SPEAK FIRST · A1 · 50 min

Flying Home

Gate 14, seat 14A, a neighbour who asks questions, and the door at home. Talk about a trip after it happens.

Speak First · Lesson 13 of 15. ← Lesson 12: A Present for Carla · Lesson 14: The Phone Call →

Today: talk about a trip in the past: how it was, what you did, where you stayed, what you bought. Grammar: was / were, How was…?, Did you…?
Warm up — five words to remember. They come from Lessons 11 and 12. 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.
a present — from A Present for Carla
What does it mean? What is a good present for you?
a present — a thing you give to a person: a gift.
a scarf — from A Present for Carla
What does it mean? What colour is yours?
a scarf — a long cloth for your neck.
expensive — from A Present for Carla
What does it mean? What is expensive in your city?
expensive — it costs a lot; not cheap.
a contract — from The Meeting
What does it mean? Who sends it in the story?
a contract — a paper both companies sign: the deal.
a team — from The Meeting
What does it mean? How many people are in your team?
a team — the people you work with, together.

Now — the words for today's conversation

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

Words

  1. a trip
  2. to take off
  3. to land
  4. a seat belt
  5. a passenger
  6. a neighbour
  7. a view
  8. home

Meanings

  • A. the plane goes up into the sky
  • B. a person who travels in a plane, bus or train
  • C. the plane comes down to the ground
  • D. the place where you live: your house, your family
  • E. a journey to a place and back
  • F. what you can see from a window or a high place
  • G. the person next to you
  • H. the belt on your seat in a plane or a car

1 = E (a trip) · 2 = A (to take off) · 3 = C (to land) · 4 = H (a seat belt)

5 = B (a passenger) · 6 = G (a neighbour) · 7 = F (a view) · 8 = D (home)

Now talk — out loud

Before we read:
  • Which words are about the plane? Which word is the best word of all?
  • Leo goes home. What questions does Carla ask? Guess two.

The conversation, in three parts

Night. Leo at his front door with his bag; Carla, Marco and Sofia welcome him home.
Look at the picture. Say:
  • Where is Leo?
  • Who is at the door?
  • What is in the bag? Guess.

Thursday evening. The flight home. Read each part. Then try the questions from memory, and answer the last one about you.

Part 1 — Gate 14

Six o'clock. Gate 14. No delay this time. Leo has a green scarf, a football shirt, a pink T-shirt and a black umbrella in his bag. And a contract in his email.

Announcement: Flight 508 to Madrid is now boarding. Rows twenty to thirty, please.

Leo: Excuse me, is this the queue for Madrid?

Passenger: Yes. What row are you?

Leo: Fourteen.

Passenger: Then you wait. They call rows twenty to thirty first.

Leo: Ah. OK. Thank you.

Quick check — answer from memory, then reveal:

1. Is the flight delayed this time?

2. Which rows board first?

1. No. No delay.

2. Rows twenty to thirty. Leo is in row fourteen, so he waits.

Talk about it:
  • And you? Do you like flying? Front or back of the plane, window or aisle?

Part 2 — Seat 14A

Seat 14A. Window. Leo puts on his seat belt. The plane takes off. London is small, then it is clouds.

Neighbour: Business or holiday?

Leo: Business. Three days. And you?

Neighbour: Holiday. I was in London for a week.

Leo: How was it?

Neighbour: Wet! But wonderful. The museums, the parks… And you — how was your trip?

Leo: Good. Very good. I had a meeting, and it went well. And we went to a restaurant by the river.

Neighbour: Nice. Your English is good.

Leo: Thank you. Three days ago, it was terrible.

Quick check — answer from memory, then reveal:

1. Why was the neighbour in London? How was it?

2. How was Leo's meeting?

1. For a holiday, one week. Wet, but wonderful.

2. Very good. It went well.

Talk about it:
  • And you? Do you talk to the person next to you on a plane? What do you say?

Part 3 — Home

Ten o'clock at night. The plane lands. Passport, suitcase, taxi. Forty minutes. Then the door, the light, the smell of dinner.

Carla: Leo! How was it?

Leo: It was good. The meeting was good. The hotel was small. London was wet.

Carla: And your English?

Leo: Not bad. I said hello. I smiled. I asked questions.

Carla: I know.

Sofia: Dad! Did you buy something?

Leo: Maybe.

He opens the bag. A green scarf. A football shirt. A pink T-shirt. And a black umbrella — for the next time.

Quick check — answer from memory, then reveal:

1. What was good? What was small, and what was wet?

2. What did Sofia ask?

1. The meeting was good. The hotel was small. London was wet.

2. "Did you buy something?"

Talk about it:
  • And you? What do you say when you come home from a trip? What do you bring?

Grammar: was, were / How was…? / Did you…?

After a trip, everyone asks the same question: How was it? Today you answer it, in the past.

was / were = the past of is / are. "The meeting was good." "The hotel was small." "The people were nice." "I was in London for three days."
How was…? "How was your trip / your flight / the hotel?" — "It was great. / It was OK. / It was terrible."
Past verbs: regular = -ed: "I asked questions. I smiled. I stayed at the Park Hotel." · irregular: had (have), went (go), said (say), bought (buy), took (take).
Did you…? for past questions: "Did you buy something?" — "Yes, I did. / No, I didn't." "Where did you stay?" — "At a small hotel."

1. was or were?

Complete each sentence with was or were.

1. The meeting good.

2. The people very nice.

3. How your flight?

4. The hotels expensive.

1. was

2. were

3. was

4. were

2. Make the sentence

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

1. was / How / your trip?

2. a meeting / I / had / on Wednesday

3. you / Did / buy / a present?

4. the restaurant / We / went to / on Tuesday

1. How was your trip?

2. I had a meeting on Wednesday.

3. Did you buy a present?

4. We went to the restaurant on Tuesday.

3. Complete the conversation

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

"How your trip?" — "It was good. I a meeting on Monday, and it went well. On Tuesday we to a restaurant." — " you buy anything?" — "Yes, I . A scarf for my wife." — "And the hotel?" — "The room small, but the bed was big."

was · had · went · Did · did · was

have → had · go → went · Did you…? → Yes, I did.

Role Play

On the plane home. The person next to you asks about your trip.

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.

Neighbour: Business or holiday?
You: answer · how many days

Neighbour: How was it?
You: two words: good / long / wet / busy

Neighbour: What did you do?
You: two things in the past: had a meeting · went to…

Neighbour: Where did you stay?
You: hotel · one word about it

Neighbour: Did you buy anything?
You: yes or no · what

Neighbour: Your English is good!
You: thank · ask a question back

Neighbour: Business or holiday?
You: Business. Four days.

Neighbour: How was it?
You: Good. But busy.

Neighbour: What did you do?
You: I had two meetings, and we went to a restaurant by the river.

Neighbour: Where did you stay?
You: At a small hotel near the station. It was quiet.

Neighbour: Did you buy anything?
You: Yes, I did. A scarf for my wife.

Neighbour: Your English is good!
You: Thank you. And you — how was your week?

Round 2 — change roles. Now you are Neighbour. 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. How was your trip?

2. How was the hotel?

3. Where did you stay?

4. What did you do on Tuesday?

5. Did you buy anything?

6. Was the flight delayed?

7. How was the weather?

8. Did you go to a restaurant?

9. How was your English?

10. Were the people nice?

1. It was good.

2. It was small, but nice.

3. At the Park Hotel.

4. I had a meeting.

5. Yes, I did. A present for my daughter.

6. No, it wasn't.

7. It was wet!

8. Yes, we went to an Italian restaurant.

9. Not bad. I asked questions.

10. Yes, they were very nice.

Speak

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

Useful language: "It was good / small / wet." · "How was your trip?" · "I had a meeting." · "We went to a restaurant." · "I stayed at…" · "Did you buy something?" — "Yes, I did."
Time remaining: 1:00
Task A · Tell the journey home

Tell the journey home in your own words, in the past. Steps: gate 14, no delay → rows twenty to thirty → seat 14A, the plane took off → the neighbour: a week in London, wet but wonderful → the meeting went well → the plane landed, ten o'clock → Carla: how was it? → the bag: scarf, shirt, T-shirt, umbrella.

Task B · My last trip (2 minutes)

Tell me about your last trip, in the past: where you went, how it was, where you stayed, what you did, what you bought. Start the timer and keep talking.

Task C · Ask me

Ask me six questions about my last trip: where, how long, how it was, where I stayed, what I did, what I bought. Then tell my trip back to me: "You went to… You stayed at…"

To finish

  1. What was the best part of Leo's trip? What was the worst?
  2. Leo says: "Three days ago, my English was terrible." What changed? Say two things.
  3. From memory: say three sentences about your last trip with was, had and went.