Shadowing Practice: How to Talk About Coffee & Tea in English | Easy English Conversation for Beginners - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Hello and welcome back to Everyday English Talk,
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Hello and welcome back to Everyday English Talk,
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the podcast that helps you learn simple English for daily life.
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I'm Anna.
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And I'm Ben.
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Thanks for joining us today.
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In this episode, we're talking about something very common and very popular around the world,
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coffee and tea.
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Yes, coffee and tea are drinks that people enjoy every day.
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Some people drink them in the morning,
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some in the afternoon, and some even at night.
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That's right.
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And coffee or tea is also a great topic for small talk.
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For example, you can ask,
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do you drink coffee or tea?
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Or you can say, I like drinking coffee in the morning,
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or I like drinking tea in the evening.
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Very simple but very useful in everyday English.
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And it's fun too, because almost everyone has an opinion about coffee or tea.
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Some people love coffee, some people love tea,
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and some people love both.
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Exactly.
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So in this episode we'll talk about how people drink coffee,
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how people drink tea, and how to order them at a cafe.
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We'll also practice easy words and phrases,
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so you can use them in your daily life.
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And don't forget, you can download the free PDF transcript of this episode.
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Yes, it has today's script,
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a vocabulary list, and practice exercises to help you review.
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So listeners, here's our first question for you.
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What do you drink more, coffee or tea?
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Think about your answer.
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And now, let's get started with our coffee talk.
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So, Ben, let's start with coffee.
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A lot of people around the world drink coffee every day.
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That's true.
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Many people say, I need coffee in the morning.
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Coffee helps them wake up.
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Yes.
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Coffee has caffeine.
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Caffeine gives energy and makes you feel awake.
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Exactly.
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And there are many ways to drink coffee.
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For example, hot coffee or iced coffee.
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Right.
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In the winter, I like hot coffee.
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But in the summer, I enjoy iced coffee.
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Me too.
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And there are also different kinds of coffee drinks.
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For example, black coffee.
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That's coffee with no milk, no sugar, just coffee.
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Black coffee is strong.
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Some people love it, but some people think it's too bitter.
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Bitter means the taste is a little sharp or strong, not sweet.
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Yes.
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Another type is latte.
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A latte has coffee, hot milk,
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and a little foam on top.
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It's soft and creamy.
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And don't forget cappuccino.
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A cappuccino is similar to a latte,
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but it has more foam and sometimes chocolate powder on top.
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Oh, that's delicious.
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And many people also like to add sugar or milk to their coffee.
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Right.
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Some people say, I like my coffee black,
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which means no sugar, no milk.
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And others say, I like coffee with milk and sugar.
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In Vietnam, people often drink iced coffee with condensed milk.
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It's very sweet and strong.
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Yes, I tried that before.
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It's delicious, but wow, very strong.
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Yes, it gives you a lot of energy.
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Coffee is also part of social life.
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People often meet at a cafe to drink coffee and talk with friends.
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Exactly.
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You can say, let's go for coffee,
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and it means, let's meet and talk.
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That's a very common expression in English, go for coffee.
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Yes.
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You don't only drink coffee at home.
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You can also order it in a cafe.
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That's true.
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And ordering is simple.
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You can say, one coffee please.
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Or, can I have an iced latte please?
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Or, do you have cappuccino?
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Very useful in daily life.
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Let's do a quick role play.
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Okay, I'm at the cafe.
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I'll order.
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Hello, can I have a hot latte, please?
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Sure.
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Would you like sugar?
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Yes, one spoon of sugar, please.
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Here's your latte.
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Enjoy.
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See?
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Easy and polite.
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Just remember to say please and thank you.
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That's right.
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Ordering coffee is a great way to practice English.
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So, listeners, how do you like your coffee?
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With milk, with sugar, or black?
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Share your answer in the comments.
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We'd love to know.
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Hot coffee.
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Coffee with hot water.
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Example.
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I drink hot coffee in winter.
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Iced coffee.
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Cold coffee with ice.
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Example.
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I like iced coffee in summer.
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Black coffee, coffee without milk or sugar.
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Example, he drinks black coffee every morning.
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Tea, coffee with milk and foam.
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Example, she ordered a latte.
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Cappuccino, coffee with more foam and sometimes chocolate on top.
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Example, I like cappuccino in the cafe.
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So, Ben, we talked a lot about coffee.
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But not everyone drinks coffee.
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Many people around the world prefer tea.
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Yes, tea is very popular.
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In fact, some countries drink more tea than coffee.
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That's true.
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Tea is usually lighter than coffee.
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It doesn't have as much caffeine,
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so it feels softer on the body.
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Exactly.
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And there are many kinds of tea.
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For example, green tea.
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Green tea is fresh, light,
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and a little bit bitter.
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Yes.
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I often drink green tea after lunch.
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It helps me feel calm but also awake.
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Another kind is black tea.
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Black tea is stronger than green tea.
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People often drink it with milk or sugar.
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That's right.
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In England, people love black tea with milk.
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It's called English breakfast tea.
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Oh yes, very famous.
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And in India, people drink black tea with milk and spices.
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It's called chai.
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It's sweet, creamy, and full of flavor.
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Mmm, that's delicious.
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Another popular one is milk tea.
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In many Asian countries, people drink cold milk tea,
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sometimes with pearls or bubbles.
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Yes, that's bubble tea, also called boba tea.
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It's very popular with young people.
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I love it too.
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And of course, we have iced tea.
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In the summer, iced tea is refreshing and cool.
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Right.
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In the United States, iced tea is very common.
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People drink it sweetened or unsweetened.
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There's also herbal tea.
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Herbal Herbal tea is made from plants,
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flowers, or fruit, not from the tea plant.
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For example, chamomile tea, mint tea, or lemon tea.
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Herbal tea is good for relaxing.
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People often drink it before bed because it doesn't have caffeine.
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So many choices.
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Green tea, black tea, milk tea, iced tea, herbal tea.
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Yes, tea is really part of culture too.
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In China and Japan, there are traditional tea ceremonies.
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People prepare and serve tea in a very careful way.
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And in Morocco, people drink sweet mint tea as a symbol of hospitality.
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That's true.
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Tea is not just a drink,
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it's part of daily life and tradition.
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And just like coffee, tea can also be part of small talk.
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You can ask, would you like some tea?
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Or what kind of tea do you like?
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Let's try a quick role play.
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Okay.
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Hi Ben.
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Would you like some tea?
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Yes, please.
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Do you have green tea?
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Yes.
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Here you go.
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Enjoy your tea.
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Thank you very much.
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See?
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Very simple, but very useful.
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So, listeners, what kind of tea do you like?
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Green tea, black tea, milk tea,
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iced tea, or herbal tea?
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Share your answer in the comments.
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We'd love to read about your tea habits.
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Green tea, light tea, fresh taste.
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Example, I drink green tea after lunch.
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Black tea, strong tea, often with milk or sugar.
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Example, she likes black tea with milk.
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Milk tea, tea with milk, often sweet.
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Example, bubble tea is a type of milk tea.
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Iced tea, cold tea with ice.
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Example, I drink iced tea in the summer.
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Herbal tea, tea made from plants, flowers, or fruits.
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Example, chamomile is a kind of herbal tea.
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So, Ben, we've talked about coffee and we've talked about tea.
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Now let's compare them.
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Coffee versus tea.
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Yes, the big question.
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Which one is better?
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Well, let's look at the differences.
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Coffee is usually stronger than tea.
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Right?
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Coffee has more caffeine, so it makes you feel awake quickly.
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That's why many people drink coffee in the morning.
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Yes, you can say, coffee wakes me up.
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Tea, on the other hand, is usually lighter.
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It has less caffeine, so it feels more relaxing.
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Exactly.
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Tea is softer.
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You can drink tea in the afternoon or evening and still feel calm.
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Another difference is the taste.
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Coffee is often bitter, especially black coffee.
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But tea has many flavors.
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Green tea is a little bitter,
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black tea is strong, herbal tea is sweet
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or fruity that's true tea gives you more variety coffee is usually just coffee
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but with milk sugar or foam yes coffee is more about strength
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while tea is more about variety let's try some useful phrases you can say coffee is stronger than tea
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or tea is more relaxing than coffee you can also say I prefer coffee
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or I prefer tea good let's make a mini dialogue for our listeners okay I'll start do you prefer coffee
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or tea I prefer tea it's light
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and fresh really I prefer coffee it gives me energy in
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the morning see very easy conversation another difference is culture coffee is more popular in the United States,
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Brazil, and Italy.
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Tea is very popular in China, Japan, India, and England.
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Yes.
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In Italy, people love espresso, a very strong coffee.
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In England, people drink black tea with milk in the afternoon.
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In Japan, people have green tea with meals.
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And in Turkey, tea is served many times during the day.
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So, coffee and tea are not only drinks,
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they are part of different cultures.
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Exactly.
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And both are good for conversation.
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You can say, let's go for coffee,
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or would you like some tea?
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So, which one is healthier, Ben, coffee or tea?
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Hmm, that's a hard question.
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Coffee has many antioxidants which are good for health.
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Tea also has antioxidants and is softer on the body.
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So, maybe both are healthy,
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if you don't drink too much.
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Yes.
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Balance is important.
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Okay, so let's review.
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Coffee is stronger, tea is lighter,
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coffee wakes you up, tea relaxes you.
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Coffee is often bitter, tea has many flavors.
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And both are important for culture, health, and daily life.
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Perfect.
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So, listeners, what about you?
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Do you prefer coffee or tea?
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And why?
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Tell us in the comments.
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We'd love to read your answers.
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Stronger, more powerful.
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Example, coffee is stronger than tea.
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Lighter, not heavy, soft.
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Example, tea is lighter than coffee.
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Bitter, not sweet, sharp taste.
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Example, black coffee is bitter.
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Relaxing, making you feel calm.
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Example, herbal tea is relaxing.
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Prefer to like one thing more than another.
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Example, I prefer tea to coffee.
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Alright listeners, now it's time for your practice challenge.
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Yes.
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We'll give you three parts today.
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Listening, speaking, and writing.
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Let's begin.
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Challenge 1.
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Listening.
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Listen to this episode again and try to find these answers.
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What are three different kinds of tea we talked about?
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What are three different kinds of coffee we talked about?
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You can pause, repeat, and write down what you hear.
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Challenge 2.
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Speaking Now let's practice speaking.
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Repeat after us, or make your own sentences.
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I drink coffee in the morning.
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I like iced tea.
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I prefer coffee.
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Or, I prefer tea.
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Try saying them slowly first,
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then again a little faster.
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Practice makes your English stronger.
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Challenge 3.
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Writing.
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Write a short paragraph, 3-5 sentences,
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about your coffee or tea habits.
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Here's an example.
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I drink hot coffee every morning.
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In the afternoon, I like green tea.
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Sometimes I go to a cafe and order milk tea.
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I enjoy both drinks, but tea makes me feel more relaxed.
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Now, write your own version in your notebook.
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Or, if you like, share it in the comments to inspire others.
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Great work, listeners.
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You listened, you spoke, and you wrote.
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Wow, Ben, we shared so many ideas today about coffee and tea.
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Yes, we did.
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Let's do a quick review for our listeners.
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Okay, idea number one.
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Coffee is strong and gives energy.
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You can drink it hot,
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iced, black or with milk.
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Idea number two.
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Tea has many kinds.
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Green tea, black tea, milk tea,
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iced tea, and herbal tea.
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It's lighter and often more relaxing.
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Idea number three, you can compare coffee and tea.
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For example, coffee is stronger than tea or I prefer tea because it is more relaxing.
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Yes, these are all simple but very useful phrases for daily life.
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The more you use them,
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the more natural your English will sound.
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And don't forget, small steps every day make a big change in English and in life.
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Thank you so much for joining us today on Everyday English Talk.
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Yes, we had fun talking about coffee and tea,
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negative two drinks that people enjoy every day.
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Today we learned how to talk about different kinds of coffee and tea,
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how to compare them.
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And we practiced useful phrases like,
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I prefer tea, or one coffee please.
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Don't forget, you can download the free PDF transcript for this episode.
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The PDF has today's script,
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a vocabulary list, and extra practice exercises.
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And now, we'd love to hear from you.
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Do you drink coffee or tea, or both?
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Share your answer in the comments.
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We really enjoy reading your ideas and stories.
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Remember, practice a little English every day.
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Step by step, you will improve.
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That's right.
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Stay positive, keep learning, and keep practicing.
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See you next time on Everyday English Talk.
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Bye for now.
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Why practice speaking with this video?
Engaging with the Everyday English Talk video on coffee and tea provides a rich context for improving your conversational skills. Coffee and tea are universal beverages, making them excellent topics for small talk. By practicing the dialogues from this video, you can learn to initiate conversations, share preferences, and discuss daily habits in English. These skills are not only beneficial for social interactions but also for enhancing your overall fluency.
Additionally, the video encourages you to think about your own experiences and opinions. For instance, when asked, “Do you drink coffee or tea?” you are prompted to formulate and express your thoughts, making speaking practice more personal and engaging. This kind of interaction can help boost your confidence while allowing you to learn English with YouTube in an enjoyable way.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
Throughout the dialogue, several key structures can enhance your English expressions:
- “I like drinking...” – This simple present tense structure helps express personal preferences. You can use it to share what you enjoy: “I like drinking coffee in the morning.”
- “Do you drink...?” – This is an excellent example of a basic question used for inquiries about habits. It opens the floor for conversation: “Do you drink coffee or tea?”
- “I need coffee in the morning.” – This statement emphasizes necessity, allowing you to express important daily routines. Phrasing it in this way conveys urgency and importance, reinforcing the role coffee plays in many people's mornings.
- “There are many ways to drink coffee.” – Using “there are” helps introduce categories or examples, an effective way to provide detailed explanations and keep the conversation flowing.
Practicing these structures can significantly improve your English pronunciation, allowing for smoother and more natural speech during conversations.
Common Pronunciation Traps
While engaging with the transcript, learners may encounter specific pronunciation challenges. For instance:
- The word “caffeine” can be tricky to pronounce, particularly for non-native speakers. Practice articulating it clearly: /ˈkæf.iːn/.
- The phrase “iced coffee” might lead to blending sounds. Make sure to enunciate both words distinctly to avoid confusion.
- Pay attention to the way the speakers use contractions like “I’m” and “that’s”. Fluent speakers often blend these sounds; practicing shadow speak alongside the video can help you master this.
To conquer these pronunciation traps, consider repeating phrases after hearing them in the video and recording yourself. This self-assessment technique will allow you to improve English pronunciation effectively.
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.
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