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Real Easy English

Easy level

Talking about pets

Episode 240802 / 02 Aug 2024

(Image: Getty)

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Introduction

Georgie and Neil have a real conversation in easy English about pets. Learn to talk about the animals you own or will own in the future.

Vocabulary

ever
at any time

never
not at any time

man's best friend
a common expression to describe dogs

purring
the noise a cat makes when it's happy

Transcript

Neil
Hello and welcome to Real Easy English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.

Georgie
And I'm Georgie. In this podcast we have real conversations in easy English about a different topic each week.

Neil
And you can read along with the podcast using the script on our website: bbclearningenglish.com

Georgie
Hi, Neil. How are things?

Neil
Very good, thank you. How are you, Georgie?

Georgie
Yes, I'm pretty good thank you as well. So, Neil, what are we talking about today?

Neil
We are talking about animals. We'll be talking about pets.

Georgie
OK, Neil. So do you have any pets?

Neil
No, I don't have any pets. But I know you do, Georgie.

Georgie
Yes, I do. I have a black dog called Rafi.

Neil
Rafi? Did you choose the name?

Georgie
Partly, but it was a decision we made as a family.

Neil
Did you have pets as a child?

Georgie
Yes, I did. We used to have cats actually, we started with cats and then we got a dog and then we also had hamsters. What about you, Neil? Did you have pets?

Neil
No, we didn't have pets when I was young. Oh, I did have a goldfish called Gilbert. But then later on when I was a teenager, my parents got a cat and a dog.

Georgie
Wow! Did you have a good relationship with Gilbert?

Neil
I don’t remember Gilbert, sadly. But we had a cat that I liked very much and I've never really liked dogs, I'm afraid.

Georgie
So, Neil, you don't have any pets now. And you said you don't like dogs, but will you ever get one?

Neil
No, Georgie. I don't think so. I will never get a dog.

Georgie
That's OK. I mean, they're not for everyone. What was your cat like?

Neil
The cat made me feel very calm because she sat on my lap and purred.

Georgie
You just used the word purr. Can you explain what that is?

Neil
Yeah. Purring is the noise that cats make. Not miaow. Miaow is[makes miaow noise]. Purring is [makes purring noise]. And the cat made that noise and made me feel calm.

Georgie
Neil, that was a really good purr sound. I would say it was perfect!

Neil
So, Georgie, what was your first dog like?

Georgie
My first dog was really lovely. I actually used to say that she was my best friend. And we actually have a common expression to describe dogs which is man's best friend. Man here means human so human’s best friend. That's because dogs are usually quite loyal.

Neil
OK, so, Georgie, we've talked about dogs and cats, those kind of pets, and hamsters and goldfish. But have you ever thought about getting an exotic pet like a snake?

Georgie
No, not really. When I think of pets, I think of fluffy animals with fur. But I do have a friend that got a scorpion recently, which I really don't understand. Would you ever get an exotic pet?

Neil
No, absolutely not. I think I would be scared of an exotic pet.

Georgie
Yes.

Neil
To be honest.

Georgie
Yeah. They just seem dangerous.

Neil
Let's recap the vocabulary we learned during the conversation.

We had ever, which means at any time. And you asked me Georgie, will I ever get a dog?

Georgie
We've had never, which means not at any time. So, Neil, you said you will never get a dog.

Neil
We heard man's best friend, which is a common expression to describe dogs.

Georgie
And purring, the noise a cat makes when it's happy.

Neil
That's it for this episode of Real Easy English. You can find more programmes and courses to improve your English at bbclearningenglish.com

Georgie
In the next episode, we'll talk all about schools.

Neil
See you then, goodbye.

Georgie
Bye!

Now try this...

Learn how to use the present perfect tense to ask and answer questions.

 

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