Phrases for language learning

Research has shown that language is best learnt by being exposed to lots of comprehensible input
before speaking. Also, it is better to learn to understand whole phrases than just stand-alone words. It
is best to start with the most commonly used elements of the language, and progress to more
specialised language later.

Therefore the phrases in this document are based on the 200 most occurring words in English.
Although the exact words may differ between languages and cultures, these are a good starting point.

Don't only focus on these phrases, though, you will need some encounter-oriented sets of phrases, too.
Each set will have these components: start the conversation, accomplish some goal, close the
encounter.
Some examples of encounter-oriented phrase sets
• meeting a friend in the street and being friendly
• going into a shop and buying something

We are looking for pictures for each of these phrases. These pictures should be copyright-free, or fall
under Creative Commons. If you find any, please contribute them by sending them to
hendrik.v@world-outreach.com

man, woman, boy, girl, baby, people

He is a man
She is a woman
I am a girl
You are a boy
We are women
You (pl) are men
The baby is small
They are people

mother, child, son, daughter, father, parents

I have a daughter
I have a son
I love my father
The mother is holding the baby
The parents have many children
The child is playing

Father & mother are parents

Brother & sister

Greetings etc
Hello
Good morning
Good afternoon
Good evening
Goodbye
My name is Emma
What is your name?

Survival
Where is the toilet?
Get a doctor
Call the police
I do not understand you
Help me!
Can anyone speak English?
What is this?
I am allergic to sea food
I feel sick
I am learning to speak …
Leave me alone
Stop doing that
I am thirsty
I want a taxi

House, school, office, hospital, outside, shop

The family are in the house
The children go to school
The father works in the office
The child is in the hospital
The baby is outside
She goes into the shop

car, bus, train, road, town, truck

car, bus, train, road, town, truck
The car is red
The train is blue
The town is big
The road is black
The truck is colourful
There is a red and green car
The bus is green, not black
The white car is bigger than the red car

like, want, need, not have, can

The woman likes coffee
I want water
He needs a doctor
I do not have money
You can keep the book

in, on, under, behind, left, right

The baby is in the car
The child sits on the car
The man is under the car
The black car is behind the yellow car
This is my left hand
This is my right hand

go, come, see, do, know, play

The father goes to work
She comes into the house
I see a white car
He is doing his work
We know that baby
The children are playing

young, old, big, bad, good, happy

The man is young
The father is old
The house is big
That smells bad
I have good news
The baby is happy

bedroom, kitchen, lounge, dining room, bathroom, room

The children are playing in the lounge
The mother cooks in the kitchen
The father sits in the dining room
The baby is sleeping in the bedroom
Someone is in the bathroom
The room is big

one, two, three, four, five, six

The boy has one ball
The girl has two balls
The boy has three balls
The girl has four balls
The boy has five balls
The girl has six balls

make, think, take, give, bring, leave

She makes tea
The man is thinking
The child takes the ball to his mother
The father gives the ball to his son
The father brings the money into the house
The parents are leaving

pay, found, put, eat, ask, not like

The girl pays for the food
He found the ball
She puts the food on the table
The family eat the food
The man asks for food
The child does not like the food

night, morning, hour, time, day, week

Children sleep at night
It is early in the morning
The bus comes every hour
What is the time?
They work during the day
The week has seven days

world, person, paper, book, word, idea

The world is round
That person is a policeman
The paper is white
He reads the book
“man” is one word
I have an idea

seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve

There are seven dogs
There are eight dogs
There are nine dogs
There are ten dogs
There are eleven dogs
There are twelve dogs

door, window, floor, wall, roof, building

The door is red
The window is open
She sits on the floor
The wall is old
The roof is black
There is one building

buy, sell, price, market, how much, many

Where can I buy a phone?
They sell books
The price is $10
The market is nearby
How much does this cost?
How many books do you need?

Say, hear, write, rest, walk, run

She is saying ''Hello”
Do you hear the radio?
He is writing a letter
The old man is resting
The baby can walk
The girl runs fast

twenty, fifty, hundred, thousand, million

me, you, us, them, him, her

The woman is speaking to me
The woman is speaking to you
The woman is speaking to us
The woman is speaking to them
The woman is speaking to her
The woman is speaking to him

put, look, feel, try, find,

thirty, forty, sixty, seventy, eighty, ninety

end, information, fire, street, thing, things
[What about beginning?]
The is the end of the road
The information is on the paper
The fire is hot
There is a car in the street
What is that thing?
What are these things?

this, that, what, here, there, which

This is a ball
That is a girl
What is this?
Here is your food
There goes the car
Which one is yours?

New, short, little, few

The blue car is new
That man is short
I like the little book
There are a few people

The man sleeps in his bed.

The truck carries rice.

The ship transports cars.

People fly in the aeroplane.

Yes, no, but, because, unless, or

Yes, I am a woman
No, I am not a boy
I will go, but I need a car
It is hot because of the sun.
There won't be a chair for you unless the people leave.

Help needed
We need some good examples of phrases illustrating tenses as well. Especially past perfect, past
continuous, present continuous, etc. Please send any of these to the e-mail mentioned at the beginning
of this document.