Airport English Conversation | Check-In, Extra Luggage & Passport Control | Listening Practice A2-B1

Hi friends. Welcome back to Daily English Talk. I'm Lily. And I'm Tom. Good to see you again. If you're new here, welcome to the family. We're so happy you found us. And if you're not new, welcome back. You already know how this works. Do you have a return ticket? What is the purpose of your trip? A return ticket? No, I don't. I'm going for fun. Every single day we post a new English lesson to help you speak with more confidence. So if you want to learn real, natural English, hit that subscribe button right now. It's free, it's daily, and it really helps the channel grow. Today we have a fun one. We're going to teach you airport English. Yes, everything you need to say at the airport from check-in all the way to passport control. And here's the best part. Last week, Tom and I actually took a real trip. We flew from the United States to the United Kingdom. From the USA to the UK. And let me tell you, a lot of things happened. Oh, a lot of things happened to you, Tom. That's true. That's very true. Tom, we have a new member. His name is Nguyen Xuan Quang. Oh, I'm happy now. Congratulations, Nguyen Xuan Quang. So today you'll learn the words and phrases and you'll hear a real story at the same time. This is perfect for level A2 to B1. Let's go. Okay, before we start the story, I have a question for all of you watching. Uh-oh, I think I know where this is going. At the airport in New York, Tom's suitcase was too heavy. Way too heavy. So he had to pay extra money for it. Please don't tell them the number. I won't tell them. That's the fun part. Here's the question for you, everyone at home. How much extra money do you think Tom had to pay for his heavy bag? It was a lot. I'll just say that. Take a guess and write it in the comments right now. Was it $20, $50, $100, even more? More. Tom, don't help them. Sorry, sorry. So put your guess in the comments. We're not telling you the answer today. We want to see who gets the closest. Ready? Let's hear the whole story. So Tom, this was your first time flying to another country, right? Yes, my very first big international trip. I was so excited. I packed my bag two weeks early. Two weeks early. And that's the problem, isn't it? You're right. When you pack early, you keep adding things. A few shirts, then some shoes, then snacks. So many snacks. Tom packed American snacks to share with our friends in London. You're right. They asked for them. Cookies, chips, candy. I couldn't say no. It was very kind, but your bag became so heavy. I know. I couldn't even lift it at the end. And the airport was busy that day too. So many people, so many bags. Huge lines everywhere. But honestly, the whole trip was amazing. The flight, the food, landing in London. It was a wonderful trip. We had two small problems, but we learned so much. Small problems. One was my heavy bag, and the other one was at passport control. Oh yes, Tom and the passport officer. We'll get to that. I'm not ready to talk about it, but OK. Don't worry, everyone. These problems are very common, and after this lesson, you'll know exactly what to do. Let's learn some grammar first. OK, let's talk about a useful grammar point for travel. It's the present perfect. The present perfect. When do we use it? We use it to talk about experiences in our life, when we don't say the exact time. We make it like this. We use have or has, plus the past participle of the verb. Give us an example. I have been to England. That means at some time in my life, I went there. Maybe last year, maybe ten years ago. The time is not important. Oh, I like that one. I have been to England. Now I can finally say it. Yes, you can. And we often ask people, have you ever been to another country? So I could say, have you ever flown on a plane? Perfect. And before our trip, here's a true sentence. Tom had never traveled abroad before. We use never for zero experience. Sad but true. Zero experience. That's me. But listen, this is different from the past simple. When we say the exact time, we use the past simple. For example, last week we flew to London. That's a finished action with a clear time. So present perfect for the experience and past simple for the exact time. Exactly. Let me show you both together. I have been to London. That's the experience. I went to London last week. That's the specific trip. That's so clear. Now here's a question for everyone watching. Have you ever traveled to another country? Write yes, I have or no, I haven't in the comments. Practice the grammar with us. Don't be shy. Try it. OK, now the most important part. Let's learn the real airport English step by step in the same order you use it at the airport. From the front door to the airplane. Let's do it. First, you arrive at the airport and you go to the check-in desk. This is where you give your bag and you get your boarding pass. And the boarding pass is the small ticket, right? The one with your seat and your gate number. Exactly. Let me show you a normal conversation. Listen. Good morning. Here is my passport. Thank you. Where are you flying today? I'm flying to London. Great. Here is your boarding pass. Your gate is number 22. See how simple that is? Just a few clear sentences. You don't need difficult words. Here is my passport. I can remember that one. Now, number two. This is Tom's favorite word. Excess baggage. Oh no. Excess baggage means your bag is too heavy or too big. The airport word is overweight. If your bag is overweight, you pay an extra fee. A fee is money you must pay. And my bag was very overweight. Let's act it out. Listen carefully. Sir, I'm sorry, but your bag is overweight. Oh no. How heavy is it? It's too heavy. You'll need to pay an extra fee or you can remove some items. So that was the moment. I had to choose. Pay the money or take things out of my bag. And remember everyone, we're not telling you how much he paid. Keep guessing in the comments. Please be nice with your guesses. Number three. There are two kinds of bags. Your checked bag goes under the plane. Your carry-on bag or hand luggage stays with you on the plane. And here's my smart idea. To make my checked bag lighter, I put more things in my carry-on bag. His carry-on was so full he couldn't close it. It closed eventually. I sat on it. He sat on his own bag in the middle of the airport. Lesson learned. Pack light, everybody. Number four. After check-in, you go to security. At security, they check you and your bags. They often say, please remove your laptop or please take off your belt. The belt. Oh, the belt. Tell him, Tom. It took off my belt for the security check. And then my pants started to fall down a little in front of everyone. He was holding his pants with one hand and his bag with the other. It was not my best moment. But the phrases are useful. Please remove your laptop. Please take off your shoes. Now you'll understand the officer. Number five. The gate is the door where you get on the plane. When it's time to enter the plane, we say boarding. And what's a final call? Good question. Final call means hurry. This is the last chance to get on the plane. You hear it on the speakers. And we almost missed it. Because someone was buying more snacks. I needed snacks for the flight. We heard final call for the flight to London and we ran to the gate. We ran so fast, I dropped a bag of chips on the way. Rest in peace, chips. OK, number six. This is the big one. When you arrive in a new country, you go to passport control, also called immigration. The officer checks your passport and asks you some questions. And this is where I had my problem. The officer usually asks two questions. First, what's the purpose of your visit? That means, why are you here? You can answer, I'm here on holiday or I'm here for business. And the second question? Clear. How long are you staying? You can answer, for one week or for 10 days. Well, I got very nervous. The officer looked at me and asked, how long are you staying? And what did you say? I forgot every English word I ever learned. I just said, um, a few days, maybe a week. I don't know. Soon. Thank you. Soon? Thank you? That's not even an answer. The officer just looked at me, so confused. But here's the lesson, everyone. Stay calm and answer clearly. I'm here on holiday for one week. Short and simple. Now I know. Next time I'll be ready. And don't be afraid of passport control. The officer is just doing their job. Speak slowly and stay relaxed. Number seven. After you get your bags, you go through customs. Sometimes an officer asks, do you have anything to declare? What does declare mean? To declare means to tell the officer if you're carrying special things, like a lot of food or expensive items. If you have nothing special, you just say, no, nothing to declare. But I had all those snacks, so I panicked and said, I have cookies. Is that bad? Are cookies illegal? He confessed to the cookies. I thought I was in big trouble for snacks. The officer just smiled and said it was fine. But now you know the word declare. Very useful. And number eight, the last one. After customs, you collect your checked bag at the baggage claim. The bags come out on a big moving belt called a carousel. And we waited and waited for my heavy bag. His bag was so heavy. It was the very last one to come out. I thought the airline lost it. I was so worried. But it arrived. And finally, we were ready to enjoy London. Big Ben, here we come. OK, let's review everything we learned today. You did great. Quick summary time. First, you go to the check-in desk to get your boarding pass. Then watch out for excess baggage. Don't let your bag be overweight or you pay an extra fee. Remember the two bag types. The checked bag goes under the plane and the carry-on stays with you. At security, they may say, please remove your laptop or take off your belt. You wait at the gate and you listen for boarding and final call. At passport control, answer clearly. I'm here on holiday for one week. At customs, you might hear, anything to declare? And you collect your bag at baggage claim. That's everything you need for a smooth trip. And remember the grammar. Present perfect for experiences. I have been to London. Pass simple for the exact time. I went to London last week. You can do this. Travel English is not scary. It's just a few simple phrases. And that's our lesson for today. Thank you so much for learning with us. Now, don't forget our big question. How much did I pay for my heavy bag? We're not telling you today. Put your guess in the comments and let's see who gets the closest. Be kind. It was a painful day for my wallet. If this lesson helped you, please hit that like button. And subscribe to Daily English Talk. We post a brand new English lesson every single day. Every day. So you have a new way to practice your English all the time. Practice a little every day and your English will grow stronger and stronger. We believe in you. You've got this. Keep speaking. Keep smiling. And we'll see you in the next lesson. Bye, everyone. Bye. Safe travels.