Conversational

English

Beginner
Level 1
         Conversational  English                  Level  1  
 
Syllabus  
 
1. Greetings  and  Alphabet    
2. Numbers,  Telephone  and  Age  
3. Nationality,  Jobs  and  Marital  Status  
4. Introductions  and  Questions  
5. Family  and  Traits  
6. This,  These,  That,  and  Those  
7. Prepositions  and  Nature  Words  
8. Location  Words  and  Commands    
9. There  Is  and  There  Are    
10. Rooms  in  a  House  and  Furniture  
11. Ordinal  Numbers  and  Date    
12. People,  Pronouns,  and  Simple  Present  
13. Telling  Time  
14. Colors  and  Adjective  Placement  
15. Clothes  and  Possessives    
16. Body  Parts  
17. Questions    
18. Comparisons    
19. Present  Continuous    
20. Sports  and  Leisure  and  the  Infinitive  
Conversational English Level 1 - Lesson 1

CLASS RULES • Arrive on time.

• Turn off your cell phones.
• Use your English!
Greetings:
Hello! / Hi!
Good morning! How are you? I’m fine. (I am fine)
Good afternoon! What is your name? My name is_______.
Good evening!

Leaving phrases:
Goodbye / Bye-bye Have a good morning!*
See you later. *(afternoon, evening, day, night)
See you tomorrow. Good night!

Dialogue 1:
John: Hello. Sarah: My name’s Sarah. It’s
Sarah: Hi. nice to meet you.
John: How are you? John: It’s nice to meet you too.
Sarah: I’m fine. And you? Sarah: Goodbye John.
John: I’m fine. My name is John. John: Good night. See you
What’s your name? tomorrow.

The Alphabet:

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
- How do you spell your name?
- I spell it S-E-R-G-I-O.

Dialogue 2:
Salim: Good evening! Kate: I spell it K-A-T-E.
Kate: Hello! Salim: It’s nice to meet you.
Salim: My name is Salim. What’s Kate: It’s nice to meet you too.
your name? Salim: Good night.
Kate: My name is Kate. Kate: Goodbye.
Salim: How do you spell Kate?
Conversational English Level 1 - Lesson 2
Basic Numbers:

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
zero one two three four five six seven eight nine ten

Numbers to one hundred:

11… eleven 18… eighteen 50… fifty
12… twelve 19… nineteen 60… sixty
13 … thirteen 20… twenty 70… seventy
14… fourteen 21… twenty-one 80… eighty
15… fifteen 22… twenty-two 90… ninety
16… sixteen 30… thirty 100… one hundred
17… seventeen 40… forty 101… one hundred one

Uses of numbers in Conversation:

1.Age:
How old is Hadija? She is 27 years old. (She’s 27 years old)
How old is he? He is 84 years old. (He’s 84 years old)
How old are you? I am _____________________________________.

2.Telephone:
What is his phone number? His phone number is 345 5062
What’s Fatima’s home number? Her home number is 756 9038
What’s your phone number? ____________________________________

Dialogue

Mike: How old are you Fatouma?

Fatouma: I am 20 years old, and you?
Mike: I am 24.
Fatouma: Nice to meet you.
Mike: Nice to meet you too. What’s your phone number?
Fatouma: My phone number is 332 1195.
Mike: Thanks. Have a good afternoon.
Fatouma: You too! See you soon.
Conversational English Level 1 - Lesson 3

To Be:
Singular Plural
I am I’m We are We’re
You are You’re You are You’re
He is / She is / It is He’s / She’s / It’s They are They’re

Professions: What do you do? What is your job?

student teacher doctor farmer shopkeeper
businessman fisherman taxi driver soldier unemployed

Examples:
I am a doctor. (I’m a doctor.)
He is a taxi driver. (He’s a taxi driver.)
We are farmers. (We're farmers.)
They are doctors. (They're doctors.)

Origin/Nationality:
Where are you from? I am from Mde.
Where are you from? I am from Comoros.
What is your nationality? I am Comorian.

Some Other Nationalities:

She is British. – She is from Britain
You are Comorian. – You are from the Comoros
I am American. – I am from the United States
She is French. – She is from France
They are Arab. –They are from the Saudi Arabia.

Marital Status: Are you married?

Single Engaged Married Divorced Widowed

Are you married? Is he married?

-Yes, I’m married. -Yes, he is married.
- No, not yet. I’m single. - No, but he is engaged.
Conversational English Level 1 - Lesson 4
Negative of “To be” Contracted Form
I am not I’m not
You are not You’re not You aren’t
He is not (He/She/It) He’s not He isn/t
We are not We’re not We aren’t
You are not You’re not You aren’t
They are not They’re not They aren’t

Yes and No Questions:

Is your name “Alex”? ... No, my name is not Alex. My name is Joe.
Is he from Tanzania? ... No, he is not from Tanzania. He is from Kenya.
Is Sarah married? ... Yes, she’s married. (No, not yet.)
Are you a teacher? ... No, I’m not a teacher. I’m a taxi driver.

“Or” Questions:
• Are you a teacher or a student? ... I’m an English student.
• Is Jill married or single? She’s not married, but she is engaged.
• Is Ibrahim from Comoros or from Kenya? ... He’s from Comoros.

Introducing Someone:
This is my friend. His name is Abou. He is from Comoros. He is thirty-nine
years old. He’s not married. He is single. He is a student at the university.

Dialogue:
Sarah: Hello!
Abdoul: Hi Sarah! Who is this?
Sarah: This is my friend.
Abdoul: What is her name?
Sarah: Her name is Chu. She is from China.
Abdoul: How old is she?
Sarah: She is twenty-four years old.
Abdoul: Is she married?
Sarah: No, she isn’t married. She’s single.
Abdoul: Is she a teacher or a student?
Sarah: She is a teacher.
Abdoul: See you guys later.
Sarah: Goodbye.
Conversational English Level 1-Lesson 5

Family Vocabulary and Descriptions

Male Female Together
Father (dad) Mother (mom) Parents
Husband Wife ---
Brother Sister Siblings
Son Daughter Children (kids)
Grandfather (grandpa) Grandmother (grandma) Grandparents

Bill Bill’s Family

Cindy
Bill is Cindy’s husband.
Cindy is Mary’s mother.
John and Mary are Bill’s children.
John and Mary are siblings.

Who is Bill’s wife?

John Who is John’s sister?
Who is Cindy’s daughter?
Who is Mary’s mother?
Who are John and Mary’s parents?
Mary

Descriptions:
Appearance – What does he look like? Personality – What is he like?
tall vs. short friendly vs. grumpy
handsome (man) vs. ugly funny vs. serious
beautiful (woman) vs. ugly nice vs. mean
thin vs. fat shy vs. outgoing
old vs. young smart vs. dumb
weak vs. strong honest vs. dishonest

Dialogue:
Ahmed: Hello, Rose. Rose: Is he very smart and
Rose: Hi, Ahmed. serious?
Ahmed: Do you know my brother? Ahmed: Yes.
Rose: What does he look like? Rose: I know him. He is very
Ahmed: He is tall and thin. handsome.
Conversational English Level 1- Lesson 6
Vocabulary: In the Classroom…

Classroom Desk Paper E

Blackboard (Board) Notebook Eraser
Chalk Pen Pencil
Backpack/Schoolbag Library Lesson

Have a seat./Sit down. Stand up.

Quiet please. Put your hand down.
Repeat (Say it again). Do you have any questions?
Raise your hand, please. Listen.

This and These vs. That and Those

Near: What is this? This is a pen.

What are these? These are my books
Who is this? This is my friend.
Who are these people? These are my friends.

Far: What is that? That is the blackboard.

What are those? Those are desks.
Who is that? That is my friend.
Who are those people? I don’t know.

Questions: Is this your friend? Is that your paper?

Are those your pens? Are these your books?

Dialogue 1:
Bob: Wow! What’s this? Aisha: It’s a pen for you.
Aisha: That’s a gift for you. Bob: It is beautiful. You’re very kind.
Bob: Thank you, what is it? Aisha: Thank you.

Question: What if Aisha gave Bob many pens? Change the dialogue.

Dialogue 2:
Joe: Salim, what are those?
Salim: These are my books for school.
Joe: Are you a student? I thought you were a businessman.
Salim: I am a businessman, but I am also a student.
Joe: What do you study?
Salim: I study English. These are my English books.

Question: What if Salim only had one book? Change the dialogue.
Conversational English Level 1 - Lesson 7

Vocabulary: Outside

Tree(s) Sun Plant(s) Road(s) Volcano(es)

Bird(s) Cloud(s) Ground Flower(s) Ocean
Sky Bush(es) Rock(s) Bat(s) Hill

Prepositions of Location:

On Under vs. Over In Front of

In Below vs. Above Behind
By/Near (In) Between Next to

Examples:
1. Where is the bird? The bird is _____ the tree.
2. Where are the clouds? The clouds are _____________ the volcano.
3. Where is the school? The school is _______________ the volcano and the road.
4. Where are you? I am _____________ the ground, ___________ the bush,
and __________ the tree.

Practice using classroom vocabulary:

What is on your desk? ______________________________________________.
What is under your desk? __________________________________________.
What is above you? ________________________________________________.
Who is sitting by you? ___________________________________________.
Conversational English Level 1 - Lesson 8
Vocabulary: Location words. “Where is the…?”

Everywhere (To) the Side (To/In) the Middle

Nowhere (To/In) the Front Outside
Anywhere (To/In) the Back Inside

Right Here Here There Over There

Question: What is the meaning of “Right There”?

Commands:

Go Examples:
Stop 1. Go to the front of the room.
Come 2. Look here.
Look 3. Come to the back of the classroom.
Touch 4. Stand in font of the middle of the black
Say board.
Stand 5. Touch your desk
Sit 6. Say your name.
7. Sit in the front seat.
8. Come here, sit down, and be quiet!

Negative Commands:

Don’t… / Do not… Examples:

1. Don’t stand in the front of the teacher.
2. Do not sit on the desk.
3. Don’t go there. It is dangerous.
4. Don’t stop. Go to the back of the room.
5. Don’t say the answer.
6. Do not touch the book.
7. Don’t come late to class!
8. Don’t look at the answers.
Conversational English Level 1 - Lesson 9
Vocabulary: Everyday Objects / Things People Use Everyday
Wallet Money Glasses
Coins Purse Pocket
Box Keys Bag

There is / There are:

àWhat things are in the box? / What is in the box?
There are many things in the box.
There is a wallet. There are two keys.
There is a pair of glasses and a purse. There are many coins.

àWhat is in my backpack? There are three pens and a pair of glasses.

àWhat’s in your pocket? There is a wallet in my pocket.

à What things are in the classroom?

In the classroom there are many windows, chairs, and desks. There is a door.
There is also one blackboard. There are many students and a teacher.

There isn’t / There aren’t

Is there a pen in her purse? No, there isn’t a pen in her purse.
Do you have a phone in your pocket? No there isn’t a phone in my pocket.
Is there a coin in that bag? No, there isn’t a coin in that bag.

Are there any keys in his backpack? No, there aren’t any keys in his
backpack.
Are there any scissors in the box? No, there aren’t any.
Are there any books on the chair? No, there aren’t any books on the
chair.

Questions:

What is in the picture?

Are there any birds in the picture?

Conversational English Level 1 - Lesson 10
Rooms in a house:
living room dining room bedroom kitchen
bathroom porch garage hall

Furniture in a house:
couch/sofa bed stove
armchair closet dresser
table refrigerator (fridge) pictures
bookcase oven decorations

To have:
I / You / We / They .... HAVE
He / She / It .... HAS

I have a small house and a big car.

They have a beautiful dining room. My House

She has a nice kitchen in her house.

You have a very big bed in your bedroom.

My House:
I live in a small house. It has one bedroom
with a closet. The bathroom is next to the
bedroom. The kitchen has a stove and a
refrigerator. There is a couch and a table with
four chairs in the living room. I don’t have a
dining room and there is no garage.

Personal Questions:
Where is your house?
What do you have in your kitchen?
Is there a sofa in your living room?
Where is the bathroom?
How many bedrooms do you have in your house?
Do you have kitchen in your house or behind your house?
Do you have any decorations in your house?
Are there any chairs in your living room?
Conversational English Level 1 - Lesson 11
Time Frame Words:

The day before Today The day after

yesterday Yesterday Tomorrow tomorrow

The Days of the Week:

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

The Months of the year:

1. January 4. April 7. July 10. October
2. February 5. May 8. August 11. November
3. March 6. June 9. September 12. December

Ordinal Numbers:
First Ninth Seventeenth
Second Tenth Eighteenth
Third Eleventh Nineteenth
Fourth Twelfth Twentieth
Fifth Thirteenth Twenty-First
Sixth Fourteenth 22nd _______________
Seventh Fifteenth 30th _______________
Eighth Sixteenth 31st _______________

The date: What is today’s date? What day is it today?

Today is Friday, February 5th 2010.

Saying years: Say the first two numbers and the last two.*
Ex. 2010 =(twenty-ten), 1994 (19-94).

31/12/2010____________________________________________________
16/2/1979_____________________________________________________
14/4/2012_____________________________________________________
19/8/1996_____________________________________________________
4/7/1776______________________________________________________

What is tomorrow’s date?

When is your birthday?
When did Comoros receive its independence?
When did the first man land on the moon?

*Ask your teacher about the exception to the rule.

Conversational English Level 1 - Lesson 12
The Present Simple Tense
I / You / We / They like work live watch* have* go*
He / She / It likes works lives watches has goes

More verbs: You add the “He / She / It” form.

play ______________ cook ________________
drive ______________ want ________________
hate ______________ need ________________
walk ______________ do* ________________
love ______________ study* ________________
eat ______________ sleep ________________

Examples:
I like pizza and Coca-Cola. *Watch out for
My brother walks to school. irregular verbs
I love my brothers and sisters a lot.
Hadidja’s grandfather lives in Zanzibar.
My uncle is a doctor. He works at the hospital.
We go to church every Sunday.
His mom and dad (they) watch television every night.

Negative: The negative of the “present simple” tense uses don’t or doesn’t along
with the verb.

I/You/We/They – don’t (do not) + verb.

He/She/It – doesn’t (does not) + verb.

I don’t like pizza and I don’t like Coca-cola.

My brother doesn’t walk to school.
I don’t love my brothers and sisters a lot.
Hadidja’s grandfather (he) doesn’t live in Zanzibar.
My uncle is not a doctor. He doesn’t work at the hospital.
We don’t go to church every Sunday.
His mom and dad (they) don’t watch television every night.

Exercise: Tell the class 5 things you do every day.

1. 4.
2. 5.
3.
Conversational English Level 1 - Lesson 13
Time
Vocabulary:
Clock Noon
Watch Midnight (24:00)
A.M. Quarter-to/till…
P.M. Quarter-past/after
O’clock

Minutes < Hours < Days < Weeks

Telling time: Excuse me, what time is it?

What time is it?
- 8:00 am It is eight o’clock.
It is eight A. M. 6:25 am
It is eight o’clock in the morning.
12:00 pm
- 9:15 am It is nine-fifteen.
It is nine-fifteen in the morning. 18:15
It is a quarter after nine.
It is a quarter past nine. 2:01 am

12:45 pm It is twelve forty-five. 3:05 pm

It is twelve forty-five in the afternoon.
It is a quarter to one. 1:45 pm
It is a quarter till one.
7:00 am
7:34 pm It is 7:34 in the evening.
It is 7:34. 11:33 am

1:04 am It is one o’four.

It is one o’four in the morning.

Schedules:

John Smith: Terry Harrison:

I get up at 6:00am. I wake up at 6:30am.
I work from 8:00am to 5:00pm. At 7:15am I go to school.
I eat with my family at 7:00pm. I come home at 3:00pm.
We pray together at 9:00pm then we go After that, I play soccer and study.
to sleep. I go to sleep at midnight.
Conversational English Level 1- Lesson 14
Colors, Shapes, and Adjectives
Colors:

Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Purple Black White

Brown Pink Gray

Question: What is your favorite color? What color do you dislike?

Shapes:

Square Rectangle Triangle Circle

Adjectives:

1. Modifiers: Modifiers come before the noun they describe.

The blue circle…

The red triangle…
The orange square…
I see a purple chair. His tall brother is outside.
There is a black wallet in the bag. The unfriendly man is on the road.
The white bag is on the chair. My smart mother is a doctor.

2. Predicate Adjectives: Follow “is” and come after the noun they modify.

The circle is blue.

The triangle is red.
The square is orange.
The chair is purple. His brother is tall.
The wallet is black. The man on the road is unfriendly.
The bag is white. My mother is smart.
Conversational English Level 1 - Lesson 15

My Clothes, Your Clothes, and His Clothes

Casual Clothes: C.
A.
Cap/Hat Shorts
T-shirt Sneakers B.
Tank Top Socks
Jeans Sandals E.
What
Dress Clothes: are
Men: Suit Women: Dress
Jacket Blouse
D. these?
G.
Dress pants Skirt
Dress shirt Shoes
Tie F.
Shoes

Possessives: For names add “s”. If they have

an “s” at the end don’t add “s”.
My Our
Your Your Ex. John àJohn’s shirt
His, Her, Its Their Abdul à Abdul’s jacket
Chris àChris’ sandals

Examples:
That is my shirt. Her dress is beautiful.
Where is your tie? Our shirts are all red.
I like his blue cap. Their sneakers are outside.
Look at Salim’s shoes!

Question: What are you wearing? Answer: I am wearing …

Dialogue :
Susan: Mom, where is my black shirt? Susan: Mom, where is dad’s tie?
Mother: It is on the table by your bed. Mother: His tie? You cannot wear
Susan: Mom, where are my jeans? his clothes.
Mother: They are under the bed. Susan: Mom, where is my cap?
Susan: Mom, where are my sneakers? Mother: From now on look for
Mother: Your sneakers are in front of your own things!
the door.
Conversational English Level 1 - Lesson 16

Parts of the Body: Label the parts.

Head
Ears
Eyes

Nose
Mouth
Neck
Shoulder
Chest
Arm
Elbow

Stomach

Fingers
Hand

Draw some hair

on the man’s
head. Knee

Feet Toes

Speech:
This is my body. I see with my eyes.
This is my head. I smell with my nose.
This is my neck. I taste with my mouth.
These are my arms. I hear with my ears
These are my legs. and I feel with my hands.
I have two hands and two feet.
I have ten fingers and ten toes.

I don’t feel good. I feel much better.

My ________________hurts. My ________________feels better.
My ________________ itches. My ________________ doesn’t itch.
I’m sick. I’m well.
Conversational English Level 1 - Lesson 17

Questions
• What:
What is your name?
What is your job?
What do you like to eat?
What is your favorite color?
What is your brother like?

• Who:
Who is your father? Who is your English teacher?
Who is your mother? Who is your favorite actor?

• Where:
Where do you live? Where did you learn English?
Where are you from? Where do you work?

• When:
When is the English class? When do you go to English class?
When is your birthday? When is Comorian Independence
When do you eat? Day?

• How:
How are you? How many students are in the class?
How is your father? How old are you?
How is your work? How do you feel?

• Why:
Why do you like English? Why do you want to travel?

Dialogue:
Ali: Hi, Jeff! How are you today? Ali: She’s fine.
Jeff: I’m fine thanks. How about you? Jeff: Where is she?
Ali: I’m okay. How is your father? Ali: She’s in Dubai.
Jeff: He’s alright. And your mother? Jeff: Why is she in Dubai?
Ali: She is a businesswoman.
Jeff: Oh, and how about you? What is
your job, Ali?
Ali: I’m a taxi driver. I’m also an
English student.
Jeff: Very good. Why do you like
English?
Ali: I like English because it is an
international language.
Conversational English Level 1 - Lesson 18

Making Comparisons

Words for making descriptions:

Tall vs. Short Fat v. Thin Nice v. Mean
Small vs. Big Old v. Young Heavy vs. Light
Friendly vs. Grumpy Strong v. Weak

Comparisons:

This square is This square is This square is the

small. smaller. smallest.

- Jim is tall. Salim is taller. Christopher is the tallest.

- My brother is old. My father is older. My grandfather is the oldest.

- The book is heavy. The chair is heavier. The desk is the heaviest.

On Your Own: Add the endings

smart , smart____ , ___ smart____
fat, fatt___, ___ fatt____
young, young____, the youg____
friendly, friendli____, ____ friendli_____

96m 324m 381m

Important Exceptions:
1. Good… Better… The Best…
2. Bad… Worse… The Worst…

Examples:
In the world cup, Ghana was good. In the world cup, England was bad.
Argentina was better. Nigeria was worse.
Spain was the best. France was the worst.

Mhogo is good. Yesterday, the heat was bad.

Potatoes are better. The day before, it was worse.
Ndropvi is the best! But today, it is the worst.
Conversational English Level 1 - Lesson 19

Present Continuous Tense

Important Phrases for Learning English
What is this? Please repeat that.
What is that? I don’t understand.
How do you say ________? What is the meaning of ________?

What am I doing?
What are you doing?
What is he doing?/What is she doing?/What is it doing?
What are we doing?
What are they doing?
Vocabulary:
Run Drink Fix
Come Think Talk
Walk Fast Call
Learn Sit Write

Present Continuous:
Rule: Subject + To Be + Verb + ing

What is he doing? He is fixing his car.

What are you doing? I am calling my mother.
Why are they not eating or drinking? They are fasting.
Where is Kalan? Kalan is coming soon.
Why are you sitting? I am thinking about tomorrow.
How is Moussa going home? He is walking.
What are they doing tomorrow? They are going to Mkazi.
Why is Chris running? His wife is calling him.
What are you all doing? We are learning English.

Questions?
What are you doing now? Some Verbs to Review
Study
What is your teacher doing now? Work
Live
Watch
What are your children doing now? Play
Drive
What are you doing at a seven PM? Go
Read
What are you doing tomorrow?
Conversational English Level 1 - Lesson 20
Verbs + the infinitive: What do you like to do?

Vocabulary: Sports and Recreation

Basketball Cards Baseball
Football / Soccer Dominoes Swimming
Tennis Volleyball Team Handball
Paint Draw Dance
Read Build Sew

The Infinitive: What do you like to do? I like to play soccer.

Infinitive: I like to eat.

(Review: Simple Present: I eat. Present continuous: I am eating)

What do you like to do? What does he like to do?

- I like to draw. - He likes to read.
- I like to paint. - He likes to play dominoes.
- I like to play volleyball. - He likes to build houses.

What do you want to do today? What does she want to do today?

- I want to eat. - She wants to cook.
- I want to sleep. - She wants to sew.
- I want to play cards. - She wants to play tennis.

Do you know how ____________? Does he know how to _____________?

- I know how to play baseball. - He knows how to get to Moroni.
- We know how to cook madaba. - He knows how to play soccer.
- They know how to speak English. - He knows how to build furniture.

Exercise: Answer the questions below. Ask your classmates.

1. Who knows how to play “mraha”? ____________________
2. Who knows how to speak Malagasy? __________________
3. Who likes to cook “Gudu-Gudu”? _____________________
4. Who likes to play soccer? ___________________
5. Who knows how to draw? ___________________
6. Who knows how to swim? ___________________
7. Who likes to play volleyball? __________________
8. Who likes to eat “landa”? _____________________
9. Who likes to read books? ____________________
10. Who likes to drink coffee? ____________________
11. Who knows how to dance the “Sambe”? _________________