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Muse English is a free English learning app with daily lessons across all 6 CEFR levels (A1 Beginner to C2 Proficient). Every day brings new vocabulary, a real podcast conversation, shadowing practice, grammar and quizzes — all at museenglishapp.com.
📚 Vocabulary
10 new words Learn new words with real examples and audio.
Podcast: Family & Relationships
Listen to today’s conversation.
📝 Podcast Transcript
Hello, everyone! Welcome back to Word Kitchen, the podcast where we cook up new English words. I am Maya.
And I am Lena. Hello! Today we are talking about a warm topic: family and relationships.
Yes! We all have a family, and family words are so useful in English. Today we will learn ten new words together. Our first word is aunt.
Aunt. An aunt is the sister of your mother or father. My aunt is my mother's sister, and she is very funny.
My aunt is my father's sister. She bakes the best cakes. Do you see your aunt often, Lena?
I see my aunt every weekend. My aunt lives near my house. My aunt is one of my favorite people.
That is lovely. Our second word is uncle. An uncle is the brother of your mother or father.
Right. My uncle is my father's brother. My uncle is a good cook, and my uncle loves football.
My uncle lives in another city, but my uncle calls me every Friday. My uncle and my aunt come to our house for big holidays. My uncle always tells funny stories at dinner.
Ha! Uncles are like that. Our next word is cousin. A cousin is the child of your aunt or uncle.
So if your aunt has a son, he is your cousin. My cousin and I are the same age. My cousin and I play football after school.
Do you like your cousin, Maya?
I love my cousin! Last month, my cousin came to my house, and my cousin stayed for two days. We played games. My cousin is my best friend in the family.
Nice. Now we have two words for the children of your brothers or sisters. First, nephew. A nephew is the son of your brother or sister.
So if your brother has a little boy, that boy is your nephew. My nephew is five years old. My nephew loves dinosaurs. My nephew asks a million questions!
Haha, little kids do that. My sister has a son too, so I have a nephew. My nephew and I play with cars on the floor. My nephew is three, and my nephew is very funny.
And our next word is niece. A niece is the daughter of your brother or sister.
My brother has a daughter, so she is my niece. My niece loves to draw pictures.
Sweet! I have a niece too. My niece is seven. My niece reads books to me, and my niece sings songs all day. My niece is a little star.
Our next word is grandchild. A grandchild is the child of your son or daughter.
So a grandchild can be a boy or a girl. The woman plays with her grandchild every day.
Right! If you are a grandfather or grandmother, your son's child is your grandchild. My grandmother has one grandchild, me! Well, me and my brother.
Ha! Your grandmother has two grandchildren. My neighbor is a grandmother, and her grandchild visits every Saturday. The grandchild and the grandmother bake bread together.
Now two words about marriage. First, married. Married means having a husband or wife.
My brother is married. He is married to a kind woman. They got married two years ago.
Are your parents married, Maya?
Yes, my parents are married. They have been married for twenty five years. Married people love and help each other. My aunt and uncle are married too. They are a married couple.
The next word is single. Single means not married. She is single and lives alone.
My cousin is single. He is single and happy. He says he will get married one day, but for now he is single.
Being single is fine! Some people are married, some people are single. My neighbor is single. She is single and she travels a lot.
Our next word is baby. A baby is a very young child.
My sister has a baby. The baby is six months old. The baby sleeps a lot, and the baby eats many times a day.
Babies are so small! When I visit my sister, the baby smiles at me. The baby loves music. A baby changes a family in a beautiful way.
And our last word is teenager. A teenager is a person between thirteen and nineteen years old.
My nephew will be a teenager in eight years. A teenager goes to school and has many friends. My cousin is a teenager. As a teenager, my cousin plays football and listens to music.
Teenagers have a lot of energy. My neighbor's son is a teenager. Being a teenager is fun and busy.
Let us say all ten words one more time. Aunt, uncle, cousin, nephew, niece, grandchild, married, single, baby, teenager.
Great job, everyone! Talk about your family today. Ask someone: Are you married? Do you have a nephew? How is your aunt?
Thank you for listening to Word Kitchen. See you tomorrow!
Bye-bye!
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A Big Family Day
1. I have a big family.
2. My aunt came to visit us yesterday with my uncle.
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📝Grammar: Ability and possibility - can, could, be able to
Use **can** for things that are possible now. My aunt **can** cook very well. Use **can't** when something is not possible now. A baby **can't** read a book. Use **could** for things that were possible in the past. My uncle **could** run fast when he was a teenager. Use **couldn't** when something was not possible in the past. Last year my niece **couldn't** swim. Use **will be able to** for things that will be possible in the future. Next year my nephew **will be able to** read. After **can** and **could**, use the verb alone. Say 'I **can** swim', never 'I **can to** swim'.
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