New Furniture

Hello everyone and welcome to EnglishPod.

My name is Marco.

My name is Catherine.

Today we've got an intermediate level lesson for you.

If you're interested in buying furniture for your house, you should like this lesson.

Exactly.

We are going to talk about a ton of different furniture items that you can get to decorate

your house to make it all nice.

So we're going to talk about a lot of vocabulary today.

Pay attention while you're listening to some of the pieces of furniture that we talk about

and we'll be back in a moment to talk more about them.

How about this floor lamp?

Fine, just get it.

We have been shopping for furniture for five hours.

I'm so tired.

We still need to find an armoire and a dresser.

Fine.

I'm going to go home and drop off this nightstand, coffee table, and loveseat while you look

for the rest of the things.

Great.

Pick me up in about an hour because I think I'll also get a bean bag and a dining set.

While you're at it, can you pick up a nice recliner?

I really want one so I can watch TV.

Recliner?

In my beautifully decorated living room?

I don't think so.

Alright, we're back.

So now what we're going to do is since we have so much vocab, we're going to take a

look at this language in two parts.

So now let's go to Language Takeaway Part 1.

Language Takeaway

Okay, so everyone's heard of a lamp, a light.

This is something that you use to read in the dark, for example, to see in the dark.

But in this case we have a floor lamp.

So this is a lamp you put on the floor.

Yes, exactly.

So usually this lamp would be a lot taller.

It'll maybe be like a meter taller, a meter and a half maybe.

Okay, so for example, in your living room next to your sofa, you might have a very tall

floor lamp.

This allows you to get more light in the room.

Right, so sometimes you know the center light in your living room is not enough.

You want maybe more light in the corners, you get a little floor lamp.

Okay, so that's the first item.

Now that we go to the bedroom, we are getting an armoire.

Okay, an armoire.

This is kind of like a wardrobe.

It's a piece of furniture we use to keep clothes in, but usually they're hanging clothes.

Okay, so a closet is usually inside a wall, right?

Right, so a closet's a part of your house.

It's not furniture.

Right, so an armoire is the same as a closet, but it's not in the house, like in the walls.

It's outside.

It's a piece of furniture.

It's a big box.

Yeah, I could pick it up and move it.

Okay.

Yes, so an armoire is a tall place to keep clothing.

Usually you hang your clothes.

You hang your shirts and your dresses and your coats.

And moving on, we have a dresser.

Now this seems pretty straightforward.

To get dressed, you have a dresser.

Yeah, it makes a lot of sense, but there is a big difference here between an armoire and

a dresser.

A dresser is usually drawers.

So you keep your sweaters, your shirts, your socks, your underwear in a dresser.

Okay, so an armoire, as you said, usually you hang your shirts or your pants.

It's for hanging stuff only.

A dresser is you have different drawers where you can put your socks, your boxer shorts,

and any other things that you keep.

Exactly.

Okay, very good.

So two very handy words, and that's what makes the difference between a closet.

So many people say, oh, it's just a closet.

Well, a closet's different.

No, a closet is actually part of your house.

It's a part of the wall.

Maybe it has a door.

Yeah, there's a big difference there.

Okay.

So moving on, we have a nightstand that's also usually in the bedroom.

That's right.

So I always wondered, why is it called a nightstand and not a daystand?

Well, a nightstand, it makes sense.

It usually has a lamp on it, a light on it.

And so when you're in bed and you want to read, you have a nightstand next to you to

put your lamp so you can turn the lamp on.

Usually I also keep my books here.

So when I'm reading, I put my books down, then I go to sleep.

Some people also keep their glasses and their alarm clock on a nightstand.

It's a small table that stands next to your bed.

Very good.

And our last word for language takeaway part one, we have a coffee table.

Okay.

So with the coffee table, Marco, we're moving back into the living room.

And in the living room, you have a sofa, you have some chairs.

You need a table, but you don't want a big table.

You want a small table or a very short table.

This is a coffee table.

It's called a coffee table.

I'm not really sure why.

I guess because if you're having coffee in the living room, this is where you put the

coffee.

That's right.

And we even have something called coffee table books.

These are big, beautiful books, hardback books that have many pictures that you put on your

coffee table to look nice.

It's not for you to actually read all the time.

Well, I read them, but it's more important to use these books to look nice.

This is interesting though, because in many other countries, they're not really called

a coffee table.

A direct translation wouldn't really help you in many cases.

I think in Chinese, it's called a tea table, not a coffee table.

It makes sense.

Right?

I know in Spanish, it's just called a center table.

Okay.

So this is basically the low table you have in your living room next to your sofa, in

front of your sofa actually, so you can have tea or coffee and read books.

Or put your feet up while you're watching TV.

Not in my house when I was a kid.

All right.

Why don't we go back, listen to the dialogue again, and we'll be returning a little bit

with more vocab.

How about this floor lamp?

Fine.

Just get it.

We have been shopping for furniture for five hours.

I'm so tired.

We still need to find an armoire and a dresser.

Fine.

I'm going to go home and drop off this nightstand, coffee table, and loveseat while you look

for the rest of the things.

Great.

Pick me up in about an hour because I think I'll also get a beanbag and a dining set.

While you're at it, can you pick up a nice recliner?

I really want one so I can watch TV.

Recliner?

In my beautifully decorated living room?

I don't think so.

All right.

We're back.

So now, let's take a look at Language Takeaway Part 2.

Language Takeaway

Coming up, we have one of my favorite phrases in the English language.

I don't know why I like it so much, but it is a great name for a piece of furniture.

A loveseat.

Loveseat.

Okay.

Okay.

It sounds very romantic.

It does.

A loveseat.

Well, think about a sofa.

A sofa can be very large.

You can have four or five people on a sofa.

Right.

But a loveseat is a small sofa for two people.

Okay.

So that's what makes the difference, right?

It's a sofa, but only two people can sit on this.

That's right.

So a sofa, it's not a loveseat.

And what about if it's one, because usually sofa sets, you have a loveseat, a big one,

and you have one, sometimes an individual one.

Do you just call that a chair?

Yep.

A chair.

A chair.

Okay.

Exactly.

We'll come to it in a minute.

There's a special kind of chair that it might be, but we're not quite there yet.

First, we have another kind of chair, which is very special and reminds me a lot of the

1970s.

Right.

We have a bean bag, and this is actually a piece of furniture that's still very popular

in many places.

And it's called a bean bag because it's a huge bag that is filled with beans.

Right.

Beans or something soft.

And when you sit on it, it looks like a ball, but when you sit on it, it can change shape.

Right.

It molds to what shape you are.

And usually they're very light.

A lot of times, I hate to say it, a lot of times bachelors' apartments have these.

That's right.

It's actually a very cheap piece of furniture, and it's comfortable.

Sometimes if you're watching TV, you can just sit on your bean bag and watch TV.

Even I know some people may fall asleep on a bean bag as guests.

I've never slept on, well, maybe once, but I don't remember sleeping on a bean bag.

I imagine it's quite uncomfortable.

Yeah, for your back.

But moving on after a bean bag, which is a good informal piece of furniture, we have

a dining set, which is a lot nicer.

Okay, dining set.

All right.

So a dining set has many pieces.

You have a dining room table.

Right.

And you have chairs.

So a set is basically a collection of a table and chairs together.

Sometimes I think it will also include some type of piece of furniture that's next to

the dining table where you can keep your plates and you can keep your teacups and all that.

What's that called?

That's called a buffet.

And that's basically, it's like a dresser for your dining room.

Right, exactly.

It's got like drawers and stuff for your plates, your cups, like you said, and it's next to

the dining room table.

But the dining room set or the dining set is for the dining room.

It's the table where you eat dinner.

Okay, very good.

And now moving on to that special chair that I am a big fan of.

It's very comfortable to sit on and it's called a recliner.

So we have a word here, recline.

It means to lie back, to put your head back, to get comfortable.

So a recliner is a chair that you can change the shape of to make you lie down flat.

So when you sit down, you're sitting, but what if you want to lie down in a chair?

This chair lets you do that.

And it also, from the bottom part where your feet are, a little thing pops up so you can

rest your feet on top of this little extension of the chair.

Okay, so it has a built-in footrest.

Footrest, exactly.

So it's very comfortable.

It's very popular.

If you ever watch the series Friends, they have the recliners.

It's very comfortable to watch sports, for example.

You have your beer.

Joey has his recliner.

And remember when Joey and Chandler lived together, they have the two recliners in front

of the TV.

Those chairs are recliners and they're very, very popular.

Actually I think in the United States, they're very commonly known by the brand, Lazy Boy.

That's right.

There's a brand.

It's not a kind of furniture, but it's the name of the brand.

It's Lazy Boy and they're very, very famous.

You're right, Marco, for their reclining chairs.

Exactly.

So Lazy Boys, you may hear it, but the real word for it is called a recliner.

So a lot of interesting pieces of furniture there.

I think our house is going to look amazing.

So why don't we go back and listen to the dialogue one last time.

How about this floor lamp?

Fine.

Just get it.

We have been shopping for furniture for five hours.

I'm so tired.

We still need to find an armoire and a dresser.

Fine.

I'm going to go home and drop off this nightstand, coffee table, and loveseat while you look

for the rest of the things.

Great.

Pick me up in about an hour because I think I'll also get a beanbag and a dining set.

While you're at it, can you pick up a nice recliner?

I really want one so I can watch TV.

Recliner?

In my beautifully decorated living room?

I don't think so.

All right, we're back.

So talking about furniture, it's very interesting.

How do you take it home?

What do you do?

In this case, they were transporting it themselves.

The guy said, I'm going to go home and drop off this nightstand, coffee table, and loveseat.

So to drop off.

Okay, this is a great verb.

To drop off.

It's a verbal phrase.

So the preposition there is off, not on.

So I could say, for example, Marco, I'm just going to drop off my bag at home and then

I'll meet you guys for dinner.

That means I'm going to go to my house and put down my bag and then I'll leave.

So to drop off is basically to go somewhere so you can put something in that place.

But it doesn't mean that you're going to go to that place and stay there.

So if I say, I'm going to drop off the kids at school, that means I'm going to take the

kids and leave them at school and then go away.

It doesn't mean you're going to school yourself.

So can you drop off the laundry at the dry cleaners, please?

Very good.

So drop off the laundry to the dry cleaners, leave it there and then go somewhere else.

So what happens at three o'clock when the kids are still at school?

That's right.

Now we use the opposite verbal phrase and that is to pick up.

Okay, drop off, pick up.

So you go pick up the kids.

You go pick up the laundry.

So this isn't just about picking something up from a table or the ground.

You can actually use your car to pick something up.

Right.

You go and retrieve it.

So I'm going to the post office to pick up my package.

Very good.

So phrases that you're going to have to use if you're talking about furniture, if you're

talking about buying something.

And while we're on the topic, I know that one of the most popular places to buy furniture

is Ikea.

Are you a big fan of Ikea?

I like Ikea and I love what they've done for people who don't want to spend too much money

on furniture.

Furniture is expensive.

Furniture is very expensive.

You can spend $5,000 on a sofa.

And so Ikea is a wonderful brand and I think a wonderful company because it makes good-looking

furniture affordable.

And it's because you put it together yourself, right?

That's right.

A lot of things you have to assemble or put together by yourself.

So you buy it in a box and then you make it.

It's a little bit frustrating sometimes, but for people like me, and I'm sure people like

you, part of the fun is putting stuff together.

Yeah, because you kind of feel like you kind of built it, but you really didn't.

So it kind of gives you that false sense of accomplishment.

It's like I'm in the 19th century and I can make my own furniture.

So it's very popular.

And apart from having great furniture, I understand that they have amazing meatballs.

They do.

Well, I'm a Swedish.

I never get to eat Swedish meatballs.

And here in China, they do have some of the better meatballs around.

So I would recommend if you haven't tried them, try them.

They're pretty good.

Yeah, go to IKEA.

Go to IKEA, have some dinner.

Let me know.

Our website is EnglishPod.com.

Do you like IKEA and do you love their meatballs?

All right.

We'll see you guys there.

Bye.

Go to our website.