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Talking about lunch

Episode 250801 / 01 Aug 2025

(Photo: Getty)

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Introduction

Neil and Beth have a real conversation in easy English about their lunches. Learn to talk about things you like to eat for lunch.

Grammar tips

Use prefer to talk about something you like more than something else. Prefer can be followed by a noun, an -ing form or an infinitive

  • I prefer sandwiches to soup for lunch.
  • I prefer eating away from my desk to having a working lunch.
  • I prefer to buy lunch rather than to bring in leftovers.

Would rather can also be used to talk about something you like more than something else. Would rather can be followed by the infinitive without to

  • I would rather go to a cafe for lunch.
  • I would rather eat something healthy for lunch.

skip
not have or do

working lunch
a lunch that you have while you are working

leftovers
where you don't finish a meal so you eat what is left the next day

Transcript

Beth
Hello and welcome to Real Easy English, the podcast where we have real conversations in easy English to help you learn. I'm Beth.

Neil
And I'm Neil. There is a video version of this podcast on our website, where you can also find a worksheet and transcript to help you learn. It's at bbclearningenglish.com.

Beth
Hi, Neil, how are you?

Neil
I'm hungry.

Beth
Me too. I'm starving.

Neil
Well, that's good, because we're talking about lunch today.

Beth
We're recording this just before lunch, so it's no wonder that we're both very hungry.

Neil
You might be able to hear our tummies rumble because we're hungry.

Beth
OK. So, shall we begin?

Neil
Yes. Let's do it.

Beth
What have you got for lunch today?

Neil
Today for my lunch, I have chicken with potatoes and vegetables in a harissa paste.

Beth
Oh, that sounds really nice.

Neil
Yeah, it's leftovers actually, which I have heated up and brought in in a little flask.

Beth
What are leftovers?

Neil
Good question. Leftovers. That's food from a meal that you've already had that you didn't finish, and you can heat it up and eat it again.

Beth
Yes. I also have leftovers for my lunch today. So, yesterday I made a pasta for lunch with vegetables in it and I have that.

Neil
So, Beth, what do you usually have for lunch? Is it usually leftovers or something else?

Beth
It's usually leftovers when I come into work because it's easier, and then I don't need to buy lunch. But if I go out and buy food, then I would usually go for something like sushi or ramen. What about you? What do you usually have for lunch?

Neil
Yeah. Sometimes I have leftovers that I bring in. Sometimes, I buy a sandwich, for example.

Beth
What's your favourite kind of sandwich?

Neil
If I have a sandwich, if I buy a sandwich for lunch, I like to get things like smoked salmon. Nice. With pickles maybe, yeah.

Beth
There's a really good baguette I like actually that has smoked salmon and egg mayonnaise in it. Oh, it's so nice.

Neil
Stop it.

Beth
Sorry.

Neil
I'm so hungry.

Beth
Me too. Neil, do you ever skip lunch?

Neil
No. No way. I would be in a horrible mood if I skipped lunch.

Beth
I don't understand how anyone can skip any meal. I need to eat all my meals.

Neil
Yeah. Otherwise, you get hangry.

Beth
Exactly. 'Hangry' is hungry and angry. I'm on the… I'm almost getting hangry now. What's your favourite meal? Is it lunch? Breakfast? Dinner?

Neil
I think the evening meal is probably my favourite because we sit at the table and chat and it's the biggest, nicest meal of the day and you don't really have to do anything after so you can relax.  

Beth
Yeah that's good. I really like brunch which is that sort of in between breakfast and lunch, maybe 10:00. And I might have eggs and bacon and hash browns and avocado, a big meal full of lots of good food, like a brunch.

Neil
Do you ever have a working lunch?  

Beth
I do occasionally if I'm working from home because I can carry on working and eat quickly. And then in my actual lunch break, I might have a nice long walk or something like that, but when I'm in the office, I don't want to eat at my desk.

Neil
No. Me neither. I don't really like working lunches. I would rather eat my lunch without working.  

Beth
Yeah, I'd prefer the same, really.

Let's recap the language we heard during the conversation. We had 'skip', which means not have or do. For example, I never skip lunch.

Neil
We heard 'working lunch', which is when you eat your lunch while you're working.  

Beth
We also had 'leftovers', which is when you don't finish a meal, so you have more of it at a different time, like the next day.

Neil
And we talked about which meals and food we prefer. If you prefer something, you like it better than something else.

Beth
Yes. And another phrase we can use to say this is 'would rather'. For example, I'd rather have sushi than a sandwich for lunch.

Neil
That's it for this episode of Real Easy English. Test what you've learned with a worksheet on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.

Beth
And make sure you join us again for another easy English conversation. We'll be back next week. See you soon.

Neil
Goodbye.

 

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