Shadowing Practice: Beginner Levels - Lesson 4: Where are you from? - Learn English Speaking with Video
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1
Hello, students.
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How are you today?
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Lisa, how's it going today?
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Good. And you?
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Good.
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Ali, how are you?
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Fine.
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And Isabel, how's it going for you?
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Just fine.
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very good now we're going to learn some more personal information first
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we're going to learn the names of some countries in english now here we go canada the U .S.,
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Turkey, Greece, France, Germany, the U .K.,
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Japan,
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Brazil, Scotland, and Australia okay
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so in English these are Canada the US
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Turkey Greece France Germany the UK Japan Brazil Scotland
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and Australia now let's see what they look like on the computer.
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Here we have some maps for you and you can see what they look like.
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This is Canada, the US,
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Turkey, Greece, France, Germany, the UK,
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Japan, Brazil, Australia.
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countries prepositions of location okay now we're going to learn questions
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and answers about place this is what we say where this means what place and we'll also see the word from.
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Now, look at the question. Where are you from? Where are you from?
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I'm from I'm from Canada.
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Where are you from?
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I'm from Canada.
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Okay, now let's practice a little bit.
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Ali, where are you from?
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I'm from Turkey.
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Aha.
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Isabel, where are you from?
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I'm from France.
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And Isabel, ask Lisa.
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Lisa, where are you from?
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I'm from Germany.
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Lisa, ask me.
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Teacher, where are you from?
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I'm from Canada.
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Okay, very good, students.
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Now, we're going to review the verb to be.
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Now, again, this will add information.
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First, we have basic, short,
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and two examples for every one.
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Now, first, and you remember this, I am.
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Short, I'm.
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I am from Canada I'm from Canada Okay?
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I am, I'm I am from Canada I'm from Canada Okay,
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now the next one you are, you are, short you're.
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First example, you are from Turkey,
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you are from Turkey, short, you're from Turkey, okay?
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You are.
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You're.
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You are from Turkey.
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You're from Turkey.
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Okay, next.
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He is.
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Short, he's.
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Example, he is from Brazil.
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He is from Brazil.
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Short, he's from Brazil.
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Okay?
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He is, he's.
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He is from Brazil.
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He's from Brazil the next example
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she is short she's example
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she is from France short she's from France, okay?
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She is, she's, she is from France,
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she's from France, okay, next, it It is.
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Short.
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It's.
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Next.
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It is from Scotland.
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It's from Scotland.
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Okay?
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It is.
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It's.
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It is from Scotland.
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It's from Scotland.
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Next, we.
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We are.
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Short, we're.
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Example, we are from the US
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and short we're from the US now again we are we're we are from the U .S.
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We're from the U .S.
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Next, you are, you're, you are from South Africa.
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You're from South Africa, okay?
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You are, you're, you are from South Africa, you're from South Africa.
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And finally, they are there.
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They are from India.
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They're from India.
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Okay?
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Okay, they are, they're, they are from India, they're from India.
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Okay, now let's look at the computer monitor and see how they look in the chart.
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Okay, basic and short, I am,
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I'm, I am from Canada, I'm from Canada.
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You are.
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You're.
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You are from Turkey.
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You're from Turkey.
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He is.
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He's.
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He is from Brazil.
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He's from Brazil.
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She is.
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She's.
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She is from France.
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She's from France.
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It is.
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It's.
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It is from Scotland.
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It's from Scotland.
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We are.
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We're.
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We are from the U .S.
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We're from the U .S.
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You are.
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You're.
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You are from South Africa.
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You're from South Africa.
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And they are there.
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They are from India.
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They're from India.
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Okay, now let me ask you some more questions.
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Now this is what it looks like.
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Okay, now this is where is mm -mm from? For example, Molly.
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Where is Molly from?
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She is from, for example, Canada. Where is Molly from?
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She is from Canada.
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Okay, now let's look at some pictures and I will ask you some questions.
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Ali, where is Madonna from?
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She is from the U .S.
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Lisa, where are Julia Roberts and Britney Spears from?
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They are from the U .S.
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Ali, where is Dolly from?
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It is from Scotland.
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Very good.
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Good.
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Now, look and listen.
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Look and listen. Where are you from?
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I'm from Canada. Where is she from?
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She's from the U .S. Where is he from?
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He's from Australia. Where are you from?
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We're from France. Where are they from?
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They are from Turkey.
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Read and repeat.
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Simple Present Tense Alright, now we're going to learn a new verb tense, the simple present.
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The simple present.
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We use it for facts and routines.
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And today, we're going to use the verb to speak.
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Now, we're going to go through it one by one.
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I speak English, I speak English,
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you speak English, you speak English, he speaks English.
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English.
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Okay, he speaks English.
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Here we have an S.
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She speaks English.
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Again, S.
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She speaks English. And it speaks English.
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It speaks English.
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Now, we speak English.
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You to speak English. and they speak English.
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Okay?
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So, again, I speak English,
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you speak English, he speaks English, she speaks English, It speaks English.
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We speak English.
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You speak English.
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And they speak English.
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Okay.
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Now, this S is very important for saying and listening.
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Let's practice a little bit it.
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Ali speaks English.
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Ali speaks English.
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Isabel speaks English.
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Isabel speaks English.
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English.
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And the robot speaks English.
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The robot speaks English.
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Okay.
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Now, here is the question.
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Let me take these off.
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This is the question.
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Do you speak English? Do you speak English?
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Now I want you to look carefully because here we have do.
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This is a helping verb.
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Helping verb.
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Alright?
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This is used in questions and negatives.
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The Let's look again at all of the verbs.
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Here we go.
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We're going to look at questions for the simple present and negatives.
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Okay, here we go.
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So, we'll have positive, negative,
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short negative, and the question.
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Okay?
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Positive, negative, short negative, and the question.
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Are you ready?
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Here we go.
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I speak English.
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I speak English.
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Negative.
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I do not speak English.
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Okay?
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Here is the helping verb.
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This is the negative.
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So, I speak English.
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I do not speak English.
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Okay?
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Short.
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I don't speak English.
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English.
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Do not don't.
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I do not speak English.
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I don't speak English.
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And here's the question.
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Do I speak English?
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Okay?
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Now again, positive.
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I speak English.
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I do not speak English.
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I I don't speak English.
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Do I speak English?
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Okay?
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Now, let's move on.
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You speak English.
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You speak English.
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Negative.
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You do not speak English.
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Now, again, short.
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You don't speak English.
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And the question, do you speak English?
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Okay, again, you speak English.
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you do not speak English you don't speak English do you speak English okay next example.
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Now pay attention.
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He speaks English.
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He speaks English.
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Here's that S.
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Very important.
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Now look.
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He does not speak English.
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Here's the S.
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Here we need ES. Does.
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He does not speak English
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he doesn't doesn't speak English all right here it is again the S.
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And the question, does he speak English?
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Here's the S and here's the helping verb.
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Okay?
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He speaks English.
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He does not speak English.
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He doesn't speak English.
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Does he speak English?
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Okay.
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Now, of course, you'll know she very well.
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She speaks English.
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She She does not speak English.
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Here's the helping verb and here's ES for this.
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She doesn't speak English,
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and does she speak English?
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Again, S, and there's the S sound she speaks English.
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She does not speak English.
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She doesn't speak English.
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Does she speak English?
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Now, we can do the same thing with it.
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She, it, speaks English.
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It does not speak English.
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It doesn't speak English.
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Does it speak English?
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Okay, notice you have it doesn't speak English.
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Turn it around.
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Does it speak English?
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I need the question mark.
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Okay, next.
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Next.
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We speak English.
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We do not speak English.
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We don't speak English.
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Do we speak English?
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We speak English.
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We do not speak English.
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We don't speak English.
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Do we speak English?
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Okay, next, let's do it a quicker way.
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Okay.
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Okay.
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You, you, you speak English.
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You do not speak English.
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You don't speak English.
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Do you speak English?
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Do you speak English?
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Okay?
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Now, the last one.
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Again, we'll do it the short way.
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They, they speak English.
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They do not speak English.
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they don't speak English.
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Do they speak English?
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They speak English.
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They do not speak English.
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They don't speak English.
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Do they speak English?
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Okay?
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Now, let's look at the monitor and you'll see some examples all together.
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Okay, now let's look positive, negative, short negative, and question.
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First, I speak English.
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I do not speak English.
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I don't speak English.
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Do I speak English?
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You speak English.
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You do not speak English.
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You don't speak English.
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Do you speak English?
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He speaks English.
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He does not speak English.
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He doesn't speak English.
315
Does he speak English?
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She speaks English.
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She does not speak English.
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She doesn't speak English.
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Does she speak English? And it speaks English.
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It does not speak English.
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It doesn't speak English.
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Does it speak English?
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Now, we speak English.
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We do not speak English.
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We don't speak English.
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Do we speak English?
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You speak English.
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You You do not speak English.
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You don't speak English.
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Do you speak English?
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And finally, they speak English.
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They do not speak English.
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They don't speak English.
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Do they speak English?
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Now look again at he, she, and it.
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He speaks.
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She speaks. And it speaks.
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We have SSS speaks.
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In the negative, negative, we have,
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he doesn't speak, here's the S,
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not here, here, and we have the question.
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Question. Does he speak English?
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Okay?
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Now, this is very important.
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Here you have the S.
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Here you have the S.
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Not here.
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And here's the helping verb again
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And in the question, here is the S, not here.
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This is the helping verb.
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Okay, now, when we ask a question, we can give a short answer.
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So, this is what it looks like.
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Let me give you all of them, and you can see how this works.
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Now, first we have the question,
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and you have the short answer, positive and negative.
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Okay, positive and negative. So here we go.
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First one, Question, do I speak?
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English do I speak English
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and the answer is yes you do do I speak English yes you do.
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Notice do, do.
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Okay, negative answer.
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No, you don't.
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Okay, do I speak English?
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No, you don't.
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Okay?
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Now, next, let's just do it easy. Do you speak English?
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Do you speak English short answer yes I do yes
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I do negative no I don't do you speak English yes
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I do do you speak English no I don't okay now we have to change this a little bit. Does he speak English?
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Now again, we have the helping verb with the S.
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No S here.
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It's here.
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Does he speak English?
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Yes, he does.
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Yes, he does.
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Does he speak English?
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No, he doesn't.
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Okay?
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Again, you have the S here.
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And of course, it's the same with she.
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Does she speak English?
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Yes, she does.
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No, she doesn't.
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Does she speak English?
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Yes, she does.
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Does she speak English?
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No, she doesn't.
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Okay?
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And then, of course, we have it.
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Does it speak English?
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Yes, it does. Does it speak English?
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No, it doesn't.
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Okay?
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Now, we go back to the other ones do we speak English?
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Do we speak English?
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Yes, we do.
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No, we don't.
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Okay?
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Do we speak English?
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Yes, we do.
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Do we speak English?
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No, we don't.
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And again, we have, do you speak English?
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Yes, we do.
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No, we don't.
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Okay.
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Do you speak English?
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Yes, we do.
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Do you speak English?
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No, we don't.
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And finally, do they speak English?
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Do they speak English?
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Yes, they do. Do they speak English?
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No, they don't.
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Let's look at the monitor again.
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We have the question and the short answer.
417
Positive, yes.
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Negative, no. Okay? Do I speak English?
419
Yes, you do.
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Do I speak English?
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No, you don't. Do you speak English?
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Yes, I do.
423
Do you speak English?
424
No, I don't. Does he speak English?
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Yes, he does.
426
Does he speak English?
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No, he doesn't.
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Does she speak English?
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Yes, she does.
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Does she speak English?
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No, she doesn't.
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Does it speak English?
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Yes, it does.
434
Does it speak English?
435
No, it doesn't. Do we speak English?
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Yes, we do. Do we speak English?
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No, we don't.
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Do you speak English?
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Yes, we do.
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Do you speak English?
441
No, we don't. Do they speak English?
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Yes, they do.
443
Do they speak English?
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No, they don't.
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Now, look at the question.
446
Here's the helping verb.
447
Do you speak English?
448
And the answer, yes, I do. Do, do.
449
Okay, let's practice.
450
Ali, do you speak English?
451
Yes, I do.
452
Ali, ask Lisa.
453
Lisa, do you speak English?
454
Yes, I do.
455
Lisa, ask Isabel.
456
Isabel, do you speak English?
457
Yes, I do.
458
Isabel, do I speak English?
459
Yes, you do.
460
And, assistants, do you speak English?
461
Yes, we do.
462
Oh, very good.
463
Bravo.
464
Okay, now we're going to look at the names of countries and the languages.
465
Now, here we have the United States, English.
466
England, English.
467
Canada, English and French.
468
Germany, German.
469
France, French.
470
Turkey, Turkish.
471
Japan, Japanese.
472
South Africa, English, Afrikaans.
473
And finally we have China, Chinese.
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okay now let me ask you some questions Lisa does
475
Tom Cruise speak English yes he does Ali does Fatih Terim speak
476
Turkish yes he does does he speak Italian?
477
I don't know.
478
Yes, he does.
479
Ah -ha.
480
Isabelle, does Gérard Depardieu speak French?
481
Yes, he does.
482
Do you speak French?
483
Yes, I do.
484
Okay, now it's time to look and listen. Do you speak English?
485
Yes, I do. Does she speak French?
486
Yes, she does. Do we speak Chinese?
487
No, we don't. Do they speak Arabic?
488
Yes, they do.
489
Read and repeat.
490
We'll be right back okay now you've worked very hard now it's time to listen
491
and write listen and write listen
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and write these words number one France France number two Germany Germany
493
Number 3 Where Number 4 Australia Number 5
494
Turkey Turkey Now, check your work.
495
Number one, France Number two,
496
Germany Number three, where
497
Number four, Australia Number five,
498
Turkey Now, listen and write these sentences.
499
number one Lisa is from Germany
500
Lisa is from Germany number two Ali is not from France.
501
Ali is not from France.
502
Number three.
503
Where are you from?
504
Where are you from number four
505
we are from Japan
506
we are from Japan number five do
507
you speak English do you speak English
508
now check your work number one Lisa
509
is from Germany number 2 Ali is not
510
from France number 3 where are you from number 4
511
we are from Japan number 5 do you speak English now read the story
512
and answer the questions read
513
and answer Paul is from Greece he lives in Athens he is 20 years old he is tall
514
and good -looking he has short curly blonde hair he speaks English
515
he doesn't speak Japanese he is a student at university
516
now answer the questions number one where is
517
Paul from where is Paul from number two
518
how old is he how old is he
519
number three is he tall is he
520
tall number four does he speak Japanese does
521
he speak Japanese number five is Paul a student is Paul a student
522
now check your work number one where is Paul from he is from Athens Greece
523
number 2 how old is he he is 20 years old number 3 is he tall yes
524
he is number 4 does he speak Japanese?
525
No, he doesn't.
526
Number five.
527
Is Paul a student?
528
Yes, he is.
529
Very good.
530
We'll see you next time.
531
Practicing English.
532
I'm so happy this afternoon.
533
Why are you so happy?
534
My cousin is coming to visit.
535
She is from Boston.
536
She went to France.
537
I can't wait to hear about her trip.
538
I want to see Paris someday.
539
Everyone says it's a wonderful city.
540
Oh, wait.
541
Here she comes now.
542
Kelly!
543
Kelly, we are over here.
544
Hi, cousin.
545
How are you?
546
I am fine.
547
Welcome to Istanbul.
548
How are you?
549
I'm great.
550
It's very nice to see you.
551
Kelly, thanks.
552
Let me introduce you to my friends.
553
Kelly, this is Sam, Jack, and Carrie.
554
Hi, Jack.
555
Hi, Sam.
556
Hi, Kelly.
557
Hi, everyone.
558
Hi, Kelly.
559
Hi, Kelly.
560
This is our new friend from Greece.
561
His name is Alexi.
562
Alexi, this is my cousin
563
Kelly from Boston.
564
Hi, Alexi.
565
How are you?
566
Angie has told me about you.
567
You are from Athens, right?
568
Yes, I am from Athens.
569
It's nice to meet you.
570
It's nice to meet you, too.
571
How many languages do you speak, Alexi?
572
Well, my first language is Greek.
573
Of course, I speak English, too.
574
i also speak a little french and spanish i speak a little french
575
and i'm glad that i do because it really helps
576
when you visit a foreign country to speak a little of the language i agree i think
577
that it's important to speak a few languages i know a man in our neighborhood who speaks seven languages
578
that is a lot wow
579
that is a lot where is he from he is from canada
580
so he already knows french and english he also speaks italian german spanish russian
581
and chinese wow wow i only speak english
582
i don't speak other languages jack don't worry your friend speaks enough languages for all of us okay everyone
583
i have a quick quiz for you about languages for each right answer
584
i'll buy you a small piece of chocolate ready in what
585
South American country don't the people speak Spanish I think they all speak Spanish
586
and this is a trick question no no no tricks okay everyone what's the answer I don't know
587
but I I guess it's in Bolivia.
588
I'm still thinking.
589
I think the answer is Ecuador.
590
No, I think I know this.
591
The answer is Brazil, right?
592
Carrie, what do you think?
593
I think the answer is Brazil, too.
594
I will agree with Carrie and Angie.
595
It's Brazil.
596
The girls are correct.
597
In Brazil, the people speak
598
Portuguese, not Spanish.
599
well Jack
600
and I want a new question okay okay let me think
601
of another one okay in one country in Europe people speak four languages
602
but they don't have their own language what country is I know
603
this one me too I'm not sure I think
604
it could be Greece no wait Norway guys what do you think Switzerland yes in Switzerland
605
they speak German Italian French and Romance Alexi you speak
606
Greek and English very well and you speak French
607
and you also know a lot of other languages we want another question that's enough for now your cousin is
608
and she wants to tell you about her trip to France.
609
You're right.
610
Kelly, how was your trip?
611
It was great, thanks.
612
Thank you.
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+20 MINUTOS de CONVERSAÇÃO BÁSICA em inglês para praticar | Diálogos para iniciantes
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Beginner Levels - Lesson 4: Where are you from?”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: speak, english, France, negative, canada. This video has 612 sentences and 3205 words to shadow. The speech runs for 48:06. The speaker talks slowly, about 67 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 89% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow. 136 of its 612 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| verb noun | /vɝb/ | A word that indicates an action, event, or state of being. |
| cousin noun | /ˈkʌz(ə)n/ | Chiefly with a qualifying word: Any relation (especially a distant one) who is not a direct ancestor or descendant but part of a person's extended family; a… |
| monitor noun | /ˈmɑ.nɪ.tɚ/ | Someone who watches over something; a person in charge of something or someone. |
| trick noun | /ˈtɹɪk/ | Something designed to fool, dupe, outsmart, mislead or swindle. |
| robot noun | /ˈɹoʊ.bɑt/ | An intelligent mechanical being designed to look like a human or other creature, and usually made from metal. |
| tense noun | /tɛns/ | The property of indicating the point in time at which an action or state of being occurs or exists. |
| chart noun | /t͡ʃɑɹt/ | A map illustrating the geography of a specific phenomenon. |
| carefully adverb | /ˈkɛɹf(ə)li/ | With care; attentively, circumspectly. |
| introduce verb | /ˌɪntɹəˈdus/ | To cause (someone) to be acquainted (with someone else). |
| routine noun | /ɹuˈtin/ | A course of action to be followed regularly; a standard procedure. |
| someday adverb | Sometime; at some unspecified time in the future. | |
| quiz noun | /kwɪz/ | A competition in the answering of questions. |
| bravo | /ˈbɹɑvoʊ/ | Used to express acclaim, especially to a performer. |
| curly adjective | /ˈkɝli/ | Having curls. |
| blond adjective | /blɑnd/ | Of a bleached or pale golden (light yellowish) colour. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| go back to verb | To stem from; to originate in. |
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Ali, where are you from?
- Isabel, where are you from?
- Lisa, where are you from?
- Teacher, where are you from?
- Why are you so happy?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | you've worked · has told |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | we'll also see · will add · will ask |
| Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see coming | we're going to learn · we're going to review · we're going to use |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | is coming · I'm still thinking |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 119 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, doesn't, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like verb, cousin, monitor.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.