Speaking Boost · A1 · Lesson 14 of 50
Speaking Boost A1 · Block 3: Home

What is in a Japanese room?

A traditional Japanese room is simple and clean, and the things in it are different from our rooms. In this lesson you point to things and say what they are. You use this, that, these and those.

1

Warm-up

5 min
1.1

A Japanese room

Answer each question with 2–3 sentences.

  1. Is your room simple or full of things?
  2. What is on your floor?
  3. What is this? (point to a thing near you)
  4. What is that? (point to a thing far from you)
  5. Do you take off your shoes at home?
  6. Where do you sleep?
2

Words and phrases

12 min
2.1

New words

Read each word and the example. Then say one sentence with the word.

2.2

Which word?

Choose the word that fits.

  1. A is a soft bed that you put on the floor.
  2. A tatami is made of straw and lies on the floor.
  3. You sit on a at a low table.
  4. People in Japan take off their at the door.
  5. A is a person who visits your home.
  6. A room with few things in it is .
  7. A room with no dirt is .
  8. The is the bottom of a room, and you walk on it.
2.3

Opposites and pairs

Choose the right answer, then press Check answers.

  1. a futon is a
  2. a cushion is a soft bag that you
  3. a guest is a person who
  4. simple =
  5. clean is the opposite of
  6. to take off shoes = to
2.4

Useful phrases

Use these phrases to point to things.

  • This is...Це (тут, поруч)...This is a futon.
  • That is...Це (там, далеко)...That is a low table.
  • These are...Це (ці, поруч)...These are cushions.
  • Those are...Це (ті, далеко)...Those are my shoes.
  • What is this?Що це?What is this? It's a mat.
  • What are those?Що то?What are those? They are screens.
  • This room is...Ця кімната...This room is very simple.
  • Take off your shoes.Зніми взуття.Please take off your shoes.
3

Read and react

8 min
3.1

A Japanese room

Read the text. Hover over the dotted words for help.

What is in a Japanese room?

A traditional Japanese room is simple and very clean. There isn't a lot of furniture. The floor is covered with tatami mats. Tatami mats are made of straw. A room is often measured in mats: for example, a six-mat room.

Look at this room. This is a low table, and these are cushions. People sit on the cushions, on the floor, and they drink tea at the low table. That is a sliding door, and those are paper screens. In the evening, a family takes a futon from the closet and puts it on the floor. In the morning, they put the futon back in the closet, and the room is a living room again.

In Japan, people take off their shoes at the entrance of a house. They do not walk on the mats in shoes. A guest takes off his or her shoes too.

Many modern homes in Japan have western rooms, but a lot of people still like to have a tatami room.

Is your room simple or full of things?

3.2

True or false?

  1. A Japanese room is often very simple.
  2. Tatami mats are made of straw.
  3. People walk on the mats in shoes.
  4. A futon is a table.
  5. A tatami room is often used for sleeping and for living.
3.3

What do you think?

  1. Do you like simple rooms?
  2. Is it good to take off your shoes at home?
  3. What do you not need in your room?
  4. What can you learn from a Japanese room?
4

Grammar for speaking

10 min
4.1

Grammar for speaking

This, that, these, those

Use this (one thing, near) and these (more than one thing, near). Use that (one thing, far) and those (more than one thing, far).

This is a futon. That is a low table. These are cushions. Those are my shoes. This room is simple. Those rooms are big.

Questions and short answers

What is this? What is that? What are these? What are those? Is this your bag? Yes, it is. Are those your shoes? No, they aren't.

What is this? It's a mat. What are those? They are screens. Is that your cushion? Yes, it is. Are these your shoes? No, they aren't.

Block 3 review

Use the grammar from this block.

there is and there are (L11) · questions with there is and there are (L12) · prepositions of place (L13)

Common mistakes: use this / these for things near you and that / those for things far from you. ✗ This are my shoes → These are my shoes. ✗ Those is a mat → That is a mat. ✗ These is a futon → This is a futon.

4.2

Choose the right form

  1. is a futon. (near)
  2. is a low table. (far)
  3. are cushions. (near)
  4. are my shoes. (far)
  5. room is simple.
  6. rooms are big.
  7. What
    these?
  8. Are
    your shoes?
4.3

Fix the mistake

Each sentence has one mistake. Type the correct words.

  1. This are my shoes. →
  2. Those is a mat. →
  3. These is a futon. →
  4. What is those? →
  5. This shoes are new. →
  6. Is this your shoes? →
4.4

Talk about it

Answer with full sentences. Use this, that, these and those.

  1. What is this? (point to a thing near you)
  2. What is that? (point to a thing far from you)
  3. What are these?
  4. What are those?
  5. Is this your room?
  6. Are these your shoes?
5

Three people and Japanese rooms, and a short talk

8 min
5.1

Three people and Japanese rooms

Three people talk about Japanese rooms. Compare them. Who likes simple rooms? Who has got a lot of things? What is different in your room?

Person 1

Haru, 45

  • Lives in Tokyo
  • Has got a tatami room
  • This is a low table
  • Puts the futon in the closet
Person 2

Anna, 30

  • Is a tourist
  • Takes off her shoes at the door
  • Those are paper screens
  • Likes tea on the floor
Person 3

Max, 22

  • Is a student in Japan
  • His room is simple
  • These are his cushions
  • That is his futon
5.2

Mini-talk: things in a room

Your teacher will time you.

  1. Plan for one minute, then speak for one or two minutes.
  2. Part 1: point to things in your room and say what they are (this, that, these, those).
  3. Part 2: say what is on the floor, near and far.
  4. Part 3: say what is different between your room and a Japanese room.
2:00
6

Personal questions

10 min
6.1

Part I: Me

  1. What is this in your room?
  2. What is that in your room?
  3. What are these?
  4. What are those?
  5. Is your room simple?
  6. What is on your floor?
  7. Do you take off your shoes at home?
  8. Is your bed a futon?
6.2

Part II: Other people

  1. Who sits near you?
  2. Who sits far from you?
  3. Whose are these shoes?
  4. Whose is that bag?
  5. Who has got a simple room?
  6. Who drinks tea every day?
6.3

Part III: A bit deeper

  1. Is a simple room good?
  2. Is a futon better than a bed?
  3. Is it good to take off shoes?
  4. Is a clean room important?
  5. Is it nice to sit on the floor?
7

Roleplay

12 min
7.1

Pointing

You

Speaker

You show things in a room to a friend (your teacher):
  • say what this is
  • say what that is
  • say what these are
  • say what those are
Speak for at least 1 minute. Use this, that, these and those.
Your teacher

Friend

Says things like:
  1. What is this?
  2. What is that?
  3. What are these?
  4. What are those?
7.2

At a Japanese house

You

Guest

You visit a Japanese house (your teacher is the host):
  • say hello
  • ask what this is
  • ask what those are
  • say thank you
You do most of the talking. Use: What is this? · What are those? · Is that...?
Your teacher

Host

Says things like:
  1. Welcome! Take off your shoes.
  2. This is a futon.
  3. Those are screens.
  4. You are welcome.
8

Homework

at home

Your homework score

Do all four exercises, then press Check all homework. Correct answers will appear next to your mistakes.

– / 30
H1

Complete with a word

futonmatcushionshoesguestsimplecleanfloor
  1. A is a soft bed that you put on the floor.
  2. A tatami is made of straw and lies on the floor.
  3. You sit on a at a low table.
  4. People in Japan take off their at the door.
  5. A is a person who visits your home.
  6. A room with few things in it is .
  7. A room with no dirt is .
  8. The is the bottom of a room, and you walk on it.
H2

Choose the correct word

  1. is my bag. (near)
  2. is a tall tree. (far)
  3. are my friends. (near)
  4. are mountains. (far)
  5. room is big.
  6. What those?
  7. Are your shoes?
  8. book is old.
H3

Correct or incorrect?

Decide if each sentence is grammatically correct.

  1. This is a futon.
  2. This are a futon.
  3. Those are my shoes.
  4. Those is a mat.
  5. These are cushions.
  6. These is a futon.
  7. What is that?
H4

Match the two halves

  1. This is
  2. That is
  3. These are
  4. Those are
  5. What is
  6. What are
  7. Take off

Finished the lesson?

Mark it as complete to keep track of your progress.

© Yevheniia Kolesnykova, Academy of Languages. All rights reserved. No copying or reuse without written permission.