In my Simon in Germany post, I told an old folk tale about a little bird that couldn’t fly south for the winter, and the plain evergreen trees that gave it shelter when the big, beautiful trees turned it away.
In this lesson we’ll use the story to learn vocabulary for describing people and nature, some idioms about weather and support, and how to talk about how long something has been true using the present perfect.
Level: B1–B2.
Activity
Think of a difficult time in your life. Who helped you? Was it the person you expected?
Vocabulary from the story
| Word / phrase | Meaning (German) | From the story |
|---|---|---|
| ablaze | on fire, or glowing with colour (in Flammen, leuchtend) | the trees look as if they are ablaze |
| vulnerable | easily hurt or damaged (anfällig, verletzlich) | which makes them heavy and vulnerable |
| warmer climes | warmer places or countries (wärmere Gefilde) | the flocks left for warmer climes |
| left behind | not taken along when others go (zurückgelassen) | the little bird was left behind |
| to turn someone away | to refuse to help or let someone in (abweisen) | they turned it away |
| showy | bright and designed to impress (auffällig, protzig) | the showy trees |
| plain | simple, not decorated (schlicht) | it was the plain trees that helped |
| to strip something bare | to remove everything from it (kahl machen) | the wind stripped the proud trees bare |
| to decompose | to break down naturally (sich zersetzen) | as they decompose, they feed the soil |
| selflessly | without thinking of yourself (selbstlos) | the person who's just there, selflessly |
Idioms about weather and support
Weather idioms
- to weather the storm: to get through a difficult time. Business was bad last year, but we weathered the storm.
- the calm before the storm: a quiet moment before trouble. The office is quiet today, the calm before the storm.
- whatever the weather: in any situation. She walks the dog every morning, whatever the weather.
- a fair-weather friend: someone who is only there when life is easy. When I lost my job, I found out who my fair-weather friends were.
Talking about support
- to be there for someone: to support someone when they need it. My sister was always there for me.
- to check on someone: to see if someone is OK. My neighbour checks on me when it snows.
- gut instinct: a feeling you trust without thinking. My gut instinct told me something was wrong.
💡 What is an idiom?
An idiom is a phrase whose meaning is different from the meaning of its individual words.
It's raining cats and dogs has nothing to do with animals. It just means it's raining very heavily.
Simon says: In English, evergreen isn’t just for trees. An evergreen song or an evergreen topic is something that’s always popular, whatever the year. In the story, the evergreens are the people who stay, whatever the season and whatever the weather. When I moved to Germany, my evergreens weren’t always the people I expected. So here’s my question for you: who are the evergreens in your life?
Grammar – present perfect with since and for
have / has + past participle + since / for
In my post I wrote: "I've lived in Germany since 2020." We use the present perfect for something that started in the past and is still true now.
- since + a point in time: since 2020, since March, since I was a child
- for + a period of time: for six years, for a long time, for two weeks
- I've known my neighbour for five years.
- She has worked at the school since September.
- We haven't seen each other for ages.
Practice
A. Complete with: ablaze, vulnerable, turned, showy, selflessly
- In October the hills look as if they're .
- Young trees are very in strong winds.
- The hotel was full, so they us away.
- I prefer a plain jacket – that one's a bit too for me.
- My neighbour helped me , without asking for anything back.
Show answers (A)
- ablaze
- vulnerable
- turned
- showy
- selflessly
B. Put the verb in the present perfect and add since or for
- I (know) my neighbour ten years.
- She (live) in Hamburg 2019.
- We (not see) each other the summer.
- He (work) there six months.
- They (be) friends they were at school.
Show answers (B)
- 've known / have known; for
- 's lived / has lived; since
- haven't seen; since
- 's worked / has worked; for
- 've been / have been; since
Language learning can be really challenging. I know, because I’m a language learner myself. I hope the information and activities were helpful. Try the following:
Who is an evergreen in your life? Write two sentences about them, using the present perfect with since or for. For example: I’ve known my friend Anna since 2015. She’s always been there for me.
Read the original story here: Golden October
Image credit: Photo by Marcus Woodbridge on Unsplash
Marcus Woodbridge https://unsplash.com/@jayphoto
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