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Luigi’s Italian Restaurant – Mini-Story Lesson

Hi, I’m Joe Weiss and I’m one of the teachers and directors of Learn Real English and I’d like to welcome you to this mini-story lesson. Okay, I want to start the lesson by telling you about some of the idioms that you will hear in the story, so let’s start.

Okay, first is the word “sharp” when it’s added at the end of a time. Okay, so for example, 6:30 p.m.

sharp, 5:45 p.m. sharp. Okay, so if I was to say something like that, what I’m saying is the exact time. So 5:45 p.m. sharp means exactly 5:45 p.m., not 5:44, not 5:47, it means at exactly 5:45 p.m. Okay, and you can use any time you want, 6:15 p.m. sharp means at exactly 6:15 p.m., not approximately 6:15 p.m. but at exactly 6:15 p.m., alright? Let me give you an example. When Greg was in the army, every day he ate breakfast at 5:30 a.m. sharp. Okay, so what I’m saying is when Greg was in the army, every day he ate breakfast at exactly 5:30 a.m. He ate breakfast at 5:30 a.m. sharp or exactly 5:30 a.m.

Okay, next is to say about someone that person “cannot even boil water” or that person “doesn’t even know how to boil water.” Okay, if you say that about someone, what you’re saying is that person doesn’t know how to cook, okay? It means the person either doesn’t know how to cook or that the person is a bad cook, alright? Let me use it in a sentence for you in order for you to understand it a little better, okay? So this is actually true. My grandmother, may she rest in peace, was an amazing cook. She cooked the best Italian food and so I was surprised when she told me that when she married my grandfather she couldn’t even boil water, okay? Alright, so what I’m saying is my grandmother, may she rest in peace, she was an amazing cook. She cooked the best Italian food and so I was surprised when she told me that when she married my grandfather she didn’t know how to cook. She didn’t know how to boil water or she couldn’t boil water, you could say either one of those. And what it means is she didn’t know how to cook, alright?

Okay, next is a pretty one, it’s a “tall task,” okay? So if something is a tall task, it means that it is very difficult to do. Alright? Let me give you an example. Marvin was always a terrible math student so getting an A in geometry was a tall task for Marvin. Alright? Okay, so what I’m saying is Marvin was always a terrible math student so for Marvin, getting an A in geometry was very difficult. It was a tall task.

Okay, so next is to be “out like a light.” So if you are out like a light it means that you fell asleep immediately, okay? You didn’t lay in bed trying to fall asleep for a little bit. You just fell asleep immediately, alright? Let me give you an example. Yesterday Jason ran 26 miles so at night he was very tired so once he got in bed, he was out like a light. Okay, so what I’m saying is yesterday Jason ran 26 miles so at night he was very tired so once he got in bed, he fell asleep immediately. He was out like a light. He fell asleep immediately.

Okay, so I have one more for you and this one is a really useful one. If you’re in an English-speaking country, you may hear this one. Okay, it’s “to go” as in to order something to go, like to order food to go or to take some food to go. And what it means is to take it with you as you leave, say a restaurant, and to eat it somewhere else, okay? So for example, let’s say that you’re at a restaurant and you’re eating some food and you are unable to eat all the food that you ordered. Maybe someone at the restaurant would ask you if you wanted that extra food that you are unable to eat, they’d ask you if you wanted it to go, which means they’d ask you if you want to take it with you to eat somewhere else, okay? And it doesn’t just need to be food that remains after you’re done eating, it could just be something that you order and you ask them to give it to you to go, so you don’t even eat it at the restaurant at all, alright? Let me give you an example that I think will help you to understand this one even better, okay? Alright, John really wanted to eat some lasagna but he didn’t have a lot of time to eat the lasagna at the restaurant so instead of eating at the restaurant, he ordered the lasagna to go. Okay, so what I’m saying is John really wanted to eat some lasagna but he didn’t have enough time to eat the lasagna in the restaurant so instead of eating in the restaurant, he ordered the lasagna to take with him and eat somewhere else, to take out of the restaurant to eat somewhere else. Okay, he ordered it to go.

Okay, so now I’m going to tell you a story and I’m going to ask you a lot of questions as I tell you the story. So when I ask you a question, I want you to answer the question quickly, okay? Just tell me the first answer that you’re thinking of. And don’t worry about making mistakes, okay? Mistakes are okay as long as you learn from them. So if you make a mistake, just try not to make the same mistake the next time you listen to the lesson. Alright?

And when you answer these questions, I want you to speak loudly and confidently. Alright, well, it’s time for our story then so let’s begin.

There was a man and his name was Peter and Peter was a student at New York University. And Peter was studying business.

Okay, so was there a man or was there a woman?

There was a man, right? There was a man, of course.

And what was his name? Was his name Karl?

No, no, his name wasn’t Karl.

What was the man’s name?

It was Peter, the man’s name was Peter.

And was Peter a student or a teacher?

He was a student, Peter was a student.

Who was a student?

Peter was, Peter was a student.

And was Peter a teacher?

No, no, Peter was not a teacher, Peter was a student.

So tell me this. At what school was Peter a student?

New York University, Peter was a student at New York University.

And what was Peter studying? Was he studying law?

No, Peter was not studying law.

What was Peter studying?

Business, Peter was studying business.

So one more question before we continue. Was Peter studying business at New York University?

Yes, yes, he was, Peter was studying business at New York University.

Well, let me tell you a little more about Peter. Peter met a woman and her name was Amanda and he met Amanda in a marketing class. And Peter really liked Amanda, so he asked Amanda to have dinner with him at his apartment on Tuesday. And guess what? Amanda also liked Peter, so Amanda accepted Peter’s invitation. So Peter asked Amanda to arrive at his apartment on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. sharp.

Okay, time for some more questions. Did Peter meet a man or a woman?

Oh, he met a woman, right? Peter met a woman.

And what was the woman’s name? Was the woman’s name Kristin or Amanda?

Amanda, Peter met a woman named Amanda.

And where did Peter meet Amanda? Did he meet Amanda at the beach?

No, no, Peter did not meet Amanda at the beach.

Where did Peter meet Amanda?

In a marketing class, he met Amanda in a marketing class.

So tell me this. Did Peter meet Amanda in a math class or a marketing class?

A marketing class, Peter met Amanda in a marketing class.

So tell me this. Did Peter invite Amanda to have dinner with him at his apartment on Tuesday?

Yes, yes, he did, Peter invited Amanda to have dinner with him at his apartment on Tuesday.

Who invited Amanda to have dinner with him?

Well, Peter did, Peter invited Amanda to have dinner with him.

And did Peter invite Amanda or Kristin to have dinner with him?

Amanda, Peter invited Amanda to have dinner with him.

So tell me this now. What did Peter invite Amanda to do?

Well, he invited Amanda to have dinner with him.

Did Peter invite Amanda to have dinner with him at a restaurant or at his apartment?

At his apartment, Peter invited Amanda to have dinner with him at his apartment.

Did Peter invite Amanda to have dinner with him at a restaurant?

No, no, he invited Amanda to have dinner with him at his apartment.

Okay, but when? When did he invite Amanda to have dinner with him?

On Tuesday, he invited Amanda to have dinner with him on Tuesday.

Okay, so what did Amanda say? Did she accept his invitation?

Yes, yes, she did, Amanda accepted Peter’s invitation.

Who accepted Peter’s invitation?

Amanda did, of course, Amanda accepted Peter’s invitation.

And tell me this. Whose invitation did Amanda accept?

Peter’s, she accepted Peter’s invitation to have dinner with him at his apartment on Tuesday.

So did Peter ask Amanda to arrive at his apartment on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. sharp?

Yes, yes, he did, he invited Amanda, or excuse me, he asked Amanda to arrive at his apartment on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. sharp.

So at what time did Peter ask Amanda to arrive at his apartment?

At 7:30 p.m. sharp.

So did Peter ask Amanda to arrive at his apartment at approximately 7:30 p.m. or did he ask Amanda to arrive at his apartment at exactly 7:30 p.m.?

Oh, he asked her to arrive at exactly 7:30 p.m. You see, Peter asked Amanda to arrive at his apartment at 7:30 p.m. sharp so that means he asked her to arrive there at exactly 7:30 p.m., not approximately, not at 7:29 or not at 7:32 p.m., at exactly 7:30 p.m.

Well, I want to tell you a little more about Amanda now. Amanda loved men who knew how to cook and when she met Peter she told him about this so Peter remembered this. So he told Amanda that he planned to cook dinner for her on Tuesday. He did not plan to purchase some food at a restaurant and bring it to his apartment. He planned to actually cook for her. So when Peter told Amanda this, she was very excited because remember, she loved men who knew how to cook. But Peter wasn’t excited about cooking for Amanda. No, he wasn’t excited about it at all.

He was worried about it. You see, Peter couldn’t even boil water so cooking dinner for Amanda was a tall task for Peter.

Okay, time for some more questions. Did Amanda love men who knew how to cook?

She did, yes, Amanda loved men who knew how to cook.

Who loved men who knew how to cook?

Amanda did, Amanda loved men who knew how to cook.

And tell me this. What kind of man did Amanda love?

Well, she loved men who knew how to cook. She loved men who knew how to cook.

So did Peter plan to cook dinner for Amanda?

He did, yes, Peter planned to cook dinner for Amanda.

Tell me this. Who did Peter plan to cook dinner for? Kristin or Amanda?

Amanda, Peter planned to cook dinner for Amanda.

And what did Peter plan to do for Amanda? Did he plan to take her to Hawaii?

No, no, he didn’t plan to take her to Hawaii.

What did Peter plan to do for Amanda?

Well, he planned to cook dinner for Amanda. Peter planned to cook dinner for Amanda.

So tell me this now. Could Peter boil water? Did he know how to boil water?

No, no, Peter couldn’t boil water. He didn’t know how to boil water.

Who didn’t know how to boil water? Peter or Amanda?

Peter didn’t, Peter didn’t know how to boil water.

So was Peter a great cook?

No, no, Peter didn’t know how to boil water or we could say he couldn’t boil water, either one of those means the same thing. It means that Peter did not know how to cook or we could even say that Peter was a bad cook, but in this case, let’s say Peter didn’t know how to cook. Poor Peter.

So tell me this. Was cooking dinner for Amanda a tall task for Peter?

It was, yes, cooking dinner for Amanda was a tall task for Peter.

So tell me this. Was cooking dinner for Amanda something that was very easy for Peter or something that was very difficult for Peter?

Something that was very difficult for Peter, it was a tall task for Peter so that means it was very difficult for him to do it. Okay, if something’s a tall task it means it’s something that’s very difficult. So cooking dinner for Amanda was a tall task for Peter so that means cooking dinner for Amanda was very difficult for Peter, probably because he wasn’t a good cook or he didn’t know how to cook.

Well, on Tuesday, Peter’s last class ended at 2:00 p.m. so at 2:00 p.m., Peter went home. He went home because he needed to start cooking dinner. But when Peter arrived at home, he was tired so he decided to just rest for five minutes. But unfortunately, once he started to rest, he was out like a light.

Okay, tell me this. On Tuesday, was Peter’s last class, or did Peter’s last class end at 2:00 p.m.?

Yes, yes, on Tuesday, Peter’s last class ended at 2:00 p.m.

Whose last class ended at 2:00 p.m.?

Peter’s, Peter’s last class ended at 2:00 p.m.

And tell me this. At what time did Peter’s last class end?

2:00 p.m., Peter’s last class ended at 2:00 p.m.

So did Peter’s first class end at 2:00 p.m. or did his last class end at 2:00 p.m.?

His last class, Peter’s last class ended at 2:00 p.m.

Did Peter’s first class end at 2:00 p.m.?

No, no, not his first class, his last class ended at 2:00 p.m.

So tell me this now. Did Peter go home at 2:00?

He did, yes, Peter went home at 2:00.

Who went home at 2:00? Did Amanda go home at 2:00?

No, not Amanda, Amanda did not go home at 2:00.

Who went home at 2:00?

Peter did, Peter went home at 2:00.

And at what time did Peter go home?

2:00, Peter went home at 2:00 because he needed to start cooking dinner.

So did Peter decide to rest for five minutes?

Yes, yes, he did, Peter decided to rest for five minutes.

Who decided to rest for five minutes?

Peter did, Peter decided to rest for five minutes?

And for how long did Peter decide to rest for or how long did Peter decide to rest for?

Five minutes, Peter decided to rest for five minutes.

So was Peter out like a light once he started resting?

Yes, yes, he was, Peter was out like a light once he started resting.

Who was out like a light? Was Amanda or Peter out like a light?

Peter was, Peter was out like a light.

So did Peter fall asleep immediately once he started relaxing?

Yes, yes, Peter was out like a light once he started relaxing so that’s the same thing as saying Peter fell asleep immediately once he started relaxing.

Yes, he fell asleep immediately and he slept for quite a long time. In fact, he didn’t wake up until it was 7:02 p.m. So he only had 28 minutes before Amanda was to arrive at his apartment for dinner that night. And he had not cooked dinner yet. Well, Peter needed to do something and fast. So this is what he did. He went to Luigi’s Italian Restaurant and he ordered two large pieces of lasagna to go. And when he got the food he went home immediately and he arrived before 7:30 so he arrived before Amanda arrived. And when Amanda arrived for dinner that night at 7:30, Peter served the lasagna along with a bottle of wine.

Okay, time for some more questions. Did Peter wake up at 7:02 p.m.?

He did, yes, Peter woke up at 7:02 p.m.

Who woke up at 7:02 p.m.?

Peter did, right? Peter woke up at 7:02 p.m.

And at what time did Peter wake up?

7:02 p.m., Peter woke up at 7:02 p.m.

So tell me this. Did Peter go to the beach or did he go to Luigi’s Italian Restaurant?

Luigi’s Italian Restaurant, Peter went to Luigi’s Italian Restaurant.

And did Peter order two pieces, two large pieces of lasagna to go?

Yes, yes, he did, Peter ordered two large pieces of lasagna to go.

Who ordered two large pieces of lasagna to go?

Peter did, Peter ordered two large pieces of lasagna to go.

And did Peter order lasagna or pizza?

Lasagna, Peter ordered lasagna, he did not order pizza.

Now tell me this. How many pieces of lasagna did Peter order?

Two pieces, he ordered two pieces of lasagna.

And did he order large pieces or small pieces?

Large, Peter ordered two large pieces of lasagna.

And did Peter order the lasagna to go?

Yes, yes, he did, Peter ordered the lasagna to go.

So when Peter ordered the lasagna, did he intend to eat it at the restaurant or did he intend to take the food out of the restaurant and eat it somewhere else?

Oh, he intended to take the food out of the restaurant to eat it someplace else because he ordered it to go. If you order food to go, it means your intent is to take that food out of the restaurant and eat it someplace else.

So tell me this. Did Peter serve the lasagna for dinner along with a bottle of red wine?

He did, yes, Peter served the lasagna for dinner along with a bottle of red wine.

So what did Peter serve for dinner? Lasagna or pizza?

Lasagna, Peter served lasagna for dinner.

And what did he serve with the lasagna?

Red wine, he served a bottle of red wine with the lasagna.

Well, I have some more information for you about Amanda and Peter. Amanda loved the lasagna because she loved Italian food and she really enjoyed having dinner with Peter that night. So she asked Peter to join her for dinner again the next night. She asked him to go with her to her favorite restaurant. Of course, Peter said yes. So the next night Peter and Amanda went to Amanda’s favorite place to eat, Luigi’s Italian Restaurant. But fortunately for Peter, Luigi didn’t serve lasagna on Wednesdays.

Okay, well, that’s the end of our story and I hope that you enjoyed the story because now I want you to tell the story. I want you to tell the story to someone who you know. It can be anyone. If you really don’t know someone to tell the story to, please just say the story to yourself out loud. Okay, you can even look in the mirror so you’re pretending that you’re telling the story to someone if you do not have someone to tell the story to.

And when you tell this story, I want you to use all five of the idioms that I reviewed with you at the beginning of this lesson, okay? And I really would like you to learn this material deeply so I’d like you to listen to this lesson every day for at least seven days.

Alright then, that brings us to the end of this mini-story lesson so I’ll see you again next time, bye-bye.