sale.
I want you to know the difference
between on sale and for sale. These
bananas are on sale. That means there is
a discount. It's on sale. But really
every item in the grocery store is for
sale. For sale means that you can buy
it. There's no special discount, there's
no special price. It's just for sale.
Here we are at the deli counter. At the
deli counter, you can order freshly
sliced lunch meat. You might say, "I'd
like half a pound of turkey, please." Or
"I'd like a pound of cheddar cheese,
please." We decided to not order
anything today because there was only
one person working early in the morning
and the wait was too long. But that's
all right. Let's move on to the next
thing.
In the bakery, you can get some freshly
baked donuts, bread, or cakes. Because
Freddy is turning two soon at the end of
March, we've been talking about cakes a
lot recently. He's very excited about
getting a birthday cake or cupcakes.
Let's see.
What cake would you like for your
birthday?
This one? Yeah.
>> This one or this one? This one. This
one? This one. This one? This
one. This one? Oh, the one with the
cereal all over it?
>> [laughter]
>> That looks exciting.
You know what would be really good?
Yeah. You get some hummus.
You want some hummus? That's bell pepper
hummus. That's yummy.
Yummy Freddy.
Thank you.
In the grocery store, you have the
option to get fresh fish or frozen fish.
But, watch out because usually the fresh
fish has been previously frozen. You can
also get fresh cuts of meat or you can
get prepackaged meat. If you want to get
a fresh cut of meat, you could say, "I'd
like 2 lb of ground beef, please." This
is a really polite and common statement
that you can use.
Now, I'm going down in aisle. Notice
this pronunciation. Aisle. The S is
silent. Go down in aisle or you can say,
"It's on aisle three." Great
pronunciation.
Crackers? You're excited about crackers?
>> [laughter]
>> All right, we got to get some pretzels.
I want to get this kind.
Hold it. You want to hold it?
Okay.
And I'm going to get this one.
That's our special snack. Take it.
Good job, Theo.
>> special snack. We don't get many treats
like chips and stuff, but pretzels.
I love pretzels. Always got to get
pretzels. Yep. I'm walking past a case
of frozen meat and on the other side is
an end cap. An end cap is a shelf on the
end of an aisle. The chips are on the
end cap. We're going to get some poster
board
for Theo.
And for Freddy.
Okay, you need some poster board, too?
Ha ha.
Is it down here? Oh, let's go down here.
Where are you going? We need some poster
board. Oh, look at this.
Yes. Next, I'm going to be walking to
the dairy section. The dairy section
includes milk products like milk,
yogurt, cheese, and also for some reason
eggs are included in this. The dairy
section is refrigerated.
There are refrigerated items in this
section. Let's take a look at this
pronunciation.
Refrigerated.
Refrigerated.
That final T is going to sound like a D
in American English because it's
surrounded by vowels. This is very
common for American English. I'm going
to say the word again and I want you to
try to say it with me. Refrigerated.
Refrigerated.
I'm in the refrigerated section getting
some refrigerated
items. I hope that this helps. I know
this word is tricky, but you can do it.
All right, let's go get yogurt.
Where's the yogurt?
That way.
That's right. It's that way.
Do you think we need to buy any eggs?
We actually don't need to buy
We don't need to buy any eggs because
our chickens make so many eggs.
We are looking for a plain whole milk
yogurt.
Vanilla.
Vanilla, vanilla.
I don't want vanilla yogurt.
Plain whole milk yogurt, but this is so
expensive.
Do we need yogurt that bad, Freddy? We
need yogurt. Okay. We need yogurt that
bad.
Okay. I know, but I don't know.
Okay.
Now it's time for a little splurge. A
splurge is something you don't need.
Maybe it's a little too expensive, but
you really want it. I'm going to get
some sparkling water with a little bit
of fruit juice in it. It's so tasty.
Let's talk a little bit about alcohol.
In the state where I live, North
Carolina, you can buy wine and beer in
the grocery store. This is a very simple
thing to do, but if you want to buy hard
liquor, so this is considered like rum
or vodka, you need to go to a special
store called a liquor store. Here in the
South where I live, we call these an ABC
store, but you need to go to this
specialized store if you want to buy
something else, not just wine and beer.
But for now, I'm not going to get any of
it.
I need to get some more gardening
gloves.
Believe it or not.
Yeah, mine have holes in all the
fingers.
The point of gardening gloves is to keep
your hands safe, but if they have holes
in all the fingers
and this will save me a trip to Lowe's.
Before we check out, there's one keyword
that I haven't talked about yet and we
need to talk about it. Can you guess
what it is? It's the word grocery.
Grocery store, that's where I'm at and
I'm buying groceries. There's two
different pronunciations for this and
it's just a regional difference or a
personal preference. You can say grocery
with an s sound in the middle. Grocery,
grocery,
but for me, I say grocery
with a sh
sound in the middle. Grocery store.
Grocery store. Both of these options are
correct, and it just depends on what you
feel the most comfortable saying. So,
you could say, "I'm at the grocery
store." Or, "I'm at the grocery store."
"I'm buying groceries."
Or, "I'm buying groceries." Both of
these are beautiful, very natural, and
it's the most common expression that
you're going to hear in the US when we
talk about a store where you buy food.
It's the grocery store.
Now, it's time to check out. We can use
this word as a noun or a verb. Let's
check out. Or, let's go to the checkout.
You can also say the checkout counter.
Let's go to the checkout counter. I need
to buy the things that I put in my cart.
Let's check out. It's time to check out.
At the checkout counter, watch out
because there are a lot of snacks and
junk food waiting for you. The grocery
store wants you to splurge and buy these
things. For me, I try to avoid them.
It's always unhealthy, not really a good
choice. But, this is here to make a
last-minute purchase. I want to know, in
your country, are there a lot of snacks
and junk food options waiting at the
checkout? I think this is kind of common
around the world, but let me know in the
comments if this happens in your
country. Now, I'm asking the kind
checkout lady if I have her permission
to film while I'm checking out. I wanted
to give you this experience to see the
final step at the grocery store. Well, I
forgot all of my bags today, so I can
>> [laughter]
>> I can help to check out, too.
Um let's do paper.
Now all of the items are going down the
conveyor belt and the checkout lady is
scanning them while I put them in my
bag. I usually bring my own bags, but
this day I was so focused on filming I
totally forgot. So I chose to get paper
bags. I can compost the paper bags in my
garden, but you might choose to get a
plastic bag because you can reuse them
as a trash bag in your house. It's time
to pay for all of these groceries. I'm
scanning my membership card so that I
can get a few discounts and she asked me
if I want to use cash or credit or she
might say cash or card and you can
choose which one.
Thank you. Thanks to you too. I
appreciate your help.
>> [laughter]
>> Yes. Bye.
Now I go out through the automatic doors
like magic and load the groceries in the
car. I load the groceries in the car and
then at home I will unload the
groceries.
Thank you for going to the grocery store
with me. Now it's time to hop over to
the pharmacy and see how real American
pharmacies work plus learn some
essential vocabulary for daily life. And
see when my daughter was just a tiny
little baby. Let's go.
All right, are you ready to join me
Vanessa and my baby Matilda inside the
pharmacy? Let's go.
So inside a pharmacy in the US there are
a lot of things that you can purchase.
You might think that a pharmacy is just
for medicine, but that's not true.
There's a lot of different sections, so
let's walk around. Here we are in the
cosmetics section. Cosmetics means
makeup.
And you can see down each aisle like
this.
You can buy soap, shampoo, really
anything you can imagine.
Um little toys and trinkets.
There are endless amounts of things you
can get at a pharmacy. In fact, this is
something that the US is kind of known
for for having stores that are a
one-stop shop. That means you can stop
one place and get everything you need.
Very convenient and kind of a
stereotype.
This is where you would go if you were
celebrating a birthday party and you
wanted to buy some balloons, candles,
themed birthday plates for your kids,
birthday cards, any cards for really any
occasion. In fact, this is something
that pharmacies are known for is having
lots of cards. So, if you are on the way
somewhere and you realize, [music]
"I forgot to bring a card." Well, you
can just stop into a pharmacy. Let's
see.
So, over here you can see this is the
actual pharmacy part.
You can go to the clinic. You can
actually see somebody who is a certified
nurse or doctor, someone who can give
you some advice about a medical issue.
Generally, it's a good idea to make an
appointment, but you can always drop in
and ask if they have any
any way that you can talk with someone
if you have an issue. Um over here, you
can see
it says in big letters what we came for,
pharmacy.
So, at the pharmacy, this is where you
would go if you were going to pick up a
prescription. And in the US, there's a
couple different ways to get medicine.
Unfortunately, a lot of medications that
are pretty typical like an antibiotic,
you have to have a prescription, which
means you need to see a doctor first.
You have to pay to see the doctor. The
doctor has to evaluate if you need that
medicine and then they will send a
prescription to your chosen pharmacy. So
when you go to a doctor in the US,
they'll ask, "What is your preferred
pharmacy?" And you'll choose maybe a
place like this and you'll say uh the
address and the location and then you
can come here and you can pick up your
prescription whenever it's available.
I see my baby has noticed the
microphone.
You want to grab that? Not a good idea.
Um it is possible that you could ask the
pharmacist or if they have a little
clinic like this, you could ask them for
some advice. So if you have no
appointment, if you just need some
medical advice, maybe you're on a
vacation and you have a cough that won't
go away, you can ask, "Hey, do you have
any recommendations? What should I do?"
You could ask them for advice. Who knows
what they'll say, but it's always worth
it and it's no problem to ask. Um let's
take a look at some of the aisles to see
what kind of medication you can get over
the counter and I'll explain what that
means.
So for example,
uh this is the children section, but
let's say you have allergies, terrible
allergies.
>> [laughter]
>> And you visit the US during
like a spring season, you will need to
get some allergy medicine. This is
something that you can get over the
counter. These are children's allergy
medications
um in the children section. Um but you
can get allergy medicine, you can get
pain and fever relieving medicine over
the counter. And I've always been a
little bit confused by this phrase
because where's the counter?
There's no counter.
Instead, that's the counter uh where you
actually have to have a prescription.
So, don't be confused. Over-the-counter
means that you can just walk in and get
it. You don't need a prescription, you
don't need a doctor's approval. You can
just walk in and get anything
over-the-counter, even though that's the
counter. Don't be confused. Sometimes
English is strange. All right, let's
keep walking and see what else you can
get.
Need some Kleenex? You can get Kleenex.
You can get wrapping paper if it's
Christmas time like it is now.
Uh you can get reading glasses if you
forgot your reading glasses.
Uh you can even get some kind of like
minor medical supplies.
There are some hearing aids. There are
some braces for your arm.
There are alarm clocks.
Uh paternity testing kits.
>> [laughter]
>> I didn't even know you could get that
here. There's thermometers,
uh pain medication.
Um sometimes in the US we do use You all
right, baby? Sometimes we do use the
brand name.
Oh, little cough? Maybe you need some
medication.
We do use the brand name to talk about
medications. So, if you ask a
pharmacist,
um I have a cough, what should I do? And
they recommend a specific brand name to
you and you're not familiar with it, you
can just ask, oh, is that a cough
medication or is that a fever-reducing
medication? You're welcome to ask for
clarification because sometimes I don't
know what the medication is either.
So, feel free to ask for clarification
if you're not sure. All right, let's
keep going.
Lots and lots of medication. Lots and
lots.
>> [laughter]
>> All right, we're getting to the section
of stuff. Not Not medicine anymore.
Candy candy candy. Oh, so if you need to
buy any dry goods, maybe last-minute
Christmas presents.
>> [laughter]
>> Um you can get toilet paper, laundry
detergent, all of these types of dry
goods. And there's even lots of
different types of food. So, let's go
take a look at the food.
There's candy and candy and candy and
candy.
Lots of candy. Um
but there might be, you know, seasonal
items as well. Right now, it is almost
Christmas. I know it's after Christmas
when you're watching this, but imagine
Christmas.
Um so, lots of candy for stockings and
different seasonal things.
Um there's many toys down here. Let's
actually go down the next aisle. I want
to show you something.
These types of things are like
grab-and-go snacks. So, you could get
pistachios,
chocolate-covered almonds. I love that
kind of stuff.
Um more trail mix, dried fruit, chips,
lots of soda, lots and lots of soda.
Uh beef jerky, lots of beef jerky
apparently.
Different types of popcorn and juices.
And back here,
it's a little bit loud. There are
coolers where you can get cooled drinks.
And guess what? In some pharmacies in
the US, you can buy
alcohol. Did you hear that right?
Alcohol.
>> [laughter]
>> You can get beer and wine in some
pharmacies.
And that's really normal. Um here, I
guess in this pharmacy, I don't see any.
Um it might be state by state, too.
Different states have different rules,
but don't be surprised if you walk into
a pharmacy and there's wine. Grab a
bottle of wine and go have a party.
Let's go down here for the last section.
This is the baby section. So, if you
have a baby like I do and you need to
buy anything like specific baby
medicine,
um baby soaps,
diapers, wipes, any of these types of
things, you can get this here. So, it's
pretty incredible. Pharmacies are so
inclusive. Many different things. They
are really a one-stop shop. Now, I must
say that often times pharmacies in the
US are going to be more expensive than
going to somewhere like Walmart or
purchasing something online if you have
that option. But, you know what?
Sometimes when you're visiting or you're
traveling, it's nice to just go to one
of these places that's an easy access
and one-stop shop and you can just get
whatever you need to get. All right, I'm
going to grab a pack of baby wipes.
You always need baby wipes when you have
a baby and we're going to go to the
checkout and I'll show you how the
checkout works. If I remember right,
this pharmacy has a couple checkout
options. So, let's go see.
Oh, you can even get stuff for your car.
>> [laughter]
>> Pretty amazing. If you need some washer
fluid or something for your car or to
wash your clothes,
it's here.
Welcome. If you have your extra So, I'm
going to use the self-checkout because
that's
the easiest option and there's nobody
here right now. Um
and I think those are pretty much
pretty much the same all around the
world.
>> I did. Um one little note as I do this,
there is a photo studio. So, if you want
to have any pictures printed and you
don't have access to doing that online,
If you are finished shopping,
>> place to do that. So, you can
um
get your pictures printed here.
All right, I'm going to
>> Scan coupon now. Touch to continue or
touch finish.
And I'm going to continue.
No. Your total is $5.
>> And I will use my card.
>> System processing. Swipe or insert card
and follow instructions on PIN pad. All
right, now I know in some countries you
have to just put your card in really
quickly. Sometimes in the US it's quick.
Sometimes you [music] have to leave it
in there. So, please read the PIN pad
little screen and make sure you're doing
it the right way.
All right, I don't want a receipt, so
I'll click no receipt.
And that's it. I'm not going to use a
bag, I'll just carry it out myself.
Let's go. You're welcome.
>> I just want to let you know there also
is an ATM at a lot of CVS's. Um, you can
use the ATM or what you can do if you go
to the checkout counter where there's an
actual person there. Um, I think you can
do this at the self-checkout, too. You
can choose cash back and you can get
cash back. So, if you need $20 in cash,
um, you're welcome to go to the counter
and buy something small, buy a little
candy bar or some gum,
and then ask for some cash back. And you
can get cash back or you can use the
ATM. That's what we call it in the US.
In fact, it's right here. ATM.
You can use that as well to get money
back. All right, let's leave. Come on.
All right, I want to show you something
else down here. [laughter]
This uh is kind of a blast from the
past. I don't know if in your country
people use DVDs still or if they're more
likely to use Netflix. In the US DVDs
are not very common, but this is a
machine
where you can rent
DVDs, and they will come out of here. I
guess this little slot.
They'll come out, and you can actually
take the physical DVD home. It's called
a Redbox.
Um it's kind of a blast from the past. I
don't know how many people actually use
these. But, you know what? If you need a
DVD, go for it. Enjoy the Redbox at the
pharmacy.
Thank you for coming to the pharmacy
with me. Now it's time to do our final
errand and go to the gas station. We
need to fill up the car with gas so that
we can get where we need to go. Let's
go.
Hey, I just realized my light's on and I
need to fill up. Want to come with me?
There's a couple expressions I want to
share with you. The first one is my gas
gauge. So, on my dashboard, there is a
gauge that shows me E to F, and that
means empty to full. Right now, the gas
gauge is closer to E, so that's why
we're heading to the gas station. And
usually, if you have a somewhat modern
car,
if your car is low on gas, you will see
a fuel light or a gas light appear on
your dashboard. And that's a little
warning to let you know, get some gas
soon so that you don't run out. There's
two idioms we can use to talk about my
situation right now. We could say I'm
running on empty or I'm on E, and that's
referring to empty. Now, we use this to
talk about the car. I'm running on
empty. That means I have hardly any gas
in my car. It's just fumes coming out. I
better get to a gas station soon. But,
we can also use this for your personal
life. Let's say that you've been working
really hard. You've been staying up
late. You've also been taking care of
your family. You're exhausted. You have
no energy left. You can say,
uh guys, I'm running on empty. I'm on E.
I just need to take a nap. Can you guys
just chill for a moment so that I can go
to the other room and take a 15-minute
nap. I'm running on empty. So, this is
great for talking about your car or for
yourself. All right, let's head to the
gas station where I will introduce you
to some more great daily life English
expressions.
All right, here we are at the gas
station. In the US, we call this a gas
station and there's usually a little
convenience store where you can buy
little snacks and things like that. Now,
I want to let you know that there's
different terms we use for gas that you
will hear all around the world and in
the US. You've heard me say a few times
gas. Well, this is not talking about
steam. This is short for gasoline.
So, we put gasoline in the car and in
the US, we shorten that to gas. But, you
could also say fuel. I need to put some
fuel in my car. And there's a specific
type of fuel called diesel fuel that in
the US is not common for ordinary cars
like what I have, but big trucks,
construction vehicles,
uh 18-wheelers, these type of big
tractor trailers, they use diesel fuel.
And I want to let you know that in the
US, we do not use the word petrol to
talk about what you put in your car for
fuel. But, this is more common in Europe
and in the UK.
So, if you hear someone in another
English-speaking country say, "I need to
put some petrol in my car." They're
talking about the fuel, the liquid that
goes in the car. But, here we call it
simply gas. Now that I've pulled up to
the pump, I need to open the fuel door.
Usually, there's a little button or a
latch down here to open the fuel door
and I'm going to start choosing which
grade of fuel I want. So, come on to the
other side of the car and let's start.
Here in the US, we have self-service gas
stations. That means you have to pump
the gas to yourself. But, a long time
ago, they used to have full-service gas
stations where there was someone who
worked here who would pump the gas for
you. But, I have to do it myself, and
that includes paying for the gas. You
have a couple options. For me, I'm going
to pay at the pump, but if you have
cash, you need to pay inside. For me,
I've never done this I think because
it's so much more convenient to pay with
a card at the pump. So, let's see how
that works. I'm going to choose to pay
with my card, so I will choose the
option for debit. You could also choose
credit if you want. I need to insert and
remove my card, and then I will have to
choose which grade I want. But, we're
going to let it process for a moment.
I'm going to add my PIN,
which will keep my card information
safe.
It's authorizing. Do I want a receipt?
Nope, I don't need a receipt.
And now I'm going to need to choose
which grade I want. All right, so I
already put in my payment information.
Now I need to take out the pump and
choose which grade. I'm going to choose
87. That's the lowest. It's the
cheapest, also, but it's also what my
car needs. And I need to put it in the
gas pump. So, I'm going to take off the
gas cap
and insert the gas pump
into the gas tank.
Turn it on,
and you can see here that it is starting
to add gas to my car, and the price is
going up and up and up.
>> [laughter]
>> Here in the US, we generally have
cheaper fuel than other countries,
especially Europe, but you know,
>> [snorts]
>> it still adds up after some time. All
right, now that the gas is pumping, let
me tell you some basic vocabulary here.
This is the gas pump. It's the piece
that I put into my gas tank, and the
tank is the term that we use for that
container that holds the gas in your
car. And after I finish pumping gas,
that's the verb we use, to pump gas,
I will need to close the gas cap so that
everything is sealed in the car and it's
not a flammable hazard. All right, my
gas just finished, so I'm going to put
the nozzle back, very important step,
and I will also close my gas cap. Make
sure it's locked, close the gas door,
and that's about it. There's some other
things that you can do at the gas
station if you would like. For example,
you could use a squeegee and clean off
your windshield. You could throw away
some trash. A lot of gas stations also
have an air pump. Sometimes they're
free, sometimes they're a dollar,
but you can add some air to your tires
if you need to, or you could go into the
convenience store and pick up some
snacks if you feel like it. So, are you
curious how much it cost me to fill up
my car with gas?
Well, here in the US we use gallons.
That might not be the same for you, but
I put about 15 gallons of gas in my car,
and it cost me $46.
For me, I don't drive an awful lot, so
this will last several weeks, but it's
still an expense that you have to pay if
you want to get around in the US.
Great work joining me at the gas station
and learning the real-life English that
you need to know. Don't forget to
download today's free PDF worksheet that
includes all of the vocabulary that you
just learned in today's lesson, plus you
can download the bonus speaking
practice, where you'll get a chance to
practice speaking with me and using what
you just learned. If you don't use it,
you're going to lose it and forget it.
So, make sure you download the free
worksheet. Just click on the link in the
description, enter your name and email
address, and voila, just like that, it
will land in your email inbox so that
you never forget what you learned today.
Well, thank you so much for learning
English with me, and I'll see you again
next Friday for a new lesson here on my
YouTube channel. Bye.
But wait, do you want more? I recommend
watching this video next where do you
will join me at three more essential
places that you need to learn how to
speak about: the donation center, the
bank, and the post office. I'll see you
there.

Key Vocabulary

Start Practicing
Vocabulary Meanings

immerse

/ɪˈmɜːrs/

C1
  • verb
  • - to involve oneself deeply in a particular activity or interest

confidence

/ˈkɒnfɪdəns/

B1
  • noun
  • - the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something

essential

/ɪˈsenʃl/

B1
  • adjective
  • - absolutely necessary; extremely important

produce

/ˈprɒdjuːs/

B2
  • noun
  • - things that have been produced or grown, especially by farming
  • verb
  • - to make or manufacture from components or raw materials

aisle

/aɪl/

B2
  • noun
  • - a passage between rows of seats or shelves

refrigerated

/rɪˈfrɪdʒəreɪtɪd/

B2
  • adjective
  • - kept cold in a refrigerator

splurge

/splɜːrdʒ/

C1
  • verb
  • - to spend an unusually large sum of money on something extravagant

prescription

/prɪˈskrɪpʃn/

B2
  • noun
  • - an instruction written by a medical practitioner that authorizes a patient to be issued a medicine

convenient

/kənˈviːniənt/

A2
  • adjective
  • - fitting in well with a person's needs or activities

cosmetics

/kɒzˈmetɪks/

B2
  • noun
  • - products applied to the body to improve appearance

clarification

/ˌklærɪfɪˈkeɪʃn/

C1
  • noun
  • - the action of making a statement or situation less confused and more comprehensible

authorize

/ˈɔːθəraɪz/

C1
  • verb
  • - to give official permission for or approval to an undertaking or agent

flammable

/ˈflæməbl/

B2
  • adjective
  • - easily set on fire

squeegee

/ˈskwiːdʒiː/

C2
  • noun
  • - a tool with a rubber blade for cleaning windows or removing liquid

inclusive

/ɪnˈkluːsɪv/

C1
  • adjective
  • - covering or including everything

🚀 "immerse", "confidence" – from “” still a mystery?

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Key Grammar Structures

  • No amount of AI lessons or trainings can prepare you for how the real world works.

    ➔ Noun phrase subject with a modal verb

    ➔ The phrase "No amount of..." functions as the subject, followed by the modal "can" to express ability/possibility.

  • It is essential that you not just listen to today's lesson, but that you immediately use what you've learned.

    ➔ Subjunctive mood in a "that" clause

    ➔ After adjectives like "essential", the verb following "that" is often in the base form to express necessity.

  • There's another word which is a verb, to produce something.

    ➔ Relative clause with a non-defining function

    ➔ The clause "which is a verb" provides extra information about "word" using the relative pronoun "which".

  • This means there is a discount.

    ➔ Present simple tense in a subordinate clause

    ➔ The simple present is used here to state a general fact or definition.

  • It's a better deal, but they're in a bag.

    ➔ Comparative adjective and prepositional phrase

    "Better" compares the value of the items, while "in a bag" functions as an adverbial of state.

  • I'm walking past a case of frozen meat and on the other side is an end cap.

    ➔ Present continuous and prepositional locative

    "I'm walking" indicates ongoing action, and "on the other side" establishes location.

  • There are refrigerated items in this section.

    ➔ Existential "there are" and participle adjective

    "There are" introduces the existence of objects, and "refrigerated" is a past participle used as an adjective.

  • You might choose to get a plastic bag because you can reuse them as a trash bag.

    ➔ Modal verb of probability and subordinate causal clause

    "Might" suggests a possibility, and "because" links the choice to its purpose.

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