In today's lesson, we are going to talk about the names of some major countries, the main languages they speak, and the adjectives used to describe somebody from that country. Usually the noun for the language spoken is the same as the adjective for somebody from that country. For instance in France, the French speak French. But there are also exceptions: In the United States, most Americans speak English. Note too that in English, unlike many other languages, even the adjectives are usually written with a capital letter!
Let's start off with two countries whose names have only one syllable.
And where would I like to go? That's easy: France.
Caption 8, Parts of Speech - Question Words
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People speak French in France, and as noted above, the adjective for something from France is also "French." One of the few national adjectives in English that is not standardly written with a capital letter is in the term "french fries." This is what is called a "misnomer" or mistaken name, because so-called french fries probably came from Belgium or the Netherlands!
He was throwing french fries at you?
Caption 38, 7-10 Split - Short Film
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And on to the Greeks in Greece, who speak Greek:
...especially those who were considering going to Greece.
Caption 15, Job Interviews - Mr. Alan Hint Monologue
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"K" is a very old letter. It comes from the Greek letter "kappa."
Caption 12, The Alphabet - The Letter K
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There are a lot of countries whose languages and nationalities end in the letters -ish. Note that the adjective for somebody from Britain is "British," but they usually speak "English" in the form of "British English":
The day after Christmas is called Boxing Day in Britain.
Caption 38, Christmas Traditions - In the UK
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We also drop the letter "r" at the end of words in British English.
Caption 29, British vs American - English Pronunciation Lesson
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And on to Spain, where the Spanish speak Spanish:
I should speak in Spanish because Custo Barcelona is a Spanish designer.
Caption 13, New York Fashion Week - Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA Take Over
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Here I am in Southern Spain in the height of summer
Caption 2, Tara's Recipes - Delicious Fruit Salad with Greek Yoghurt
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Further Learning
Go to Yabla English and find more videos that use some of the following country names, languages, and nationalities. You can also see a more complete list of countries, their people, and their languages here.
Country Language Nationality
France French French
Greece Greek Greek
Britain English British
Denmark Danish Danish
Finland Finnish Finnish
Poland Polish Polish
Spain Spanish Spanish
Sweden Swedish Swedish
Turkey Turkish Turkish
It's another new year — and this time around, it's a new decade as well! Let's take a look at some examples relating to the New Year in Yabla videos:
New Year's Day is on January first or on the first of January.
Caption 39, Sigrid explains - Numbers
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Uh, my New Year's resolution is to just, like, keep going at the gym.
Caption 7, Ashley Tisdale - Happy New Year!
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A "New Year's resolution" is a promise you make to yourself about something you want to do in the New Year, usually something expressing a wish to somehow become a better person.
On the twelfth day after Christmas, we have to take down all the decorations and the tree, or else it's bad luck for the New Year.
Captions 47-48, Christmas Traditions - in the UK
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Depending on people's beliefs, the Twelfth Night fell on either January 5th or January 6th this year, so you'd best have your Christmas tree taken down by now!
On New Year's Eve we checked out the rings of Saturn.
Caption 15, Jason Mraz - Tour of Studio
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Looking through a telescope at the stars is not a traditional pastime on New Year's Eve, but perhaps it should be...
The second part of Brick Lane is a party atmosphere,
for younger people and the younger generation to celebrate,
and they're very famous for their New Year's parties.
Captions 24-26, London - Brick Lane
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And it's where people gather for the New Year's celebrations.
Caption 7, London - City Sights
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The place in the second caption is London's Trafalgar Square, so a couple of suggestions here if your next New Year's Eve is going to be celebrated in the UK!
Further Learning
Look for more videos relating to New Year's day on Yabla English to improve your English in this context!
In English, cardinal numbers (for example, "one," "two," or "three") refer to quantity, whereas ordinal numbers ("first," "second," or "third") refer to distribution. Ordinal numbers are used in dates and fractions. They are employed as adjectives to describe importance, position in a list, and placement in time.
Generally, ordinal numbers are created by adding -th to the end of the cardinal number. However, there are exceptions for the numbers one (first), two (second), three (third), five (fifth), eight (eighth), nine (ninth), and twelve (twelfth).
I've been nervous. I think you know it's my first video ever.
Caption 31, Adele - The Making of 'Chasing Pavements'
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It is the world's sixth largest country by total area.
Caption 3, Soccer World Cup - Australia
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On the twelfth day after Christmas, we have to take down all the decorations and the tree.
Caption 47, Christmas traditions - in the UK
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Starting with twenty, the ordinal numbers for multiples of ten (for example, thirty or ninety) are created by replacing the "y" with "ieth."
And we've got the one year celebration on the thirtieth of May.
Caption 30, FIFA U-20 World Cup New Zealand 2015 - New Zealand getting the word out
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This may seem like a lot to remember. However, for other numbers above twenty, only the last figure is written as an ordinal number:
English is the language of the twenty-first century.
Caption 8, Strothoff International School - Imagefilm
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They have a wonderful internet café on the forty-seventh... forty-eighth floor.
Caption 67, An Apartment - in Japan
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Further Learning
Memorize the ordinal numbers from one to twenty with the help of this extensive list of ordinal numbers and find more examples on Yabla English.
As we approach the end of December, many people are looking forward to having some time off. The “holiday break," “Christmas break,” or "winter vacation" observed by schools gives students up to two weeks off. Universities may have closer to a month of time off. Workplaces and offices close as well, although not for so long!
It is a time to relax and a time to spend with family and friends. If the weather outside is cold, there are some classic outdoor activities that people enjoy, although you may decide to simply stay nice and warm indoors.
And nowadays Rose and I do down-hill skiing primarily.
And nowadays Rose and I do down-hill skiing primarily.
Caption 73, Ask Jimmy Carter - Interview with Former US President Jimmy Carter
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She could only rest in a corner next to the fireplace,
She could only rest in a corner next to the fireplace,
Caption 11, Yabla Fairy Tales - Cinderella
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Many families take time to do activities like baking or cooking together, and also decorate to their homes.
And what's your favorite part of the Christmas dinner?
And what's your favorite part of the Christmas dinner?
Caption 13, Christmas in London - People
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But, up until that point we decorate our houses with lots of different things.
But, up until that point we decorate our houses with lots of different things.
Caption 6, Christmas Traditions - In the UK
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Many people are also preparing for the holidays and the tradition of exchanging presents:
I like getting presents and sending Christmas cards.
I like getting presents and sending Christmas cards.
Caption 13, A Charlie Brown Christmas - Opening
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...and then unwrap our presents and all the family will be there.
...and then unwrap our presents and all the family will be there.
Caption 12, Christmas in London - People
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Of course, the holidays can be stressful, especially if you are late with the preparations!
So they're looking for their last-minute presents for their loved ones.
So they're looking for their last-minute presents for their loved ones.
Caption 3, Christmas in London - People
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Our Yabla English team wishes you a lovely winter break and holiday season, filled with relaxation and the warm company of family and friends!
Further Learning
Go to the links listed above, or do your own search for Yabla English videos that reference holiday traditions. Another idea: look up the English words for the presents you are giving people this year if you don’t know them already.
A preposition is a type of word that express spatial or temporal relations. Here is a list of known English prepositions. There is no set of rules for learning prepositions, and the prepositions from one language often do not translate directly into another. It's best to learn English prepositions by getting used to using them in context. Today, let's take a look at the preposition "at."
The preposition "at" can be used to express the time of day:
And at three o'clock the Queen comes on and she gives her speech.
And at three o'clock the Queen comes on and she gives her speech.
Caption 24, Christmas Traditions - In the UK
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Or to indicate a place:
As you can see behind me, we are at Buckingham Palace.
As you can see behind me, we are at Buckingham Palace.
Caption 1, In London with Lauren - Buckingham Palace
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Or to indicate an activity or proficiency with something:
So I'm very good at working as part of a team.
So I'm very good at working as part of a team.
Caption 34, Business English - The Job Interview
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Or very commonly when mentioning an email address. The "at symbol" (@) in an email address is also called... at!
You can email us at...
You can email us at...
Caption 50, The Egoscue Clinic of Austin - Exercises for Lower Back Pain
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Further Learning
Search for examples of the preposition "at" on Yabla English to see them used in a real-world context.
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