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29

Unit 29: Lost arts
Used to & would

Select a unit

  1. 1 Nice to meet you!
  2. 2 What to wear
  3. 3 Like this, like that
  4. 4 The daily grind
  5. 5 Christmas every day
  6. 6 Great achievers
  7. 7 The Titanic
  8. 8 Travel
  9. 9 The big wedding
  10. 10 Sunny's job hunt
  11. 11 The bucket list
  12. 12 Moving and migration
  13. 13 Welcome to BBC Broadcasting House
  14. 14 New Year, New Project
  15. 15 From Handel to Hendrix
  16. 16 What's the weather like?
  17. 17 The Digital Revolution
  18. 18 A detective story
  19. 19 A place to live
  20. 20 The Cult of Celebrity
  21. 21 Welcome to your new job
  22. 22 Beyond the planets
  23. 23 Great expectations!
  24. 24 Eco-tourism
  25. 25 Moving house
  26. 26 It must be love
  27. 27 Job hunting success... and failure
  28. 28 Speeding into the future
  29. 29 Lost arts
  30. 30 Tales of survival

Session 1

Have you ever said to yourself 'Things aren't what they used to be'? In this session we hear from three people talking about how things have changed in their lives. You'll also have a chance to test and improve your vocabulary knowledge as we look at some of the words and phrases that are coming up in Unit 29.

Wayiitiwwan marii boqonnaa kana keessaa

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Wayitii marii qabxii 1

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  1. Activity 1
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Activity 1

Things aren't what they used to be

It used to be so different

The pace of modern life means that how we do things now is very different to what we did in the past. From travel to education, technology and family life, so much has changed! In this session we're going to hear three people talk about how things used to be and how they are now. Then you'll have a chance to look at some useful vocabulary that's coming up in Unit 29.

To do

You're going to hear three people, who we'll call X, Y and Z, talking to an interviewer. Each person is talking about something in the present that was different in the past – what is it?

Sagalee kana dhaggeefadhuu shaakala kana xumuri

Barreeffama agarsiisi Barreeffama dhoksi

Speaker X
I used to know all the street names in London.

Interviewer
Really? Did you use to carry a London map with you, just in case?

Speaker X
No! A map? Never. When I picked up a passenger, I used to ask them where they were going, and we'd be off! I wouldn't carry a map,

Interviewer
Really?

Speaker X
Never!

Interviewer
OK. So what about now. It's different now, isn't it?

Speaker X
Yeah it is different. You know my memory's not so good since the accident. So, even though I hate it, I do use satnav.

Speaker Y
When I was younger, I would go for a long walk every morning.

Interviewer
Oh really? Where would you go?

Speaker Y
Oh anywhere and everywhere… I used to love rambling! And I also used to recognise all the trees on my way to school: birch, aspen, sycamore… though my memory's not so good now. And young people today don't know any of the names – they're all just 'trees'.

Speaker Z
Ooh yes, I loved my classic car… Whenever it had a problem I would always repair it myself.

Interviewer
Oh right.

Speaker
Yeah. Replacing brakes, new gearbox, changing the upholstery. I used to be a very good amateur mechanic actually – and my friends on the street would ask me to fix theirs too!

Interviewer
Really? You must've been really popular on the street.

Speaker Z
I was, yes.

Interviewer
But wouldn't that be a lot of work for you?

Speaker Z
No, I enjoyed it.

Interviewer
Really? So tell us, what happened to your classic car?

Speaker Z
Well actually, unfortunately, I crashed it in the end. It was a complete write-off.

Interviewer
Oh no.

Speaker Z
I cycle everywhere now.

Answers

Did you work it out?

  • X is a taxi driver. He's talking about using maps and satnav
  • Y is talking about remembering the names of trees
  • Z is a car enthusiast. She's talking about repairing classic cars

To do

Try this quiz to see how much you understood about our three speakers. Can you get all the questions right?

X, Y or Z?

5 Questions

How well did you understand the audio? Answer these questions

Baga gammadde! Qormaata xumurteetta
Excellent! Great job! Carraa badaa! Qabxii argatte:
x / y

Next

Now that you've heard from speakers X, Y and Z talking about driving, nature and cars, we're going to move on. In the next activity you'll take a closer look at some of the words they used, and learn some other vocabulary that you will see later in this unit. Click below and go!

Caasluga kutaa kanaa

Wabii caasluga guutuu agarsiisi

Session Vocabulary

  • picked up
    collected (a person)

    be off
    (here) leave

    satnav
    satellite navigation; a system used in cars and vehicles that tell you where you are

    rambling
    (here) going for long walks outside

    birch
    a tree with grey leaves and pointed leaves

    aspen
    a tree with grey or white wood and round leaves

    sycamore
    a tree whose leaves have five points

    brakes
    things in vehicles which make them go slower

    gearbox
    a metal box containing gears (devices which change the speed of a vehicle)

    upholstery
    soft material which covers chairs

    write-off 
    completely destroyed

Wabii jechoota guutuu agarsiisi

Wiirtuu gadi-buufatan

Qabiyyee koorsiiwwan dhihoo kanaa