got me into
Introduced me to an activity that I came to enjoy.
“My French friend got me into climbing.”
Shadowing lesson · Talking About Hobbies Beyond “I Like It”
Talking About Hobbies Beyond “I Like It” — English shadowing practice
Don't stop at naming your hobby. Add a place, explain how you started, and give a personal reason for enjoying it.
Level: A2 · Elementary 45 lines 1 minute of speech 149 words a minute About 10 minutes
Original video
A2 · 4-minute practice Add Natural Details When Talking About Hobbies
Model leadsYour echo follows
ReadyLine 1 of 45
One click starts the full rehearsal
How often do you do your hobbies?
Listen until the video pauses. Repeat the sentence during the four-second practice window; the next line then starts automatically.
Is this clip right for you?
The examples build fuller hobby answers by adding a location, explaining who introduced the activity, and giving a reason for enjoying it.
- The examples build fuller hobby answers by adding a location, explaining who introduced the activity, and giving a reason for enjoying it.
- You can distinguish not enjoying an activity from enjoying it but rarely having the chance to do it.
- 45 complete, word-timed practice lines.
Speaking speed
- Level
- A2 placement is vocabulary-led; 4.5% of caption tokens were marked above the dominant A2 vocabulary level.
- Speed
- 149 words a minute across the prepared speech.
- Longest line
- 26 words in 8.9 seconds.
Where it gets hard
When you speak you should always try to add some details to your ideas like this will make your English sound more interesting and more natural.
What can you say about your hobby?
Phrases worth keeping
Useful English from this exact clip. Hear each phrase in context, then make one sentence of your own.
don't get the chance to do it often
Rarely have an opportunity to do the activity, despite enjoying it.
“I really like taking Wildlife photos in the forest but I don't get the chance to do it often.”
What about you?
Invites the other person to share their own answer on the same topic.
“What about you?”
Sounds to notice
Copy the rhythm, strong beats, and linking used in this clip.
Grammar you can reuse
Patterns the speaker uses naturally, ready for your own sentence.
Explain a preference instead of only naming an activity you like or dislike.
Check what the speaker means
Answer from the clip before revealing the evidence-grounded explanation.
What does the football example add beyond simply saying 'I like playing sport'?
Show answer
A regular time for the activity and a specific place. The general statement names an interest; the next sentence explains when and where the activity happens.
In the wildlife-photo example, does doing the activity infrequently mean the person dislikes it?
Show answer
No. The person really likes it but rarely has the chance to do it. 'Really like' expresses enjoyment, while 'but' introduces the contrasting lack of opportunity.
Make it yours
Answer these real situations out loud, then compare with one possible answer.
A new colleague asks what you enjoy doing outside work. Say who introduced you to a hobby, add where you do it, explain why you like it, and invite your colleague to answer.
got me intoI (don't) like + verb-ing + because + reason.What about you?
A friend assumes you dislike hiking because you rarely go. Correct the assumption: explain why you enjoy hiking, then say that you rarely have the chance to do it.
I (don't) like + verb-ing + because + reason.don't get the chance to do it often
All 45 practice lines
Jump back to any line, or save the ones you want to practise again.
- 014:17How often do you do your hobbies?4.0s
- 024:21Next let's add some details about where you do your hobby or free time activity.6.0s
- 034:28For example I like playing sport.3.4s
- 044:31I play football every Tuesday evening at the park near my house.5.4s
- 054:37I enjoy having coffee with my friends.2.5s
- 064:39We go to a cafe in the city center once or twice a week.4.4s
- 074:44I really like taking Wildlife photos in the forest but I don't get the chance to do it often.6.6s
- 084:51You can see that our answers are getting more detailed.3.4s
- 094:54When you speak you should always try to add some details to your ideas like this will make your English sound more interesting and more natural.8.9s
- 105:03What about you?1.1s
- 115:04Can you add some details like these to your sentences?3.7s
- 125:08Pause the video.1.2s
- 135:09Practice.0.5s
- 145:10Try to make some sentences.1.5s
- 155:11Say them out loud.1.7s
- 165:13Practice a little bit.2.4s
- 175:16Okay next let's look at giving background information especially if you have an interesting or an unusual hobby.7.5s
- 185:24You could talk about when and why you started doing it.4.8s
- 195:29For example I started playing tennis when I was 10.5.2s
- 205:34I've been learning to paint for 6 months now.4.1s
- 215:38I decided to do yoga because I wanted to be healthy.4.2s
- 225:43My French friend got me into climbing.4.2s
- 235:47In the last sentence the phrase my friend got me into something…4.8s
- 245:52Means that your friend introduced this activity to you and now you like it.5.6s
- 255:58What can you say about your hobby?1.8s
- 266:00Can you use some of these phrases to talk about yourself?3.4s
- 276:03For example uh I started climbing when I was living in Russia uh.4.3s
- 286:07I've been climbing for about 8 years.2.3s
- 296:10I also recently decided to do yoga because uh I wanted to be more flexible um.7.6s
- 306:18When I was younger my dad got me into photography.4.9s
- 316:23What about you?1.0s
- 326:24What are your examples?2.1s
- 336:26Finally let's look at how you can add some descriptive words to say why you do or don't enjoy something.7.2s
- 346:33For example I like climbing because it's really exciting.4.7s
- 356:38I love doing yoga because it's so relaxing.4.0s
- 366:43I really like writing stories because it's creative and I like using my imagination.5.9s
- 376:49You can also use negative adjectives to talk about things you don't like.4.6s
- 386:53For example I don't like going jogging because it's tiring.4.7s
- 396:59I hate watching TV because I find it boring.3.9s
- 407:03I've been trying to learn to paint but it's too hard.4.3s
- 417:08Why do you like your hobbies?2.1s
- 427:10What are some activities you don't like doing?2.6s
- 437:13Can you say why you don't like them?2.4s
- 447:15Try to make some sentences and practice using this language.4.6s
- 457:20Okay now it's your turn to speak.2.1s
Your next clip
Where this comes from
Video: “How to Talk About Your Free Time and Hobbies in English - Spoken English Lesson” by Oxford Online English, played in YouTube’s own player. FunFluen does not download, edit, or host it. Watch the full video ↗
Lesson notes: Teaching notes were generated from the saved captions and passed exact caption-evidence validation.