– English Lyrics

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

Hello. Welcome to Real Easy English.

In this podcast we have real conversations  in easy English to help you learn.

I'm Neil.

And I'm Georgie. Remember, if you  want read along to this podcast,  

you can find a script on our website  – BBC Learning English dot com.

Hi, Georgie. How are you doing?

I'm fine thanks, Neil. How are you?

I'm very well, thank you.

What's today's conversation about, Neil?

Today, we're going to talk about travel.

We talked about holidays in another episode,

but today we'll talk about everyday travel and compare our journeys to work.

So, Neil, what is your journey to work like?

Well, because we live in London and it's a big city, it's quite long.

But I get a bus to a tube stop. The tube is the underground train.

And then I get the tube to near the BBC and then I walk.

Nice. I walk to work.

I don't like using the tube, the underground train,

because there's so many people on it.

I prefer to get some fresh air in the morning.

Ah, you walk to work! That's interesting in London.

— Mm-hm. — Tell me about your walk to work.

Well, my walk starts with walking along some streets, towards a park,

and then I walk across a park and then I walk through some more streets,

because there is a little bit of time between the park and the office

and then I arrive at the office.

Very nice. So you don't like public transport?

Mm, I use it sometimes when there's an emergency,

like if it's raining or if I don't have time.

But, if I have time, I like to walk to work.

And how long does your journey take?

My journey takes me one hour if I walk

and 30 minutes if I take the tube.

— That's pretty good for London. — What about you?

My journey takes at least an hour, sometimes more.

And Neil, you have to get a bus and a train. What's your journey like?

Well, it can be good, but sometimes there's traffic jams on the roads

and so the bus can take a long time.

But once I get onto the tube,

it's usually OK as I travel across London.

Ooh, Neil, can you explain what we mean by traffic jam?

Yeah, so a 'traffic jam' is when there are too many cars and buses on the road

and so the traffic can't move very quickly or can't move at all.

Oh, yeah, traffic jams are so rubbish.

Are there times of the day when there are more traffic jams?

Yes, so during rush hour.

'Rush hour' is when most people are going to work so the roads are busier.

And also, if it's the 'school run', school run time,

so lots of people on the roads, taking their kids to school,

then the bus journey takes a long time.

OK. So, that's in the morning and in the afternoons?

Yeah. That's right.

Well, Georgie, your journey to work sounds nicer than mine, probably more relaxing.

Yes. Not when it's raining, though!

Let's recap the words we learned during the conversation.

We had 'towards' — 'travelling in the direction of'.

'Across' — 'travelling from one side to the other'.

'Rush hour' — 'a time when a lot of people are moving around the city,

'usually for work or school'.

And an expression for something I hate — 'traffic jam',

which we use to talk about 'a big delay when you're driving'.

Thanks for listening to Real Easy  English. Visit our website for  

more activities and courses to help you with  your English – BBC Learning English dot com.

Next time, we'll talk about the news.

See you then. Bye!

Godbye!

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
journey /ˈdʒɜːrni/ A2	noun - a trip or travel from one place to another
walk /wɔːk/ A1	verb - to move at a regular pace by lifting and setting down each foot in turn, never having both feet off the ground at once noun - an act or instance of walking
bus /bʌs/ A1	noun - a large motor vehicle carrying passengers by road
tube /tjuːb/ B1	noun - an underground railway system (especially in London)
park /pɑːrk/ A1	noun - an area of land kept for public use
traffic /ˈtræfɪk/ A2	noun - the movement of vehicles or people along roads
jam /dʒæm/ B1	noun - a situation where vehicles are unable to move freely due to congestion
rush /rʌʃ/ B1	noun - a period when many people travel at the same time, causing congestion
hour /ˈaʊər/ A1	noun - a period of time equal to 60 minutes
work /wɜːrk/ A1	verb - to do a job that involves physical or mental effort noun - activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a result
city /ˈsɪti/ A1	noun - a large town
travel /ˈtrævl/ A2	verb - to go from one place to another, typically over a distance noun - the action of traveling
emergency /ɪˈmɜːrdʒənsi/ B1	noun - a serious, unexpected, and often dangerous situation requiring immediate action
compare /kəmˈpeər/ A2	verb - to examine or look for the difference between two or more things
arrive /əˈraɪv/ A1	verb - to reach a place
prefer /prɪˈfɜːr/ A2	verb - to like something or someone better than another
explain /ɪkˈspleɪn/ A2	verb - to make something clear by describing it in more detail
fresh /frɛʃ/ A2	adjective - new or different and interesting
morning /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/ A1	noun - the period of time between midnight and noon, or from sunrise to noon
street /striːt/ A1	noun - a road in a city or town with houses or other buildings on one or both sides

Key Grammar Structures

• How are you?

  ➔ Question formation with 'How' + be‑verb (present simple)

  ➔ The word "How" is used to ask about someone's condition, followed by the verb "are" (present simple).

• I get a bus to a tube stop.

  ➔ Simple present for habitual actions

  ➔ The verb "get" is in the "simple present" to show a regular, repeated action.

• I prefer to get some fresh air in the morning.

  ➔ "prefer + infinitive" construction

  ➔ The verb "prefer" is followed by the infinitive "to get" to express a personal choice.

• My journey takes me one hour if I walk and 30 minutes if I take the tube.

  ➔ Zero conditional (if + present, present)

  ➔ The clause "if I walk" uses "if" + present simple to state a factual result; same with "if I take the tube".

• The traffic can't move very quickly.

  ➔ Modal verb "can't" for inability

  ➔ "Can't" is the contraction of "cannot" and shows that the traffic is unable to move.

• Rush hour is when most people are going to work.

  ➔ Present progressive (are going) in a relative clause

  ➔ The phrase "are going" uses the present progressive to describe an activity happening around the time of "rush hour".

• Let's recap the words we learned during the conversation.

  ➔ Imperative with "let's" + base verb

  ➔ "Let's" is a contraction of "let us" and introduces a suggestion or invitation to do something together.

• Which we use to talk about a big delay when you're driving.

  ➔ Relative clause with "which" + present simple

  ➔ "Which" introduces a relative clause that gives additional information about "traffic jam".