Vocabulary connected with weekend activities | Study English advanced level

Hi there, teacher Harry here. Welcome back to my  English lessons where we try to help you to get a  

better understanding of the English language.  Today we're going to focus on vocabulary.

And in particular, we're going to look at  vocabulary around weekend activities, because  

weekends are the really important  part of the week. Monday to Friday,  

all about working and all about waiting for  that we can come Saturday and Sunday. As always,  

at the end of this particular lesson,  I'll give you my contact details.

And if you want to contact me, you can do so any  comments that you have, be happy to hear from you.  

Okay, so usually when we're talking about the  weekend, it might be something that we did it the  

last, the previous weekend, the last weekend or  the previous weekend. Okay. So when we use that,  

we're typically using simple past. Yeah, Past  Simple, simple past verbs, because we're either  

asking somebody a question about the weekend  or answering a question about the weekend.  

And we're telling people simply, what we did, or  what we got up to is another way to to express it.  

For example, did you have a nice weekend? Simple  past. Did you have a nice weekend? How was your  

weekend? What did you do last weekend? Or what did  you get up to last weekend? So they're just simple  

ways of asking the question about somebody's  weekend, the one usually on a Monday morning  

over the first coffee that you have, and all  of them using simple past formats of the verb.

The follow on questions that might lead to  these when when you've you've got your answers?  

Well, what did you do? Where  did you go? Who did you see?  

Or you might ask somebody's opinion. Did you  like it? Did you enjoy it? Is it worth going to?  

Or how did you like it? How did you enjoy  it? So somebody could be talking about  

have visited the zoo, visited the  circus, and new park new activity,  

something that you they've tried that you haven't  or something that you might like to try? So you're  

looking for their opinion as to as to whether  you should or you shouldn't do it. Okay. So  

previous weekend or last  weekend, usually simple past.

Now, we're talking about our weekend plans, what  have we got planned for the weekend. These are  

very typical small talk, chitchat  conversations over the coffee before  

the meetings whenever you might do it. Okay. So  the very simple way of asking the question is,  

Do you have any plans for the weekend? Or  do you have any plans for this weekend?  

What are you up to this weekend? Okay. And  we often use going to in these circumstances.  

And the reason why we use going to it's the  continuous format, but it's the continuous format,  

look into something in the future, but looking  at something in the immediate future. Yeah. So  

what are you going to do this week? We can and  the answer might be, oh, we're going to go here,  

or we're going to go there. Or we're going to do  some skiing. Or we're going to do some hiking. Or  

going to play tennis. So it would be replied  to or the response would be in that continuous  

format of going to also. Okay, so often used going  to... to talk about future plans, particularly  

for the most immediate weekend. So the one  coming in next few days or four days, okay?

If we want to look at expressions that we would  use when we're talking about weekend activities,  

or days, then you might use expressions like, I  had a night in meaning I didn't go anywhere. I  

didn't do anything. I stayed at home. I just had a  night in in front of the fire a night in front of  

the TV and night in watching Netflix, I chilled  out watching that series that you recommended.  

I had a night in or the opposite off. We had a  great night out on Saturday or we had a great  

night out on Friday. You should have been there  was really really good fun. Okay, so it means  

we went out and we had some fun at some party  or some restaurant or what clubbing whatever  

you were doing. Okay, so I had an idea in  stayed at home. We had a great night out  

or a great evening out when we went out and left  the home and went went somewhere else. Okay,  

now let's look at some phrasal verbs  connected with weekend activities. Okay,  

I've given to you and then I'll  give you some examples. So here

To clean up, to tidy up, to stay in, to chill out,  

to wind down, to have someone over, to flick  through, to meet up, usually to meet up with,  

to catch up with someone, and to bump into or  to run into the effectively mean the same. Okay,  

so phrasal verbs connected with  weekends, and weekend activities.  

Now some of these might be quite mundane or  ordinary. But that's sure how weekends go.

So the first one to clean up. So if somebody  asks you, what did you do for the weekend,  

we decided to stay at home and clean up  the garden, ready for the winter. So we  

cleaned up all the leaves that have fallen from  the trees, you know, there just seems to be  

more and more for a couple of weeks. And then  they're, they're all suddenly disappeared. Or  

we decided to stay at home and clean up the  spare room because our daughter's coming home  

for a few months. So we need somewhere for her to  sleep. So we decided to clean up the spare room.

To tidy up. Oh, well, you know what, like at the  beginning of spring, we like to have a spring  

clean, tidy up all the rooms get rid of the  rubbish that we've accumulated over the previous  

year. So we got the kids involved. So we had to  give them a little bit of an incentive told them  

we'd take them to the park or we take them for  a pizza afterwards, provided they would tidy up  

their rooms. So we set to words after breakfast.  And we worked for a couple of hours. And then by  

mid afternoon, we had tidied up most of the rooms.  And then as promised, we went off for pizza and  

we're off to the cinema. Okay, so to tidy up  the room to stay in. Well, this is an activity  

that lots of people have for weekends. You know,  they've had a busy week, the weather's bad, the  

weather is cold. We just decided to stay in this  weekend. We've been travelling a lot over the last  

few weekends. So we really need to just to chill  out. So we chilled out and decided to stay in.

So we can link those two expressions together.  So we chilled out, we sat in front of the TV,  

we looked at a few movies with the kids, you  know, they like these action movies. I don't  

like them so much. But they can be a little bit  of fun. So we chilled out on Saturday. And then  

we went to the park on Sunday. So we stayed in all  day Saturday, that weather was terrible. Anyway,  

I'm sure it was the same way you were. So we  stayed in, we had some little snacks. And then we  

just chilled out in the evening. And we watched  those movies to stay in and to chill out.

To wind down. Well, normally we wind down at the  end of the weekend. So we can't wait for Friday  

evening to come, so we can wind down and get ready  for the weekend. Because what you don't want is to  

be feeling under pressure or thinking oh, I should  have done this I should have done that takes up  

a bit of your thinking time on a on a Saturday  morning. So if you can wind down on the Friday  

you go home, kick off the shoes, get into your  jeans or your leisure suit and you sit around with  

a glass of wine and you just wind down you switch  off the laptop, you switch off the mobile phone,  

hopefully. And it's been a little bit of time  relaxing. To wind down. And usually it takes  

a few hours or in some cases a few days to  wind down. So if you're planning a holiday,  

you always find it takes a couple of days to wind  down before you get into the holiday mood. So  

to wind down means to get yourself ready, to  forget about all those troubles at the office,  

to forget about the schoolwork. To forget about  the studies. Just enjoy yourself and wind down.

To have someone over well, to have someone over  means to invite somebody to come to your home  

for either for a meal, dinner perhaps. Or in fact,  even to have a meal and to stay over for a night  

or the weekend. And so you know what kids are like  they always like to have someone over. You know,  

they have their friends this weekend. The next  weekend, they will go to their friend's house. Oh,  

we like to have their cousins over because they...  they're really around the same age as a couple  

of years between them. So when the cousins come  over, and they stay we have they have a great time  

they watch the movies, they play games off.  There's a lot of shouting and screaming of course  

and there's a load of mess to tidy up afterwards.  But you know, it's a bit of fun and they get to  

know each other better. And I really think it's  a great way to grow up. So to have someone over  

means to invite, formally or informally to have  them over for a drink. Oh, we must have you over  

some time. Yeah. So you meet the new neighbours,  you've just moved into the neighbourhood, you're  

parking your car, they come and they introduce  themselves to you. And they're around the same  

age. And they say, You know what? We will have you  over some time. Oh, yeah, great, great, great. So  

you just say, we'll take a rain check on that.  And perhaps the next time you meet them, they  

may invite you over for a drink to sort of welcome  you to the neighbourhood. So to have someone over.

To flick through. Well, you can flick through the  TV channels, you're sitting in front of the TV,  

you're not quite sure what you want to watch.  But you know, you want to watch something.  

So you get the remote control, and you flick,  channel one, channel two, channel three. So you  

flick through the channels until you see something  that's interesting, then you watch it for a few  

minutes ago, a bit bored, and you flick through  again to find it. And then if suddenly land on a  

movie that you haven't seen for a while, or you  haven't seen before. So you're you're settled  

with on that to watch it. So you flick through  the same way you can take out an old photograph,  

album, and you can flick through photographs from  years gone by it's sort of a trip down memory  

lane. Yeah. Okay. So flick through the pages.  Flick, flick, flick means to go through Yeah,  

usually to go through reasonably quickly until  you land on something that that's of interest to  

you. Oh, you can flick through the Netflix channel  to see what particular episode you want to watch?  

Or is there one particular Netflix movie that  you think is really good that people have been  

talking about. So you eventually find the one  that you're looking for. So to flick through.

To meet up. Well, we usually like to meet up with  our friends at various times. Or we might just ask  

the question, would you like to meet up at the  weekend? Why don't we meet up with the partners  

on Saturday? Why don't we all go for a pizza?  Why don't we all go to the cinema? Why don't we  

meet up at the gym? Okay, so to meet up, you can  arrange it for me. Let's meet up at two o'clock.  

Let's meet up over the next couple of weeks.  Why don't we meet up over the holidays. So  

all of those situations where you have the  opportunity to meet up with somebody, to come  

together formally or informally, to celebrate or  just to spend a bit of time together to chill out.

To catch up with somebody. Well, when we want to  catch up with somebody, we mean, we want to find  

out what's going on in their life and say, you  know, I'd really like to catch up with you soon.  

I don't have time now. I'm in a bit of a rush. I  promised the missus that I would get home early  

this evening. So give me a call and we'll catch  up over the weekend or we'll catch up for lunch.  

Yeah, if you're, if you're not so busy over  the next couple of days. Why don't we catch  

up over lunch at noon, sandwich bar seems to  be quite good. Everybody's talking about it.  

We could meet there. Yeah, sure, why not send you  a text or WhatsApp you over the next few days. So  

you can catch up with somebody for a meeting  to find out what's going on in their life.  

Or simply, if you see somebody walking along the  street, or you see somebody ahead of you in the  

park that you recognise, and you haven't seen  them for a while you run or walk more quickly,  

to catch up with them. Yeah. Okay. So you just do  that, you run your walk quickly, and you catch up  

with. Okay, so I'll catch up with you next week.  I'll catch up with you for the next lesson. I'll  

catch up with you soon, all ways of expressing  that sentiment that you want to meet somebody.

And then finally, as I said, we've got these  to bump into someone or to run into someone  

and the meaning is exactly the same. It usually  means that it's not planned, okay? So if you...  

it's... not mean physically you bump  into somebody, hopefully not in your car.  

But if you bump into somebody or run into  somebody, it's usually when you weren't expecting  

to see them. So you might be just doing a bit  of Saturday morning shopping, you might be doing  

some late-night shopping in the supermarket. And  you hear this familiar voice and you look around  

the corner into the other aisle. And there's  the guy you haven't seen for a long time. Ah,  

fancy meeting you here. Fancy running into you  here. I didn't expect to bump into you here.  

What are you doing? Yeah, same as you I'm just  buying a few last-minute things for the party  

and or I'm celebrating one of the kids birthdays.  So I need to get a few treats for all the  

kids that are coming across to our home. Okay, so  to bump into or to run into. So when you go home,  

you'll go back to your...your wife or your husband  or partner and say you'll never guess who I bumped  

into when I was in the supermarket. Oh, you'll  never guess who I ran into in the High Street.  

I haven't seen her for ages. We, we were in  university together and we lost touch but she  

must be back home now. So I really must give her  a call and catch up with her soon. Yeah, okay. So  

I'm going to run into when it's something  that happens unexpectedly unplanned.  

Okay. So they're all phrasal verbs  connected with weekend activities.

Okay, let me give them to you one more time. To  clean up, to tidy up, to stay in, to chill out,  

to wind down, to have someone over, to  flick through, to meet up, to meet up with,  

to catch up with someone and to bump into or to  run into.As I said, phrasal verbs connected with  

weekend and weekend activities. Okay,  well, hopefully, that's given you some  

help. And some indication as to how to you can  use those expressions and words and phrases in  

your English and if you need any other details,  well, please contact me write to me and if you  

want to write to me when my contact details  are www.englishlessonviaskype.com. As I've said  

time and time again, delighted to hear from you  delighted to get some hints that something that  

you might like me to include in future lessons,  and I would love it if you could come to... to  

subscribe to our channel, and you can listen to  my podcasts. And if you check out my webpage,  

you'll find lots of wonderful lesson plans  waiting for you. And if you want lessons on  

a one to one basis. Well, we've got lots of  teachers including myself, only too happy  

to help you, your family and your friends. As  always, thanks for listening. Join me again soon