Your five questions
Read out the five questions you copied from the podcast. Exactly as you wrote them.
Then say which one you would never have thought to ask yourself.
One prediction before you read anything.
1. When a native speaker says What did you do? at normal speed, how many clear words do you hear?
Four weekend exchanges
Read each one, then say it aloud twice — once slowly, once at conversation speed.
Four short exchanges
1. — What did you get up to? — Not much. I painted the kitchen. — You painted the kitchen? On a Saturday?
2. — Did you go out on Friday? — No, I didn't. I was asleep by nine. — Nine! Were you ill?
3. — How was the wedding? — Long. — Long? How long? — Six hours. Seven with the photos.
4. — Where did you eat in the end? — That place near the station. — Oh, did you? What was it like?
Say each exchange aloud before you answer.
1. In exchange 1, You painted the kitchen? has no auxiliary and no inversion. Is it a question?
2. In exchange 3, Long? is one word. What is it doing?
3. Say Did you go out on Friday? fast. What happens to did you?
4. In exchange 4, Oh, did you? — is this a real question?
Match each written question to how it actually sounds at conversation speed.
Intonation does real work
Two tunes, two meanings
| Question type | Tune | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Yes/no question | rises at the end ↗ | Did you go out? ↗ |
| Wh- question | falls at the end ↘ | Where did you go? ↘ |
| Statement as question | rises, no auxiliary ↗ | You painted the kitchen? ↗ |
| Reaction question | rises, no answer wanted ↗ | Oh, did you? ↗ |
The Portuguese speaker's advantage, and the trap. Portuguese also marks yes/no questions by rising intonation, so that half comes free.
The trap is the Wh- question. Portuguese often rises there too; English falls. A rising Where did you go? ↗ sounds uncertain or surprised rather than curious.
Say each one aloud, then match it to its tune.
Hear it, then say it
One word per gap. This is written as it is spoken — write the full form of what you hear.
— you have a good weekend? — Not really. — Oh? What ? — My car broke down on Saturday morning. — it? Where? — On the motorway, about forty kilometres out. — long did you wait? — Two hours. — Two hours! anyone stop? — No, nobody .
Five questions, five errors. Rewrite each one in full, then say it aloud with the right tune.
1. What you did at the weekend?
2. Did you went out on Friday?
3. Where did he went?
4. You did enjoy it?
5. How long it lasted?
Ask at speed
Task card · Speaking
Your teacher had a strange weekend. Find out what happened.
Ten questions in five minutes. Fast, with the right tune — rising for yes/no, falling for Wh-.
- They will answer in one sentence each time and stop. Every answer needs a follow-up.
- Use at least two reaction questions — Oh, did you? Really?
- Say did you as one sound, not two. If it sounds like a spelling test, slow down and start again.
Before you start, build this question. Put the parts in order.
Tune and speed
Your teacher listened for two things.
1. Your Wh- questions — did they fall at the end?
2. Did did you come out as one sound or two?
Before the rule
One question.
1. Where did you go? — which way does the tune move at the end?
Before Lesson 3. Watch the first episode of The Good Place with English subtitles. Every time somebody asks a past-simple question, pause and read it.
Write down three. Next lesson we build the rule from the inside — and your three are the evidence it has to fit.