Speaking Skills - Buying a football shirt
Speaking Skills - Buying a football shirt
In this podcast, Jack visits a sports shop to buy a shirt for his son. After the dialogue, Jack focuses on some of the language and then the dialogue is repeated with gaps so you can practise using the same language.
Transcript
Transcript
[RENDERED_FIELDCOLLECTION-1]
Grammar
Infinitive phrases
Infinitives can be used to describe goals, ambitions and resolutions.
You can say:
My goal is to lose weight.
My ambition is to visit Japan in the autumn
My resolution is to train to run a marathon.
Grammatically, they are subject complements (they describe the subject and are linked with the verb to be).
Vocabulary
Solve or resolve
These two verbs are very similar. Solve is normally used with puzzles and problems with simple solutions and resolve is used for more complex problems.
Grammar
Will or be going to
When we are talking about plans, we use will when we are making the plans and then be going to if the plans were made before. Often in grammar books, this will be describes as plans made while speaking and plans made before the time of speaking.
Task
Your task
Share your New Year’s resolutions in the comments section. You could try making some resolutions like mine; one about your health and fitness, one about your work life balance, one about the environment and one about something you enjoy.
Introduction
Hello and welcome to this week's Premier Skills English podcast.
In the Premier Skills English podcast, we talk about football and help you with your English. The Premier Skills English podcast is part of the Premier Skills English project.
As well as the podcast, there’s the Premier Skills English website, where you’ll be able to find all these podcasts and the transcript and extra activities that go with them.
So if you are listening to us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or any other podcast platform, check out our website!
And don’t forget to listen to the end of the podcast because we have a new football phrase for you to guess!
This week, I’m making this podcast alone and so I thought I could try something a bit different. You see, I have been an English teacher for a long time and for the last 20 years, I’ve been trying to get my students speaking in class. Speaking practice, for most people, is really essential if you’re learning English. I don’t think you need to speak to a native speaker and speaking practice is useful even if you are not really communicating. I’ve been working on this podcast for a long time as well and I think it’s a good resource if you want to learn or revise vocabulary or think about some grammar. But there’s not been any way for you to practise speaking.
So I thought I’d try something in this podcast. I’m going to try something out and I’d like you to let me know if you think this kind of exercise is useful and if you’d like more podcasts like this. In this podcast, I’m going to present some language through a role play and I’m going to focus especially on one side of the dialogue. And then I’m going to present the dialogue again with some gaps in it and I want you to try saying the lines. You can say them out loud if you are listening to this on your own, or you could just say them in your head if you are on a bus or somewhere in public.
At the end of the podcast, I want you to let me know what you think about this sort of activity. Do you think it’s useful for you to practise English like this and would you like more podcasts like this?
In the roleplay, I’m in a shop. It’s a sports shop and I’m buying a football shirt for my son. While you listen to the roleplay, I want you to answer the following questions. What team’s shirt am I looking for and what number do I want on the back?
In the shop
Shop assistant: Can I help you?
Customer: Yes please. I’m looking for an Arsenal shirt for my son.
Shop assistant: No problem. Are you looking for a home shirt or and away shirt or a third shirt?
Customer: It’s got to be a home shirt please.
Shop assistant: How old is your child if you don’t mind me asking?
Customer: He’s 8, but he’s big for his age so he wears 9-10.
Shop assistant: Here we are. They come with long sleeves or short sleeves.
Customer: Short sleeves, please.
Shop assistant: And do you want to personalise it or would you like to pick a squad player?
Customer: His hero is Saka so can you do a number 7?
Shop assistant: Of course. If you can hold on a minute, I’ll get that printed for you in a jiffy. Would you mind taking this tag to the till and your shirt will be ready in about five minutes.
Customer: Thanks.
At the till
Cashier: Can I help you?
Customer: Just this please.
Cashier: Thank you. OK - a junior shirt. Saka! Good choice. That will be £65 please. Will that be card or cash?
Customer: Card, please.
Cashier: No problem. You can tap or put your card in when you are ready.
Beep
Cashier: That’s gone through. That’s perfect. Do you want the receipt or shall I put it in the bag?
Customer: Can I take it, please?
Cashier: Of course. Here you are. Your shirt will be ready to collect from the counter there in just a few minutes.
Customer: Thank you very much.
Cashier: Thanks.
__________________________________
Before the roleplay, I asked you two questions. The first was which team’s shirt was I buying for my son. The answer probably won’t surprise you if you’ve been listening to the podcast for a while.It was an Arsenal shirt. The second question was what number did I want on the back of the shirt. And the answer was number seven for Bukayo Saka.
OK. Now it’s time to look at the dialogue. Listen to the first two lines.
Shop assistant: Can I help you?
Customer: Yes please. I’m looking for an Arsenal shirt for my son.
This is normally what shop assistants ask. They might ask: do you need any help? Or they might ask: are you looking for anything in particular?
Most of the time, if I’m in a shop, I’m looking for things, but I might not actually be buying things so I would say: I’m just looking or I’m just browsing.
This time, I did need help. I said: I’m looking for an Arsenal shirt for my son, but I could have said: I want to buy an Arsenal shirt for my son or even I’m after an Arsenal shirt for my son. To be after something is an informal way to say that you are looking for something. You use it for things that you want to buy, but not normally for food and drink and groceries. You can also say that the manager is after a new goalkeeper or the police are after the bank robber.
Listen to the next lines:
Shop assistant: No problem. Are you looking for a home shirt or an away shirt or a third shirt?
Customer: It’s got to be a home shirt please.
This time, I said it’s got to be a home shirt. This is an informal way to say that I want or need a home shirt. It’s definitely an informal expression. I could have said I’d like a home shirt please or I’d prefer a home shirt please.
Listen to the next few lines:
Shop assistant: How old is your child if you don’t mind me asking?
Customer: He’s 8, but he’s big for his age so he wears 9-10.
Shop assistant: Here we are. They come with long sleeves or short sleeves.
Customer: Short sleeves, please.
Children’s sizes in the UK are often based around the average size of children at different ages. My son really is big for his age so he wears clothes that are for children at least a year older than him. I imagine this is the same in other countries, too?
The shop assistant offered me a shirt with long or short sleeves. In the dialogue, I just said: Short sleeves, please. I could have said: Can I get one with short sleeves, please? Or I’d like a shirt with short sleeves, please.
Listen to the next couple of lines:
Shop assistant: And do you want to personalise it or would you like to pick a squad player?
Customer: His hero is Saka so can you do a number 7?
When you buy a football shirt in a club shop or in a big sports shop, they can print names and numbers on the back of the shirt. So you can buy a shirt like your Premier League hero or you can put your own name or nickname on the back and any number you want. I saw a woman wearing a shirt that said Mrs. Jack Grealish and the number, well it was a number that represents an intimate act. Please don’t guess as I won’t publish any comments that do.
The shop assistant gave me the tag from the shirt when he took it to be printed and asked me to take the tag to the till. When I went to the till, I gave the cashier the tag and paid by card. I always pay by card and hardly ever have cash these days, but if you come to the UK on holiday, you will probably pay with cash so listen to the second part of the dialogue again.
At the till
Cashier: Can I help you?
Customer: Just this please.
Cashier: Thank you. OK - a junior shirt. Saka! Good choice. That will be £65 please. Will that be card or cash?
Customer: I’ll pay with cash, please. Here you are.
Cashier: Thanks. £65 so that’s £15 change. Here you are. Do you want the receipt or shall I put it in the bag?
Customer: Can I take it, please?
Cashier: Of course. Here you are. Your shirt will be ready to collect from the counter there in just a few minutes.
Customer: Thank you very much.
Cashier: Thanks.
I think that this language is quite straight forward. I just want to point out the prepositions. We say pay by card and pay with cash.
Now I want you to listen to the dialogue again, but this time there will be gaps where the customer spoke. Try to say the same things that I said.
Shop assistant: Can I help you?
Customer: ____________________________________
Shop assistant: No problem. Are you looking for a home shirt or and away shirt or a third shirt?
Customer: ____________________________________
Shop assistant: How old is your child if you don’t mind me asking?
Customer: ____________________________________
Shop assistant: Here we are. They come with long sleeves or short sleeves.
Customer: ____________________________________
Shop assistant: And do you want to personalise it or would you like to pick a squad player?
Customer: ____________________________________
Shop assistant: Of course. If you can hold on a minute, I’ll get that printed for you in a jiffy. Would you mind taking this tag to the till and your shirt will be ready in about five minutes.
Customer: ____________________________________
At the till
Cashier: Can I help you?
Customer: ____________________________________
Cashier: Thank you. OK - a junior shirt. Saka! Good choice. That will be £65 please. Will that be card or cash?
Customer: ____________________________________
Cashier: No problem. You can tap or put your card in when you are ready.
Beep
Cashier: That’s gone through. That’s perfect. Do you want the receipt or shall I put it in the bag?
Customer: ____________________________________
Cashier: Of course. Here you are. Your shirt will be ready to collect from the counter there in just a few minutes.
Customer: ____________________________________
Cashier: Thanks.
OK. I want you to try once more. This time, I want you to buy a Liverpool away shirt with long sleeves for a 12 year old girl with number 10 and Sadio Mane on the back and I’d like you to pay with cash.
Shop assistant: Can I help you?
Customer: ____________________________________
Shop assistant: No problem. Are you looking for a home shirt or and away shirt or a third shirt?
Customer: ____________________________________
Shop assistant: How old is your child if you don’t mind me asking?
Customer: ____________________________________
Shop assistant: Here we are. They come with long sleeves or short sleeves.
Customer: ____________________________________
Shop assistant: And do you want to personalise it or would you like to pick a squad player?
Customer: ____________________________________
Shop assistant: Of course. If you can hold on a minute, I’ll get that printed for you in a jiffy. Would you mind taking this tag to the till and your shirt will be ready in about five minutes.
Customer: ____________________________________
At the till
Cashier: Can I help you?
Customer: ____________________________________
Cashier: Thank you. OK - a junior shirt. Saka! Good choice. That will be £65 please. Will that be card or cash?
Customer: ____________________________________
Cashier: Thanks. £65 so that’s £15 change. Here you are. Do you want the receipt or shall I put it in the bag?
Customer: ____________________________________
Cashier: Of course. Here you are. Your shirt will be ready to collect from the counter there in just a few minutes.
Customer: ____________________________________
Cashier: Thanks.
OK - if you have followed this dialogue and been able to practise the customer lines then well done.
What did you think about this type of podcast? This is a bit of an experiment for a podcast so I really want to know if you think it’s useful. I think it is probably not very useful for more advanced learners, but I really want to hear from you.
Now it’s time for this week’s football phrase. This football phrase is the same as the phrase in the podcast on Monday so I’ll announce the names of everyone who gets it right in the Monday podcast.
This week’s football phrase is quite a long phrase: it's to *** **** *** ***** ** *****. It’s a colourful expression. The ***** ** ***** is the rhythm of an activity. When you *** **** *** ***** ** *****, it’s like you find the rhythm. This means that the activity is easier and you feel like you’re getting better at it.
It’s a really tough one this week. I wonder if anyone will get it right. It’s a hard one from the Premier Vocabulary section so If you get stuck, you can take a look at the Premier Vocabulary pages in the Words section of the website.
If you have a football phrase that you would like us to use in the podcast, just get in touch and let us know.
Right, that’s all I have time for but I will be back next week on Apple Podcasts and Spotify with This Week.
Before I finish, I just wanted to say that I hope you found this lesson useful, and I hope all of you stay fit and healthy.
Bye for now and enjoy your football.
Activity
Rearrange the dialogue - part 1
In this activity, you need to rearrange the first part of the dialogue between Jack and the shop assistant.
Activity
Rearrange the dialogue - part 2
In the second part of the dialogue, Jack is at the till talking to the cashier. Rearrange the dialogue into the order from the podcast.
Task
Your task
What did you think of this type of podcast?
Do you think it can help you practise speaking?
Would you like more podcasts like this?
Leave a comment
Log in to leave a comment
Komentar
28/05/2024
points
This podcast helps us to understand how to ask for something in the shop. Very helpful.
28/05/2024 09:18
Manchester United
1
This podcast helps us to understand how to ask for something in the shop. Very helpful.
10/05/2024
points
This podcast was necessary when i was 13 , it completely help me undersand the culture of British
10/05/2024 11:20
Chelsea
1
This podcast was necessary when i was 13 , it completely help me undersand the culture of British
22/02/2024
points
It is really helpful for beginner
It can help me practicing oral easily
Absolutely! I like it very much.
22/02/2024 11:41
Manchester United
189
It is really helpful for beginner
It can help me practicing oral easily
Absolutely! I like it very much.
01/10/2023
points
about the"your task" part i have to say it's perfect and very useful for me and it makes me to speak about a topic and it pushes people to speak about what they need.so thank you very much
01/10/2023 16:39
Liverpool
130
about the"your task" part i have to say it's perfect and very useful for me and it makes me to speak about a topic and it pushes people to speak about what they need.so thank you very much
05/09/2023
points
yes, this kind of podcast is usefull
05/09/2023 11:12
Liverpool
2
yes, this kind of podcast is usefull
15/05/2023
points
This type of podcast is really usefull.
For sure. The gaps through the dialogue are very interesting.
Yes, it will help a lot.
15/05/2023 00:53
Liverpool
65
This type of podcast is really usefull.
For sure. The gaps through the dialogue are very interesting.
Yes, it will help a lot.
11/02/2022
points
+ It is a beatiful way to learn english.
+Yes, because I can read, listening and speaking with the transcript.
+Yes, I would like.
11/02/2022 04:51
Liverpool
7
+ It is a beatiful way to learn english.
+Yes, because I can read, listening and speaking with the transcript.
+Yes, I would like.
26/01/2022
points
Hi Jack! When you describe football phrase with the sentence; "It’s a colourful expression" I supposed that it's including a word related to the colour.Therefore deep researchs-:) are focused on this way. My fault. Stay fit and healthy. Bye.
26/01/2022 14:17
Tottenham Hotspur
5555
Hi Jack! When you describe football phrase with the sentence; "It’s a colourful expression" I supposed that it's including a word related to the colour.Therefore deep researchs-:) are focused on this way. My fault. Stay fit and healthy. Bye.
27/01/2022
points
Hi HSN, I'm very sorry for having accidentally misled you. As you have no doubt worked out, I just meant interesting. For me, it brings to mind something visual and vivid. 'In the pink' is a lovely expression, too.
Thanks
Jack
27/01/2022 10:40
Arsenal
560
Hi HSN, I'm very sorry for having accidentally misled you. As you have no doubt worked out, I just meant interesting. For me, it brings to mind something visual and vivid. 'In the pink' is a lovely expression, too.
Thanks
Jack
25/01/2022
points
The new style of the podcast is splendid and so engaging.
I mean it's kinda integrated lesson as you can listen , read the script , speak English and write your task at the end so all the language skills are being used which is so helpful :)
I really like it :)
of course it helps a lot to practice everyday conversation.
I'd like more podcasts like this with a variety of topics and scenes :)
25/01/2022 21:16
Manchester United
6536
The new style of the podcast is splendid and so engaging.
I mean it's kinda integrated lesson as you can listen , read the script , speak English and write your task at the end so all the language skills are being used which is so helpful :)
I really like it :)
of course it helps a lot to practice everyday conversation.
I'd like more podcasts like this with a variety of topics and scenes :)
26/01/2022
points
Thanks Mobeckham
Have you got any suggestions for topics or scenes?
26/01/2022 12:50
Arsenal
560
Thanks Mobeckham
Have you got any suggestions for topics or scenes?
31/01/2022
points
The pleasure is all mine Jack :)
I believe there are a variety of topics like visiting different places such as : hotels , museums , hospitals etc.
that would be so helpful with wide range of vocabulary and expressions
In addition to this , I liked the series of visiting different cities in the UK and their different dialects and expressions
so that would be a bonus as well :)
I really appreciate your efforts and Rowan as well and we really miss Rich :)
hope he's enjoying his new career :)
31/01/2022 09:37
Manchester United
6536
The pleasure is all mine Jack :)
I believe there are a variety of topics like visiting different places such as : hotels , museums , hospitals etc.
that would be so helpful with wide range of vocabulary and expressions
In addition to this , I liked the series of visiting different cities in the UK and their different dialects and expressions
so that would be a bonus as well :)
I really appreciate your efforts and Rowan as well and we really miss Rich :)
hope he's enjoying his new career :)
25/01/2022
points
What did you think of this type of podcast?
Brilliant!!!
Do you think it can help you practise speaking?
Yes, it helped me a lot!
Would you like more podcasts like this?
Yes, please!!!
Thank you for all!
25/01/2022 18:08
Liverpool
62
What did you think of this type of podcast?
Brilliant!!!
Do you think it can help you practise speaking?
Yes, it helped me a lot!
Would you like more podcasts like this?
Yes, please!!!
Thank you for all!
25/01/2022
points
I think it's a lovely way for encouraging the listeners to engage in a conversation, I liked it very much.
Sure it will help in practicing speaking, I felt that I am in the shop having a real conversation with the shop assistant.
Certainly, it's a great idea to have more podcasts like this.
25/01/2022 06:29
Liverpool
41
I think it's a lovely way for encouraging the listeners to engage in a conversation, I liked it very much.
Sure it will help in practicing speaking, I felt that I am in the shop having a real conversation with the shop assistant.
Certainly, it's a great idea to have more podcasts like this.
24/01/2022
points
Task
• I like it.This new format give us a chance to practise daily English conversations.
• Of course.I look up dictionary for unfamiliar words but I'm not sure whether it’s used in daily speech.
• Yes Please-:)
Phrases
• Browsing the books in the bookstore is my favourite hobby but only there, not in any other sort of stores.
• I'm after newly issued book called "Human" by U.Orman.
• Losing tag and looking in your pockets at the till in the store make cashier smile but anger customers in queue .
• To point out problem straightforwardly in the relations quicks the solution.
• Instead of paying by card or with cash, arranging a debt bond provides a long term payment facility. That is method of clever salesperson-:)
• It happened in a jiffy and I fell down at the icy surface.(Fictitious. It's not happened)
• The shop assistant suspects customer, when credit card has been tapped on but it hasn't gone through. In fact, it could be technical issue.
24/01/2022 18:32
Tottenham Hotspur
5555
Task
• I like it.This new format give us a chance to practise daily English conversations.
• Of course.I look up dictionary for unfamiliar words but I'm not sure whether it’s used in daily speech.
• Yes Please-:)
Phrases
• Browsing the books in the bookstore is my favourite hobby but only there, not in any other sort of stores.
• I'm after newly issued book called "Human" by U.Orman.
• Losing tag and looking in your pockets at the till in the store make cashier smile but anger customers in queue .
• To point out problem straightforwardly in the relations quicks the solution.
• Instead of paying by card or with cash, arranging a debt bond provides a long term payment facility. That is method of clever salesperson-:)
• It happened in a jiffy and I fell down at the icy surface.(Fictitious. It's not happened)
• The shop assistant suspects customer, when credit card has been tapped on but it hasn't gone through. In fact, it could be technical issue.