My Weekly Hobby
Level: A2-B1 | Duration: 1-2 minutes
TRANSCRIPTION
Hello, welcome to Easy English Today with Minh! Today, I want to talk about my favorite hobby.
My name is Minh, and I love cooking. Every weekend, I spend about two hours in the kitchen. I usually cook Vietnamese food, but sometimes I try new recipes from different countries.
Last Saturday, I cooked a delicious chicken curry. First, I prepared the ingredients. Then, I cut the vegetables into small pieces. After that, I added the spices and coconut milk to make the sauce. While the chicken cooked, I prepared rice on the side. Finally, after thirty minutes, the dish was ready!
Cooking is relaxing for me. It helps me reduce stress. I also love eating the food I make, and my family enjoys it too. My favorite part is when my friends come over and I can share my cooking with them.
Do you have a hobby? Maybe cooking, drawing, or playing sports? Tell me about it! I would love to hear your story.
Thank you for listening. See you next time!
TRANSCRIPTION WITH IPA
I’ll reorganize this English lesson with the transcription first and IPA notation below in proper international format:
Easy English Today with Minh
Hello, welcome to Easy English Today with Minh!
/həˈloʊ | ˈwɛlkəm | tə | ˈizi | ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ | ˈtudeɪ | wɪð | mɪn/
Today, I want to talk about my favorite hobby.
/təˈdeɪ | aɪ | wɑnt | tə | tɔk | əˈbaʊt | maɪ | ˈfeɪvərət | ˈhoʊbi/
My name is Minh, and I love cooking.
/maɪ | neɪm | ɪz | mɪn | ənd | aɪ | lʌv | ˈkʊkɪŋ/
Every weekend, I spend about two hours in the kitchen.
/ˈɛvəri | ˈwikɛnd | aɪ | spɛnd | əˈbaʊt | tu | ˈaʊərz | ɪn | ðə | ˈkɪtʃən/
I usually cook Vietnamese food, but sometimes I try new recipes from different countries.
/aɪ | ˈjuʒuəli | kʊk | viɛtˈnɑmiːz | fud | bət | səmˈtaɪmz | aɪ | traɪ | nu | ˈrɛsɪpiz | frəm | ˈdɪfərənt | ˈkʌntriz/
Last Saturday, I cooked a delicious chicken curry.
/læst | ˈsætərdeɪ | aɪ | kʊkt | ə | dɪˈlɪʃəs | ˈtʃɪkən | ˈkɛri/
First, I prepared the ingredients.
/fɜrst | aɪ | prɪˈpɛrd | ðə | ɪnˈɡridiənts/
Then, I cut the vegetables into small pieces.
/ðɛn | aɪ | kʌt | ðə | ˈvɛdʒtəbəlz | ɪnˈtu | smɔl | pisɪz/
After that, I added the spices and coconut milk to make the sauce.
/ˈæftər | ðæt | aɪ | ˈædɪd | ðə | ˈspaɪsɪz | ənd | ˈkoʊkənʌt | mɪlk | tə | meɪk | ðə | sɔs/
While the chicken cooked, I prepared rice on the side.
/waɪl | ðə | ˈtʃɪkən | kʊkt | aɪ | prɪˈpɛrd | raɪs | ɑn | ðə | saɪd/
Finally, after thirty minutes, the dish was ready!
/ˈfaɪnəli | ˈæftər | ˈθɜrdi | ˈmɪnəts | ðə | dɪʃ | wəz | ˈrɛdi/
Cooking is relaxing for me.
/ˈkʊkɪŋ | ɪz | rɪˈlæksɪŋ | fər | mi/
It helps me reduce stress.
/ɪt | hɛlps | mi | riˈdus | strɛs/
I also love eating the food I make, and my family enjoys it too.
/aɪ | ɔlsoʊ | lʌv | ˈitɪŋ | ðə | fud | aɪ | meɪk | ənd | maɪ | ˈfæməli | ɛnˈdʒɔɪz | ɪt | tu/
My favorite part is when my friends come over and I can share my cooking with them.
/maɪ | ˈfeɪvərət | pɑrt | ɪz | wɛn | maɪ | frɛndz | kʌm | ˈoʊvər | ənd | aɪ | kən | ʃɛr | maɪ | ˈkʊkɪŋ | wɪð | ðɛm/
Do you have a hobby? Maybe cooking, drawing, or playing sports?
/du | ju | hæv | ə | ˈhoʊbi | ˈmeɪbi | ˈkʊkɪŋ | ˈdrɔɪŋ | ər | ˈpleɪɪŋ | spɔrts/
Tell me about it! I would love to hear your story.
/tɛl | mi | əˈbaʊt | ɪt | aɪ | wʊd | lʌv | tə | hɪr | jər | ˈstɔri/
Thank you for listening. See you next time!
/θæŋk | ju | fər | ˈlɪsənɪŋ | si | ju | nɛkst | taɪm/
VOCABULARY
| Word | Pronunciation | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| hobby | /ˈhɑbi/ | An activity you enjoy doing in your free time | Reading is my hobby. |
| cooking | /ˈkʊkɪŋ/ | Preparing food by heating | I love cooking Vietnamese food. |
| weekend | /ˈwikɛnd/ | Saturday and Sunday | I go to the market every weekend. |
| ingredients | /ɪnˈɡridiənts/ | Things you use to make food | The ingredients for a cake are flour, eggs, and sugar. |
| recipe | /ˈrɛsɪpi/ | Instructions for making food | I found a new recipe online. |
| curry | /ˈkɜri/ | A dish with spices from South Asia | Chicken curry is delicious. |
| spices | /ˈspaɪsɪz/ | Seasonings like salt, pepper, and garlic | I use many spices in my cooking. |
| coconut milk | /ˈkoʊkənʌt mɪlk/ | Liquid from coconuts | Coconut milk is used in Thai food. |
| sauce | /sɔs/ | Liquid that you add to food | The sauce makes the dish taste better. |
| prepare | /prɪˈpɛr/ | To get something ready | I prepare the vegetables before cooking. |
| reduce | /rɪˈdus/ | To make something less or smaller | Exercise helps reduce stress. |
| relax | /rɪˈlæks/ | To rest and become calm | I relax by listening to music. |
| share | /ʃɛr/ | To use or enjoy something with others | I share my food with my family. |
| delicious | /dɪˈlɪʃəs/ | Very tasty; good | The pizza was delicious. |
| usually | /ˈjuʒuəli/ | Most of the time | I usually wake up at 7 a.m. |
| while | /waɪl/ | During the time that | While he cooks, I set the table. |
| finally | /ˈfaɪnəli/ | At the end | We worked hard. Finally, we finished. |
GRAMMAR POINTS
1. Present Simple (Habitual Actions)
- Form: Subject + Base Verb
- Usage: Regular or repeated actions
- Examples from podcast:
- “I love cooking.”
- “Every weekend, I spend about two hours in the kitchen.”
- “I usually cook Vietnamese food.”
2. Past Simple (Finished Actions)
- Form: Subject + Past Verb
- Usage: Actions that happened at a specific time in the past
- Examples:
- “Last Saturday, I cooked a delicious chicken curry.”
- “First, I prepared the ingredients.”
- “Then, I cut the vegetables.”
3. Time Expressions and Sequencing
- First, Then, After that, Finally – Show order of events
- Examples:
- “First, I prepared the ingredients.”
- “Then, I cut the vegetables.”
- “After that, I added the spices.”
- “Finally, the dish was ready.”
4. While + Clause (Simultaneous Actions)
- Form: While + past simple, past simple
- Usage: Two actions happening at the same time in the past
- Example:
- “While the chicken cooked, I prepared rice on the side.”
5. Present Perfect with “helps”
- Form: Subject + helps + (object) + base verb
- Usage: General effects or benefits
- Example:
- “It helps me reduce stress.”
6. Question Formation
- Yes/No Questions: Do/Does + Subject + Base Verb?
- “Do you have a hobby?”
- WH-Questions: WH-word + do/does + Subject + Base Verb?
- “What is your hobby?”
- “Why do you enjoy cooking?”
7. Comparison with “but”
- Usage: To show contrast
- Example:
- “I usually cook Vietnamese food, but sometimes I try new recipes.”
KEY EXPRESSIONS
| Expression | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| “I love + -ing” | Express strong like | I love cooking. |
| “It helps me…” | Explain benefit | It helps me reduce stress. |
| “Tell me about…” | Ask for information | Tell me about your hobby. |
| “My favorite part is…” | Express preference | My favorite part is when friends visit. |
| “I would love to + verb” | Express interest | I would love to hear your story. |
LEARNING TIPS
- Listen and repeat: Play the audio and repeat sentences to improve pronunciation.
- Focus on sequencing words: “First, Then, After that, Finally” are very useful for A2-B1 learners.
- Notice the transition: From present simple (habitual) to past simple (one event).
- Practice the IPA: Especially for words like “delicious,” “ingredient,” and “recipe.”
- Make your own: Try describing your hobby using the same structure!
Sample Response Activity:
Try answering these questions:
- Do you have a hobby?
- What hobby do you enjoy?
- When do you practice your hobby?
- How does it make you feel?
- Can you describe it using “First… Then… Finally…”?
