Exploring British Tea Culture and Language

Sep 24, 2024

Coffee Break English - Season 1, Episode 9 Summary

Introduction

  • Hosts: Josie & Mark
  • Episode Topic: Tea and the use of gerunds vs infinitives

Tea in Britain

  • Cultural Significance of Tea

    • 63% of people in the UK drink tea daily.
    • Tea is integral to British culture; many can't imagine life without it.
    • Origin: Brought to Europe by Portuguese priests and merchants in the 16th century.
    • Popularity: UK ranks second in tea consumption, after Turkey.
  • Types of Tea

    • English breakfast tea is common, often with milk and sugar.
    • "Builder's tea": strong tea with sugar; named for builders who prefer it this way.
    • Afternoon tea once included cakes and sandwiches, now it's more casual with biscuits.
  • Terminology

    • "Tea" can also refer to the evening meal (dinner).
    • Regional variations in meal names: breakfast, lunch, dinner vs. breakfast, dinner, tea.

Gerunds vs. Infinitives

  • Key Rules

    • Gerunds (verb + ing) used after:
      • love, like, hate, don't like
      • Example: "I like reading."
    • Infinitives (to + verb) used after:
      • need, would like, learn
      • Example: "I need to drink tea."
  • Examples from Discussion

    • "British people love drinking tea so much that they can't imagine living without it."
    • "I like drinking tea" vs. "I would like to drink tea."
    • Infinitive after 'would like': "I would like to have tea."

Fun Facts

  • British children learn to make tea at a young age.
  • Dipping or dunking biscuits in tea is common.
  • The word "biscuit" is pronounced "bis-kit".

Conclusion

  • Encouragement to explore the cultural aspects of tea and practice English through the podcast.
  • Mention of the Coffee Break Academy for additional learning materials.
  • Next episode will be the final one in the season.

Additional Notes:

  • Social Media Interaction: Engage with questions about food and drink in different cultures.
  • Hosts express personal tea preferences noting they prefer coffee.