Speaking: Vocabulary for Speaking A1
Personal Details (age, country, family)
Listen to the conversation and examples here.
A Sample Conversation 💬 (Click 🔊)
After you introduce yourself, a conversation often continues with questions about personal details. Listen to Dara and Sophea.
Dara: Sophea, how old are you?
Sophea: I'm twenty years old. And you?
Dara: I'm twenty-two.
Sophea: And where are you from? I know you live in Siem Reap, but are you from here?
Dara: No, I'm not. I'm from Kampot, but my family lives here now.
Sophea: Oh, that's nice! Have you got any brothers or sisters?
Dara: Yes, I've got one brother.
Speaking Tips
🗣️ Pronunciation & Intonation
Listen carefully to the music of these questions in the audio or by clicking 🔊 in the conversation.
- Linking Sounds: "years old" often links together. It sounds like "year-zold". ( "I'm twenty year-zold.")
- Falling Intonation (↘): for "Wh-" questions asking for information. ("How old are you?↘", "Where are you from?↘")
- Rising Intonation (↗): for "Yes/No" questions. ("Have you got any brothers or sisters?↗")
💡 Giving More Detail
To make the conversation more interesting, you can add a little more information to your answers. This is great for fluency!
Simple Answer vs. More Detailed Answer
- Simple: "I'm from Kampot."
More Detailed: "I'm from Kampot, but I live in Siem Reap now." - Simple: "Yes, I've got one brother."
More Detailed: "Yes, I've got one brother. His name is Vuthy."
Practice Your Vocabulary 🎯
Activity 1: Build the Question (Self-Check)
Put these words in the correct order to make a question. Click "Show Answer" to check.
- you / where / from / are / ?
Show Answer
Where are you from?
- old / you / how / are / ?
Show Answer
How old are you?
- any / have / sisters / got / you / ?
Show Answer
Have you got any sisters?
Activity 2: Your Personal Details
Answer these questions about yourself aloud. Try to use full sentences and maybe add extra details!
- How old are you?
- Where are you from?
- Have you got any brothers or sisters?
Example Answer: "I'm 25 years old. I'm from Phnom Penh, but now I study in Siem Reap. Yes, I've got two sisters."
Key Vocabulary & Phrases (Click 🔊)
- How old are you?How to ask someone's age.
- ... years old.The phrase used to state your age (e.g., "I'm 20 years old.").
- Where are you from?How to ask about someone's home city or country.
- I'm from...The phrase to state your home city or country (e.g., "I'm from Cambodia.").
- familyYour parents, brothers, sisters, etc.
- Have you got any...?How to ask if someone has something (e.g., "Have you got any brothers?").
- I've got...A common spoken way to say "I have..." (e.g., "I've got one sister.").
- BrotherA male sibling.
- SisterA female sibling.
Your Vocabulary Mission ⭐
This week, your mission is to ask someone about their personal details. You can ask a classmate or a friend.
Try to use at least one question from this lesson, like "How old are you?" or "Where are you from?". Listen carefully to their answer!