Describing Your Birthday
2022-08-19
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1Last week, my niece and I celebrated our birthdays together.
2We both turned 35 years old in the beginning of August.
3Her birthday is just a few days before mine. We celebrated by going to a lake and having lunch outside.
4I had such a wonderful birthday.
5Today, on Everyday Grammar, we will learn to describe our birthdays.
6When people ask us the question "When is your birthday?" we can answer a few different ways.
7We can use the season (spring, summer, autumn/fall, or winter), the month, or the day.
8My birthday is in the summer.
9Her father's birthday is in March.
10Last Sunday was her birthday.
11His birthday is the 4th of May.
12Remember that word "birthday" is different from "birthdate."
13"Birthdate" is the exact date, like December, 7th, 1997.
14The word "birthday" can be the date, or you can answer more generally.
15For example,
16My niece's birthday is in August.
17Her birthdate is August 3rd.
18When we want to say how old we are, we can use the present or future verb tenses depending on when our birthdays are.
19We can use the past tense with the verb "turn."
20If we are talking about a future birthday, say next year or in a few months, we can answer the question of "How old will you be?" with:
21I will be + (age). Or...
22I'll be + (number) years old.
23In 2023, I will be 36 years old.
24On your birthday, you can use the present tense.
25Deborah is 55 today.
26For the past tense, we can use the structure of the verb "be" + age (years old), but we generally use it to talk about past ages in reference to something else.
27We can also use the verb "turn" to talk about how old we are.
28In this way "turn" means to reach or pass a certain age.
29Therefore, we can use the past tense with "turn" for talking about birthdays.
30For example:I turned 35 this year.
31This means that my birthday was in the past. I am still considered to be 35 years old after my birthday.
32In the present tense, we can use "turn" to say that a birthday is "today." As in,
33Brad turns 60 today.
34And to express a future birthday, we can use the same form, the present tense.
35Kristen turns 41 this year.
36This means that sometime this year (the near future), Kristen will be 41 years old.
37We can use the modal verb of "will" with "turn" to express a future birthday.
38I will turn 36 next year.
39When talking about making plans for a birthday, someone may ask you: "What do you want to do for your birthday?"
40You can answer with ideas of plans that you would like to do.
41You can use the expressions:
42"I want to..." or "I would like to..." to be more polite.
43You can even use the expression "I + be going to" if you have already made the plans, yourself.
44She wants to go to a French restaurant for her birthday.
45I'm going to celebrate with my friends later.
46If your birthday has already past, someone may ask you,
47"How was your birthday?"
48You can answer by describing your birthday with an adjective.
49My birthday party was wonderful.
50Then they may ask you:
51"What did you do for your birthday?"
52You can answer in the past tense:
53For my birthday this year, we went to an amusement park.
54If someone wants to get you a gift for your birthday they may ask you:
55"What do you want for your birthday?"
56"What do you want on your birthday?"
57If you want something for your birthday that means a gift, generally.
58If you want something on your birthday that could be a party or to make some type of plans to celebrate on the actual date.
59On my birthday next year, I would like to go to the countryside.
60Please don't buy me anything for my birthday.
61After your birthday, people may ask what you received as a gift for your birthday:
62"What did you get for your birthday?"
63"What do you get on your birthday?"
64You could say that you got or received something.
65I got a cat for my birthday.
66Or you could say what you got and who gave it to you.
67My mom sent me a lovely birthday card in the mail.
68Here is how you might tell about another's birthday:
69Her husband gave her jewelry for her birthday.
70Let's end this report with a homework assignment.
71In 5-8 sentences, write about your birthday this year.
72Try to use ideas that you have learned about in today's report.
73You can use the question headings as your guide!
74Remember to use the correct verb tense depending on when your birthday is.
75Send your writing to our email address: learningenglish@voanews.com
76We will select one piece of writing and provide feedback and suggestions in a future report!
77I'm Faith Pirlo
78And I'm Jill Robbins.
1Last week, my niece and I celebrated our birthdays together. We both turned 35 years old in the beginning of August. Her birthday is just a few days before mine. We celebrated by going to a lake and having lunch outside. 2I had such a wonderful birthday. 3Today, on Everyday Grammar, we will learn to describe our birthdays. 4When is your birthday? 5When people ask us the question "When is your birthday?" we can answer a few different ways. 6We can use the season (spring, summer, autumn/fall, or winter), the month, or the day. 7My birthday is in the summer. 8Her father's birthday is in March. 9Last Sunday was her birthday. 10His birthday is the 4th of May. 11Remember that word "birthday" is different from "birthdate." "Birthdate" is the exact date, like December, 7th, 1997. The word "birthday" can be the date, or you can answer more generally. 12For example, 13My niece's birthday is in August. 14Her birthdate is August 3rd. 15How old are you? What age are you turning? 16When we want to say how old we are, we can use the present or future verb tenses depending on when our birthdays are. We can use the past tense with the verb "turn." 17If we are talking about a future birthday, say next year or in a few months, we can answer the question of "How old will you be?" with: 18I will be + (age). Or... 19I'll be + (number) years old. 20In 2023, I will be 36 years old. 21On your birthday, you can use the present tense. 22Deborah is 55 today. 23For the past tense, we can use the structure of the verb "be" + age (years old), but we generally use it to talk about past ages in reference to something else. 24We can also use the verb "turn" to talk about how old we are. In this way "turn" means to reach or pass a certain age. Therefore, we can use the past tense with "turn" for talking about birthdays. For example: 25I turned 35 this year. 26This means that my birthday was in the past. I am still considered to be 35 years old after my birthday. 27In the present tense, we can use "turn" to say that a birthday is "today." As in, 28Brad turns 60 today. 29And to express a future birthday, we can use the same form, the present tense. 30Kristen turns 41 this year. 31This means that sometime this year (the near future), Kristen will be 41 years old. 32We can use the modal verb of "will" with "turn" to express a future birthday. 33I will turn 36 next year. 34What do you want to do for your birthday? 35When talking about making plans for a birthday, someone may ask you: "What do you want to do for your birthday?" 36You can answer with ideas of plans that you would like to do. 37You can use the expressions: 38"I want to..." or "I would like to..." to be more polite. 39You can even use the expression "I + be going to" if you have already made the plans, yourself. 40She wants to go to a French restaurant for her birthday. 41I'm going to celebrate with my friends later. 42If your birthday has already past, someone may ask you, 43"How was your birthday?" 44You can answer by describing your birthday with an adjective. 45My birthday party was wonderful. 46Then they may ask you: 47"What did you do for your birthday?" 48You can answer in the past tense: 49For my birthday this year, we went to an amusement park. 50What do you want for/on your birthday? 51If someone wants to get you a gift for your birthday they may ask you: 52"What do you want for your birthday?" 53"What do you want on your birthday?" 54If you want something for your birthday that means a gift, generally. 55If you want something on your birthday that could be a party or to make some type of plans to celebrate on the actual date. 56On my birthday next year, I would like to go to the countryside. 57Please don't buy me anything for my birthday. 58What did you get for/on your birthday? 59After your birthday, people may ask what you received as a gift for your birthday: 60"What did you get for your birthday?" 61"What do you get on your birthday?" 62You could say that you got or received something. 63I got a cat for my birthday. 64Or you could say what you got and who gave it to you. 65My mom sent me a lovely birthday card in the mail. 66Here is how you might tell about another's birthday: 67Her husband gave her jewelry for her birthday. 68Homework 69Let's end this report with a homework assignment. In 5-8 sentences, write about your birthday this year. Try to use ideas that you have learned about in today's report. You can use the question headings as your guide! Remember to use the correct verb tense depending on when your birthday is. 70Send your writing to our email address: learningenglish@voanews.com 71We will select one piece of writing and provide feedback and suggestions in a future report! 72I'm Faith Pirlo 73And I'm Jill Robbins. 74Faith Pirlo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 75Describe your birthday. Tell us about your birthday in the comments below or write to us at learningenglish@voanews.com. 76_____________________________________________________________ 77Words in This Story 78niece -n. the daughter of your brother or sister 79reference -n. the act of mentioning something in speech or in writing 80modal verbs - n. (grammar) verbs that are used to express possibility, ability, or necessity. 81amusement park - n. a place that has many games and rides (such as roller coasters and merry-go-rounds) for entertainment