Speaking: Fluency & Coherence A1 - Lesson 1: Speaking in Short, Simple Phrases

Speaking: Fluency & Coherence A1

Speaking in Short, Simple Phrases

Listen to the examples here.

What you will learn: By the end of this lesson, you will be able to answer common questions using short, complete phrases instead of single words, making your speaking smoother and easier to understand.

Think in Phrases, Not Single Words

To become more fluent in English, the secret is to speak using phrases (groups of words), not just single words. Answering with a full phrase is smoother, more polite, and easier for people to understand.

Question: "Where are you from?"

👍 Good Answer (One Word)

Cambodia.

✨ Better Answer (Full Phrase)

I'm from Cambodia.

Question: "What's your favorite food?"

👍 Good Answer (One Word)

Amok.

✨ Better Answer (Full Phrase)

My favorite food is Amok.

Tips for Sounding More Fluent

🗣️ Linking Sounds for Smoothness

Fluent speakers often link words together so they flow like one long word. Listen for this in the audio.

• "My name is..." → The 'm' in "name" links to "is". It sounds like "na-miz". (My name is Dara.)
• "I'm from..." → "I'm" is a contraction of "I am". Using contractions makes you sound much more natural.
• "What's your..." → The 's' in "What's" links to "your". It sounds like "What-syour". (What's your name?)

🧱 Building Your Answers with Patterns

You can use these phrase "patterns" to answer many different questions. Just change one or two words!

Pattern 1: "My [...] is [...]"

• Question: "What is your name?" → Answer: "My name is [your name]."
• Question: "What is your favorite color?" → Answer: "My favorite color is blue."

Pattern 2: "I like [...]"

• Question: "Do you like spicy food?" → Answer: "Yes, I like spicy food."
• Question: "What music do you like?" → Answer: "I like pop music."

Practice Speaking in Phrases 🎯

Activity 1: Expand the Answer (Self-Check)

Read the question (Q) and the short answer (A). Click 🔊 to hear the short answer, then say the full phrase answer aloud. Click "Show Phrase" to check your answer.

1. Q: What's your name?
   A: Dara.
   Show Phrase

   "My name is Dara."

2. Q: Where are you from?
   A: Cambodia.
   Show Phrase

   "I'm from Cambodia."

3. Q: What do you do?
   A: Student.
   Show Phrase

   "I'm a student."

4. Q: Do you like mangoes?
   A: Yes.
   Show Phrase

   "Yes, I like mangoes."

Activity 2: Partner Questions

Work with a partner. Ask them three questions from this lesson (e.g., "What's your name?", "Where are you from?", "What's your favorite food?"). Listen to their answers. Do they use a full phrase? Help them if needed. Then, switch roles.

Vocabulary & Key Phrases

• Fluent (Adjective) | ស្ទាត់ជំនាញ
  Speaking a language smoothly and easily, without many pauses.
• Phrase (Noun) | ឃ្លា
  A small group of words that are used together as a unit.
• I'm from... (Phrase) | ខ្ញុំ​មកពី...
  Use this to say what country or city you are from.
• My name is... (Phrase) | ខ្ញុំឈ្មោះ...
  Use this to introduce yourself.
• I like... (Phrase) | ខ្ញុំ​ចូលចិត្ត...
  Use this to talk about things you enjoy.
• My favorite... is... (Phrase) | ...ដែលខ្ញុំចូលចិត្តគឺ...
  Use this to talk about the one thing you like the most.
• Contraction (Noun) | ពាក្យកាត់
  A short form of a word or group of words (e.g., I'm = I am, What's = What is).

Your Fluency Mission ⭐

This week in Siem Reap, your mission is to answer questions using full phrases.

When someone asks you a question like "Where are you from?", don't just say "Cambodia." Take a breath, and say the full phrase: "I'm from Cambodia."

Try to do this three times this week. You will see that it sounds much better!