Welcome to a new episode of English Vocabulary Booster.
My name is Lara and I'm a SALSA-certified English teacher.
Learning new vocabulary usually takes a long time, but we'll do it in a way that's easy, quick and efficient.
In every episode, we'll learn how to use five new English words or expressions, so that you too can start speaking like a native.
So let's get learning!
Hello and welcome you guys.
How are you doing?
So I have some news.
First of all, I'm flying to Italy today.
This afternoon, I'm recording this in the morning.
So yeah, I'm going to be there for three weeks by myself.
The city is in lockdown as of right now, but I have to go and take care of my cats because my mom is out of town.
So yeah, I'm going to be there by myself.
So yeah, I'm going to have a lot of time to work.
So that's good for you because I'm going to be creating a lot more content.
Okay, so let's talk about today's episode.
And today we are going to talk about on the road.
Vroom, vroom.
All right, all right, calm down.
Can someone explain to me what happened?
Of course.
One at a time, please.
You first, ma'am.
Thank you.
So I was walking home.
I got to this intersection.
I checked, and I could see there were no cars coming, and I started crossing the street.
When all of a sudden, this crazy young boy appeared on his stupid little bike and nearly hit me.
Where did this happen?
Right here.
Uh, sir?
Were you using the bike lane?
No, I was on the road and- Why were you not using the bike lane?
I was about to enter the roundabout, and it was faster for me to do it from this side.
Ha!
Bastard!
But not safer.
What?
That's not the point.
Because what this lady didn't mention is that she did not cross at the crosswalk.
Is this true?
Yes, but there were no cars coming, so I... Ma'am, that is jaywalking.
But, but... I'm sorry, but it looks like you're both going to have to pay a fine.
What?
Come on.
Well, it looks like neither of them got what they wanted.
So let's listen to today's questions and learn a few expressions.
Let's begin with expression number one, intersection.
So I was walking home.
I got to this intersection.
How many roads need to cross to create an intersection?
Well, it can be either two or more roads.
If these roads or if these streets cross each other, then you create an intersection.
The intersection is the place where these streets cross.
And what happens at an intersection?
All cars move at once or do they take turns?
No, thank goodness they take turns because otherwise there would be a lot of accidents.
So when you get to an intersection, you need to stop most of the times and you just wait for the car that was there first to cross and get to the other side and then you can enter the intersection.
Are all intersections controlled by traffic lights or not?
No, not necessarily.
For example, in smaller neighborhoods, usually intersections are not controlled by traffic lights.
Whereas in bigger areas, like maybe downtown or something like that, usually you need traffic lights to control intersections because there are a lot more cars.
Are the intersections in your neighborhood controlled by traffic lights or not?
So in the neighborhood where I'm living in at the moment yes, there are a lot of traffic lights and all the intersections that we have around here, which is a lot, because there's a lot of streets crossing each other.
But yeah, they are I think all of them marked and controlled by a traffic light, because there's a lot of traffic in this area.
I'm not in the center, but I'm also in an area where there's a lot of traffic.
There's a lot of cars.
Expression number two, bike lane.
Sir, were you using the bike lane?
What vehicles are allowed to use bike lanes?
Well, believe it or not, it's bikes.
Now I'm not sure if it's only bikes, because lately I've also seen especially here in Valencia, I've seen a lot of scooters, like the electric scooters that people ride nowadays.
And I've seen a lot of those.
I've also seen people skating.
So I don't know.
I think it's only for bikes, but I think obviously if you're...
A pedestrian, if you're walking, you can't use a bike lane.
If you're a car or like a scooter, like a motorbike, you can't use a bike lane.
But I'm not sure about the other ones.
Are there a lot of bike lanes in your city or in your town?
Yes.
Here in Valencia you can get to pretty much any place you want by using a bike lane, because they're everywhere and they're super well connected.
And, for example, if I want to get to the beach, which um is well, my bike is like 10, 15 minutes away.
Um then I can just hop on my bike, get on a bike lane and I'm you know, it brings me straight to to the beach.
So it's really nice because it's really safe for, for people who write their bike everywhere.
Expression number three, roundabout.
I was about to enter the roundabout and it was faster for me to do it from this side.
What shape is a roundabout?
A roundabout is round, so it's shaped like a circle.
How many roads join together in a roundabout?
Well, usually a roundabout is made in a way that would allow, I want to say three, at least three roads to join together.
So you got maybe three or even more roads coming from different sides that all join together in the circle in the roundabout.
And what do you need to do before entering a roundabout?
Do you need to slow down or to speed up?
You definitely have to slow down because if you got to check and make sure that there are no cars in the roundabout and then if you can see that there are no cars, you can enter it.
Otherwise, you got to wait for your turn.
I know sometimes it's horrible because you get stuck.
You want to get into the, you want to enter the roundabout, but you can't because you see a car coming and then another car coming.
And you're just stuck there.
And you're like, should I go?
Should I not go?
Should I wait?
Am I going to have an accident?
So I've been there.
And I'm not a great driver.
I've said that before.
Are there a lot of roundabouts in your neighborhood?
No.
There are a lot of intersections.
But not a lot of roundabouts.
Where I, in the neighborhood where I used to live in Milan.
Yes, it's like roundabout.
And then 200 meters later, roundabout.
It's crazy.
But in the area where I live in now, nope, no roundabouts pretty much, I think.
Expression number four, crosswalk.
What this lady didn't mention is that she did not cross the crosswalk.
Who are crosswalks for?
Pedestrians or cars?
Crosswalks are made for crossing and they are for pedestrians only.
And what are crosswalks marked with?
White lines or white circles?
That'd be fun, but no, it's white lines.
So you know the white lines that you see on the road where you are allowed to cross.
That is called a crosswalk.
Do cars in your town slow down and stop at crosswalks or not?
I'm talking if there's no traffic light, because obviously if there's a traffic light then yes, they have to stop.
Um, I think, I think here in Spain, they do stop if I am at a crosswalk and they see me.
Um, I think they do that a little more often.
In Milan, you just gotta step into the road because otherwise there, no car is going to stop.
I think people are always in a rush and I don't know they're not very patient and they're sometimes kind of rude.
So yeah, but this one time when I was in Thailand and I was still getting used to crossing the street in Thailand and a lot of times there you got, even if you have a crosswalk, cars are still going to go.
And I swear to you guys, I think I was one inch close to getting hit by this car because It did not stop at the crosswalk.
And I was just like thinking with my, you know, mentality.
And I just thought, okay, there's a crosswalk.
I can go ahead and cross.
But this car did not think the same.
And I'm lucky to be alive, to be honest with you.
Expression number five, jaywalking.
Ma'am, that is jaywalking.
Who can be accused of jaywalking, a driver or a pedestrian?
Jaywalking is something committed by pedestrians, so by people that are walking.
Does jaywalking mean crossing the street where you are supposed to or where you are not supposed to?
Jaywalking means crossing the street where you are not supposed to.
So, for example, if you have a crosswalk but you cross 200 meters before that, that is considered jaywalking, because you're not crossing the street where you are supposed to.
And why is jaywalking dangerous?
Well obviously, you know, it's dangerous for us and it's dangerous for the the drivers that are driving at the moment, because they might not be expecting to see someone cross the road at that particular, in that particular place.
Because they expect it, They expect them to be crossing, maybe a little bit later.
And so that can cause accidents.
You could get hit if they don't stop in time.
Or they could try and avoid you, which means they could get into an accident with another car.
So yeah, jaywalking is, it can be dangerous.
Is jaywalking illegal in your town?
So...
I'm pretty sure that jaywalking is illegal in, I think, everywhere.
I mean, you know, the rules are there for a reason.
But I've never heard of someone that got a ticket for it, that got a fine. because of that.
But and I actually I do it.
I do it pretty often.
Obviously, I try to make sure that there's no cars around.
I always double check.
So I always do it when I'm super, super safe.
But yeah, sometimes I gotta be honest and tell you that yes, I do do it.
And that is it for today.
And remember, if you want to access the transcript, as well as lots of other resources, visit enboocom.
That is E-N-B-O-O-O dot com.
Have a great day.
