Skip to Content
← English in Action A2 A2
Getting Getting_Started

Talk about animals

Unit 3

  • I CAN name common animals
  • I CAN say which animals I like
Talk about animals
Speaking

Speaking

7 cards

Now let's talk about which animals we like. In English, we use the verb like + a noun to say what we enjoy. The verb like does not change in the present simple for I, you, we, and they. We say I like dogs and She likes dogs. For he, she, and it we add an -s: likes.

To answer the question 'What animals do you like?' we can use these short sentences:

English When to use it
I like cats. a simple answer
I like dogs a lot. to be stronger
My favourite animal is the horse. to choose one
I don't like spiders. to say no
Do you like birds? to ask a friend
Yes, I do. / No, I don't. short answers

When we want to say what one animal is — our favourite — we use the verb to be: My favourite animal is the horse. We do not say My favourite animal like the horse — this is a common mistake.

We can also describe animals with simple adjectives. Common adjectives are: big, small, fast, slow, beautiful, scary, friendly, and strong. For example: Tigers are big and strong. Rabbits are small and friendly. Horses are fast.

Listen to the dialogue below. Tom asks Emma about animals. Notice the short answers Yes, I do and No, I don't. Then you will repeat two key sentences and try a short roleplay with the AI. Remember: in a short answer, we use do or don't, not the full verb: Do you like dogs?Yes, I do. / No, I don't.

إزاي تتكلّم عن الحيوانات بالإنجليزي

في الدرس ده هنتعلّم إزاي نسأل ونجاوب عن الحيوانات اللي بنحبّها. الجملة الأساسية هنا هي I like + اسم الحيوان، يعني "أنا بحبّ" + الحيوان.

الفعل like وقواعده

الفعل like بنستخدمه عشان نقول إيه اللي بنستمتع بيه. وقاعدة مهمة: الفعل ده مش بيتغيّر مع I, you, we, they، فبنقول I like dogs و You like cats. لكن مع he, she, it بنضيف -s فبنقول She likes dogs أو He likes horses. خلي بالك من الـ s دي، لأنها غلطة شائعة إننا ننساها.

الإجابات القصيرة

لما حدّ يسألك Do you like animals؟، الإجابة المختصرة بتيجي بـ do أو don't مش بالفعل كامل. يعني:

  • Yes, I do. (أيوة بحبّ)
  • No, I don't. (لأ مش بحبّ)

الفايفوريت بتاعي

عشان تقول إيه الحيوان المفضّل عندك، بنستخدم فعل to be (يعني is)، مش like. بنقول My favourite animal is the horse، مش My favourite animal like the horse. دي غلطة بتتعمل كتير عند المتعلّمين، فاحفظها كويس.

صفات للحيوانات

ممكن تضيف صفات بسيطة عشان توصّف الحيوانات:

  • big (كبير) و small (صغير)
  • fast (سريع) و slow (بطيء)
  • beautiful (جميل) و scary (مرعب)
  • friendly (ودود) و strong (قوي)

مثلاً: Tigers are big and strong (النمور كبيرة وقوية)، و Rabbits are small and friendly (الأرانب صغيرة وودودة)، و Horses are fast (الخيول سريعة).

أمثلة من المحادثة

في الحوار، Emma و Tom بيتكلّموا عن الحيوانات. Emma بتسأل Tom: Do you like animals؟ و Tom بيردّ Yes, I do!. بعدين بيقول I like dogs a lot عشان يأكّد إن بيحبّهم جداً. ولما عايز تقول مش بتحبّ حاجة، بنستخدم don't زي: I don't like spiders (مش بحبّ العناكب).

Listen to a short conversation between two friends about animals.

  1. E
    Emma Hi Tom! Do you like animals?
  2. T
    Tom Yes, I do! I like dogs. Do you like dogs?
  3. E
    Emma Yes, I like dogs a lot. I also like cats.
  4. T
    Tom Cool! Do you like horses?
  5. E
    Emma Yes! My favourite animal is the horse.
  6. T
    Tom Nice. I don't like spiders.

My favourite animal is the horse.

This is the model sentence. It uses 'is' to say which animal you like most.

Required

Read this sentence aloud. Use a strong, clear voice.

I like dogs a lot.

Required

Read this sentence aloud. You can replace 'cat' with your own favourite animal.

My favourite animal is the cat.

Required

You are chatting with Tom, a new friend at school. He wants to know which animals you like. Answer his questions and tell him your favourite animal. Use short sentences like 'I like ...' and 'My favourite animal is ...'.

Required
Vocabulary

Vocabulary

6 cards

In this lesson we meet some common animals. Animals live in many places: in homes, on farms, in the jungle, or in the sea. In English (UK), animal names are simple words we use every day. When you want to say the name of one animal, the word does not change. For example, I have a cat — one cat, but the word cat does not change. The plural is usually regular: one cat, two cats. One dog, two dogs. One bird, two birds.

Some animals are pets. Pets live with people. Common pets are dogs, cats, rabbits, and fish. People often keep them at home. Other animals are wild. Wild animals live in nature, for example in the jungle, the forest, or the savannah. Tigers, for example, are wild animals. Birds can be both: some birds are pets and some birds are wild.

To talk about animals we use the verb to be and the article a or an. We say a dog because dog starts with a consonant sound. We say an elephant because elephant starts with a vowel sound. Notice how the verb is simple: It is a horse. They are birds. The verb to be is also useful to describe an animal: The rabbit is white or Tigers are big and strong.

Look at the table below. It introduces eight new words: seven animals and the verb like. Read each example sentence out loud.

Word Type Meaning (AR) Example
cat noun I have a small cat.
dog noun The dog is very friendly.
bird noun A bird is in the tree.
fish noun There is a fish in the pond.
horse noun She rides a horse on the farm.
rabbit noun The rabbit is white.
tiger noun A tiger is a wild animal.
like verb I like cats.

We can also use the verb like to talk about our feelings about animals. The verb like is the same for I, you, we, and they: I like cats and They like dogs. It does not change in the present simple. We can add a lot to make it stronger: I like horses a lot. In the next section you will practise saying which animals you like.

مقدمة عنAnimals

الدرس ده بيعلمك أسماء حيوانات بالإنجليزي، سواء اللي بنربيها في البيت زي الـcat والـdog، أو الحيوانات البرية زي الـtiger والـhorse.

أسماء الحيوانات هي Nouns

كلمة cat وdog وbird هي nouns (أسماء)، يعني بتحط قبلها a أو an لما تيجي تتكلم عن حيوان واحد بس. القاعدة بسيطة:

  • لو الكلمة بتبدأ بحرف ساكن (consonant)، بنقول a قبلها: a dog, a cat, a horse.
  • لو الكلمة بتبدأ بحرف علة (vowel)، بنقول an قبلها: an elephant, an ostrich.

جمع الأسماء في الإنجليزي

الأسماء دي جمعها سهل وبتنتهي بـ -s:

  • one cat → two cats
  • one dog → two dogs
  • one bird → two birds
  • one tiger → two tigers
  • one rabbit → two rabbits

لاحظ إن في النطق بنضيف صوت زي /iz/ بعد الـ s لو الكلمة بتخلص بصوت s أو sh أو ch، زي horses اللي بنقولها /ˈhɔːsɪz/.

فعل like للتعبير عن الإعجاب

الكلمة المهمة هنا هي الفعل like (يعني يحب أو بتحب). الفعل ده شكله واحد مش بيتغيرش مع الفاعل:

  • I like cats.
  • You like dogs.
  • We like horses.
  • They like birds.

لو عايز تقوي المعنى، ضيف a lot في الآخر: I like rabbits a lot.

الربط بفعل to be

عشان توصف الحيوان، بنستخدم فعل to be:

  • The cat is small.
  • The horse is big.
  • Tigers are wild animals.
  • Fish are in the pond.

الجملة اللي هتتمرن عليها هي: I like cats and dogs. خلي بالك إن الـ like هنا بتتكلم عن نفسك وعن اللي بتحبه.

Read the new words. These are seven common animals and the verb 'like'. Look at the table above for the meaning of each word.

  • bird
    bird bɜːd
    A bird is a warm-blooded animal with feathers, wings, and a beak. Most birds can fly, but some cannot.
  • cat
    cat kæt
    a small animal with fur , four legs , a tail , and claws , usually kept as a pet or for catching mice : any me
  • dog
    dog dɒɡ
    A common domestic animal with four legs, often kept as a pet. Dogs are known for being loyal and friendly comp
  • fish
    fish fɪʃ
    A cold-blooded animal that lives in water, has fins and scales, and breathes through gills.
  • horse
    horse hɔːs
    A large four-legged animal with hooves that people ride or use for pulling vehicles and carrying loads. Horses
  • like
    like laɪk
    To find someone or something pleasant or enjoyable; to have a positive feeling toward someone or something.
  • rabbit
    rabbit ˈræbɪt
    A small mammal with long ears, a short fluffy tail, and soft fur. Rabbits are often kept as pets or found in t
  • tiger
    tiger ˈtaɪɡə
    A large wild cat with orange fur and black stripes, native to Asia.
Required

Match each English word with its meaning.

Match each English word with its meaning.

  • cat
  • dog
  • bird
  • fish
  • horse
  • rabbit
  • tiger
  • like
  • قطة
  • كلب
  • طائر
  • سمكة
  • حصان
  • أرنب
  • نمر
  • يحب

I like cats and dogs.

Read this sentence. It uses two animals and the verb 'like'.

Required

Listen to the speaker. What animals does the speaker have?

  • A cat and a dog
  • A cat and a bird
  • A dog and a fish
Required

Which of these is a wild animal?

  • Cat
  • Dog
  • Tiger