Speak English With Vanessa

Free PDF Worksheet

Repeat With Me: Speaking Practice
Dear English Learner,

Get ready to speak confidently with all the top phrases for daily life English. I recommend
reading these sample sentences out loud, watching the original YouTube lesson here, and using
the blank space on the last page to answer my challenge question using what you’ve learned.
Thanks so much for learning English with me!

Your teacher,
Vanessa

I know exactly what it’s like to feel embarrassed when you forget the words you want
to say or don’t understand important instructions.

to feel embarrassed: to feel shy, ashamed, or guilty

Pronunciation: em-BEAR-ussed

As a French learner, I felt frustrated that I couldn’t understand my French host family.

frustrated: feeling anxiety or annoyance because of an inability to change or

achieve something

Pronunciation: FRUH-stra-ded

I almost ruined my host family’s clothes because I didn’t understand what they said!

ruined: to permanently damage something

Pronunciation: ROO-end

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When my host mom asked me to help hang up (“étendre”) the wet laundry, I
misunderstood. I thought she had asked me to turn off (“eteindre”) the washing
machine.

to hang up: to place something on a line, hook, or hanger

to turn off: to stop the operation of a machine

I made that mistake for 3 days in a row! After 3 days, my host mom asked me,
“Vanessa, our clothes are still wet and starting to smell bad. Why didn’t you hang up the
laundry?”

Pronunciation: asked: as’ed

I told her that I had followed her instructions correctly, but then she told me the
difference between “to hang up” and “to turn off” in French. instructions: information
about how something is to be done

Pronunciation: instructions: in-STRUK-shuns

I wish that someone had helped me figure out what people were saying and how I
could speak naturally myself.

Pronunciation: naturally: na-chru-ly

After hundreds of hours of frustration and making mistakes (and smelly laundry), I finally
could understand and speak with my French host family and their friends. I could create
real relationships and feel more confident speaking.

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 ​Vanessa’s Challenge Question
​ se the space below to write a few sentences answering this question: Describe a time
U
that you were embarrassed due to a miscommunication or misunderstanding.

​Sample answer: One time, I was eating dinner in a fancy restaurant. It was the nicest
restaurant I had ever been to, so I was nervous that I was going to do something wrong
and embarrass myself in front of my date. When the waiter came to remove our empty
plates at the end of the meal, I thought they were reaching in for a handshake. I shook
the waiter’s hand! They were surprised and confused, and I was embarrassed. They
were polite about it and didn’t laugh at me–but my date did!

​Enjoying my English lessons??

​>>Click here to start speaking fluent English with me!<<

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