Episode Transcript
[00:00:12] Speaker A: Did you know that in London, the underground trains never stop running? Completely empty.
It often carries a staff member called a trained chaperone or a ghost passenger, someone required to be on board for safety and legal reasons.
[00:00:30] Speaker B: And did you know that the New York City subway has secret stations?
The most famous is the old City hall station, a beautiful abandoned 9004 station which arch ceilings and chandeliers. Although closed to the public, you can glimpse it by staying on the sixth train as it loops back.
[00:00:55] Speaker A: I didn't know that. Okay, and do you know how to use articles a and the or no article?
[00:01:05] Speaker B: Well, you're listening to Train Learn podcast.
Hello everyone and welcome to the podcast of Train Learn. Yosoy, Johnny.
And you are going to learn English with episode design for busy people like you. Improve fast and master the language in just a few minutes a day.
[00:01:23] Speaker A: Hey Johnny. Good to see you. I'm Matthew.
And our methods in Train Lang has the best reviews of all online academies on Google. You can even try our lessons for free with no commitment.
[00:01:37] Speaker B: Your future is just one podcast away. Well, today we're diving into a topic that confuses almost every Spanish speaker. Articles and the and when to use nothing at all.
[00:01:49] Speaker A: That's true. This is a real minefield for many people. But anyway, we'll hopefully make it clear. We'll look at fun dialogue between friends and later we'll talk about something super practical. How to ask for directions, use public transport in the UK and understand tourist timetables.
[00:02:07] Speaker B: And remember, if you are watching us on YouTube, leave us a comment.
And please also like and subscribe.
So tell us what the trickiest article for you.
So let us go to our dialogue, Matthew.
[00:02:37] Speaker A: Here we go. Here we go. Don't distamus. Johnny, what's the. What's this?
So Johnny, where should we go first today? We've only got one day in London and I want to see everything.
[00:02:56] Speaker B: I know, I know, but relax. We'll start with a museum. Maybe go to the cafe near the river.
It's supposed to be great.
[00:03:05] Speaker A: Wait, wait one moment. Which cafe? There's like thousands of cafes near the river.
[00:03:12] Speaker B: Yes, but the one I found on Google Maps looks amazing. They have an incredible breakfast menu.
[00:03:18] Speaker A: Man, you and your breakfast. Before that, I want to buy a ticket for the London Eye. I've never been on it.
[00:03:26] Speaker B: Seriously? You've lived in the UK for years and never gone?
Guys, watching us on YouTube.
[00:03:39] Speaker A: Okay, okay.
But first we need to find the bus stop. And we also need an umbrella. It's raining again.
[00:03:48] Speaker B: Yeah, this is London. Rain is like free Decoration. Oh, look, there's a map next to the station. Let's check it.
[00:03:55] Speaker A: Or we could ask someone. Excuse me, Is this the right bus for the British Museum?
[00:04:02] Speaker B: See, that was easy. Oh, and by the way, Matthew, I want to try street food for lunch.
[00:04:09] Speaker A: What?
No, Johnny, I want to try a nice restaurant. Something typical.
[00:04:15] Speaker B: Typical. Likewise. Fish and chips.
[00:04:27] Speaker A: Okay, okay, maybe we need a plan. Johnny, look, let's take the bus, visit the museum, grab a snack, walk along the river, take pictures of the bridge, and then we can relax.
[00:04:41] Speaker B: All right, Matthew. Sounds good. And remember, we must catch the train back at 8.
[00:04:46] Speaker A: Right. If we don't get lost again.
[00:04:51] Speaker B: So then let's go then to the articles. Well, first we have the indefinite articles A and N. Let's start with A and N. And we heard Matthew say, I want to try a nice restaurant.
No, uno concreto. So, using A and an in English, remember, we use the indefinite articles. We use them before singular countable nouns when talking about something for the first time or in a general way. So a basic rule. Use a before words that start with a consonant sound and use an before words that start with a vowel sound.
But important, it should be the sound, not the spelling.
So for example, with a. A dog, a cat, teacher, university.
And you would say. Hey, university starts with a vowel. With a U.
Yes, but the sound, it's like a U with a consonant sound. So that's why we use a and with an. We have an apple, an elephant. But then we have an hour.
But our starts with an H. We know. Yeah, but you don't hear the H there. You don't say an hour, but you say an hour. So that's a vowel sound.
So a common mistake.
A university, which is incorrect. Or an hour, because it's also incorrect.
So, Matthew, can you tell us something about the definite article? The.
[00:06:37] Speaker A: Yeah, Johnny nicely explained that. That was really interesting. So, using the. The definite article, we use it when we're talking about a specific point person, a thing, a group, something that the person who's listening to us already knows or they can identify.
So for example, when would we use the.
Well, first occasion would be if something is already known.
For example, I saw a dog.
Okay. Then we continue. We say and the dog was very friendly.
So we mention the dog. The first time with a I saw a dog.
Now that the listener knows, then we can start to use the the dog.
Okay, Second rule, when we're talking about something that there is only one of that thing.
For example, the sun is shining. While we only have one Sun. So we use the.
We visited the Eiffel Tower. There's only one Eiffel Tower. So we use the third rule when we're talking about superlatives. The best, the top.
For example, she is the best teacher. So we use the.
It was the most interesting book I've ever read.
Again, we use the fourth rule when we're talking about oceans, rivers, seas, deserts, mountain ranges, those kind of things. We use the Amazon, the Nile, the Alps, the Himalayas.
Okay. And fifth rule, with groups of people, for example, the rich, the poor, the elderly.
When we use it in this sense, we're talking about all of those people that. That make up that group.
[00:08:38] Speaker B: Great, Matthew.
So when do we not use the.
[00:08:44] Speaker A: Right. Okay, Jonny, good question. So that's with general ideas or things.
For example, chocolate. I like chocolate.
So we wouldn't say I like the chocolate. No.
Or maybe books.
Books are expensive, but we don't say the books are expensive because we're talking about books in general.
And the same with people or countries.
I live in Spain. I don't live in the Spain.
[00:09:17] Speaker B: Fantastic. I think there was just a slight exception. Not with the UK or the United States. Right. So when these countries are the only ones. No.
That we would use this definite article. Fantastic, Matthew. Well explained.
So let us go now to. Wow, this is a real problem for many because in Spanish we are used to use articles everywhere. But now the serial article or no article? No.
Well, the serial article means we don't use any article before a noun. So we don't use a. We don't use an. And we don't use the.
So when do we use the serial article? Well, we use it in these situations. For example, number one, with plural countable nouns in the general meaning. So you said no, books are expensive, so no article here at all. Dogs are friendly animals.
So we are talking about books and dogs in general, not specific ones.
We have also another rule, for example, with uncountable nouns, also in general meaning water is important or music makes me happy, or again, general water. Music, not specific water. No specific music. So no article.
And with names of most countries, as you said, cities, languages and people.
So she lives in Spain. He speaks French. I saw Maria yesterday.
So we don't use articles at all.
And also then we have several other rules that it's good just to mention. With meals, we had lunch, we had dinner.
So we don't say la comida or la sena. No article at all.
Days and months and holidays. I was born in July, he works on Fridays.
And also with institutions.
So for example, she goes to school.
We don't say.
We don't use that Al.
So she goes to. Not to the school, but to school every day. And he is in prison for two years. That's Stefan, by the way. Okay, so no, Stefan is not in prison.
[00:11:39] Speaker A: Guys, I was just processing that. I was just processing that.
I've not seen him for a while. Yeah, okay, fine.
[00:11:48] Speaker B: He's.
And then grandma is in hospital. Right, so then all these ones, we don't use any article.
So Matthew, let's see, let's.
Let's see a little bit how we can continue. Should we go to the question for the audience, Matthew? Straight away.
[00:12:09] Speaker A: Let's go straight down there. You're right. So the question for the audience today. Johnny. So como in English?
How would you say that in English.
[00:12:39] Speaker B: Matthew l. Radio dialogue. Cultural dialogue.
Uk, usa, Canada and Australia. So let's start.
[00:12:54] Speaker A: Okay, here we go. Johnny. So earlier we talked about moving around London, but honestly, every English speaking country has its own way of doing things.
So it's not the same to ask for directions in London, New York, Toronto or Sydney.
[00:13:11] Speaker B: Totally. I think Spanish speakers get shocked the first time they travel because their rules change everywhere. For example, in the uk, people queue simply so you can jump the line.
[00:13:22] Speaker A: That is so important.
[00:13:24] Speaker B: Oh man.
[00:13:25] Speaker A: But you know what? In New York, good luck, there's no queue. So it's survival of the fittest. And you can see a subway coming or a metro.
Everybody runs.
[00:13:37] Speaker B: Exactly El vocabulary.
In the UK you say the underground or the tube, and the US is the subway. In Canada you say the metro. No, Australia. Most cities don't even have metro. So it's buses or train.
So let's go. Then just asking for directions, depending the country.
[00:13:55] Speaker A: Okay, so some real expressions you're going to hear if you're in London, you're going to hear, excuse me, where's the nearest tube station?
[00:14:06] Speaker B: That's fine. And if you were in the us, people would say, hey, where's the closest subway entrance?
Excuse me.
[00:14:16] Speaker A: Americanos and Canadians, well, they're the kindest humans alive. So they usually start with, sorry, could you tell me how to get to.
[00:14:30] Speaker B: Canada is the only country where people apologize even when you stop on them.
[00:14:34] Speaker A: 100% real.
Okay, go ahead. Asking about buses and trains, Johnny, One thing that confuses travelers. In the UK people will say timetable, but in the US they'll say schedule or schedule. And Canadians use both.
[00:14:56] Speaker B: Okay, and in Australia you'll hear, where's the next train coming, mate? Dollars. Mate. In Australia.
[00:15:05] Speaker A: That'S true.
Okay. Pronunciation differences that can sometimes be a bit confusing.
For bus.
The UK says bus, short, simple, just like that. But the us, it can be something longer, like bus with a longer S.
And Australians say like they're tired.
Johnny, how would you pronounce this word?
[00:15:32] Speaker B: Okay. And rude. Well, rude and route in the us so if you say, what's the best route? Depending on the country, they may look at you a little bit funny, you know?
[00:15:44] Speaker A: Totally. Totally. Now, an important one is your behavior when you're on public transport.
In the uk, it's silence.
Nobody talks. Even if someone's like, I don't know, dying people, they pretend not to look and they avoid making eye contact.
[00:16:03] Speaker B: Yeah, well, you see everything. People singing, dancing in the usa, preaching, selling sandwiches. All the subway is basically a circus.
[00:16:14] Speaker A: Canada, everybody thanks the bus driver. That's everybody. Even teenagers.
[00:16:20] Speaker B: And in Australia, people talk to strangers easily. So also sunglasses inside the tram. No explanation.
[00:16:28] Speaker A: Let's talk about the differences in payment and tickets. In the uk, In London, you can use an Oyster card, or you could pay contactless. And in New York, you get a Metro card. Although it seems that they're moving on to a system called omny.
[00:16:44] Speaker B: All right. In Toronto is a Presto card. Sydney is the Opel card.
[00:16:56] Speaker A: Useful phrases. Uk, usa, Canada and Australia.
Let's give our listeners some useful phrases in the uk.
Excuse me, is this the right platform form for the train to Oxford or where can I top up my Oyster.
[00:17:13] Speaker B: Card on America and usa? Seramas Director which way is the subway? Is this train going uptown?
[00:17:21] Speaker A: Yeah, Canada.
Friendlier. Sorry, could you tell me where the bus stop is? Always with. Sorry. And thanks a lot. Have a great day.
[00:17:29] Speaker B: Sorry.
Okay.
In Australia.
Hey, Nate, does this term go to the city center? Cheers.
So fantastic. No, we saw different places.
Okay, so let us go then just to our answer to this section. Matthew, if you want.
What was the question we asked our friends?
[00:17:54] Speaker A: Oh yeah. Busco? N Hotel, Cirque de la Stacion.
[00:17:59] Speaker B: Ah, fantastic.
In English.
I'm looking for a hotel near the station. So if you left that. That's an excellent answer.
[00:18:10] Speaker A: Well done, well done.
What's your favourite way to travel in your city?
Give us your answer in the comments section and make sure you use an article if it needs it. A and the.
Leave it in the comments.
[00:18:26] Speaker B: Fantastic. So, well, things that we have learned today.
Well, you've learned to use a and an. And the. And when to use no article at all.
[00:18:37] Speaker A: That's right. In our next episode, we'll look at modal. Modal verbs for obligation, suggestion, and prohibition. Verbs like must, have to, should, mustn't, fantastic.
[00:18:57] Speaker B: Valet A like is subscribe.
Sa.
