How to Talk About Your Family in English

What you'll learn

Key phrases this episode

Episode chapters

• 00:00Your colleague asks about your family
• 00:24One word, then silence
• 00:43The problem this episode fixes
• 00:49Welcome to Polyglot English
• 00:57What you will know by the end
• 01:13Plus Word Tour and Say It Better
• 01:27Family is a story, not a list
• 01:35The biggest lie about family English
• 01:41You do not need perfect grammar
• 01:56What do you remember
• 02:09Four moves: the family map
• 02:21Leo's story: the work dinner
• 02:31One question, no answer
• 02:57The waiter saved you
• 02:59Never practised this topic
• 03:18Move one: the family map
• 03:28Start with the centre
• 03:41Name, place, one detail
• 03:55Younger and older, never elder
• 04:12The wider map: sibling
• 04:29Only child and twins
• 04:43The blended map
• 04:58The married map: in laws
• 05:11Practice: say your map
• 05:25Move two: describe, do not list
• 05:43Name plus one vivid detail
• 05:54The job frame
• 06:10The place frame
• 06:24Personality words
• 06:39Try it: one person, one detail
• 06:52Move three: relationship frames
• 07:04Close is the magic word
• 07:13Time frames
• 07:28News in the present continuous
• 07:44Trap: married and has
• 07:59Trap: four of us
• 08:09The growing up frame
• 08:21One memory beats ten facts
• 08:33Scene: Sunday lunch
• 08:41We arrive at noon
• 09:00Simple verbs, real life
• 09:19Celebrations: we always gather
• 09:34The always frame
• 09:46The introduction drill
• 10:02I will model it once
• 10:31Move four: ask about their family
• 10:41The safe questions
• 10:53Ask, then share
• 11:06Follow up questions
• 11:20Questions to avoid
• 11:37A polite door, closed gently
• 11:50The awkward middle
• 12:01Passed away
• 12:18Not in touch
• 12:29Divorced, plain and neutral
• 12:38Steer with one honest sentence
• 12:51One honest sentence, one kind question
• 13:02Learner questions
• 13:14Describe the person, not the word
• 13:31Complicated families
• 13:38Simple beats perfect
• 13:55Emotion is not bad English
• 13:59Slow down, breathe
• 14:20Three answers, one rule
• 14:26One more scene: a year later
• 14:36The table leans in
• 14:50A story invites the next question
• 15:07Word Tour with Nina: seven words
• 15:13Sibling
• 15:21In laws
• 15:31Extended family
• 15:42Only child
• 15:51Twins
• 15:59Close knit
• 16:08Grown up
• 16:19Seven words, say them again
• 16:30Say It Better: eight mistakes
• 16:35Married and has
• 16:42Cousin, not cousin sister
• 16:52Passed away, not no more
• 16:57Four of us
• 17:05Older, not elder
• 17:11Brother is enough
• 17:19A homemaker
• 17:27Any brothers or sisters
• 17:40Eight upgrades
• 17:48The whole episode in one minute
• 18:26The dinner, replayed
• 18:45A list ends, a story invites
• 18:55Never recite, always tell a story
• 19:02Never freeze, always answer and ask back
• 19:11Your turn: tell us in the comments
• 19:24Practise this week
• 19:37One last drill
• 19:50Say it with us now
• 20:07Muscle memory
• 20:13This was Polyglot English
• 20:19I am Leo
• 20:21See you in the next episode

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