How to Talk About Apps in English - Spoken English Lesson

Hi, I’m Oli. Welcome to Oxford Online English!  

In this lesson, you can  learn how to talk about apps.  

You’ll see how to talk about different types of smartphone apps and give your opinions about them.

How many apps do you have on your  phone? Which one do you use the most? Are they  

easy to use, or could they be improved?  Keep watching this video to learn the language you need to know 

to answer these questions in  accurate, natural-sounding English.

Another thing: don’t forget to turn on  subtitles if you need them! This video has  

English subtitles; click the ‘CC’ button on the  video player to turn them on. Now, let’s start! 

Have you ever heard of FitGrid?

No, but let me guess. Is it a new app? Yes, that’s right. Apparently, it’s a  

mix between a social media app and a fitness app.  It looks really cool – I’m going to download it.

How many apps do you have now?

I’m not sure exactly, but it must be well over  a hundred. From time to time I delete the ones I  

don’t use – but then I download more. I’m a bit of  an addict. What about you? How many do you have?

I don’t know. Not many. Just the basics, you  know. I have WhatsApp of course, a banking app,  

Gmail, Google Maps, YouTube, Facebook,  Netflix, and a couple of games. Perhaps about  

ten in total. How can you possibly have more  than a hundred?! What kinds of apps do you have?

Well, I’m a big fan of social media, so I have  all the social media apps – although I mostly use  

Instagram and Twitter. What I like about Instagram  is that it’s great for sharing photos and videos.  

I watch a lot of movies, so I  have Amazon Prime and Netflix.  

Then there are shopping apps,  music apps like Spotify,  

reading apps, and, most importantly, food  delivery apps, because I don’t know how to cook.

You know there are apps which  teach you how to cook, right? 

Can you remember some of the different  types of app that we talked about? 

There are social media apps,  fitness apps, banking apps…

…shopping apps, reading apps, TV apps…

…games, music apps and food delivery apps.  You heard us refer to all of these in the  

dialogue. Can you think of any other types of app? There are many, of course, but one good example is  

educational apps and language learning apps. 

Look at some questions you heard, in the dialogue. Think about how you could answer.

For the first two, you could answer together,  like this: ‘The last time I downloaded an app  

was last weekend. It was a game called ‘Dinosaur  Rock’. Now I have around 25 apps on my phone.’ 

When you answer the third question,  try to give an extended response.

Don’t just say ‘I have lots of  different apps.’ Give some more details!  

Talk about the different types of apps you have.

For example, you could say ‘I’m a fitness  fanatic, so most of the apps on my phone are  

related to keeping fit. It’s almost like having a  personal trainer on your phone, which is great.’ 

Pause the video and try  to answer the questions now. 

Could you do it? If not, go back  and listen to the dialogue again.

Next, let’s look at how apps work. 

So, what’s your favourite app at the moment?

Well, it’s been around for a while, but  right now, my favourite app is Plant Nanny.

Seriously? It’s called Plant Nanny? Does it  help you to look after your house plants?

No, it reminds you to drink enough  water – so you don’t get dehydrated.

Do you really need an app to encourage you  to stay hydrated? But, OK, how does it work?

Well, you download the app and you input some  personal information like your height,  

your weight and your level  of physical activity – and  

Plant Nanny tells you how much  water you should be drinking.

Right…

Then you choose a plant – the plants are super  cute – and every time you drink a glass of water,  

you tap the screen, and the app records  how much water you drink. Basically,  

if you drink enough water,  your virtual plant will grow.

Does it send you annoying reminders all the time?

You do get reminders from time to time.  I think they’re helpful – but you can  

disable them if you like. You should try it! 

Many apps are designed to make our lives easier.

Look at these sentences. Which verbs are missing? Pause the video if you want more time to think. 

OK? Let’s check. 

The highlighted verbs all use the same  grammatical pattern. Can you identify it? 

All three verbs follow the pattern: verb  plus object plus to plus infinitive. When  

you learn verbs like this or practise,  try to practise using full phrases.  

This way, you can remember the pattern more  easily when you’re speaking, and avoid mistakes.

Here are two other useful verbs  which follow the same pattern. 

Let’s think about messaging apps, like  

WhatsApp or Telegram. Could you make a sentence  to describe them, using ‘allow’ or ‘enable’? 

You could say, ‘Messaging apps enable  us to keep in touch with our family and  

friends’, or ‘WhatsApp allows me  to call people I know for free.’ 

What about Instagram? 

You could say, ‘It allows us to upload and share  images and videos.’ What about Google Calendar? 

You could say, ‘It helps you to  remember important appointments.’

Just be careful with ‘let’. When you  use ‘let’, the pattern is different. 

What’s different? There is no ‘to’ in front  of the verb. This time the pattern is: 

Now, it’s your turn. Think of an app  that you like and explain how it works. 

Try to give a detailed answer, using  some of the verbs you saw before.

For example, you could say: ‘The app  I like best at the moment is Mint.  

It helps you to track your spending, which is  important to me as I’m a student and I don’t have  

much money! Using Mint lets me see my spending  habits and control my money more effectively.’ 

OK? Pause the video and try  to answer the questions now.

How did you get on? Could you  use the verb patterns fluently?  

If not, repeat your answer several  times, until you can do it easily.

Next, you’re going to talk about  why you like – or dislike – an app. 

Why are you such a fan of Plant Nanny?

Well, before I started using this app, I never  used to drink enough water. I used to drink too  

many caffeinated drinks and I was always ending up  with a headache. Plant Nanny is quick and easy to  

use. It’s very convenient, because you only need  to tap the screen when you drink a glass of water.  

I think the simplicity is one of the things I  like most about it – it’s very user-friendly.  

Obviously it’s useful, because it helps you to  stay hydrated, but at the same time it’s fun.  

Plant Nanny has changed my  life. I can’t live without it..!

I’m afraid I have to admit  that I don’t see the point of  

apps like Plant Nanny. I think these kinds  of apps are a complete waste of time.

OK – fair enough. You mentioned that you have  a couple of game apps on your Smartphone.  

Which games do you have?

My favourite game is Chess.

Chess?! I haven’t played chess in... years!

You probably think it’s very outdated,  but in fact online chess is incredibly  

engaging and interactive – and you can  play against people all over the world.

Sounds good! 

Think about the first question you heard  in the dialogue: ‘Why are you such a fan  

of Plant Nanny?’ How could you answer this, if  someone was asking about an app you really like? 

You could say something like:  ‘It’s quick and easy to use.’ 

‘The simplicity is one of the  things I like most about it.’ 

‘I can’t live without it!’ 

For the second example, you could use different  nouns in place of ‘simplicity’. For example:  

‘The convenience is one of the  things I like most about it.’ 

You also heard the words ‘user-friendly’  and ‘engaging’. What do you think?  

Do you think these adjectives have  a positive or a negative meaning? 

If something is user-friendly, it  means that it is easy for anyone to use  

or understand it – you don’t need  any special experience or skills.  

You can also say that something is  ‘intuitive’ – this has a similar meaning. 

If something is engaging, it is interesting  in a way that attracts your attention.  

Teachers usually try to make their  lessons as engaging as possible. 

In the dialogue, you also heard some language used  

to talk about apps that you don’t like. Can  you remember any of the words or phrases? 

What about you? Choose an app that you like –  or maybe that you dislike – and explain why you feel this way. 

Pause the video now and try  to make a few sentences.

For example, you could say ‘One app  I really like is Loom, which you can  

use to record and share videos. I think one  of the reasons I like it is its simplicity.  

It’s intuitive, so you can learn  how to use it quickly and easily.’ 

Or, ‘Have you ever heard of an app called  Yo? It’s kind of like a social media app,  

but you can only text one word – Yo. Seriously.  I just don’t see the point of an app like this!’ 

Done? Great! Let’s look at our last point. 

Do your students use language learning apps?

Sure – my students are a lot  more tech-savvy than I am..!

OK. So, what are some apps you would recommend  to someone who wants to learn a language?

Well, for starters I’d recommend Wordy.  It’s a great way to memorise vocabulary.  

It’s very user-friendly and students  love it because they don’t feel as if  

they are studying – they learn  while they are playing games.

But do they actually learn  anything? Is it worthwhile?

Absolutely! It has its limitations of course  – you’re not going to become fluent overnight  

or anything - but Wordy has a lot to  offer. It’s definitely worth a look.

Right. Sounds good.

Another recommendation would have to  be Get This! It’s beneficial because it  

focuses on listening skills and it encourages  students to understand language in context.  

It’s more challenging than Wordy but at the  same time I would say it’s more rewarding, too.

OK. So Wordy and Get This. Any others?

Well, High Flyer has been around for a while  

but in my opinion it’s well worth  downloading it. It’s designed with  

higher level students in mind, and many of my  advanced level students tell me it’s invaluable. 

Do you ever use apps to help you learn English? If  so, what are some apps that you would recommend? 

In the dialogue, you heard some language used  to make recommendations. Can you remember? 

Be careful with the form after ‘recommend’.  You can say: ‘I’d recommend Wordy’.  

Or: ‘I’d recommend downloading Wordy.’ So, you  can use a noun or an -ing verb after ‘recommend’. 

Also, remember that ‘worth’  is followed by an -ing verb. 

You also heard some other adjectives, such  as worthwhile, beneficial, challenging,  

rewarding and invaluable. These can all be  used to describe language learning apps.

If an app is worthwhile, it is  important and useful in some way.  

Similarly, an app which is beneficial  to you is helpful to you. 

Something which is challenging is difficult – but  in an interesting way which tests your ability.  

If you manage to do something  challenging, it is often rewarding or satisfying. 

Finally, in the dialogue you heard that the High  Flyer app is invaluable. First, let’s check.  

Do you know what valuable means? 

In this context, it means ‘important or useful’.  What about invaluable? What does invaluable mean? 

Often we use the prefix ‘in-‘ to show the negative  of a word – like ‘ability’ and ‘inability’  

or ‘capable’ and ‘incapable’ – so you might  expect that ‘invaluable’ means ‘not valuable’. 

In fact, invaluable means ‘very  valuable or useful’ – so be careful!

If you’re wondering why this is, it’s because  ‘invaluable’ relates to the verb ‘value’,  

with the meaning of ‘put a price on something’,  

and not the adjective ‘valuable’  as it’s used in modern English.  

‘Invaluable’ literally means that you can’t put  a price on something, because it’s so important. 

Now, it’s your turn. Think about an app you  would like to recommend. It doesn’t have to  

be a language learning app. What could you say?  Pause the video and try to make a sentence or two.

For example, you could say: ‘An app I’d recommend  is Splitwise. It helps you to track money you  

spend in a group, so if you go on a trip with  your friends, you can see who owes how much to  

whom. It’s definitely worth a look, because it  means you don’t have to split every expense,  

which saves time and effort.’ Finally, we have a challenge for you.  

Let’s see if you can put together all  the language we covered in this video.

Here are some questions. 

Feel free to watch sections of  the video again if you need to.  

Then when you’re ready, pause the video and  say your answer out loud. Or, write your answer  

down and share your recommendations  with other students in the comments!

That’s all. Thanks for watching!

See you next time!