English Success Story
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Peter
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Todd
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Todd: Peter, your English is amazing. It's really good and people from Sweden, your country, also often speak really good English. Could you talk about your secret? Why is your English so good?
Peter: First, I would like to thank you for your comment. That's really nice. It's a difficult question and it's a difficult answer but all I can say is that, especially in Sweden, I'm not sure about our neighbor countries, but especially in Sweden, when you're raised, you start to learn English from like when you are three, four years old by watching television because we have a lot of programs that are usually from England or from America and so we tend to watch a lot, those kinds of programs. The same with me. I remember when I was four years old I started to watch horror movies on American TV shows that was actually broadcast in Sweden and my mother, she always like, she actually cursed me not to watch those because it was so scary but I never thought is was scary, but more and more actually I learned English by using English words, and, but nothing happened until when you start to learn English in school, when you really go into grammar and that is when you start to learn 'Yes', 'No', 'Car', Apple', 'I have an apple', 'I have a car' and also back then I found it really interesting to learn something new, not only mathematics, and draw with a crayon on paper, but also to learn a new language that some other people in other countries also speak, that I someday would be able to speak with them as well, so I was really enthusiastic in school by learning English and during this time, cause in Sweden we study from second grade up to high school, and during all this years I've actually watched a lot of American movies, a lot of English movies, and also it doesn't always have to be from those countries, as long as the language that you is used within the movie, as long as it is English then it's perfectly fine and also we have a lot of people in Sweden that are from other countries, foreign countries, and so many times it actually happens that you have to ask them something or they come up to you and ask where they are supposed to go and where they can grab the bus they are trying to take and usually it's in English so it's really fascinating how you actually learn English in Sweden.
talk about your secret
Could you talk about your secret - why is your English so good?
To 'talk about your secret' means that you let people know the tricks to your success.
Notice the following:
- She does seminars to talk about her secret and how she has done so well in business.
- Would you like to talk about your secret?
our neighbor countries
I'm not sure about our neighbor countries, but especially in Sweden, you start to learn English when you are three, four years old.
'Our neighbor countries' refers to the countries that border or are nearby to your country.
Notice the following:
- Our neighbor countries are all very snowy.
- I think we will be able to rely on our neighbor countries to support us in the campaign.
cursed me
My mother, she actually cursed me not to watch those because it was so scary.
Here, 'cursed me' just means 'yelled at me.'
Notice the following:
- She cursed me for being late to work again.
- He's always cursing his brother for being lazy.
enthusiasm
I was really enthusiastic in school by learning English.
When you have 'enthusiasm' about something, it means that you are excited about it and want to do well.
Notice the following:
2. I had a lot of enthusiasm when I first started.
grab the bus
They ask where they are supposed to go and where they can grab the bus.
When you 'grab the bus,' it means that you get on the bus and use it to transport you where you need to go.
Notice the following:
- She can grab the bus to work.
- I can always grab the bus, so I don't need a car.
Vocabulary Quiz
enthusiasm • grabbed
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