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Lesson 236 of 240

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Retelling the year in English

Ana sits in a booth by the window at the Blue Plate. Dee pours coffee. Murray listens from two stools at the end.

A year in Chicago is a lot: the diner, the L, the snow, and the job downtown.

Today you will tell a year story with a point. The point is you belong.

You will open with what happened, look back at day one, and end with home.

By the end of this lesson

Tell the story of your year with a point.

  • A lot has happened this year.This year was full of events.
  • When I first got here, I knew nothing.On day one I did not understand this place.
  • Later I found out ___.After some time I learned ___.
  • What surprised me most was ___.The biggest unexpected thing was ___.
  • If I had to pick one thing, it's this.The most important piece is this one.
  • In the end, this became home.After everything, I feel I belong here.

Scene — the booth by the window

Same afternoon at the Blue Plate. Ana, Dee, and Murray take a booth by the window. The street is gray. The coffee pot is still full.

Murray's cup is never empty, because Dee keeps filling it. The jukebox by the door stays quiet. Nobody talks about B7.

Ana, Dee, and Murray sit together in the Blue Plate window booth on a gray afternoon.

Learn — tell the year with a point

Six lines help you tell a year in order, from the first day to the point.

You name what you learned, what surprised you, and why this place feels like home.

  1. Ana holds her mug and turns toward the people at the table as she begins her story.

    A lot has happened this year.

    This year was full of events.

    When to use it: Say this when you start a story about the whole year.

    Has happened looks at the whole year from today.

    Say it: The -ed in happened sounds like d.

  2. Murray sits beside his full coffee cup as the story begins with its first part.

    When I first got here, I knew nothing.

    On day one I did not understand this place.

    When to use it: Use this when you look back at your first day in a new place.

    Got here is the past tense of get here, said the Chicago way.

  3. Dee leans across the table with the coffee pot while Ana listens.

    Later I found out ___.

    After some time I learned ___.

    When to use it: Use this when you name a fact you learned later.

    Found out means you learned a fact after some time.

  4. Ana turns toward the window and rests one palm against the glass as she reflects on her first day.

    What surprised me most was ___.

    The biggest unexpected thing was ___.

    When to use it: Use this when you name the biggest surprise.

    Most here means the biggest surprise, not a number.

  5. Dee pours coffee for Murray at the booth table while indicating the mugs.

    If I had to pick one thing, it's this.

    The most important piece is this one.

    When to use it: Say this when you name the one most important thing.

    It's is a contraction you say as one piece.

  6. Murray looks through the diner window toward the street while Ana and Dee sit in the booth behind him.

    In the end, this became home.

    After everything, I feel I belong here.

    When to use it: Say this at the end, when the place feels like yours.

    Became is the past tense of become.

Story — she belongs

Watch Ana tell the year at the booth. She starts at day one and ends with home.

The highlighted words are the lines you just learned.

  1. Afternoon light hits the booth. Dee sets down three cups.
  2. DeeAlright, hon. Tell us the year. Start at the beginning.She wants Ana to tell the year as a story.
  3. AnaA lot has happened this year.This year was full of events.
  4. MurrayTo start with, this is what happened.I will begin with the first part of the story.
  5. AnaWhen I first got here, I knew nothing.On day one I did not understand this place.
  6. DeeYou came in for coffee and looked at the menu like it was a test.Dee remembers Ana's first visit.
  7. AnaLater I found out the diner was the easy part.After some time she learned the diner was the easy part.
  8. MurraySo. The L, then. You take it every morning now.He brings up her morning train.
  9. AnaWhat surprised me most was the snow. The city just stopped.The biggest unexpected thing was the snow, when the city stopped.
  10. DeeAnd then downtown. The job. Marcus and his three-sentence plans.She names the downtown job next.
  11. AnaIf I had to pick one thing, it's this.The most important piece is this one.
  12. MurrayThe job, I mean?He guesses the important thing is work.
  13. AnaNo. What I like best here is the people.The best part of this place is the people.
  14. DeeYou're one of us now, sweetie. You know that, right?She says Ana belongs here now.
  15. AnaI'm used to it now.This feels normal for me at this time.
  16. The jukebox clicks over by the door. Nothing plays. Dee does not turn.
  17. MurrayWell. That coffee's still here.His cup is still full.
  18. AnaIn the end, this became home.After everything, I feel I belong here.
  19. DeeSee you tomorrow, hon.A goodbye until the next day.

Practice — the year in order

Ten short exercises wait here. You will listen, fill a gap, build a line, and put a story in order.

They stay on the year story, so the point stays clear.

0 of 10 done

  1. What did you hear?

  2. What does it mean?

    When I first got here, I knew nothing.

  3. What do you say?

    You are telling your year. The first day is done. You name a fact you learned after some time.

  4. Fill the gap

    The biggest unexpected thing was ___.

    What surprised ____ most was ___.

  5. Pick the reply

    Dee says:

    So what's the one thing, hon?

    She wants you to name the one most important thing.

    And you reply with:

  6. Build the line

    After everything, I feel I belong here.

    , .

    Tap the words in order.

  7. True or false?

    This line is how you end a year story.

  8. Swap the word

    The habit feels normal for you at this time.

    I'm ____ to it now.

  9. What do you say?

    You name the best part of this place. It is the people, not a building.

  10. Put the chat in order

    1. AnaWhat comes first?
    2. Murray…
    3. Ana…
    4. Dee…
    5. Ana…

    Tap the line that comes next, or drag it into the chat.

Say it — say the year back

Now you're Ana in the booth. Dee and Murray are listening. When it's your turn, tap the microphone and speak the line.

Tap play first if you want to hear the line. Your recording stays on your device.

  1. DeeTell us the year, hon.She wants to hear Ana's year story.
  2. Ana (you)Start the story of this year.

    A lot has happened this year.

    This year was full of events.

0 of 6 said

Recap — what you can say now

EnglishSimple English
A lot has happened this year.This year was full of events.
When I first got here, I knew nothing.On day one I did not understand this place.
Later I found out ___.After some time I learned ___.
What surprised me most was ___.The biggest unexpected thing was ___.
If I had to pick one thing, it's this.The most important piece is this one.
In the end, this became home.After everything, I feel I belong here.
Next: lesson 237The trip story, told properly

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Keep practicing with Yak Cards

Want to keep this year story handy? Grab the Yak Cards for this lesson and review them anywhere.

A quick round with the Yak Cards each day keeps your year story ready to tell.

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