جام جهانی و تفاوت فوتبال و فوتبال آمریکایی

World Cup 2018 English Soccer vs American Football

Goal!!!!!!! We’re gonna win the World Cup!

Hello, everybody! I am Georgiana, founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. I want to help you speak English fluently, speaking English is easier than it looks! You just have to use the right material and techniques.

Today, in this episode…

I’m gonna talk about the World Cup. Every four years it’s held in a different country and is an exciting conversation topic.

After that, you’ll enjoy an exclusive mini-story that will help you improve your fluency easily.

Remember that you can get the text of the episode at www.SpeakEnglishPodcast.com

Do you like soccer? I don’t actually like it very much because I find it a little dull. Besides I never understood the rules, when I watch a soccer match I see a lot of men with attractive legs running for about 90 minutes.

Another problem I also see is that there are too many matches and too many competitions. For example, if you follow only one team, you can watch two games a week, and from my point of view that’s a lot.

But since some followers of mine from Brazil have suggested this topic to me and I will listen to them. Hi everyone from Brazil!

On the other hand, my brother is crazy about football.

However, he can also get very disappointed if his favorite team doesn’t win. What I think is that soccer brings out the best and the worst in people sometimes. It all depends on which team wins :) Well, every four years there’s a World Cup. The participating teams are a selection of the best players from several teams in each country.

There are two main phases. First, the qualifying process involving more than 200 teams and the final round involving the best 32 teams.

This year’s World Cup is being held in Russia. So let the best team win!

By the way, let’s see if you know this question… Which country has won most World Cups?

The country that has won the most World Cups is Brazil. They have won 5 World Cups! The second is Germany, with four world cups.

The third, tied with Germany, is Italy. Then Argentina and Uruguay with two and Spain, France and England with only one.

As we have seen, Brazil is the country with the most World Cup titles. They live the passion of soccer like no one else. It’s unbelievable. If the Brazilian national team players return home with the cup, they are treated almost like gods. There are many parties and celebrations. On the other hand, if they don’t win….well, they better not go out in public for a while, just in case. Or at least that’s what I’ve been told.

This passion is not only experienced in Brazil but also in other Latin American countries. In countries like Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico, etc., soccer is also experienced with great enthusiasm.

Okay, well, now you know a little more about soccer and the World Cup. It’s funny because in American English it’s called soccer and in British English, it’s called football. If you have the opportunity to practice English with a native speaker you’ll need to know the difference between soccer and American football.

So, what’s the difference between soccer and American Football?

Well, soccer and American football are two entirely different games. Football is played with a round ball that can be kicked and headed. American football, however, is more of a rugby type game in which the oblong shaped ball is thrown and passed as well as kicked.

Mini Story 📖

(Improve your Speaking)

All right, now, if it’s ok with you, let’s practice fluency with a ministory related to the soccer World Cups.

Here’s how it works. I give you information about something. I ask questions about this information. After each question, there is a silence, for about 5-6 seconds. Try to answer the question. Short answers are fine. After the silence I will give you an answer so you can compare. Of course, you can pause and look at the text if you want to. Remember that a short, quick answer is better than a slow, hesitant one.

The protagonist of the mini-story is Maradona, a famous Argentinean player of the 80s.

Let’s get started!

The renowned player Maradona played

in the 1986 World Cup.

What year did Maradona play?

In 1986. Maradona played in 1986.

Was Maradona renowned?

Yes. He was renowned. Maradona was a renowned soccer player in the 80’s.

Did Maradona play in a cup?

No. No. Maradona didn’t play in a cup. He played in the Soccer World Cup in 1986.

In the 1986 soccer match, Maradona

scored a goal with his hand.

Did Maradona score a goal in a 1986 soccer game?

Yes. Maradona scored a goal in a 1986 soccer game.

What did Maradona score?

A goal, Maradona scored a goal with his hand.

How did Maradona score a goal? With a cup?

No, not with a cup. With his hand. He scored it with his hand.

Using your hand to score a goal isn’t

valid, but the referee didn’t see it.

Is it right to score with your hand?

No. It’s not right. In other words, it is not valid to score with your hand.

What’s not right?

To use your hand to score. It’s not valid to score with your hand. But the referee didn’t see it.

Did the referee see the goal scored with his hand?

No. The referee didn’t see Maradona score the goal with his hand. Hand scoring isn’t valid, but the referee didn’t see it.

What didn’t the referee see? The goal scored with the nose?

No, no. Not with the nose. The referee did not see the goal scored with his hand.

Argentina won the World Cup, and that

goal was called “the hand of God”.

Did Argentina win anything?

Yes, Argentina won the World Cup.

Was the goal called “The Ear of God”?

No. The goal wasn’t called “The Ear of God”. It was called “the hand of God”.

Who won the World Cup? A hand?

No, not a hand. A hand can’t win a World Cup. Argentina won the World Cup.

The supporters were so thrilled that they founded the Maradona Church in honor of Maradona.

Were the supporters thrilled or sad?

Thrilled. The supporters were thrilled. They had no reason to be sad!

Did the supporters found a church?

Yes. The supporters founded a church. A new religion called the Maradona Church in honor of Maradona.

In honor of whom did they found a church? In honor of Georgiana?

No, not in honor of Georgiana. The supporters didn’t found the Georgiana church. What a pity! Instead, they founded the Maradonian church.

Perfect, this is the end of this short mini-story. I recommend you listen to it several times.

I always like to make up stories that are funny or absurd, because it makes them more entertaining and helps you remember better.

However, today I have not invented anything. The “hand of God” and the “Maradonian church” are real facts. If you don’t believe me, you can search on the Internet :)

And speaking of the Internet. I’d like to recommend you the most successful courses among my students. You can find it at: www.EnchantedCourse.com

The course contains many hours of audio mini-stories and point of view.

It’s essential if you want to achieve excellent fluency in English.

All right, well, that’s it for today.

Help me spread the word about the podcast. Tell your friends and family and leave some comments on iTunes. That would make me very happy!

See you next time!

Bye! Bye!