Hello and welcome to Real Easy English.
In this podcast, we have everyday conversations in Easy English to help you learn.
I'm Neil.
And I'm Beth.
Why not try the video of this podcast and the free worksheet that's on our website?
Hi Beth, how are you?
I am good, thank you.
Although it's very dark, isn't it?
It is, yes, because it's winter and we're going to talk about winter today.
Do you like winter?
Yeah, winter's okay, but I don't like how dark it is and it's just cold.
I know that winter is supposed to be cold, but...
It's a bit too cold for my liking.
I think I've decided this year to like winter.
OK.
You don't normally like it?
No, I really don't.
But I think there are some really nice things about winter.
Oh yeah?
What like?
I think it can be very cosy.
That's true.
I really like being inside when you can see how cold it is outside and you're just tucked up, maybe with a fire on.
Hot chocolate is very good in the winter.
So yeah, there are some good things, but going outside isn't always the best, especially if it's also raining.
Yeah.
But on a sunny winter's day, it can be really beautiful.
That's true.
I quite like going for a long walk in the winter because, well, if it's sunny.
Because you're cold.
But if you're wearing a coat and a hat, then it's just really nice and the air feels really fresh.
Yeah, it's crisp.
It is crisp winter air.
Yeah.
What do you enjoy doing in the winter?
Well, I think in the winter it's really important to get outside because it's dark most of the time.
You need to get out when it's light.
And so if it's sunny, I like to go for a nice walk in the countryside, even a run outside.
I think it's really nice to do exercise outside when it's cold.
I definitely.
I'm not sure about running, but going out for a walk is definitely really nice in the winter.
Is there anything that you're looking forward to doing this winter?
Well, I think the best thing about winter is Christmas.
So I'm looking forward... to Christmas because the kids get really excited.
You meet up with your friends and family and it's really cosy.
And the food is really good at Christmas.
You need to eat more when it's cold outside.
Yeah.
Is there anything else you're looking forward to?
Well, I had a really busy year.
There was just lots happening, a lot of social events.
So I am looking forward to staying in and not going out that much because, like we said, it's nice to be all cozy in winter and I want to stay inside and drink hot chocolate and watch some nice films.
Um Yeah,
So staying in.
I'm looking forward to staying in.
What about you?
Anything else you're looking forward to apart from Christmas?
Well, I like New Year as well because it's a chance to start again.
So I'm looking forward to starting something new in the new year.
Let's recap the language that we heard in this episode, starting with looking forward to.
If you're looking forward to something, you're excited about doing it in the future.
Yes, and we use looking forward to with the ing verb.
For example, I'm looking forward to staying in.
We can also follow it with a noun, like an event.
Neil is looking forward to New Year.
We also heard two useful adjectives for winter – crisp and cosy.
If the weather is crisp, it means it's cold, but also bright.
And cosy means that you feel comfortable and warm, even if it's cold outside.
And we heard stay in, which means you stay inside.
You don't go out.
That's it for this episode of Real Easy English, but don't forget to go to our website bbclearningenglishcom, where you can find a free worksheet to download.
We'll be back next week with another conversation in Easy English.
Thanks for joining us and goodbye.
Goodbye.
