Farm Animals

Hello everyone and welcome back to EnglishPod.

My name is Marco.

My name is Kathryn and today we have a wild lesson for you at the elementary level.

That's right.

We are actually going to visit a farm.

So yeah, it's going to be fun.

We're going to see a lot of animals.

And not only that, but we're going to learn a lot of interesting words and phrases in

English today.

But before we get started, let's take a look at vocabulary preview.

Vocabulary preview.

Old MacDonald had a farm, ee-yah, ee-yah-oh.

And on his farm he had a duck, ee-yah, ee-yah-oh.

We're not going to be teaching you this song today.

Don't worry.

You don't have to listen to us sing.

We do have a great word to start us off.

It's called, the word is country.

Okay, so you know country as like the United States.

Mexico.

Mexico, China, etc.

But in this case, we are going out to the country.

Not out of the country, we're going out to the country.

To the country, okay?

The country, or you might hear, the countryside is a place that's not like a city.

So it's the opposite of city.

It means there's lots of grass, it's very natural, there are very, very few houses and

people, it's very quiet.

So it's the opposite of a busy city.

It's the country.

You have a lot of animals.

So usually, farms are found on the countryside or at the countryside.

In the countryside.

So usually farms are found in the countryside.

That's right.

And I personally am a big fan because it's so quiet and peaceful.

Yeah, very good.

We can talk about that in a minute.

Let's listen to today's dialogue first and then we'll be back to talk about some of the

words and phrases.

Isn't this great?

I always wanted to own a farm, live out in the country, grow my own food.

This is very beautiful.

Though I have to confess, I don't know the first thing about farming.

That's fine.

Don't worry about it.

What was that?

Relax.

It was just a goat.

And that?

It's just the cows that are grazing over there.

We can milk them later.

What was that?

Honey, seriously.

It's just a sheep.

Relax.

Relax.

That was just the horses and donkeys that are in the stable.

You know what?

I don't think I can hack it out here in the countryside.

I'm going back to the city.

All right, we're back.

So obviously some people cannot go to the countryside.

That's right.

Some people get very, very upset.

In fact, there was a whole TV show in America that was about city people living in the countryside.

Let's see if they can do it, right?

That's right.

All right, but before we talk about that, why don't we take a look at four key words

in language takeaway.

Language takeaway.

The first word is the name of an animal.

Okay, so you've all heard of cows, but have you heard of goats?

A goat.

A goat.

All right, so a goat is a strange looking animal.

It's kind of skinny.

What do you get from a goat?

You can actually drink goat's milk.

Many people like to eat goat's cheese, which is cheese made from goat's milk.

Okay, so a goat.

We heard the sound that a goat makes, so I think it's pretty clear what a goat is.

They're very common, as we say, in farms, such as sheep and horses, cows, etc.

That's right, and normally, when they're in the wild, they like to live in rocky places,

like mountains.

Right, that's why they say they're very good climbers, because they don't fall off the

mountains.

All right, and well, if you have cows, then they're probably going to be grazing.

Okay, so to graze is a verb.

It's something we do.

Well, we people don't do it.

Animals do it.

It's a way for us to describe how animals, like cows, eat.

Means to eat grass.

Okay, so if your cows or horses are grazing, that means they're eating grass somewhere

out.

That's right, they're walking, they stop, they eat some grass, they walk, they stop

again.

It's a very slow process.

All right, so cows are usually grazing out in the countryside, and well, once they finish

grazing and they get all fat, then in the mornings, you have to milk them.

Okay, so we drink milk.

Milk is a thing, but it's also a verb.

So to milk something.

All right, and if you milk a cow, is when you extract the milk, the liquid from them.

That's right, so underneath a cow, there's an udder, or underneath a cow, there are udders,

which you have to squeeze with your hands to make the milk come out.

Okay, an interesting word as well, udder.

It's like that big bag full of milk.

Exactly, so to milk a cow.

All right, and you have cows out in the fields grazing, and probably your horses and donkeys

are going to be in the stable.

The stable is a place, okay, so this is something that's often found on farms, where the horses

or the cows live.

It's a structure, it's a building for those animals.

Okay, so they're probably separated in different little rooms or compartments, and that's called

a stable.

So as you say, you usually find horses and cows and donkeys in there.

That's right, so a stable is a way to protect animals from the weather.

All right, very good.

So four key words there as we just saw.

Why don't we listen to this dialogue again, and we'll be back soon.

Isn't this great?

I always wanted to own a farm, live out in the country, grow my own food.

This is very beautiful, though I have to confess, I don't know the first thing about farming.

That's fine, don't worry about it.

What was that?

Relax, it was just a goat.

And that?

It's just the cows that are grazing over there.

We can milk them later.

What was that?

Honey, seriously, it's just a sheep.

Relax.

Relax, that was just the horses and donkeys that are in the stable.

You know what?

I don't think I can hack it out here in the countryside.

I'm going back to the city.

All right, we're back.

So now let's take a look at Fluency Builder.

Fluency Builder.

You know, Marco, I have to confess.

I love Fluency Builder.

All right, and that's our first phrase for today.

I have to confess.

Okay, so to confess is to tell someone something that's a secret.

So we can confess with a priest.

So we can confess to a priest.

We can confess a secret to a friend.

But I have to confess is a very common phrase.

It's a way for us to start a sentence.

I have to confess.

So you're saying I have to be honest with you.

I have to tell you the truth.

Exactly.

So I have to confess.

I'm not a huge fan of that sweater.

So I have to be honest.

I really don't like your sweater.

This is a way for us to be more polite when we're saying something that's negative.

And in this case, it was a girl who was confessing and what she confessed is her second key phrase.

I don't know the first thing about farming.

Okay, so I don't know anything about farming.

There's another way we could say this or I don't know a thing about farming.

But I don't know the first thing about farming means I don't even understand what a farm

is.

Okay, the first thing is what is a farm?

I don't even understand what a farm is for.

This is a way for us to say I don't know anything at all about this.

And if we change the noun, right, and we can say for example, I don't know the first thing

about cars.

So I have no idea what models they are or what type of engine they have.

I don't know the first thing about cars.

All I know is how to turn them on.

Right.

Or I don't know the first thing about wines.

I'd love to learn about wine, but I don't know the first thing about it.

Okay, so it's a phrase that you can use with many, many different nouns, right?

I don't know the first thing about architecture.

I don't know the first thing about English.

Right, well, we do and that's why we're here to help you.

But this is a really great phrase to describe not understanding anything at all about something.

Right.

So this is a really great way to describe not knowing anything at all about something.

Okay, and well, obviously since she didn't know the first thing about farming, she ended

up leaving and she said, you know what?

I don't think I can hack it out here in the countryside.

Okay, so I can hack it, he can't hack it.

We use this with the verb to be able to and it means I don't think I can do this.

I think this is too hard.

Or maybe if somebody quit, right, after a week at the office and you can say he couldn't

hack it.

He couldn't hack the pressure and he left.

Exactly.

So that means to handle or to be able to handle or to withstand.

So I just don't think I can hack the cold.

Right, I can't handle the cold.

It's too cold here.

I'm moving somewhere warm.

All right, so I'm sure you guys will be able to hack our dialogue one last time.

So let's listen to it and we'll be back.

Isn't this great?

I always wanted to own a farm, live out in the country, grow my own food.

This is very beautiful, though I have to confess, I don't know the first thing about farming.

That's fine.

Don't worry about it.

What was that?

Relax.

It was just a goat.

And that?

It's just the cows that are grazing over there.

We can milk them later.

What was that?

Honey, seriously, it's just a sheep.

Relax.

Relax.

That was just the horses and donkeys that are in the stable.

You know what?

I don't think I can hack it out here in the countryside.

I'm going back to the city.

All right, we're back.

So as you said, you're a fan of the countryside and about farming, right?

That's right.

Well, I wish I knew more about farming.

I don't know the first thing about milking a cow, but I do come from a part of the world

in Illinois near Chicago where we have a lot of farms and I appreciate the quiet and having

animals around and being able to go on long walks without cars and horns and bicycles.

It is actually a little bit refreshing to be out in the countryside sometimes and not

even have internet or cell phone coverage or anything.

So it's just basically you can't do anything else but relax, read a book, talk to people.

Now an interesting thing about this is a lot of people take for granted the countryside

because I've met many people who live in the city, who grew up in the city and have never

seen, for example, a live chicken.

And when they see it, they just freak out and take pictures with the chicken or a cow

or something.

It's amazing.

That's so funny.

That's really funny.

Well, I think it's very valuable.

I think there are very valuable skills that you learn being out in the countryside like

how to cook for yourself.

There's no one else who can cook for you or how to get food from animals.

Or maybe you can't even use a microwave.

So how do you cook without a microwave or something?

That's right.

And I think the biggest problem for city people when they come to the countryside is that

it's dirtier.

You know, you get mud and there are bugs.

And I imagine some of our co-workers here having a very hard time in the countryside.

Yes, indeed.

So why don't you guys come to our website EnglishPod.com.

Let us know what you think about this.

Maybe you're very familiar with the countryside or have a relative who's a farmer.

It's great.

Visit us EnglishPod.com and if you have any questions or comments, you can leave them

there as well.

Can't wait to hear from you.

Happy studies.

Bye everyone.

But now I'm confused how he 1999!