Talking About the Past in English | English Conversation Practice

0:00 Welcome to the Podcast: Talking About the Past Hello and welcome back to Leo English Podcast. Hi everyone, Let's get started with today's English practice. 0:08 Speaker 2 I'm Jack, welcome to another real English conversation. 0:12 Speaker 1 And I'm Emma, we are here to help you improve your English through natural conversations. Our goal is to make learning English fun, easy and practical for everyday life. 0:24 Speaker 2 Today we have a very useful topic for you. We're going to talk about the past in English. How do we talk about things that happened yesterday, last week, last year, or even when we were children? 0:36 Speaker 1 This is so important because every day we share memories and experiences with friends, family, and coworkers. Whether you're talking about your weekend, your childhood, or a funny story from last month, you need to know how to talk about the past. 0:53 Speaker 2 That's right, and if you enjoy this video, please give it a big thumbs up and subscribe to our channel. It really helps us continue making these videos for you all. 1:03 Speaker 1 Right, Jack, Are you ready? 1:05 Speaker 2 Absolutely. Let's get started. 1:07 Sharing Weekend Activities and Recent Past Experiences So, Jack, how are you today? 1:09 Speaker 2 I'm really good, thanks. I'm a little tired though because I stayed up late last night watching a movie. How about you? 1:16 Speaker 1 I'm doing well, I had a relaxing weekend so I feel refreshed. What did you do this weekend? 1:22 Speaker 2 Well, on Saturday I visited my parents, we had lunch together and talked for hours. It was really nice. And on Sunday I just stayed home and cleaned my apartment. Not very exciting, but it needed to be done. 1:37 Speaker 1 That sounds lovely. I like visiting my family too and cleaning is important even if it's not fun. 1:43 Speaker 2 What about you? What did you do? 1:45 Speaker 1 I went hiking with some friends on Saturday. We walked for about 3 hours in the mountains. The weather was perfect and on Sunday I read a book and cooked a big dinner. 1:56 Speaker 2 That sounds amazing. I love hiking but I haven't been in a long time. 2:01 Speaker 1 You should go again soon, it's so peaceful. 2:04 Speaker 2 I will. You know, Speaking of things we did in the past, that's exactly what we're talking about today, right? 2:11 Speaker 1 Exactly. We're already doing it. We're talking about the past right now. 2:16 Speaker 2 So Emma, let's talk about the past. When I think about the past, I think about so many different times. There's yesterday, last week, last year, and even my childhood. 2:28 Speaker 1 Yes, the past is everything that happened before. For this moment, it could be 5 minutes ago or 50 years ago. 2:36 Speaker 2 Right. So let's start with recent past. What did you do yesterday? 2:41 Speaker 1 Yesterday was Monday, so I worked all day. In the morning I answered emails and had a meeting with my team. Then in the afternoon I worked on some projects. After work I went to the gym and then came home and made dinner. 2:56 Speaker 2 That sounds like a productive day. I also worked yesterday. I taught 3 English classes and then I went grocery shopping. Oh, and I called my sister in the evening. We talked for about 30 minutes. 3:08 Speaker 1 That's nice. Do you call her often? 3:11 Speaker 2 I tried to call her once a week. We live in different cities so phone calls are important. What about you? Do you have siblings? 3:18 Speaker 1 Yes, I have one brother. He lives nearby so I see him more often. Actually, I saw him last week. We had coffee together on Thursday. 3:27 Speaker 2 That's wonderful. So when we talk about yesterday or last week, we usually use the simple past tense. 3:35 Speaker 1 Exactly. We say I worked, I went, I called, I saw. These are all past tense verbs. 3:44 Speaker 2 Right. And we often use time words like yesterday, last week, last month, last year and ago. 3:51 Speaker 1 Yes. For example, I can say I started learning English five years ago, or I visited Paris two years ago. 4:00 Speaker 2 Oh, you went to Paris? Tell me about it. 4:03 Speaker 1 It was amazing. I went with my best friend. We stayed for one week. We visited the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum and many beautiful cafes. We ate so much delicious food. I gained 3 kilograms. 4:19 Speaker 2 That's funny, but I'm sure it was worth it. When did you go? 4:23 Speaker 1 I went in the spring, so the weather was perfect. Not too hot, not too cold. Perfect for walking around the city. 4:30 Speaker 2 I want to go to Paris someday. I've never been to France. 4:33 Speaker 1 You should go. It's a beautiful country. What about you? What's the most interesting place you visited in the past? 4:41 Speaker 2 Let me think. I think it was Japan. I went there three years ago. I stayed for two weeks and traveled to Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. 4:50 Speaker 1 Wow, that sounds incredible. What did you like most? 4:54 Speaker 2 The food was amazing, I ate sushi, ramen, tempura and so many other things and the people were so polite and helpful. I also love the temples in Kyoto, they were so peaceful and beautiful. 5:07 Speaker 1 Did you learn any Japanese before you went? 5:10 Speaker 2 A little bit. I learned some basic phrases like hello, thank you and excuse me, but it was difficult because Japanese is very different from English. 5:20 Speaker 1 I can imagine, but it's good that you tried learning even a little bit of the local language. Shows respect absolutely. 5:28 Recalling Childhood: Growing Up, Games, and Fears So, Emma, we're talking about trips and experiences, but what about childhood memories? That's also the past. 5:35 Speaker 1 Oh yes, childhood is a wonderful topic. When I think about my childhood, I have so many happy memories. 5:43 Speaker 2 Me too. Where did you grow? 5:45 Speaker 1 Up I grew up in a small town. It was very quiet and peaceful. I lived in a house with a big garden. My brother and I played outside every day after school. 5:58 Speaker 2 That sounds lovely, what games did you play? 6:01 Speaker 1 We played hide and seek, we rode our bicycles and we climbed trees. In the summer we swam in the lake near our house, and in the winter we built snowmen and had snowball fights. 6:12 Speaker 2 That sounds like a perfect childhood. I grew up in a city, so my experience was different. I lived in an apartment building. There were many children in the building so we always had friends to play with. 6:25 Speaker 1 What did you do for fun? 6:26 Speaker 2 We played football in the street, we rode skateboards and we went to the arcade and played video games. That was my favorite. 6:34 Speaker 1 Did you have a favorite video game? 6:36 Speaker 2 Yes, I loved racing games. I played them for hours. My parents always said, Jack, stop playing games and do your homework. But I didn't listen very well. 6:47 Speaker 1 That's funny, I think many children are like that. I was a good student, but I also loved playing outside more than studying. 6:55 Speaker 2 So when we talk about childhood, we use the past tense too. We say I played, I lived, I went, I had. 7:03 Speaker 1 Yes, and we often use the phrase when I was a child or when I was young. 7:09 Speaker 2 Right. For example, when I was a child I wanted to be a pilot. Or when I was young, I was afraid of dogs. 7:16 Speaker 1 Those are great examples. Were you really afraid of dogs? 7:20 Speaker 2 Yes, I was, but not anymore. Now I love dogs. What about you? What were you afraid of when you were a child? 7:27 Speaker 1 I was afraid of the dark. I always slept with a night light, and I was also afraid of thunderstorms. When there was Thunder and lightning, I hid under my blanket. 7:37 Speaker 2 And that's very common. Many children are afraid of those things. Did you have any pets when you were young? 7:42 Speaker 1 Yes, we had a cat named Whiskers. He was orange and white and he was very lazy. He slept all day, but I loved him very much. 7:51 Speaker 2 I didn't have any pets. My parents said the apartment was too small, but I always wanted a dog. 7:57 Speaker 1 Maybe you can get one now. 7:59 Speaker 2 Maybe so, Emma, let's talk about school memories. 8:02 Remembering School: Field Trips, Graduation, and Challenges School is a big part of childhood and the past. 8:05 Speaker 1 That's true. I have many memories from school, some good, some bad. 8:10 Speaker 2 Tell me a good memory first. 8:12 Speaker 1 OK, I remember when I was 10 years old, my class went on a field trip to a Science Museum. We saw dinosaur bones, did experiments, and watched a planetarium show. It was so exciting. I loved science after that day. 8:27 Speaker 2 That sounds wonderful. Field trips were always the best part of school. 8:31 Speaker 1 What about you? Do you have a favorite school memory? 8:34 Speaker 2 Yes, I remember my high school graduation. All my friends were there and we were so happy. We took many photos and promised to stay in touch. After the ceremony we had a big party. 8:45 Speaker 1 Did you stay in touch with your school friends? 8:48 Speaker 2 Some of them yes. I still talk to my 3 best friends from high school. We message each other and sometimes we meet for dinner. But I lost contact with many others. 8:58 Speaker 1 That's normal. People move to different cities and their lives change. 9:02 Speaker 2 True. Now what about bad memories? Did you have any difficult times in school? 9:07 Speaker 1 Well, I wasn't very good in math. I studied hard but I found it very difficult. I remember I failed a math test once and I cried I was so upset. 9:17 Speaker 2 Oh no. But did you improve later? 9:20 Speaker 1 Yes, my parents hired a tutor for me. She helped me understand math better and my grades improved. 9:27 Speaker 2 That's good. I had a similar problem with history. I couldn't remember all the dates and names, it was so boring for me. 9:35 Speaker 1 Everyone has subjects they don't like. That's normal. 9:38 Speaker 2 Absolutely. 9:40 Recalling Your First Day at University or Job Interview So, Emma, let's talk about first experiences. You know, the first time we did something. Those are important past memories, too. 9:48 Speaker 1 Oh, I love talking about first experiences. They're always special and memorable. 9:54 Speaker 2 What's a first experience you remember clearly? 9:57 Speaker 1 I remember my first day at university. I was so nervous I didn't know anyone and the campus was so big I got lost trying to find my classroom. 10:08 Speaker 2 What happened? 10:10 Speaker 1 Finally, I asked another student for help. She was very kind and walked me to the building. We became friends after that. 10:18 Speaker 2 Oh, that's a sweet story. First days are always scary but exciting. What about you? What's a memorable first experience? I remember my first job interview. I was 22 years old. I wore a new suit and prepared answers to questions. 10:34 But when I got there, I was so nervous that I forgot everything. 10:38 Speaker 1 Oh no. What happened? 10:41 Speaker 2 The interviewer was very nice. She asked simple questions and made me feel comfortable. In the end I didn't get the job, but it was good practice. 10:49 Speaker 1 That's true. The first time is always a learning experience. 10:54 Speaker 2 Exactly, and now I'm much better at interviews. 10:57 Laughing About Past Embarrassing Moments and Mistakes Another type of past memory is embarrassing moments. Everyone has them. 11:03 Speaker 2 Oh, I have so many embarrassing moments, do you want to hear one? 11:07 Speaker 1 Of course. 11:08 Speaker 2 OK, when I was in college, I went to class one day. I sat down, took out my notebook and started listening to the professor. After 30 minutes I realized I was in the wrong classroom. 11:21 Speaker 1 No way. What did you do? 11:24 Speaker 2 I waited until the professor wasn't looking and then I quietly left. My face was so red, I was so embarrassed. 11:32 Speaker 1 That is embarrassing, but it's also funny. 11:35 Speaker 2 Now it's funny, but at the time I wanted to disappear. What about you? Do you have an embarrassing memory? 11:42 Speaker 1 Yes, once I was at a restaurant with my friends. I waved at someone because I thought it was my friend but it was a stranger. I felt so stupid. 11:54 Speaker 2 Oh, that happens to everyone. It's not too bad. 11:57 Speaker 1 I know, but I still remember it clearly. 12:00 Speaker 2 These embarrassing moments are part of life. They make good stories later. 12:05 Speaker 1 That's true. Now, Jack, let's talk about important life events in the past, like graduations, weddings, or getting a new job. 12:15 Discussing Important Life Events and Their Impact Yes, these are big moments. They change our lives. What's an important life event from your past? 12:22 Speaker 1 I think getting my first apartment was very important. I moved out of my parents house when I was 25. It was scary but exciting. I had my own space and independence. 12:34 Speaker 2 That's a big step. How did you feel? 12:37 Speaker 1 At first I felt lonely, but then I loved it. I could decorate the apartment my way, cook whatever I wanted, and invite friends over anytime. 12:47 Speaker 2 That sounds wonderful. What about you, Emma? What's an important event from your past? 12:53 Speaker 1 I think starting my own business was the most important. I quit my office job five years ago and started working for myself. It was risky, but it was the best decision. 13:04 Speaker 2 Wow, that's brave. Were you scared? 13:07 Speaker 1 Very scared. I worried about money and failure, but I also felt excited and hopeful. And now, five years later, I'm happy I took the risk. 13:18 Speaker 2 That's inspiring. So these big life events are important parts of our past. They shape who we are today. 13:25 Speaker 1 Exactly. And when we share these stories with others, we use the past tense. 13:31 Speaker 2 Right, we say. I moved, I started, I quit. I felt all past tense. 13:38 Speaker 1 Yes, and we can add details to make the story more interesting. We say when it happened, how we felt, what we did and what the result was. 13:48 Speaker 2 That's a good point. Details make stories come alive. 13:52 Speaker 1 So, Jack, we've talked about many types of past memories, recent past childhood, school, first experiences, embarrassing moments, and important life events. 14:05 Speaker 2 Yes, we covered a lot, and all of these help us practice talking about the past in English. 14:11 Reviewing Essential Vocabulary for Talking About the Past You know Jack, while we were talking, we used many useful words and phrases. Let's go through some of them to help our viewers understand better. 14:19 Speaker 2 Great idea. Let's start with the vocabulary. 14:22 Speaker 1 First word productive. This word means you did a lot of work or accomplished many things. When your day is productive, you feel good because you completed your tasks. 14:33 Speaker 2 Oh yes, you used this word earlier. You said that sounds like a productive gay. 14:38 Speaker 1 Exactly. For example, yesterday was very productive, I finished all my work or I had a productive meeting. We solved many problems. 14:48 Speaker 2 I can say I want to be more productive at work. I waste too much time. 14:53 Speaker 1 That's perfect. What's your most productive time of day? 14:57 Speaker 2 I'm most productive in the morning. My brain works better then. 15:01 Speaker 1 Me too. OK, next word, sibling. This word means your brother or sister. It's a simple word to talk about all your brothers and sisters together. 15:11 Speaker 2 So instead of saying my brothers and sisters, I can say my siblings. 15:16 Speaker 1 Yes, exactly. For example, I have three siblings or my sibling lives in another country. 15:23 Speaker 2 That's very useful. How many siblings do you have? Is a common question. 15:27 Speaker 1 Right, next phrase grew up. This is the past tense of grow up. It means the place or situation where you lived as a child. 15:37 Speaker 2 Yes, we both use this. You said I grew up in a small town and I said I grew up in a city. 15:43 Speaker 1 Exactly. For example, I grew up in Brazil or she grew up in a big family. 15:49 Speaker 2 And we can also say, where did you grow up to ask about someone's childhood home? 15:54 Speaker 1 Perfect next word Memorable. This word means something you remember clearly because it was special or important. 16:02 Speaker 2 Oh I love this word. A memorable experience is 1. You never forget. 16:07 Speaker 1 Yes, For example, my wedding was the most memorable day of my life. Or that was a memorable trip. I'll never forget it. 16:17 Speaker 2 I can say my first day at school was very memorable. 16:21 Speaker 1 Great example. What's your most memorable birthday? 16:24 Speaker 2 Probably my 18th birthday, my friends surprised me with a big party. 16:29 Speaker 1 That sounds wonderful. Next word embarrassing. This word means something that makes you feel shy, ashamed, or uncomfortable. 16:39 Speaker 2 Yes, we talked about embarrassing moments. Those are moments when you feel your face get hot and red. 16:46 Speaker 1 Exactly. For example, I made an embarrassing mistake in the meeting or that was so embarrassing I want to hide. 16:54 Speaker 2 I fell in front of everyone. It was so embarrassing. 16:58 Speaker 1 Perfect. Everyone has embarrassing moments. They're part of life. 17:03 Speaker 2 True Next word Field Trip This is a special school activity where students go outside the classroom to visit a museum, park, farm or other place. 17:14 Speaker 1 Yes, children love field trips because they're fun and educational. 17:19 Speaker 2 For example, our class went on a field trip to the zoo, or I remember a field trip to a Chocolate Factory. 17:26 Speaker 1 Oh, a Chocolate Factory sounds amazing. I want to go on that field trip. 17:32 Speaker 2 Me too. OK, next phrase stay in touch. This means to continue communicating with someone, usually by phone, e-mail or messages. 17:43 Speaker 1 Right when friends move away, we try to stay in touch. 17:46 Speaker 2 For example, let's stay in touch after graduation. Or I stayed in touch with my teacher. We still e-mail each other. 17:54 Speaker 1 Do you stay in touch with your old friends? Is a common question. 17:58 Speaker 2 Yes, and the opposite is lose touch or lose contact. That means you stop communicating. 18:05 Speaker 1 Good point, I lost touch with many friends from high school. 18:09 Speaker 2 Exactly next word tutor. This is is a private teacher who helps one student or a small group. A tutor gives extra help outside of regular classes. 18:20 Speaker 1 Yes, I mentioned that I had a math tutor. She helped me improve my grades. 18:25 Speaker 2 For example, I need a tutor for English or she works as a tutor on weekends. 18:31 Speaker 1 My son has a tutor for science. The tutor comes to our house twice a week. 18:36 Speaker 2 That's a great example. Next word, independent or independence. This means you can take care of yourself without help from others. 18:45 Speaker 1 Yes, when you move out of your parents house you gain independence. 18:49 Speaker 2 For example, I want to be more independent or she values her independence. 18:55 Speaker 1 Living alone teaches you independence. 18:58 Speaker 2 Perfect, and the noun is independence. He gained his independence when he got his. 19:03 Speaker 1 First job, excellent. Next word, risky. This means something is dangerous or you might lose something if you do it. 19:12 Speaker 2 Yes, starting a business is risky because you might lose money. 19:16 Speaker 1 For example, that's a risky decision. Or investing in stocks is risky. 19:22 Speaker 2 It's risky to quit your job without a plan. 19:25 Speaker 1 Exactly. But sometimes taking risks leads to good results. 19:29 Speaker 2 True. OK, last phrase come alive. This means something becomes interesting, exciting, or full of energy. 19:38 Speaker 1 Yes, I said details make stories come alive. This means details make stories more interesting and real. 19:46 Speaker 2 For example, the city comes alive at night, or her face came alive when she saw the surprise. 19:53 Speaker 1 The garden comes alive in spring with flowers and birds. 19:57 Speaker 2 Beautiful example. OK, let's quickly review all the vocabulary words we learned. 20:03 Speaker 1 Productive sibling grew up memorable embarrassing field trip, stay in touch, tutor, independent, risky and come alive. 20:17 Speaker 2 Those are all very useful words for talking about the past and telling stories. 20:22 Summarizing Key Strategies for Discussing the Past OK, Jack, that was a lot of talking about the past. 20:25 Speaker 2 Yes, we talked for a long time, but it was all useful conversation practice. 20:30 Speaker 1 Absolutely. So let's think about what we learned today. Let's review the main points. 20:36 Speaker 2 Good idea. 20:37 Speaker 1 1st, we learned about talking about the recent past. This includes yesterday, last week, last month, or a few years ago. We used the simple past tense and time words like yesterday, last week and ago. We use phrases like I worked yesterday, I visited my parents last week and I went to Paris two years ago. 20:59 Speaker 2 Right then we talked about childhood memories. This is when we were children or young. We use phrases like when I was a child or when I was young. We can talk about where we grew up, what games we played, what we were afraid of, and what pets we had. 21:15 Speaker 1 Exactly after that, we discussed school memories. These include field trips, graduations, favorite subjects, difficult subjects, and friendships. We learned phrases like I remember when my favorite memory is and I wasn't very good at. 21:32 Speaker 2 Then we talked about first experiences. These are special memories because they only happen once. The first day at university, the first job interview, the first apartment we use, my first and the first time I to talk about these moments. 21:48 Speaker 1 Yes and we also shared embarrassing moments. Everyone has them and they make good stories. We learned the word embarrassing and phrases like I was so embarrassed and my face was red. 22:01 Speaker 2 Finally, we discussed important life events. These are big moments that change our lives, like moving out, start a business or graduating. We use the past tense and add details about how we felt and what happened. 22:15 Speaker 1 That's right. So talking about the past is really simple. You use the past tense, add time words, include details about feelings and actions, and share your personal experiences. 22:27 Speaker 2 Exactly. And the more you practice, the easier it becomes. Now we. 22:31 Share Your Most Memorable Childhood Memory with Us Want to hear from you? This is our favorite part. 22:34 Speaker 2 Yes, we love reading your comments and learning about your lives. 22:38 Speaker 1 Our question of the day is what is your most memorable childhood memory and why? 22:44 Speaker 2 That's a great question. Let me answer first. My most memorable childhood memory is going to the beach with my family every summer. We stayed in a small hotel, played in the water, built sandcastles, and ate ice cream every day. It was pure happiness. 23:01 I remember it clearly because we were all together and life was simple. 23:06 Speaker 1 That's beautiful. My most memorable childhood memory is learning to ride a bicycle. My father held the back of the bike and ran with me. Then one day he let go and I rode by myself. I felt so proud and free. 23:21 I remember it because it was the first time I did something difficult all alone. 23:26 Speaker 2 See, we have different answers and that's OK Everyone has their own special memories. 23:32 Speaker 1 So viewers, we want to know about you. What is your most memorable childhood memory? Why do you remember it so clearly? 23:40 Speaker 2 It could be a birthday party, a trip, learning something new, a special friend, or just a normal day that felt perfect. 23:48 Speaker 1 Please tell us in the comments, write my most memorable childhood memory is and then Share your story. Or you can write I remember when and describe the moment. 23:59 Speaker 2 You can also just write a few sentences. For example, I remember playing with my dog in the garden. We played every day after school. I was so happy then. 24:09 Speaker 1 Exactly, it doesn't need to be long, just share something from your heart. 24:14 Speaker 2 We read all the comments and it helps us understand you better. Then we can make videos that are more useful for you. 24:21 Speaker 1 And it also helps you practice writing in English, so it's good for everyone. 24:25 Speaker 2 So please take a moment and write your answer in the comments below. 24:29 Final Thoughts: Keep Practicing English and Believe Thank you so much for watching today's video. We really appreciate you spending time with us. 24:34 Speaker 2 If you enjoyed this lesson, please give this video a big thumbs up. It tells us you want more videos like this. 24:41 Speaker 1 And if you haven't subscribed yet, please click the subscribe button and the little bell notification. That way you won't miss our new videos. 24:49 Speaker 2 We post new English conversation videos every day, and they're all designed to help you speak more naturally and confidently. 24:57 Speaker 1 You are all great students and we're so happy to be part of your English learning journey. 25:02 Speaker 2 Keep practicing, keep speaking, and don't be afraid to make mistakes. Remember, mistakes are how we learn. 25:09 Speaker 1 Every conversation is practice, even if it's just talking to yourself or writing in the comments. 25:15 Speaker 2 So keep going, stay positive, and believe in yourself. 25:19 Speaker 1 Have a wonderful day, evening and night wherever you are in the. 25:23 Speaker 2 World. Goodbye everyone. 25:25 Speaker 1 Bye.