Intro
1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.
2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.
Are you a person with a lot of plans? Do you know what you’re doing next weekend, next month, and next year? Planning can be fun. We can plan an adventure, a trip to a tropical island, or a wedding. Or perhaps, you’re fixin’ to do something smaller. For example, maybe, you want to start taking French lessons. Maybe, you just want to go to bed early tonight. When talking about plans, we can say we’re fixin’ to do something. It doesn’t matter if it’s next year or in 5 minutes.
The US is a very large country. The English you hear in New York might be a little different than the English you hear in Texas. People in some states use special words and expressions. In Texas, for example, people say they are fixin’ to do things. This means they are preparing to do something. If a friend in Texas asks you to keep a secret, they probably want to tell you about something new they’re fixin’ to do. This expression is used mainly in the American South, in states like Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, and many others.
Speaking of secrets, Dominique has one. You’ll find out what it is in today’s English soap opera!
3. Watch - Watch the video without reading the dialog.
Dialog
1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.
2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.
Dominique: I thought it was going to snow this morning. It was so cold!
Kelsey: I know! I finally turned on the heat in my apartment last night.
Dominique: Speaking of cold…. have you talked to Sheila recently?
Kelsey: Yeah, she seems to be having a very great time on her tropical vacation.
Dominique: I’m so happy for her. She was fixin’ to do that for a long time.
Kelsey: Yeah, she was. How are you doing?
Dominique: Well, I’m fixin’ to do something, myself. Can you keep a secret?
Kelsey: Not really.
Dominique: Yeah, I figured. Well, I was going to tell everyone soon, anyway. Somebody has offered to buy the company!
Kelsey: Buy Travel Bug, really?!
Dominique: Yeah!
Kelsey: That’s super exciting! Are you going to sell it?
Dominique: Well, that’s what I want to talk to everybody about. If I sell the business…
Kelsey: Oh. We wouldn’t have jobs anymore...
Dominique: That’s not necessarily true. If you wanted to stay with Travel Bug, you’d be working for somebody else.
Kelsey: What would you do? I mean, if you sell it?
Dominique: I don’t know, but I’d be fixin’ to do something, and I would love it if you all joined me on my next adventure!
Grammar Point
Go Super to learn "Second Conditional Progressive" from this lesson
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Discussion
Even though it’s still really cold outside, Kelsey is at the studio to shoot her music video. Her big adventure is finally happening! Speaking of adventures, Sheila is also having one. Instead of worrying about the heat, Sheila is enjoying life on a tropical beach. But Kelsey and Sheila aren’t the only ones with big plans….
Dominique hopes that Kelsey can keep a secret. What is Dominique fixin’ to do? She’s fixin’ to make a big change in her life. Someone offered to buy her company, Travel Bug, and Dominique figured it might be a good time to sell. She’s going to tell everyone soon. Her employees can stay with Travel Bug, or they can join Dominique in her next project.
Can you keep a secret? Speaking of secrets, are you fixin’ to do something big this year that your friends don’t know about?