SPEAK FIRST · A1 · 50 min

The Weekend

Football, cooking, a guitar. Talk about what you love doing, and what you can't do.

Speak First · Lesson 5 of 15. ← Lesson 4: A Working Day · Lesson 6: The Airport →

Today: talk about your free time — what you like, how often you do it, and what you can and can't do — and ask another person the same. Grammar: like + -ing and can / can't.
Warm up — five words to remember. They come from Lessons 3 and 4. Do you know it? Say what it means and use it in a sentence. Is it new? Good — learn it now. Click Reveal to check, and follow the link to read the lesson.
to get up — from A Working Day
What does it mean? What time do you get up?
to get up — to get out of bed in the morning.
busy — from A Working Day
What does it mean? Are you busy this week?
busy — with a lot of things to do.
tired — from A Working Day
What does it mean? Are you tired now?
tired — you need sleep.
the weekend — from A Working Day
What does it mean? What do you do at the weekend?
the weekend — Saturday and Sunday.
a garden — from My Home
What does it mean? Do you have one?
a garden — a place outside a house with grass and flowers.

Now — the words for today's conversation

These are the new words for The Weekend. Match each word (1–8) to its meaning (A–H). Say your answers out loud — "I think 1 is D" — then check.

Words

  1. to play
  2. to cook
  3. a recipe
  4. to swim
  5. the guitar
  6. a friend
  7. slow
  8. to sing

Meanings

  • A. to move in water
  • B. not fast
  • C. to make food
  • D. a person you like and know well
  • E. to make music with your voice
  • F. to do a sport or a game; to make music
  • G. the words that say how to make a dish
  • H. a music instrument with six strings

1 = F (to play) · 2 = C (to cook) · 3 = G (a recipe) · 4 = A (to swim)

5 = H (the guitar) · 6 = D (a friend) · 7 = B (slow) · 8 = E (to sing)

Now talk — out loud

Before we read:
  • Which words are things you do? Which words are things or people?
  • A man is forty-eight and plays football. Is he fast or slow? Guess.

The conversation, in three parts

Sunday lunch: Leo serves a big fish; Carla, Marco and Sofia are at the table.
Look at the picture. Say:
  • What day is it? Guess.
  • Who is at the table?
  • What is on the table?

Leo's weekend, and Anna's. Read each part. Then try the questions from memory, and answer the last one about you.

Part 1 — Saturday morning

Saturday. Leo sleeps until nine. Then he plays football with his friends in the park. He is not very good, but he loves it. After football, they have a coffee and talk. About football, of course.

Sam: Leo, you are slow today.

Leo: I'm forty-eight, Sam.

Sam: I'm fifty!

Leo: Yes, but you don't work sixty hours a week.

Quick check — answer from memory, then reveal:

1. What does Leo do on Saturday morning?

2. Is he good at football?

1. He sleeps until nine, then he plays football with his friends in the park.

2. No, not very good. But he loves it.

Talk about it:
  • And you? Do you like sport? What sport? Are you good at it?

Part 2 — Sunday lunch

Sunday is Leo's favourite day. He cooks. Fish, pasta, a big salad. The family eats at two, and lunch is long. In the afternoon, Sofia plays the piano, Marco plays video games, and Carla reads in the garden.

Carla: Leo, this fish is very good.

Leo: Thank you. New recipe. From the internet.

Marco: Dad, can I play now?

Leo: After the plates, Marco.

Quick check — answer from memory, then reveal:

1. What does Leo do on Sunday?

2. What does Carla do in the afternoon?

1. He cooks for the family — fish, pasta, salad. Lunch is long.

2. She reads in the garden.

Talk about it:
  • And you? Do you like cooking? What is your favourite day of the week?

Part 3 — Monday: Anna's weekend

Anna: What do you do at the weekend, Leo?

Leo: Football, cooking, family. And you?

Anna: I swim on Saturday morning. Then I read. I read a lot.

Leo: Do you like music?

Anna: I love music. I play the guitar. Not very well!

Leo: I can't play anything. But I can sing.

Anna: Really?

Leo: No. Not really.

Quick check — answer from memory, then reveal:

1. What does Anna do on Saturday morning?

2. Can Leo play an instrument? Can he sing?

1. She swims. Then she reads.

2. No, he can't play anything. And he can't really sing — it's a joke.

Talk about it:
  • And you? Do you like music? Can you play an instrument, or sing?

Grammar: like + -ing / can, can't

Two small tools for free time: like with -ing, and can.

like / love / don't like + -ing. "I love cooking." "She likes reading." "I don't like running." (swim → swimming, run → running)
Questions with like: "Do you like football?" "Do you like cooking?" — "Yes, I do. / No, I don't. / I love it!"
can / can't = it is possible for you, or not: "I can swim." "I can't play the guitar." "Can you cook?" — "Yes, I can. / No, I can't." No -s with he: "He can sing."
How often? "every Saturday" · "on Sunday" · "three times a week" · "a lot" · "never"

1. Put the verb in the right form

Use the verb in brackets with -ing.

1. I like (swim).

2. She loves (read).

3. He doesn't like (run).

4. Do you like (cook)?

1. swimming

2. reading

3. running

4. cooking

2. Make the sentence

Put the words in order. Then say the sentence out loud.

1. play / Can / the guitar / you?

2. cooking / I / Sunday / love / on

3. can't / He / swim

4. at / do / What / you / the weekend / do?

1. Can you play the guitar?

2. I love cooking on Sunday.

3. He can't swim.

4. What do you do at the weekend?

3. Complete the conversation

Fill each gap with one word. Read the conversation out loud when you finish.

"Do you like (cook)?" — "Yes, I love it. I cook Sunday, for the family." — " you play the piano?" — "No, I . But I can sing!" — "How do you sing?" — "Every day. In the car."

cooking · on · Can · can't · often

like + -ing · Can you…? → Yes, I can. / No, I can't.

Role Play

A dinner with new people. The person next to you asks about your free time.

Round 1 — you are yourself. Read your partner's line, then say your own line from the cue in italics. Use your real answers. Then click to compare with a model.

Maria: What do you do at the weekend?
You: two or three things

Maria: Do you like sport?
You: yes or no · which sport · how often

Maria: Do you like cooking?
You: yes or no · what you cook

Maria: Can you play an instrument?
You: yes or no · which

Maria: What about music? What do you like?
You: kind of music · when you listen

Maria: And your favourite day of the week?
You: day · why

Maria: What do you do at the weekend?
You: I play tennis, and I cook for my family.

Maria: Do you like sport?
You: Yes, I love football. I play every Saturday.

Maria: Do you like cooking?
You: Yes, I do. I cook pasta and fish.

Maria: Can you play an instrument?
You: No, I can't. But my daughter can play the piano.

Maria: What about music? What do you like?
You: I like rock. I listen in the car.

Maria: And your favourite day of the week?
You: Sunday. I don't work, and lunch is long.

Round 2 — change roles. Now you are Maria. Ask the questions, and listen to the answers. Then say one thing you remember.

Quick-fire questions

Answer fast, in full sentences. No time to think. Then check a model answer for the ones that were hard.

1. What do you do in your free time?

2. Do you like sport?

3. How often do you play?

4. Do you like cooking?

5. Can you swim?

6. Can you play the guitar?

7. Do you like music?

8. What do you do on Sunday?

9. Do you read a lot?

10. What is your favourite day?

1. I read and I walk.

2. Yes, I do. I play football.

3. Every Saturday.

4. No, I don't. My wife cooks.

5. Yes, I can.

6. No, I can't.

7. Yes, I love it.

8. I cook, and I sleep!

9. No, not a lot. I read the news.

10. Saturday.

Speak

Do all three tasks out loud. Use the timer to keep talking.

Useful language: "I like / love / don't like + -ing" · "I play… every Saturday." · "I can… / I can't…" · "Can you…?" · "How often do you…?" · "three times a week"
Time remaining: 1:00
Task A · Tell the weekend

Tell Leo's weekend, then Anna's, in your own words. Steps: Saturday: sleep, football, slow, coffee → Sunday: cooking, fish, family, piano, garden → Anna: swimming, reading, the guitar → Leo can't play, can't sing.

Use he plays, she reads, he can't.

Task B · My free time (2 minutes)

Talk about your free time: what you like, how often you do it, one thing you can do well, and one thing you can't do. Start the timer and keep talking.

Task C · Ask me

Ask me six questions about my free time: sport, cooking, music, reading, can you…?, favourite day. Then tell me what you remember: "You like… You can't…"

To finish

  1. Leo plays football at forty-eight. Is sport important for you? Why?
  2. Sunday lunch is long in Leo's family. Is lunch long in your family? Who cooks?
  3. From memory: say one thing you love doing, and one thing you can't do.