Hey there! This is TOP episode 242. Weekend Activities Vocabulary Booster
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Hello there! I’m so happy you’re here! Good to have you! Now, today we’re talking about the weekend. Everybody’s talking about the May long weekend in Poland so here we go! Let’s talk about free time and relaxing. Today I’ve got 4 fixed expressions, 8 phrasal verbs and a grammar point. Tenses. What tenses do we need to have a nice small talk about the weekend? Let’s go!
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Let’s start with some expressions connected with weekends. I have prepared four expressions, let’s go:
One. I’m going to have a night in.
I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying in, I need to rest, nap, watch some movies, eat and do nothing. So if that’s your plan for this weekend you can say proudly:
I’m going to have a night in.
The opposite of that is:
I’m going to have a night out.
I’m going to go to clubs, pubs, bars, meet some friends, have fun, enjoy good drinks and good company. So if you’re going out this weekend you can say:
I’m going to have a night out.
Three. Let’s kick back and relax this weekend.
To kick back means to relax, right? But in English it’s not uncommon to put together two similar expressions. For emphasis. Kick back and relax.
Four. We should make the most of the weekend.
To make the most of something is to gain as much advantage, pleasure, as you can from somebody or something. From the weekend here. To enjoy the weekend to the fullest.
These were the four expressions, let’s have them again:
I’m going to have a night in.
I’m going to have a night out.
Let’s kick back and relax this weekend.
We should make the most of the weekend.
Ok, time for some phrasal verbs! There’s no fluent communication without them! So let’s learn or refresh a few of them. I’ve got eight for today, for this weekend edition of phrasal verbs:
One. To clean up.
To tidy or organize a place. Sometimes we feel that weekend seems to be the best time for cleaning. And we clean up on our days off. Listen to this example sentence:
After the party, we need to clean up the house before our guests arrive.
Two. To stay in.
To remain at home instead of going out. It’s similar to the first expression we’ve had today, do you remember? It was: ‘I’m going to have a night in’. So this time it’s a phrasal verb ‘to stay in’. Listen to this:
I’m feeling tired, so I think I’ll just stay in and watch movies.
Three. To chill out
To relax and unwind, usually in a calm manner. To spend time relaxing; to relax and stop feeling angry or nervous about something. For instance:
Let’s chill out at the park this weekend.
Four. To wind down.
To relax and reduce stress, especially at the end of a busy period or after a period of activity or excitement. So it’s just another way of saying: ‘relax’. Wind down, unwind, chill out, kick back. Ok! Let’s hear this phrasal verb in a sentence:
After a long week at work, I like to wind down by taking a walk.
Five. To have someone over.
To invite someone to come to your home for a visit or socializing. So if you have someone over, they come to your house for a meal, drink etc because you have invited them. For instance:
We’re having some friends over for dinner this weekend.
Six. To meet up with.
To arrange to see someone in a social context. To do something together. To see and talk to someone. To illustrate the meaning of this phrasal I have an example sentence for you:
Let’s meet up with Sarah and Jack at the café.
Seven. To catch up with.
Weekend is a perfect and often the only chance to catch up with friends and family. To catch up with someone means to spend time with someone and update each other on what has happened recently. To communicate with someone by talking in person or on the phone or by exchanging messages, and learn or discuss what has been happening in their life. For instance:
It’s been a while since we last saw each other; let’s catch up this weekend.
Eight. To set off.
To begin a journey or trip. That’s it. To start a trip or a journey. For instance:
We need to set off early in the morning.
Ok! Here you go, eight phrasal verbs that will certainly come in handy while speaking about weekend and free time. Let’s have them listed once again:
To clean up
To stay in
To chill out
To wind down
To have someone over
To meet up with
To catch up with
To set off
Now. What about grammar? How to put it all together? What tenses do you need to communicate about the weekend? Well, while speaking about a weekend that is over you’re going to use past simple tense. For instance:
Did you enjoy your weekend?
How was your weekend?
What did you do?
What did you see?
Who did you go with?
What did you learn?
Was it interesting?
Was it worth going to?
Fabulous! What about an upcoming weekend? You can use either present continuous for plans or ‘going to’ for the same purpose. You can also sneak in present simple, have a listen:
What are you doing this weekend? Present continuous for plans
What are you doing this weekend?
What are you doing tomorrow?
What are you going to do this weekend? Going to for a change, but the meaning of ‘going to’ is the same as present continuous. So you can say ‘What are you doing this weekend’ and ‘What are you going to do this weekend’ without any change in meaning. Both structures work well for future arrangements. Future private plans. Next.
We’re going to visit family.
We’re going to do some hiking.
Do you have any plans for the weekend? – Present simple, because ‘have’ is a stative verb, in this context the -ing ending cannot be added. Do you have plans? And one more:
What are you up to this weekend? – it’s another question that we use to find out what plans people have.
What are you up to this weekend?
There you go! Tenses, fixed expressions and 8 phrasal verbs! What a productive class! But wait! To make it really stuck you gotta put in some more effort. Say these sentences out loud. Time to practice, listen and repeat. Let’s go!
I’m going to have a night in.
Let’s kick back and relax this weekend.
We should make the most of the weekend.
After the party, we need to clean up the house before our guests arrive.
I’m feeling tired, so I think I’ll just stay in and watch movies.
Let’s chill out at the park this weekend.
After a long week at work, I like to wind down by taking a walk.
We’re having some friends over for dinner this weekend.
Let’s meet up with Sarah and Jack at the café.
It’s been a while since we last saw each other; let’s catch up this weekend.
We need to set off early in the morning.
Who did you go with?
What are you up to this weekend?
We’re going to do some hiking.
I hope you’ll have an amazing weekend. I’m sure you refreshed and activated your vocabulary today! If you want to support my work please leave a review or a like or a heart and THAT will keep this podcast running and it’ll make me very happy! Thank you!
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See you next week! Stay fearless and say it out loud! I’m your teacher, Teacher Ola, and you were listening to Teacher Ola Podcast. Bye for now!