In this video, learn to say the new words. Learn to ask a friend to talk about a problem. You can also download the worksheet and practice talking about your family.

?In this video, you ?learn about how Americans pronounce the word "aunt" in different parts of the country.

Let's Learn English Lesson 12: Meet My Family

Anna: Hello! Washington, D.C. has many beautiful parks. In fact, this park reminds me of my home very far away.

Marsha: Anna, here's your coffee.

Anna: Thanks, Marsha.

Marsha: What's wrong?

Anna: I'm thinking about my family. I'm feeling homesick.

Marsha: Do you want to talk about it?

Anna: Sure! I have some photos.

Marsha: Yes. Yes, you do!

Anna: Photos really help.

Anna: This is my mother and this is my father. They are rodeo clowns.

Marsha: What do rodeo clowns do?

Anna: They make jokes at a rodeo. They make people laugh.

Marsha: That-That';s very different.

Marsha: Who is that woman in the picture?

Anna: That is my Aunt Lavender. She is my mom's sister. She loves gardening and makes spoons.

Marsha: She makes spoons?

Anna: Of course.

Marsha: That, too, is very different.

Anna: Oh! This is my Uncle John. He is my father's brother.

Marsha: What does Uncle John do?

Anna: He's a chicken farmer. And makes guitars. He's awesome, and I'm his favorite niece.

Marsha: Who are they?

Anna: They are my cousins. They are my Uncle John's daughter and son.

Marsha: What do they do?

Anna: They raise sheep and make sweaters.

Marsha: Yeah, that's not a surprise.

Marsha: Thanks for showing me your family photos. Your family is very different.

Anna: I do feel better. Thanks for listening. I have many more photos!

Marsha: Yeah. Yeah, you do.

Anna: Washington, DC is my new home. But I like remembering my old home, too.

Anna's Family Tree

This is a family tree. Anna tells Marsha about her parents.

Her mother and father are rodeo clowns.

Her father's parents are from Italy. These grandparents speak Italian.

Anna's mother's parents live in California. These grandparents have a farm and raise horses.

Anna's mother's sister is Aunt Lavender. She loves gardening.

Anna's father has a brother. His name is John. Uncle John makes guitars.

Uncle John has a daughter and a son. They are Anna's cousins. They raise sheep.

Anna's brother has two children. They are Anna's niece and nephew.

Are you from a big family or a small family? Write to us to tell us about two people in your family. What do they do? What do they make? Click on the image below to download the Activity Sheet and practice with a friend.

Learning Strategy 学习技巧

Learning Strategies are the thoughts and actions that help make learning easier or more effective.

The learning strategy for this lesson is Find Patterns. Learning is easier when you can find and apply patterns. Here is an example.

Carlos is learning the names of family members in English. He sees a pattern. Some words change when you talk about the next generation. "Father" changes to "grandfather." When someone is related by marriage, the word "in-law" is used. "Sister" changes to "sister-in-law." Carlos thinks he can use this pattern to help remember the new words in English.

New Words 新词汇

clown - n. someone who often does funny things to make people laugh

different - adj. not ordinary or common; unusual

feel - v. used to describe or ask about someone's physical or mental state

garden – v. to work in a garden; to take care of the plants in a garden

guitar - n. a musical instrument that is held against the front of your body and that has usually six strings which are played with your fingers or with a pick

homesick - adj. sad because you are away from your family and home

joke - n. something said or done to cause laughter

laugh - v. to show that you are happy or that you think something is funny by smiling and making a sound from your throat

make - v. to build, create, or produce (something) by work or effort

park - n. piece of public land in or near a city that is kept free of houses and other buildings and can be used for pleasure and exercise

photo (photograph) - n. a picture made by a camera

raise - v. to keep and take care of (animals or crops)

remind - v. to cause (someone) to remember something

rodeo - n. an event in which people compete at riding horses and bulls, catching animals with ropes, etc.

sheep - n. an animal with a thick woolly coat that is often raised for meat or for its wool and skin

spoon - n. an eating or cooking tool that has a small shallow bowl attached to a handle

sweater - n. a warm usually knitted piece of clothing for the upper part of your body

Family Relationships

aunt - n. the sister of your father or mother or the wife of your uncle

brother - n. a boy or man who has one or both of the same parents as you

cousin - n. a child of your uncle or aunt

daughter - n. a female child

family - n. a group of people who are related to each other

father - n. a male parent

mother - n. a female parent

nephew - n. the son of your brother or sister

niece - n. a daughter of your brother or sister

sister - n. a girl or woman who has one or both of the same parents as you

son - n. a male child

uncle - n. the brother of your father or mother or the husband of your aunt

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Free Materials

免费学习辅助材料

Download the VOA Learning English Word Book for a dictionary of the words we use on this website.

Each Let's Learn English lesson has an Activity Sheet for extra practice on your own or in the classroom. In this lesson, you can use it to practice a conversation about activities.

For Teachers

教学辅助

See the Lesson Plan for this lesson for ideas and more teaching resources. Send us an email if you have comments on this course or questions.

Topics: Family members?; family relationships.,

Learning Strategy: Find and Apply Patterns

Speaking & Pronunciation Focus: Ask about a problem; varied ways to pronounce "aunt"