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Lesson 63 of 240

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What the neighborhood is like in English

Tasha stops by Ana's three-flat on Larch Street. She wants to know what the block is like.

Ana learns how to say the streets are quiet, name the diner on the corner, and say the Blue Line is close.

She also answers how long she has lived here, and that everything she needs is nearby.

Pretty means quite in pretty quiet, not beautiful.

By the end of this lesson

Describe the neighborhood where you live, and say how long you have lived there.

  • It's pretty quiet around here.The streets near my home are not noisy.
  • There's a diner on the corner.A small restaurant sits at the corner.
  • The Blue Line is close by.The train is only a short walk away.
  • How long have you lived there?How much time have you lived in that home?
  • I've lived here two weeks.I moved in recently, two weeks ago.
  • Everything I need is nearby.The places I need are close to home.

Scene — the porch on Larch Street

Saturday on Larch Street. Ana and Tasha stand on the three-flat porch. A snow shovel sits by the door.

The Blue Plate is on the corner. Murray walks up the sidewalk in his peacoat, Ventra card on a cord. The jukebox is not here, but the diner is close.

Ana and Tasha stand on the porch beside a snow shovel, with the quiet street and corner diner around them.

Learn — quiet streets and a diner

Six lines help you talk about your block. You will say it is quiet, name a diner, and say how long you have lived here.

You will also say the train is close and shops are nearby.

  1. Ana looks out from the porch, taking in the quiet street.

    It's pretty quiet around here.

    The streets near my home are not noisy.

    When to use it: Say this when the streets near your home are not noisy.

    Pretty here means quite, not beautiful.

  2. Tasha gestures toward the small restaurant at the corner as Ana looks on.

    There's a diner on the corner.

    A small restaurant sits at the corner.

    When to use it: Say this to name a small restaurant at the street corner.

    There's is there is as one piece.

    Say it: There's sounds like one short word.

  3. The nearby elevated train tracks are visible beyond the quiet street, with Tasha on the porch in the distance.

    The Blue Line is close by.

    The train is only a short walk away.

    When to use it: Say this when the train is a short walk from home.

    Close by means near, so learn it as one piece.

    Say it: The stress is on Blue.

  4. Tasha opens a palm toward the three-flat while asking about Ana’s home.

    How long have you lived there?

    How much time have you lived in that home?

    When to use it: Ask this to learn how long they have been in a home.

    Lived is the form of live used after have.

    Say it: Have and you can link.

  5. Ana stands in the three-flat doorway with one hand resting on the frame.

    I've lived here two weeks.

    I moved in recently, two weeks ago.

    When to use it: Say this when you moved in two weeks ago.

    I've is I have as one piece.

    Say it: Lived ends with a d sound.

  6. Ana gestures toward the nearby neighborhood as Murray arrives on the sidewalk.

    Everything I need is nearby.

    The places I need are close to home.

    When to use it: Say this when the places you need are close to home.

    Nearby means close to where you live.

    Say it: The stress is on by.

Story — murray walks up

Watch Ana and Tasha on the porch. Tasha asks about the block, and Murray walks up.

The highlighted words are the lines you just learned.

  1. Tasha leans on the porch rail. The street is still.
  2. TashaHi. What's the block like?a friendly hello, then she asks about the streets
  3. AnaThe street is pretty quiet. So it's beautiful and not noisy?She thinks pretty quiet means beautiful and not noisy.
  4. TashaHere, pretty means quite. It doesn't mean beautiful.She says pretty means quite, not beautiful.
  5. AnaIt's pretty quiet around here.The streets near my home are not noisy.
  6. TashaHow long have you lived there?How much time have you lived in that home?
  7. AnaI've lived here two weeks. I'm new here.I moved in two weeks ago, and I just arrived.
  8. TashaSo, what's close?She asks what is near the building.
  9. AnaThere's a diner on the corner.A small restaurant sits at the corner.
  10. TashaAnd the train?She asks about the train next.
  11. AnaThe Blue Line is close by.The train is only a short walk away.
  12. Murray comes up the walk in his peacoat. His coffee is not with him.
  13. MurrayWell, I was just in the neighborhood.He says he was nearby, but he was not.
  14. AnaEverything I need is nearby.The places I need are close to home.

Practice — the block and how long

Eleven quick exercises wait here. You will listen, pick, match, fill a gap, and build a line.

They stay small, so the round moves fast.

0 of 11 done

  1. What did you hear?

  2. Match the pairs

    English

    It's pretty quiet around here.Drop the Simple English here
    There's a diner on the corner.Drop the Simple English here
    The Blue Line is close by.Drop the Simple English here
    Everything I need is nearby.Drop the Simple English here

    Simple English

    Drag a Simple English line onto its English, or tap one and then the other.

  3. What do you say?

    Tasha asks what sits at the corner of your block.

  4. What does it mean?

    The Blue Line is close by.

  5. Build the line

    How much time have you lived in that home?

    ?

    Tap the words in order.

  6. Fill the gap

    I moved in recently, two weeks ago.

    I've lived here two ____.

  7. Swap the word

    You tell Tasha that the places you need are close to home.

    Everything I need is ____.

  8. Pick the reply

    Tasha says:

    How long have you lived there?

    How much time have you lived in that home?

    And you reply with:

  9. True or false?

    This line asks what sits at the corner.

  10. What do you say?

    Tasha asks if you just arrived on this block. You say you did.

  11. Which one doesn’t belong?

Say it — tell her about the block

Now you're Ana on the three-flat porch with Tasha. 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. TashaHi. What's the block like?a friendly hello, then she asks about the streets
  2. Ana (you)Tell her the streets near your home are not noisy.

    It's pretty quiet around here.

    The streets near my home are not noisy.

0 of 5 said

Recap — what you can say now

EnglishSimple English
It's pretty quiet around here.The streets near my home are not noisy.
There's a diner on the corner.A small restaurant sits at the corner.
The Blue Line is close by.The train is only a short walk away.
How long have you lived there?How much time have you lived in that home?
I've lived here two weeks.I moved in recently, two weeks ago.
Everything I need is nearby.The places I need are close to home.
Next: lesson 64How my family is

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