Learn how to navigate passport control
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Intro |
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|---|---|
| Imagine you've just landed after a long flight to America and you're almost free! But first, you need to go through passport control. What will they ask you? How should you respond? | |
| Hi. Alisha here. | |
| Navigating passport control isn't as hard as you might think! In this lesson, you'll learn how. | |
| Gustavo has just arrived in New York. He's in line at passport control. | |
| Let's watch! | |
| Dialogue | |
| Customs Agent: Next. | |
| Customs Agent: Passport, please. | |
| Gustavo: Hello. Here you are. | |
| Customs Agent: How long will you be staying? | |
| Gustavo: For six weeks. | |
| Customs Agent: And where will you be staying? | |
| Gustavo: At the Four Seasons Hotel. | |
| Customs Agent: What’s the purpose of your visit? | |
| Gustavo: I'm here on business. | |
| Customs Agent: Okay. Thank you. Welcome to the United States. | |
| Now with subtitles! | |
| Customs Agent: Next. | |
| Customs Agent: Passport, please. | |
| Gustavo: Hello. Here you are. | |
| Customs Agent: How long will you be staying? | |
| Gustavo: For six weeks. | |
| Customs Agent: And where will you be staying? | |
| Gustavo: At the Four Seasons Hotel. | |
| Customs Agent: What’s the purpose of your visit? | |
| Gustavo: I'm here on business. | |
| Customs Agent: Okay. Thank you. Welcome to the United States. | |
| Vocab | |
| Here are the key words from the scene. | |
| Brandon: passport (slow) passport | |
| Brandon: please (slow) please | |
| Brandon: Hello (slow) Hello | |
| Brandon: business (slow) business | |
| Brandon: okay (slow) okay | |
| Brandon: thank you (slow) thank you | |
| Phrase and Usage | |
| Alisha: In the scene, what did Gustavo say when he gave his passport to the immigration officer? | |
| GUSTAVO Here you are. | |
| Alisha: This short sentence helps indicate that someone is giving something to someone in response to a request. First is the word | |
| Brandon: here | |
| Alisha: Next is the word | |
| Brandon: you | |
| Alisha: And last is the word | |
| Brandon: are | |
| Alisha: Together it's | |
| Brandon: Here you are. | |
| Alisha: Try saying this as Gustavo hands his passport over to the immigration officer. (freeze action, cue for viewer to speak) | |
| Brandon: Here you are. | |
| Alisha: At the end of the scene, how does the immigration officer welcome Gustavo? | |
| Brandon: Welcome to the United States. | |
| Alisha: This is a polite, and sometimes friendly, way to indicate to someone that you're glad to have them to a home, place of work, or another place somehow belonging to you. It starts with the core phrase | |
| Brandon: welcome to | |
| Alisha: and then finishes with the location. In this case, | |
| Brandon: The United States. | |
| Alisha: Try saying this after the immigration officer speaks. (freeze action, cue for viewer to speak) | |
| Brandon: Welcome to the United States. | |
| Focus | |
| Alisha: Do you remember the first question the immigration officer asked after Gustavo gave him his passport? | |
| IMMIGRATION OFFICER How long will you be staying? | |
| Alisha: Immigration officers ask this question to find out about the length of a visitor's stay. They want to know if a visitor plans to stay for 2 weeks, for example, or 1 month. First is the phrase | |
| Brandon: How long | |
| Alisha: Next is the word | |
| Brandon: will | |
| Alisha: After this is the word | |
| Brandon: you | |
| Alisha: and last is the phrase | |
| Brandon: be staying. | |
| Alisha: Gustavo responds with a length of time. | |
| Brandon: For six weeks. | |
| Alisha: First is the word | |
| Brandon: for | |
| Alisha: Next is the number | |
| Brandon: six | |
| Alisha: And last is the word | |
| Brandon: weeks. | |
| Alisha: Together it's | |
| Brandon: For six weeks. | |
| Alisha: The sentence structure to answer the question, how long will you be staying is: For + number of days or weeks. Imagine you're going to stay for two weeks. Answer the question | |
| Brandon: How long will you be staying? {PAUSE} | |
| Brandon: For two weeks. | |
| Alisha: Do you remember the second question the immigration officer asked Gustavo in the scene? | |
| Immigration Officer: Where will you be staying? | |
| Alisha: This question is identical to the first question, except instead of saying | |
| Brandon: How long | |
| Alisha: The immigration officer asked | |
| Brandon: where | |
| Alisha: The immigration officer is asking to find out which hotel or address a visitor will be staying at. Again, it's | |
| Brandon: Where will you be staying? | |
| Alisha: In response, Gustavo gives the name of his hotel. | |
| GUSTAVO At the Four Seasons Hotel. | |
| Alisha: First is the word | |
| Brandon: At | |
| Alisha: And after this is the name of the hotel. | |
| Brandon: The Four Seasons Hotel. | |
| Alisha: Together it's | |
| Brandon: At the Four Seasons Hotel. | |
| Alisha: The sentence structure to answer the question | |
| Brandon: Where will you be staying | |
| Alisha: is at + your hotel name. Imagine you'll be staying at the Plaza Hotel. Answer the question | |
| Brandon: Where will you be staying? {PAUSE} | |
| Brandon: At the Plaza Hotel. | |
| Alisha: Do you remember the third question the immigration officer asked in the scene? | |
| IMMIGRATION OFFICER What's the purpose of your visit? | |
| Alisha: The immigration officer asks this to understand why Gustavo is visiting. First is a contraction of "what" and "is" | |
| Brandon: What's | |
| Alisha: Next is the word | |
| Brandon: the | |
| Alisha: After this is the word | |
| Brandon: purpose | |
| Alisha: Next is the word | |
| Brandon: of | |
| Alisha: Following this is the word | |
| Brandon: your | |
| Alisha: and last is the word | |
| Brandon: visit | |
| Alisha: Together it's | |
| Brandon: What's the purpose of your visit? | |
| Alisha: In response, Gustavo answers | |
| GUSTAVO I'm here on business. | |
| Alisha: This starts with the core phrase | |
| Brandon: I'm here on | |
| Alisha: First is a contraction of "I" and "am" | |
| Brandon: I'm | |
| Alisha: Next is the word | |
| Brandon: Here | |
| Alisha: And after this is the word | |
| Brandon: "On" | |
| Alisha: Together it's | |
| Brandon: I'm here on | |
| Alisha: Following this core phrase is the word | |
| Brandon: Business | |
| Alisha: All together it's | |
| Brandon: I'm here on business. | |
| Alisha: This means that Gustavo is in the country to do business, and not just to sightsee. Alternatively he could have said | |
| Brandon: I'm here for pleasure. | |
| Alisha: This is the same pattern as the first response. The only difference is that | |
| Brandon: on business | |
| Alisha: Has been taken out and | |
| Brandon: for pleasure | |
| Alisha: is used instead. Again, that's | |
| Brandon: I'm here for pleasure. | |
| Alisha: Now you try! Imagine your trip is for sightseeing. Answer the question. | |
| Brandon: What's the purpose of your visit? {PAUSE} | |
| Brandon: I'm here for pleasure. | |
| Alisha: Now, imagine you are visiting the U.S. on business. Answer the question. | |
| Brandon: What's the purpose of your visit? | |
| Brandon: I'm here on business. | |
| Practice | |
| Alisha: You've arrived to the United States and you'll need to go through passport control. Ready? Here we go. | |
| Alisha: The immigration officer asks you to show her your passport. What do you say when you give your passport to her? | |
| (5 second pause) | |
| Brandon: Here you are | |
| Alisha: How do you answer the question, how long will you stay? | |
| (5 second pause) | |
| Brandon: For [E: the number of days or weeks] | |
| Gustavo For six weeks. | |
| Alisha: How do you answer the question, where will you stay? | |
| (5 second pause) | |
| Brandon: At [E: your hotel name] | |
| Gustavo At the Four Seasons Hotel. | |
| Alisha You are on business in New York. How do you answer the question, what's the purpose of your stay? | |
| (5 second pause) | |
| Gustavo I'm here on business. | |
| Alisha Great job! You're ready to go through passport control! Keep up the good work and remember to practice! | |
Outro |
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| Well done! | |
| Now, watch the scene one more time. After that, | |
| practice with us in the comments until you're ready to go! | |
| Bye. |
237 Comments
HideWhy do you study English?
Hi there Sara,
Thanks so much for sharing on our site! It's great to have enthusiastic students studying with us!❤️️
If you ever have any questions, please let us know!
Cheers,
Eva
Team EnglishClass101.com
Next. Passport please?!
- Hello. Here you are.
- : how long will you be staying?
- for one month
- : Where will you be staying?
- At The Chiltern Firehouse hotel
- What's the purpose of your visit?
- I am here for tourism
Hi there Suman,
That's really wonderful to hear!
I'm happy to know you're finding EnglishClass101 so useful, and I wish you the best in your studies.
Don't hesitate to let us know if you need anything! 😄
Cheers,
Éva
Team EnglishClass101.com
It's really worth mentioning and got new experiences watching this video.
Hello Pheng,
That's a great reason to learn English! I'm sure you will find many more positives to learning a new language, the more you delve into it and use it.
If you ever have any questions, please let us know! 😉
Sincerely,
Éva
Team EnglishClass101.com
Because i want to communicate with my coworker about the job.
Hi there Bolivar,
Thanks for taking the time to share. 👍
Please let us know if you ever have any questions throughout your studies, we would be happy to assist.
Sincerely,
Éva
Team EnglishClass101.com
Next. Passport please?!
- Hello. Here you are.
- : how long will you be staying?
- for five weeks.
- : Where will you be staying?
- At my wife's house
- What's the purpose of your visit?
- In a week my first child will be born
Hello Resy,
Good to know and thanks for taking the time to post. 👍
Please stay tuned, as we’re always updating new content on our website!😄❤️️
Sincerely,
Éva
Team EnglishClass101.com
because I speak it and I need to work in the United State.