https://soundcloud.com/elllo-todd/beginner-esl-lesson-18-off-to-osaka

Meg: Hey, Todd, I want to go to Osaka. What’s the best way?

Todd: The best way, you know, it kind of depends on your time and your cost, and your comfort. The easiest might be the ferry. So the ferry leaves everyday at 7 o’clock. And it goes overnight and it arrives in Osaka at I think 6 o’clock in the morning. So it’s a nice trip. You’re on the boat. You could kind of have dinner on the boat. You go to sleep and then you wake up, and then you’re there. And it costs about $70.

Meg: Sounds pretty good.

Todd: Yeah. It’s good. Yeah. But you sleep in a big area with other people. So it’s like a shared sleeping area.

Meg: Right. What are some other ways?

Todd: Well, if you have lots of money, you can take the train. The train is convenient because it leaves every hour from the downtown station and it takes about four hours, three and a half hours. You have to transfer the train once. But it leaves every hour. It costs a little bit. It costs, you know, about 300 bucks. But it’s an enjoyable ride and, you know, you’re never stuck in traffic.

Meg: So ferry, train; what else?

Todd: You can take a plane. There are two flights. One flight leaves early in the morning, another flight leaves in the afternoon. And that’s probably the fastest because if you fly there, it only takes one hour. But it takes 30 minutes to get to the airport. It’s outside of town. And then you have to get there an hour early for your flight and check in your bags and stuff. So it still takes door-to-door probably 45 hours. And also flights, they can be cheap, but they’re about 100 bucks.

Meg: Oh, okay. Are there any other ways?

Todd: There’s one other way. The cheapest way is actually going by bus. The good thing is, you know, the busses leave every hour. But you must take a bus to Fukuoka and then transfer in Fukuoka. And it takes a long time. It takes about eight hours to get there. But it only costs about 50 bucks. And there are some busses that go overnight.

Meg: That sounds pretty good. Well, I like to save money but the bus sounds a little boring. So maybe I’d rather sleep on the ferry.

Todd: Yeah. I think the ferry is the way to go.

Meg: Thanks.

https://soundcloud.com/elllo-todd/beginner-esl-lesson-17-fit-girlfriend

Meg: Hey, Todd. I was talking to your girlfriend and she seems really fit.

Todd: Yeah. She’s very fit. It’s kind of a problem actually.

Meg: Oh really? Why?

Todd: Well, she watches what she eats and she’s very careful about the food she eats. So she doesn’t eat meat, she doesn’t eat fast food. She doesn’t eat sugar. She doesn’t drink coffee. So because she doesn’t eat or drink all these foods, it’s kind of hard if we go out to dinner or if I want to eat something because then I feel guilty.

Meg: Do you also not eat those foods?

Todd: No. Are you kidding? I mean, I always eat fast food and I love to eat sweets and stuff like that. So we both love exercise, right. So she exercises a lot. I exercise a lot. She exercises more than I do but yeah, the diet thing is kind of a hassle.

Meg: Hmm.

Todd: So what do you think I should do?

Meg: Maybe you should also try to be healthy because it sounds like a good idea.

Todd: Yeah, maybe. I’ll give it a try. But the thing is, you know, she – there’s one other problem. She eats five small meals a day, so never eats big meals. So we can’t go to a restaurant and stuff like that. So it’s just really hard to adjust. I mean, I love a big breakfast, you know. She never eats a big breakfast. She always eats these small little meals, so yeah.

Meg: Well maybe, you can cook at home together.

Todd: Maybe. Or maybe I should just get a new girlfriend.

Meg: Maybe. Good luck.

https://soundcloud.com/elllo-todd/beginner-esl-lesson-16-big-favor

Todd: Hey, Meg. I have a big favor. Can you help me out?

Meg: Sure, what do you need?

Todd: My parents are coming to visit me but I can’t go to the airport to pick them up. I have an important appointment. Do you think you can go to the airport and pick them up?

Meg: Yeah, absolutely. But what do your parents look like?

Todd: Yeah. Well, they look kind of unique actually, so you can’t miss them. My dad, he’s really tall, and he’s really hairy. He’s got big kind afro-like hair and he’s got facial. He’s got a Fu Manchu so he has a mustache and a little goatee, and he’s kind of muscular.

Meg: Wow. So I think I should be able to see your dad very easily.

Todd: Right. So you can’t miss him. And also my mom is pretty easy. She’s like kind of sixtyish. She’s in her 60’s and she kind of has blondish grayish hair. She’s kind of medium build. And she’s kind of average height.

Meg: Okay. Well, it sounds like no problem. I think I can find them at the airport.

Todd: Okay. There will be one other person with them and she might be the one actually looking around trying to find you. And that’s my niece.

Meg: Oh, what does your niece look like?

Todd: Okay. So she’s in her 20’s. She’s very thin, and she has long blond hair. And yeah, she’s quite energetic, so you’ll probably see her running around. So I have a feeling she’s going to be the one looking for you.

Meg: Okay, great. Then I’ll look for your niece.

Todd: Okay, great. I really appreciate this.

Meg: No problem.

https://soundcloud.com/elllo-todd/beginner-esl-lesson-12-where-is-everyone

Hana: Hello!

Daniel: Hello, come in.

Hana: Where is everyone?

Daniel: Well, everyone is doing something right now.

Hana: Oh, really? Where’s your mom?

Daniel: My mom? She’s at the mall. I think she’s shopping. I think she’s getting the groceries for the week.

Hana: Oh! How about your dad?

Daniel: Well, every weekend he goes to the country club, so I think he’s playing golf with his friend now.

Hana: Where’s your brother and sister?

Daniel: My brother, he’s upstairs. I think he’s probably sleeping or playing video games as he always does. And my sister, she’s at school. She’s playing soccer cause she has a game today.

Hana: Oh, really? When does the game start?

Daniel: I think in twenty or thirty minutes.

Hana: Let’s go watch it.

Daniel: Really, that sounds fun. Let’s go.

https://soundcloud.com/elllo-todd/beginner-esl-lesson-11-what-are-they-doing

Daniel: Hey, I’m really sorry I’m late. I came as fast as I could.

Hana: It’s OK. Nobody has really come yet.

Daniel: Why? Where are they?

Hana: Well, John is shopping. He is getting some food.

Daniel: OK, what about Emma? Where is she?

Hana: Emma has an exam, so she is studying and she is going to come later.

Daniel: OK, how about Alex? I don’t see him around.

Hana: Oh, Alex is over there. He is preparing for the BBQ.

Daniel: Oh, yeah, that’s right. And how about Marcus and Emily?

Hana: They are over there. They are playing.

Daniel: Oh, so how many people are left? Who else is coming?

Hana: Uh, I don’t know. No one has really contacted me yet.

Daniel: Oh, well, let’s hope we can get around ten people maybe.

Hana: Yes, I hope so.

Daniel: Cool!

https://soundcloud.com/elllo-todd/beginner-esl-lesson-10-family-personality

Sarah: So John, you told me about me about your family’s appearance. What about their personality?

John: Well, all five people in my family have different personalities.

Yeah. My younger brother is really fun. It’s great to spend time with him. For example, we usually play video games together. He likes to play racing games or sports games, and also, we play card games or just watching TV. He’s so funny.

No matter what we’re doing, he tells jokes and I love listening to him tell jokes about whatever we’re doing at the time. And he’s so cheerful and bright. He’s always open to new people and new ideas. So I really like spending time with him. He makes me feel cheerful, too when we talk together.

Sarah: That’s great. How about your older brother?

John: Well, my older brother, he’s a really good guy. He’s not so entertaining like my younger brother but he’s very smart. He’s really serious. He likes to study and read. For example, he likes reading the Greek philosophers. He likes reading about Plato and Socrates. And he’s always talking about philosophy. I like that stuff, too. I think it’s interesting but he’s not very funny.

Sarah: I see. How about your dad?

John: My dad. Let’s see, what can I say about my dad’s personality? He’s a hard worker. He’s very devoted to everything he tries. He was raised on a farm so he knows a lot about animals. And now, he has a farm as a hobby. My dad raises horses and chickens. He loves animals and he has so many animals but he doesn’t think of them as farm animals, they’re his pets and he loves them.

He spends everyday outside where no matter what the weather, because he has to take care of his family, which is all of his animals. And he’s a really smart guy. Maybe a bit serious at times. His sense of humor is maybe like you can imagine from an old man.

Sarah: I see. How about your mother? What’s she like?

John: My mother loves to read horror novels.

Sarah: Really?

John: Yeah, horror books. So she knows a lot of stuff about crime or mysteries or police dramas and lawyers. She loves that stuff. So my mother is very interested in those kind of books and movies and TV shows, too. So she’s kind of like a detective. My mother is very smart and enjoys solving puzzles.

Sarah: Wow. It sounds like an interesting family.

https://soundcloud.com/elllo-todd/beginner-esl-lesson-9-family-appearance

Sarah: John, I’ve never met your family. Do you have a big family?

John: Yeah, kind of. There are five people in my family, so it’s a medium family. I have two brothers, so there are three boys in my family. And there’s my mother and my father.

Sarah: How about your father? Do you look like him?

John: Yes, I do. I do look like my father. When he was younger. He had blond hair like me and he has glasses. So do I. My mother has glasses, too. I’m the same height as my father. We are both 180 centimeters tall. My older brother is the same height as me and my father. But my younger brother is shorter than us.

Sarah: Ah.

John: He has blond hair and glasses too, though.

Sarah: Oh. How tall is your younger brother?

John: He’s a bit shorter than us. I am not sure but I think he’s around 170 centimeters tall.

Sarah: Oh. How about your mom?

John: My mom is short, too. She’s the same height as my younger brother.

Sarah: Oh.

John: And my mom has red hair. Her hair is bright red, so my mother has different hair from the rest of my family. There are four people with blond people with blond hair and one person with red hair. But actually, all five of us wear glasses.

Sarah: Oh really?

John: Yeah.

Sarah: So John, you’re thin. What about the rest of your family? Are they thin, too?

John: Well, my mother is skinny, too, like me. But my brothers are more like my dad in their body type. They are a little bit more muscular than me. They have big muscles and they’re very strong. So they are heavier than me. That’s my father. He weighs more than I do. And my brothers are also heavier than me.

Sarah: Oh, sounds like a good-looking family.

John: Thank you.

https://soundcloud.com/elllo-todd/beginner-esl-lesson-4-do-you-eat-take-away

Daniel: So do you ever buy take-away?

Hana: No, I never. Normally when I go out to eat, I like to sit and enjoy my food. How about you?

Daniel: Well, that’s really nice. Of course, I do like to sit and enjoy my food, but I have to admit that occasionally I have to buy take-away, especially when I’m coming late from work, and I’m driving. I’m so hungry that, most of the time, I don’t really make it home, so I have to buy something on my way, and that’s a shame, so that’s the way it is.

And do you usually have people over for dinner?

Hana: Yes, I sometimes do. I really like cooking so occasionally I invite my friends over and cook for them or we all cook together. How about you?

Daniel: Not really. I do love cooking, but the problem is my place is really small, so even though I want to invite my friends. I never do it, because my place would only fit one or two people. So unfortunately, I never have my friends over for dinner.

https://soundcloud.com/elllo-todd/beginner-esl-lesson-2-evening-routine

John: Do you always have dinner at a different time, too?

Sarah: No. I almost always eat dinner around 6 o’clock. How about you? When do you eat dinner?

John: My dinner time varies a lot just like my breakfast. So maybe I eat dinner later than most people. I think I would have dinner at 7:00 PM at the earliest. But sometimes, I will have dinner as late as 9 o’clock at night.

Sarah: Really?

John: Yeah. I don’t mind it. I really like cooking so, if I’m cooking a short thing, I’ll have dinner earlier. But I don’t mind if it takes two hours to cook something really good, I’ll eat later at night.

Sarah: Wow. Can you tell me about your work routine? What time do you usually go to work?

John: See, my work schedule is different everyday. That’s why I wake up at a different time everyday. Maybe on – for example, some weeks on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, I start work at 7:00. But on Thursday and Friday, I don’t start work until 11:30.

Sarah: Ah.

John: How about you? Do you have a different work time sometimes?

Sarah: Well, right now, I’m on maternity leave. So I stay home and take care of my new baby.

John: Oh, congratulations.

Sarah: Thank you. I try to work at home a little bit everyday though. If the kids are sleeping or they’re playing quietly, I try to do some work. Maybe around 2 o’clock, I can usually get some work done because the kids are sleeping.

John: Oh, if you don’t start getting some work done until 2 o’clock in the afternoon, you must be very busy every morning.

Sarah: Yeah. I usually go to the grocery store. Sometimes I take the kids to the park around 10:00 in the morning. I often do the laundry or wash the dishes, and then as soon as the dishes are washed, it’s time to make lunch. So I’m busy all day.

John: I see. So that’s why your lunch time can change so much.

Sarah: Yeah.

John: Oh, it sounds like a busy day.