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Conversation Lesson 24
 
Lesson 24 - Yesterday Was Amazing!

In this lesson Anna discovers a festival - the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall. What does she learn there about Basque culture?
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Lesson Video

Watch the video and then do the activities on this page.
Video Script

Anna: Yesterday was the most amazing day. I want to tell my friend back home about it. So, I am writing her a letter!
Anna: Dear Penelope,
Life in Washington, D.C. is interesting. I see something new every day -- like yesterday. Yesterday started like a usual work day.
Anna: I said, "Yesterday started like a usual work day."
Anna's voice: I was at work. And I wanted a break. So, I walked and walked … and walked. Then, I saw something! It was a festival -- a big festival!
Anna: It is the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.
Anna's voice: Yes. It was the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Every year the festival shows different cultures. This year one of the cultures was the Basque culture.
There was dancing and food and games!”
Anna: I am dancing a traditional Basque dance.
Anna's voice: At the festival, I danced a traditional Basque dance!
Anna: They are cooking traditional Basque food.
Anna's voice: They cooked a lot of traditional Basque food.
Anna: They are playing a game. It’s a kind of handball. What do they call it? They call it pilota!
Anna's voice: They played a game with their hands and a small ball. It’s a kind of handball. But this game is called pilota.
Anna: This is beautiful! This is traditional Basque art.
Anna: They are making a traditional Basque ship. This festival is a lot of fun!
Anna's voice: The whole day was a lot of fun!
Anna: Who said that? I want to write my friends and tell them about my day!
Anna: … So, I wanted to tell you about my day! Please, my friend, come visit Washington, D.C. soon. There is a lot to do! Until next time … Anna.
Listening

Now practice listening to only the audio portion of the conversation.
Speaking

Learn to pronounce the new words for this lesson. You also learn about the words people use in English when they cannot remember a word, or they do not know a word.
Pronunciation

Use this video to learn about three ways to pronounce the past tense ending of regular verbs.
New Words
  • was - v. past tense of the verb "be" in first or third person (I was; he/she/it was)
  • Basque Country - n. region of Spain
  • culture - n. the beliefs, customs, or arts of a particular society
  • festival - n. an organized series of performances
  • handball - n. a game for two or four players who use their hands to hit a ball against a wall
  • interesting - adj. attracting your attention and making you want to learn more about something or to be involved in something
  • said - v. past tense of the verb "say"
  • traditional - adj. following the tradition of a certain group or culture
Past tense verbs
  • start - started
  • want - wanted
  • walk - walked
  • dance - danced
  • play - played
  • call - called
Activity

Tell about a party or festival in your town. Write about it in the Facebook Comments section below. Then practice using the past tense with a friend. Click lesson activity to get the printable PDF version. The page opens to a new window.
Source: Voice of America
 
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