Episode 0243

Hello everyone and welcome to English Pod. My name is Marco.

My name is Catherine and sometimes you're just tired of work, you're tired of everything, you want to go somewhere for a nice romantic weekend, you take a holiday or a getaway.

That's right. So why don't we take a look at this word on vocabulary preview?

Okay, so Marco, the word I mentioned is Getaway. It has a couple of different meanings in English. What are we talking about today?

Well, to get away from someone would be to like leave, right? To try and and stay far away. But a getaway, so taking it as a noun, a romantic getaway is actually to take a holiday, a romantic escape from the city, escape from your daily normal life.

That's right. So it's usually kind of brief or sudden. Almost like you're just going to sneak out and then come back in a couple of days.

Exactly. So many people refer to them as uh island getaways if you go to an island or a romantic getaway if you have a a romantic uh two-day vacation or something like this.

Right. And what are you getting away from? You're getting away from work. You're getting away from uh the business of the city. You're getting away from noise. It's uh it's a nice way to get into the countryside or as you said the islands.

Exactly. So I think uh uh we can take a look at our dialogue. We actually we're going to a travel agency called Getaway Tours and we're going to try and see if we can book a nice romantic getaway.

Welcome to Perfect Getaway Tours. How can I help you?

I would like to plan a surprise getaway for me and my wife.

Very well. We have a couple of different options such as beaches, the wilderness, the countryside, or even going to a spa for the weekend.

I think something in the countryside would be nice.

Sounds good. What is the hotel that we'll be staying at like?

That's right. So, uh she actually mentioned a couple of interesting words there uh describing where they're going to go or or how they're going to spend their time. So why don't we take a look at those now on Language Takeaway?

Okay, so the first word has to do with where this couple is going. They're going to the countryside.

That's right, the countryside. So what exactly is the countryside?

Well, countryside, or the country, is the opposite of the city. So it's anywhere that is rural or less developed than a city, not big skyscrapers or businesses or big towns. It's actually pretty quiet.

Okay. So, yeah, usually the countryside will have a lot of um natural wildlife, trees, gardens, or farms. I think can be considered part of the countryside.

Definitely. And so, yeah, that's basically the complete opposite from a city, right?

Yes.

And that's why a lot of people take getaways to the countryside because it's it's as far away from the city as you can go.

Okay. Very good. And uh to get to the countryside, they're actually taking a round trip flights to New Hampshire.

All right. So round trip is an important vocabulary item when we're talking about travel because you can use this for train tickets, flight tickets, even boat tickets. It means that you're going there and you're coming back. It's basically two tickets.

Right. So, uh the opposite would be if you buy one-way ticket or a one-way flight.

That's right. So many people dream of buying a one-way ticket to the islands, you know. They they never have to come back. But round trip means you're going to come home at some point.

Okay. So they're actually going round trip to New Hampshire and also they are getting picked up at the airport where uh they're going to have a a nice limo that's going to offer them complimentary champagne and finger foods.

That's right. This means that they're not going to pay for it, right? It's free.

Mhm. So it's a it's the company's going to pay for it.

You can have complimentary food, you can have complimentary service. These are basically things that someone else is providing for you. You don't have to pay for them.

Yeah, even even on talking about flights, sometimes people will get a complimentary upgrade to first class. That means they are getting a better service for free.

And what about this finger foods? What about that? That sounds kind of strange.

Yeah, it might sound disgusting, but it's not actually fingers that you eat. It's food that you can eat with your fingers.

So they're like small little treats or snacks that you can have.

Exactly. Usually if you go to a cocktail party or if you go to uh a party at a museum or an event, they'll have these little little foods that you can pick up and eat. You don't need a fork or a spoon.

Mhm. Okay. So they're very small, convenient little snacks that you can just uh kind of pick at and and.

And pop into your mouth. And pop into your mouth.

All right. And all of this they're doing because they have a 30-minute ride to the countryside. So they want to soften the 30-minute ride.

Okay, so to soften something means to make it more enjoyable or more pleasurable because oh no, the 30-minute ride is so rough, so hard.

And so boring.

So this makes it better.

Okay. So, yeah, you can you can soften things uh such as uh the the ride to the countryside or you can even soften someone up, so maybe give them some nice compliments so they are uh they'll they'll be nice to you.

That's right. To soften.

Okay. All right. So why don't we take a break and listen to the dialogue again and we'll be back with Language Takeaway part two.

Welcome to Perfect Getaway Tours. How can I help you?

I would like to plan a surprise getaway for me and my wife.

Very well. We have a couple of different options such as beaches, the wilderness, the countryside, or even going to a spa for the weekend.

I think something in the countryside would be nice.

Sounds good. What is the hotel that we'll be staying at like?

All right, we're back. And now we are going to take a look at a good group of adjectives that the travel agent used to describe how great this hotel is, how great the place is.

Okay, so the person on the telephone representing the company the travel company is trying to sell something. So she is using these really, really great adjectives to make everything sound awesome. And uh one of the first things she says is that uh you will enjoy an intimate and private time in this great hotel.

Okay, so an intimate time. If something is intimate, it means it's very, I don't know, it usually means like romantic, right?

Romantic, cozy, but also private. Uh so something that is um intimate is usually between two people.

Mhm. Okay. So if they're going to have an intimate and private room, that means it's a room only for them.

Yes, or if someone has an intimate relationship, that means that they're romantically involved.

Okay. And the travel agent went on to describe how fabulous the restaurant is. So this adjective is really nice, fabulous.

So this means that it's just a wonderful restaurant. And uh some people even say totally fab.

Okay. Do you can you describe someone as fabulous? Not really, right?

All right. Apart from having this fabulous restaurant, they also have a stunning view of the gardens.

All right. Stunning is similar to the word breathtaking or shocking in a good way. It it makes you really, really impressed because it's so beautiful or so unique.

Okay, so for example, the views, uh the view of the of the beach is stunning, right? Or even someone, you can say, wow, you look stunning.

That's right. So this is a really great compliment by the way. Usually men say this to women. Women don't say this to men. But you can describe someone's clothes as stunning, like um her dress was stunning at the Oscars. But if you're a man trying to give a woman a good compliment, believe me, this one works. You look stunning this evening.

All right. Okay. Nice little tip there. Uh using the adjective stunning, okay? Now, lush. We have lush green gardens. So we're looking we have a stunning view of the lush green gardens. This word lush.

Lush usually describes things that are organic like plants and flowers and we say this to mean that something is very green, very healthy, very full.

Okay. So uh an apple tree, full with apples and and you have a it's just looks great. You would say it's a lush apple tree.

Right. Or I could even say I've heard that the rainforests of Ecuador are very, very lush, very, very green.

Okay. Yeah, exactly. All right. So lush it very abundant, very green, very healthy. And apart from these adjectives, the sales agent also described that the country villa had recently been restored and refurbished. So what about these two words? Restored and refurbished?

Okay, basically what she's saying is that this house, this big villa, um was recently completely remade on the inside. So the appearance, the look, doesn't really change. It's still an old beautiful villa, but maybe the insides were old or needed to be updated. And so that means that um the plumbing, the lights, the walls, the paint, that was all restored, maybe to look like the original, very, very beautiful and clean. But also it was refurbished, which means that the fittings and the carpet and the maybe the lights and all the furniture, that was also um new again.

Okay. So we usually hear about this sometimes in the news when they are restoring an old uh church or an old building. That means they're making it uh they're trying to save it and make it look like it used to. They're not changing it, right?

They're not trying to make it look new, but they're trying to make it look like it used to look before it got old. You know how sometimes old things are worn and um they're not they're not pretty anymore. Well, what they're trying to do is make it really shiny and uh and beautiful.

And refurbish is basically to give it as you said new new carpet or sometimes new furniture, stuff like that. So many people refurbish their homes, right?

That's right. And uh it's a very, very popular thing to do with with older houses. You buy them, you fix them, you restore them, you refurbish them so that you want to live in them.

Right. Okay. So a lot of great things from this dialogue. Uh I think we should listen to it one more time and we'll be back in a little bit.

Welcome to Perfect Getaway Tours. How can I help you?

I would like to plan a surprise getaway for me and my wife.

Very well. We have a couple of different options such as beaches, the wilderness, the countryside, or even going to a spa for the weekend.

I think something in the countryside would be nice.

Sounds good. What is the hotel that we'll be staying at like?

All right. So talking about getaways. Now, the sales agent offered him options such as beach, wilderness, countryside, or even a spa. Which one do you prefer?

Wilderness.

For sure. So you want to go into the forest, the jungle?

Yes. I I hate to say it. I think beaches are boring. Um, sorry, Mom, I know you love beaches. Uh, I just I like to do stuff when I'm away. So, I love the desert too, but the wilderness somewhere where I'm outside, I'm I I I live in a city. I don't want to go to a city. So I like to go somewhere where I can walk around, hike, ride a bike, do things like that.

What about you?

Uh I actually I don't have a like a favorite actually. Sometimes it's it's nice for me to go to the beach and relax. I do tend to get a little bit bored after maybe two days of doing nothing on the beach. But it is it does give a good opportunity to do other things, beach activities like snorkeling or or scuba diving, which can also be really fun.

But definitely I I do enjoy the wilderness as well. The the the jungle and rafting or uh or camping. Yeah, it's it's good fun. The the insects can be a bit of a of a nuisance at times.

Or the rain. Or the rain. Camping in the snow or the rain is so horrible.

But other than that, yeah, it's great. I know not many people enjoy these types of uh outdoor getaways. But uh but of course, you know, you have spas. I know some many people enjoyed going to a spa, having a mud bath and.

Nothing wrong with that, getting your nails done, having massage. I mean, getting the whole royal treatment like we say.

So this is what we want to know now is well, when you go on vacation, what do you like to do? Do you like to get away to the uh tropical beaches? Do you like to go to the islands or the uh jungle? What do you like to do?

Let us know. Our website is englishpod.com. We hope to see you there.

All right, we'll see you guys next time. Bye.

The English pod audio review.

Listen to the meaning, then say the vocabulary word.

A group of services.

Package.

Travel both to the place and back again.

Round trip.

Expressing a compliment.

Complimentary.

To provide room for someone.

Accommodate.

To return something to an original condition.

Restore.

Be persuaded to recognize the worth of.

Be sold.

A place appropriate for a vacation.

Getaway.

Let's try that faster.

A place appropriate for a vacation.

Getaway.

Expressing a compliment.

Complimentary.

Be persuaded to recognize the worth of.

Be sold.

Travel both to the place and back again.

Round trip.

To return something to an original condition.

Restore.

To provide room for someone.

Accommodate.

A group of services.

Package.

Now say the word and hear it in a sentence.

Getaway.

They took the whole family on a getaway to the Rocky Mountains.

Getaway.

This travel agency offers getaways mainly to tropical destinations.

Getaway.

My dream getaways would be to spend a week living by the ocean in a little fishing village.

Complimentary.

We found complimentary chocolates and champagne in the hotel room.

Complimentary.

This hotel includes a complimentary breakfast and nightly snacks.

Complimentary.

The flight attendant passed out the complimentary mid-flight refreshments.

Restore.

They restored the town's old library three years ago.

Restore.

The exterior of this church has been restored to its original appearance.

Restore.

They are in the process of restoring the old town hall, so it will be closed for at least another month.

Accommodate.

We can accommodate three more people on this trip.

Accommodate.

This hotel can accommodate over 800 guests.

Accommodate.

The maximum number of people we can accommodate in this reception hall is 250.

Be sold.

They sold me on that idea.

Be sold.

This vacation package has everything I want, so I'm sold.

Be sold.

If the advertisement is clever enough, I'm usually sold on that product.