Speaking Skills: Buying trainers

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Speaking Skills - Buying trainers

Learning goals

Skills: Listening

Language: Phrases to use when buying trainers

Language: Phrases to describe trainers

Task: Describe your favourite pair of trainers

Speaking Skills: Buying trainers

In this week's Premier Skills English Podcast, Jack and Rich talk about the language you need to describe trainers and Jack goes shopping for a new pair of trainers. The language focus is on the phrases you need when you go shopping for trainers and this week's task is to describe your favourite pair of trainers. Don't forget to listen to the end of the podcast because we have a new football phrase for you to guess, too. Enjoy!

If the listening was a bit difficult, you can listen again and read the transcript at the same time.

Read the transcript and listen at the same time.

Speaking Skills - Buying Trainers

Rich: Look at the state of them.

Jack: What?

Rich: Your trainers!

Jack: It’s raining. They’re just a bit dirty.

Rich: Dirty? They’re falling apart. Look at the sole; all the grip’s come off.

Jack: Yeah, they are a bit slippy sometimes. They’re just a bit worn down.

Rich: Worn down? More like worn out. And they haven’t got any laces to tie them up. What’s that all about?

Jack: Erm... fashion?

Rich: Shut up!

Jack: Alright, alright. I’ll take them off.

Rich: No! Keep them on!

Jack: What’s the matter?

Rich: They stink.

Jack: The trainers?

Rich: No, your feet and when you buy some new trainers get some new socks too. Look at those holes!

Welcome - Buying trainers

Rich: Hello my name’s Rich.

Jack: and I’m Jack

Rich: and welcome to this week’s Premier Skills English podcast

Jack: Where we talk about football and help you with your English.

Jack: What’s happening this week, Rich?

Rich: In this week’s podcast, Jack is going to buy some new trainers.

Jack: But, more importantly, we’re going to help you with the language you need to buy trainers or sports shoes in a sports shop.

Rich: Listen to the podcast and, if you are listening on the Premier Skills English website, you can also read the transcript, do the activities, test your understanding with a quiz and discuss this week’s task in the comments section with Premier League fans from around the world.

Jack: And don’t forget to listen to the end of the podcast because we have a new football phrase for you to guess, too.

Rich: So, in a minute, Jack is going to go shopping for new trainers, but before we do that let’s look at the word trainers.

Jack: In the UK, we call the shoes that we use for running and sport in general, trainers, but people use different words in different parts of the world.

Rich: So, I’ve got a quiz for you, Jack. I’m going to give you a word for trainers and you have to tell me the country it’s used in. Alright?

Jack: Trainers! The UK!

Rich: Very good, but you can’t have a point for that. I’m going to give you five more.

Rich: Number one: Where in the world do they use the word ‘sneakers’?

Jack: Easy. The USA.

Rich: That’s right. Trainers in the UK but sneakers in the US. Number two: Where in the world do they use the word ‘tackies’?

Jack: Never heard of it. Australia?

Rich: Nope. Trainers in the UK but in South Africa ‘tackies’. Number three: Where in the world do they use the word ‘runners’?

Jack: That makes sense but I don’t know where it is used. New Zealand?

Rich: Nope. Trainers in the UK but in Canada ‘runners’. Number four: Where in the world do they use the word ‘kicks’?

Jack: Oh, I’ve heard this used. I think it’s the US again.

Rich: You’re right, kicks is an informal word for trainers or sneakers in the United States. Number five: Where in the world do they use the word ‘joggers’?

Jack: Runners? Joggers? Again it makes sense. Is that Canada too?

Rich: Nope. Trainers in the UK but in Austrailia ‘joggers’. That’s two out of five.

Jack: That was difficult. In the next section, I’m going to buy some new trainers or ‘tackies’ as they say in South Africa and afterwards we’ll look at some of the language you need to go shopping for trainers.

Rich: While you are listening, we have two questions for you. Question 1: What’s the problem with the first pair of trainers that Jack tries on? And question 2: Does he find a pair he likes?

Roleplay

Rich: Hello there. How are you doing? How can I help you this morning?

Jack: Just looking, thanks.

Rich: No problem. Just give me a shout if you need anything.

...

Jack: Excuse me. Could I try these in a size 10, please?

Rich: Sure, I’ll be back in one minute.

…

Rich: Here. you go.

Jack: These are a bit small. They pinch a bit at the toes. Can I try the next size up?

Rich: I’ve got the size eleven here.

Jack: Great …

Rich: You need to have a thumb's width at the front of the shoe to get a proper fit.

Jack: They fit really well, but I’m not sure about the colour. I don’t really like bright green. Have you got them in ... er... blue?

Rich: I’ll just go and check … here we go.

Jack: Let’s have a try. Hmmm... They’ve got really good grip. I wouldn’t be slipping about in these.

Rich: They really suit you. (a bit of a squeeze)

Jack: Actually, they’re a bit loose here around the heel. Do you do half sizes?

Rich: Yes, but I think we’ve only got the green in a ten and a half.

Jack: OK, can I try them on, please.

Rich: Yep, back in two tics.

-----

Jack: Right, OK. They fit well and I don’t really mind the green to be honest. The fit is more important than the colour. How much are they?

Rich: They’re 49.99. Actually, the blue pair are ten pounds more so the green ones are a bit of a bargain.

Jack: Great. I'll take them.

Language Focus

Rich: In this section, we’re going to look at some of the phrases Jack used when buying his new trainers.

Jack: You can see these phrases on the Premier Skills English podcast page with an activity to help you learn them.

Rich: When Jack went into the shop, I was the shop assistant and asked if I could help. I hate this. When I go into a shop the first thing I want to do is to look around.

Jack: Me too. So the phrase you need to use is ‘Just looking, thanks.’ or ‘I’m just browsing, thanks’. This tells the assistant to give you some space.

Rich: Once you’ve had a good look around and chosen some trainers that’s when you want to talk to the shop assistant.

Jack: The most important questions here are Could I try these on, please? Or Could I try these in a size 9 or 10, please?

Rich: To try on is a phrasal verb which means to put on, which is another phrasal verb. To try on is to put on some clothes to see if you like them or not.

Jack: Saying ‘Could I try these on is good but then the assistant will ask for your size, so it’s better to say ‘ Could I try these in a size 9, please?’

Rich: Sizes in the UK are a bit complicated, though. I’m a size 9 in the UK but a 43 in Spain where they use European sizes.

Jack: So, if you’re buying shoes in the UK, you may need to try on a few different sizes.

Rich: A useful phrase that Jack used was ‘Can I try the next size up?’ because the trainers were too small. If they are too big you can say ‘ Can I try a size down?’ or ‘Have you got a smaller size?’

Jack: You might also want to describe why you need the next size up or down. The key words here are tight and loose.

Rich: If the trainers are too small they will be tight. Jack said the first pair of trainers pinched at the toes. This means that they were too tight.

Jack: The second pair I tried were too loose. I said that they were a bit loose around the heel - which is the back of your foot.

Jack: I also asked for a different colour. To do this I said; ‘Have you got these in green?’

Rich: Two more useful words for trainers and clothes generally, which we used in the roleplay, are fit and suit.

Jack: Fit is used to describe the shape and size of something and how well it ‘fits’ to your feet or body. Are they too big or too small? Are the trainers the right size?

Rich: Suit is used to describe the style and how good something looks on you. Does it make you look attractive? Do your trainers match the colour of your eyes? That kind of thing.

Jack: So, there are some of the keywords and phrases you need to go and buy some trainers in the UK. On the Podcast page, we have some more vocabulary connected to trainers and some activities to help you understand this podcast.

Task

Rich: Your task this week is to tell us about your trainers. How many pairs of trainers do you have? What do you use them for? Sports or general use?

Jack: Do you wear your trainers all the time? How often do you buy a new pair? Is there a pair of trainers you want to buy?

Rich: Describe your favourite pair of trainers. Are they like Jack’s old pair that he loves but are falling apart or do you prefer to wear a nice new pair of sneakers?

Jack: Write your comments about trainers in the comments section at the bottom of the page on the Premier Skills English website.

Football Phrase

Rich: Have you got a football phrase for us this week?

Jack: Yes, I have, but first, our last football phrase. It was to leave everything on the pitch. It means to give your all and to try your best. It means to give 100% and you have nothing left at the end of the match.

Rich: It was a really difficult phrase last week and only Lakerwang from China got it right, after a few clues in the comments section. Well done to you, Lakerwang!

Jack: I’m going to make this week’s football phrase easier but only a little bit! This week’s football phrase is * ***-**. This football phrase describes a goal that is very easy. For example, when a player crosses the ball, it goes past the goalkeeper and the striker can put the ball into the empty net from one metre. It was so easy, even Rich could have scored it, it was * ***-**.

Rich: I would probably miss! Let’s see who can get it. Right, that’s all we have time for this week. Don’t forget to write your answers to the task and football phrase in the comments section below.

Jack: If you’re listening on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, you could leave your answers in the review section. We do read all the reviews and would love to hear from you.

Rich: Bye for now and enjoy your football!

How much did you understand?

In the podcast, Rich and Jack used some words and phrases that might be new for you. Do you know the words in bold?

Dirty? They’re falling apart. Look at the sole; all the grip’s come off.

And they haven’t got any laces to tie them up. What’s that all about?

There were a few more tricky words and phrases in the podcast. Do you know what they all mean? Try the activity below, then, listen to the podcast again to hear how we used the words. This can really help your understanding.

Activity 1: In this activity, try to match the words and phrases to their definitions. All of the words were in this week's podcast.

Arsenal's Mesut Ozil collects trainers. He has hundreds of different pairs.

Phrases you need when buying trainers

In this week's podcast, Jack went to a sports shop to buy a new pair of trainers. Here are probably the most useful phrases when you first go into a sports shop:

Rich: How can I help you this morning?

Jack: Just looking, thanks.

Jack: Excuse me. Could I try these in a size 10, please?

Rich: Sure, I’ll be back in one minute.

Rich: I think we’ve only got the green pair in a ten and a half.

Jack: OK, can I try them on, please.

Size

One of the most important things when buying new trainers is the size. Let's look at some phrases from the podcast that will help you get the right trainer for you!

Too small:

The size is connected to how big or how small something is. It's important to get the right size of trainer for you. If the trainer you try on is too small these are some phrases you can use:

These are a bit small.

Can I try the next size up, please.

They pinch a bit at the toes.

Too big:

If the trainer you try on is too small, these are some phrases you can use:

These are a bit too big.

Have you got a smaller size?

These are a bit loose around the heel. Can I try a size down?

Just right:

The difference between suit and fit is important; fit is connected to the size and suit is connected to style. When you are happy with your trainers, you might say or hear these phrases:

They fit really well.

They really suit you.

I'll take them.

In the activity below, read the dialogue at a sports shop and write the correct word in each gap.

Activity 2: In this activity, write the correct word in each sentence. All of the sentences are taken from the podcast.

You need to make sure that you buy trainers that fit well.

Describing Trainers

In the podcast, Rich and Jack used a lot of language to describe the parts of a trainer. Look at these sentences:

Let’s have a try. The grip is really good. I won't ever slip over wearing these.

They’re a bit loose here around the heel at the back of the foot.

Your shoes haven’t got any laces. How do you tie them up?

I don't think those will be good for playing football. You need some football boots with studs to play on grass.

Do you find it easy choosing trainers?

Describing Trainers

This week’s task is to describe some trainers; trainers you wear now, a favourite pair of trainers you had in the past or a pair of trainers you would like to buy. Use these questions to help you write your answer:

How many pairs of trainers do you have? What do you use them for? Sports or general use?
Do you wear your trainers all the time? How often do you buy a new pair? Is there a pair of trainers you want to buy?
Describe your favourite pair of trainers. Are they like Jack’s old pair that he loves but are falling apart or do you prefer to wear a nice new pair of sneakers?

Write your answers in the comments section below and don't forget to make a guess at our football phrase.