Now you will use the new words to talk about where you like to stay. In real life, people often ask: Where do you like to stay on holiday? and they answer with a short reason. Look at the useful phrases below. Try to read the English phrases out loud before you listen to the dialogue.
Notice two common sentence patterns. Pattern 1 uses like + to + stay in + place: I like to stay in a hotel. Pattern 2 uses prefer + a/an + place: I prefer a small guesthouse. Both patterns are correct, but like + to stay in is the most common in everyday speech, especially when you give a reason.
We use it is (or it's) to give a reason. After it is, the adjective does not change: It is cheap (not It is a cheap). The adjective goes alone. This is important: in English, after is / it's, the adjective comes without a noun: It's clean, not It's a clean. You can also join two reasons with and: It's cheap and clean.
Listen to the short dialogue between Emma and Tom. They talk about different kinds of places to stay. Tom likes a quiet guesthouse; Emma likes a big hotel in the city centre. After the dialogue, you will practise the same sentences yourself, and then you will have a live chat with a friend about where you like to stay. Speak slowly and clearly — your goal is to be understood, not to be perfect.
English phrase
I like to stay in a hotel.
I prefer a small guesthouse.
It's cheap.
It's clean.
It's comfortable.
It's quiet.
It's in the city centre.
I don't like a hostel.
Generating translation…
Listen to Emma and Tom talk about their favourite places to stay on holiday.
E
EmmaHi Tom! Where do you like to stay on holiday?
T
TomI like to stay in a small guesthouse. It's quiet and clean.
E
EmmaThat sounds nice! I prefer a hotel. I like a big room.
T
TomA hotel is good, but it can be expensive. Do you like a city hotel?
E
EmmaYes, I like a hotel in the city centre. It's near the shops and the museum.
T
TomGreat choice! I prefer the countryside. I like to stay in a cottage.
I prefer a small guesthouse because it's quiet and clean.
Key model sentence. Notice the pattern: I prefer + a/an + place + because + it's + adjective (+ and + adjective).
Required
Read this sentence aloud. Speak at a calm speed and finish the word hotel clearly.
I like to stay in a small hotel.
Required
Read this sentence aloud. Use a falling tone on guesthouse and on quiet.
I prefer a guesthouse because it's quiet.
Required
You are chatting with your friend about holidays. Answer the question, then ask Tom the same question. Use the phrases from this lesson, and try to give a reason (cheap, clean, quiet, comfortable, in the city centre, near the beach, and so on).
Required
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
6
cards
When you travel, you need a place to sleep. There are many different kinds of accommodation, and each one is good for a different kind of trip. A hotel is a building with rooms where you pay to sleep. A hostel is similar, but it is cheaper, and people often share a room. A guesthouse is a small, friendly place to stay, usually in someone's home. A flat is a home where all the rooms are on one floor. A tent is a cloth shelter that you carry with you and put up outside. A caravan is a small home on wheels that you can pull with a car. And a room is just one part of a building, with walls and a door.
In this lesson, you will learn these seven words and you will learn how to say which place you like. Look at the table below. The first column shows the English word, the second shows its type (n = noun), Read each sentence quietly. Notice the small words a and the before the noun. We say a hotel the first time we talk about it, and the hotel when we already know which one.
You can also use these words with in or at: I stay in a hotel, I stay at a hostel. After a verb like prefer, we use the noun alone: I prefer a flat. With the verb like, we often use the pattern I like to stay in + place: I like to stay in a small hotel. You will practise this pattern in the next section.
Word
Type
Example
hotel
n
We sleep in a small hotel near the beach.
hostel
n
The youth hostel is cheap and friendly.
guesthouse
n
My aunt runs a guesthouse in the mountains.
flat
n
They rent a flat in the city centre.
tent
n
We put up our tent near the lake.
caravan
n
The family travels in a caravan in summer.
room
n
The hotelroom has two beds.
Generating translation…
Meet the seven words for places to stay. Tap each word to hear it and to see the Arabic gloss.
caravanˈkærəvæn
A vehicle equipped for living in, typically towed by a car, used for holidays and camping. Also, a group of pe
flatflæt
Having a level and even surface; not curved, sloping, or uneven.
guesthouseˈɡesthaʊs
A guesthouse is a private house where rooms are available for guests to rent, usually smaller and more persona
hostelˈhɒstəl
A building that provides affordable accommodation, usually with shared rooms and facilities, popular with stud
hotel
a building where travelers pay to sleep.
roomruːm
a part of the inside of a building that is separated from other parts by walls , floor , and ceiling :
a bedro
tenttɛnt
A portable shelter made of fabric stretched over a frame of poles, used especially for camping.
Required
Match each place to stay with the correct meaning.
Match each place to stay with the correct meaning.
hotel
hostel
guesthouse
flat
tent
caravan
room
a building with rooms where you pay to sleep
a cheap place where travellers often share a room
a small friendly place to stay, often in someone's home
a home with all rooms on one floor
a cloth shelter you carry and put up outside
a small home on wheels that you can pull with a car
one part of a building, with walls and a door
I like to stay in a small hotel near the city centre.
Model sentence. Notice the pattern: I like to stay in + place. We use in for buildings and areas (in a hotel, in the mountains).
Required
Listen and choose. What kind of place does the speaker like to stay in?
A small hotel
A big hostel
A flat in the mountains
A tent near the lake
Required
Which place is usually the cheapest for one night?
