Time to relax, it’s the weekend!

Duration: 50 minutes.

Let’s take a look at today’s lesson

In this lesson, we will look at, some small talk and phrasal verbs about the weekend.
What did you get up to at the weekend?
I will ask you some questions, and we will learn some new vocabulary.

Lesson Key: (L) = Listening (U) = Understanding. (R) = Reading.

Talking about the weekend.

When someone asks you: ‘What did you get up to at the weekend?‘, what do they mean? It’s common to ask the people you meet on a Monday at work.

It’s part of small talk, polite and friendly conversation about everyday topics, and it is a great way to catch-up on what you all did during the weekend.

Let’s watch this video about BBQs.
Do you like them? Why are they so good?
When was the last time you went to one?

How to talk about the weekend.

AFTER THE WEEKEND

“How was your weekend?”
“What did you get up to on the weekend?”
“Did you get up to much on the weekend?”

WAYS TO RESPOND

“I had a quiet weekend“.
“It was pretty low-key.”
“I had a wild weekend”.
“I had a full on weekend”.
“My weekend was very busy!”.

Talking about the past.

Here are five verbs in the past tense, relevant to talking about the past (e.g., last weekend), with examples of use:

Verb	Past Tense Form	Example Sentence
Go	Went	I went to the park last weekend.
Have	Had	We had a delicious lunch at a new restaurant.
Do	Did	I did some shopping on Saturday afternoon.
See	Saw	They saw a great movie at the theater.
Visit	Visited	We visited our grandparents and spent quality time with them.

TO CATCH UP ON
TO LEARN ABOUT RECENT EVENTS OR TO DO SOMETHING YOU DIDN’T HAVE TIME TO DO BEFORE.

Let’s catch up later over coffee.

I caught up on some rest.

Let’s catch up about the meeting.

PHRASAL VERBS (Phrasal verbs are phrases that indicate actions)

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example Question	Example Answer(s)
To catch up on	To do something you didn’t have time to do before.	“What did you get up to on the weekend?”	“I caught up on some rest.”
		“What are you going to do this weekend?”	“I’m going to catch up on some reading.”
To catch up with someone	To meet with a friend socially.	“What did you get up to on the weekend?”	“I caught up with some friends.”
		“What are you doing this weekend?”	“I’m catching up with some friends.”
To go out	To go to a bar, restaurant, club, or social event, usually to drink and eat.	“What did you get up to last weekend?”	“I went out for some drinks with some friends.”
To wind down	To relax after hard work or stress.	“What did you get up to on the weekend?”	“I just wound down a bit.”
To unwind	To relax.	“What will you do this weekend?”	“I’m going to wind down this weekend and watch some movies.”
To unwind	To relax.	“How is your job?”	“It’s good but, I really need to unwind. I need to take a holiday.”

Questions about your weekend.
I have written some examples of answers in simple and advanced English.

Do you like to BBQ?

Simple English: Yes, I love barbecue!

Advanced English: While I do enjoy barbecuing and the social aspects that often accompany it, I also recognize the environmental impact of grilling and the potential health risks associated with consuming charred meat.

What are some things that might cause you to frown?

Simple English: Things that might cause me to frown include bad news, unpleasant surprises, and people being mean or rude.

Advanced English: There are many things that might cause a person to frown, and they can vary greatly from individual to individual. For some people, hearing bad news or receiving unpleasant surprises might cause a frown. Others might frown in response to certain social situations, such as encountering someone who is being mean or rude. In general, frowning is often a natural response to negative or unpleasant experiences, as the muscles in the face naturally contract to reflect one’s emotional state.

Do you like to BBQ? = Barbecue
Do you have a barbecue in your garden or in your flat?
What do you like to do outside? Why?
Do you exercise? YES or NO? Why?
What’s your favourite sport? Why?
Do you like to play sport at the weekend?
How do you like to spend your free time?
Do you have a hobby?
What do you do for fun, what makes you smile?
Where do you feel most comfortable?
What are some things that might cause you to frown?
How would your friends describe you?
What would you add?
What are three things that you appreciate about living in Brazil?

Photo by Matthieu Joannon on Unsplash