COVID-19 vocabulary: what the world talked about in 2020

Hello everybody.

So, 2020 has been an eventful year

for everyone around the world.

Because of COVID-19,

how we all live, work and socialise

has been affected.

And with the virus having such an impact on our lives,

it’s no surprise

that it’s affected our everyday language,

with some vocabulary becoming widely used,

and even some new words and phrases being invented.

This includes one of the year's most used words,

the word quarantine,

which is also the Cambridge Dictionary's Word of the Year.

And so, in today's video,

I'm going to be explaining the meaning

of some key COVID-19 vocabulary in a little story about myself.

And so, hopefully,

after watching this story,

you'll feel much more confident when you're talking in English

about what's happening in the world right now.

Before I get started on the story,

please subscribe to the channel,

if you haven't already,

and, of course, as ever,

please don’t forget to comment below with the answer

to today's Greg's Challenge with the question,

how long did I live in Spain for?

But anyway, let’s get cracking with the story.

So, it all started a few months ago.

Back in September,

after seven years of living in Spain,

I decided to move back to England.

So, I got dressed,

packed my bags, put on my face mask

and headed to the airport.

Unfortunately, due to the high levels of COVID-19,

between Spain and Britain, there was no air bridge.

So, what did this mean?

This meant that when I got back to my house,

I had to stay in my bedroom for two weeks to self-isolate.

I was very lucky

that I had meals cooked for me and left outside my door.

I was also very lucky

that my work with Learn English with Cambridge is online.

So, I spent most of my time home working.

Then, after two weeks of quarantine, I was free.

However, I'd forgotten

how different the world had become.

Due to the risk of spreading COVID-19,

people were still wearing face masks and practicing

social distancing.

When greeting someone,

instead of shaking hands, you did an elbow bump.

But, would you believe it,

I was out of self-isolation for two days

when due to the rates of COVID-19 being so high,

my area was put into lockdown.

So, what a strange year 2020 has been.

Whatever next?

So, hopefully, now,

you're feeling much more confident about

using key COVID-19 vocabulary in English.

And why not take a look at the Word

of the Year word list

on the Cambridge Dictionary +Plus and test yourself.

Word lists are a really great way

for you guys to learn new vocabulary on a topic

in a meaningful way.

And also, as ever,

before I go,

please don’t forget to comment below with the answer

to the day's Greg's Challenge with the question,

how long did I live in Spain for?

So, wherever you are in the world,

please stay safe,

and I'll see you next time for more language fun.