Week 3: A busy café on Friday afternoon (Pre-Intermediate in 34 weeks)

If you’ve already done Weeks 0–2 – welcome back. Time to add movement and “here and now” to your English.

If this is the first article you see and you’re not sure what’s going on, please start with:

• Week 0 (intro): https://dzen.ru/a/aVNKgNLHgkQM22jP
• Week 1 (First days in a new city): https://dzen.ru/a/aVw209JHaSg_pWCh
• Week 2 (Your everyday life abroad): https://dzen.ru/a/aWRbL9bgPB0AUE1M

This course works week by week.
Each week = one real-life topic + simple grammar + useful vocabulary on the Pre-Intermediate level.

Week 3 – A busy café on Friday afternoon (What people are doing around you right now)

The topic for Week 3 is what people are doing around you right now – in a café, in a co-working space, on the metro, in photos and videos.

This week we focus on:

• Grammar: present continuous (now) + present simple vs continuous
• Vocabulary: parts of the body; prepositions of place (next to, in front of, behind, between, etc.)
• Speaking: describing what people are doing now; describing pictures and scenes

How we work: 5 days, small steps

• Day 1 (Mon) – Reading: one short text about a busy place + understanding
• Day 2 (Tue) – Vocabulary: body + place words for describing people
• Day 3 (Wed) – Grammar: present continuous & present simple vs continuous
• Day 4 (Thu) – Speaking & Writing: describe real scenes and photos
• Day 5 (Fri) – Listening + Revision + Shadowing

Extra practice in SpeakingCamps

At the end of the week, you can repeat this topic in my app SpeakingCamps – there is a Pre-Intermediate camp with the same name as this article.

App Store link: https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/speakingcamps/id6448212314

In the app you can also sign up for live Speaking Clubs with me (small groups, up to 8 people – enough practice, not too much pressure).

Кратко по-русски

Неделя 3 — «что происходит вокруг тебя прямо сейчас»: описываем людей в кафе, коворкинге, метро, на фотографиях — где они находятся, что делают, во что одеты. Тренируем Present Continuous (действия “сейчас”) и разницу с Present Simple (“обычно”), лексику частей тела и предлогов места.

A: DAY 1 – READING: A busy café on Friday afternoon

A1. Read the text

A busy café on Friday afternoon

It’s four o’clock on Friday afternoon, and I’m sitting in my favourite café in Metropolis. I usually work at home, but today I am working here because I need a change. The café is small and cosy, but right now it isn’t feeling very quiet – it’s full of people.

In front of me, two students are sitting at a round table. They are wearing headphones and are looking at a laptop. One of them is talking and is moving his hands a lot. The other student isn’t talking; she just is listening and is taking notes in her notebook.

Next to the window, a young couple is drinking coffee. The woman is holding a baby in her arms. The baby isn’t crying; he is watching everyone with big eyes. The man is trying to work on his phone, but he is also smiling at the baby every two minutes.

Near the door, three colleagues from an office are standing in a small circle. They aren’t drinking anything; they are waiting for takeaway cups. One woman is checking her watch again and again. She usually finishes work at five, but today she is leaving early because she is flying to another city tonight.

On the sofa in the corner, an older man is reading a newspaper. He is wearing glasses and a dark jacket. He isn’t looking at his phone – maybe he doesn’t use one. From time to time he is smiling at the stories in the paper.

Behind the counter, the barista is making drinks as fast as she can. She is grinding coffee beans, pouring milk and calling people’s names. She usually works until seven, but today she is staying longer because it is getting busy before the weekend.

I am not talking to anyone right now. I am typing this text on my laptop and watching all these small stories around me. Usually I rush through my day and don’t notice people, but today I am trying to slow down and really see what everyone is doing.

A2. Check your understanding

Answer aloud or in writing.

1. Why is the writer working in the café today?
2. What are the two students doing in front of the writer?
3. What is the woman with the baby doing? What is the baby doing?
4. Why is the man with the baby looking at him every two minutes?
5. Where are the three colleagues standing, and what are they waiting for?
6. Why is one of the colleagues checking her watch again and again?
7. What is the older man in the corner doing?
8. What is the barista doing behind the counter?
9. Why is she staying longer at work today?
10. What is the writer doing at the end of the story, and what is different from their usual day?

If you study with a partner – compare answers and correct each other.

B: DAY 2 – VOCABULARY: parts of the body & prepositions of place

Today we collect words to describe where people are and what they look like.

B1. Parts of the body – match 1–10 with a–j

1. head
2. neck
3. shoulder
4. arm
5. hand
6. back
7. leg
8. knee
9. eyes
10. beard

a) the part between your head and your body
b) the top part of your body, with your face
c) the top front part of your leg, it bends when you sit
d) the part from your shoulder to your hand
e) the hair on a man’s face, usually on the chin and cheeks
f) the two things you use to see
g) the area below your neck, behind your chest and stomach
h) the place where your arm joins your body
i) the lower part of your body, you use them to walk
j) the part you use to hold things, with fingers

B2. Prepositions of place – match 11–20 with a–j

1. next to
2. in front of
3. behind
4. between
5. opposite
6. on the left
7. on the right
8. in the corner
9. at the table
10. near

a) not far from
b) on the side of something, very close
c) facing you, on the other side
d) not in the middle, but at the side of a room
e) in the space that is in the middle of two things
f) on the side that is not the right side
g) at the place where people sit and eat or drink
h) on the side that is not the left side
i) in the space before someone or something
j) at the back of someone or something

B3. Describe the café – complete the sentences

Use words from B2.

1. The two students are sitting __________ the writer.
2. The young couple is sitting __________ the window.
3. The three colleagues are standing __________ the door.
4. The older man is sitting __________, on the sofa.
5. The baby is __________ his mother’s arms.
6. The man with the baby is sitting __________ the woman.
7. The barista is __________ the counter.
8. Two chairs are __________ a small table.
9. There is a small plant __________ the window and the door.
10. My favourite seat in a café is __________, because I like watching people.

(You can change some details – the goal is to practise the prepositions.)

C: DAY 3 – GRAMMAR: present continuous & present simple vs continuous

Today we look at what people are doing now vs what usually happens.

C0. Quick rule

Present continuous = actions happening now / around now

Form: am / is / are + verb-ing

• I am sitting in a café right now.
• She is talking to her colleague.
• They are waiting for the bus.

We also use it for temporary situations:

• This month I am working from a coworking space.
• He is staying with friends this week.

Present simple = habits, routines, facts

• I sit in this café every Friday.
• She talks to her colleague every morning.
• They wait for the bus near their house every day.

Often we show contrast:

• I usually work at home, but today I am working in a café.
• She usually drives to work, but this week she is taking the metro.

C1. Choose the correct option

Circle a or b.

1. I usually ___ home, but today I ___ in a café.
   a) work / am working
   b) am working / work
2. Look at that man – he ___ his coffee very quickly.
   a) drinks
   b) is drinking
3. We ___ at this table every Saturday. It’s our favourite place.
   a) sit
   b) are sitting
4. My brother ___ in an office, but this week he ___ from home.
   a) works / is working
   b) is working / works
5. Listen! They ___ about their holiday plans.
   a) talk
   b) are talking
6. The barista usually ___ at seven, but today she ___ longer.
   a) finishes / is staying
   b) is finishing / stays
7. I ___ the people around me right now; it’s interesting.
   a) watch
   b) am watching
8. My parents ___ in a small town; they ___ in Metropolis.
   a) live / aren’t living
   b) are living / don’t live
9. She ___ her glasses today because she ___ contact lenses.
   a) doesn’t wear / is wearing
   b) isn’t wearing / wears
10. They ___ next to the window at the moment, but they usually ___ in the corner.
    a) sit / are sitting
    b) are sitting / sit

C2. Complete with present simple or present continuous

Use the verb in brackets.

1. I usually __________ (take) the metro, but today I __________ (walk) to work.
2. He __________ (wear) a black jacket today. He usually __________ (wear) jeans and a hoodie.
3. We __________ (have) lunch at our desks now because the café is full.
4. My friend __________ (study) in the library at the moment. She __________ (go) there every exam week.
5. They __________ (not talk) now; they __________ (listen) to the speaker.
6. Our teacher usually __________ (start) the lesson on time, but today she __________ (come) late.
7. I __________ (sit) next to the window now because I __________ (need) more light.
8. My neighbours __________ (make) a lot of noise tonight. They usually __________ (stay) quiet.
9. She __________ (check) her phone every few minutes – she __________ (wait) for an important message.
10. We __________ (not work) this afternoon; we __________ (celebrate) a colleague’s birthday.

C3. Make contrast sentences (usually vs now)

Write sentences about yourself.

Use the pattern:

I usually …, but today I’m …

1. (where you work/study)
2. (how you travel)
3. (what you eat/drink)
4. (what you wear)
5. (what you do in the evening)

Example:

I usually work at my desk at home, but today I’m working in a café.

D: DAY 4 – SPEAKING & WRITING

D1. Speaking – “What people are doing around me”

If you have a partner / tutor:

1. Look around you (or look at a photo together).
2. Take turns to describe:

• where people are,
• what they are doing,
• what they are wearing.

Use present continuous and prepositions of place.

Example questions:

• What is the person on the left doing?
• Who is sitting next to the window?
• What is the man in the blue shirt wearing?
• Who is standing behind the table?

If you study alone:

• Choose a photo from your phone (family, friends, office, café) or look out of the window.
• Record yourself for 1–2 minutes describing everything you see.

D2. Writing – describe a picture

Choose:

• a photo from your real life
  or
• imagine a busy scene (café, coworking space, metro carriage, park)

Write 8–10 sentences describing:

• where people are sitting/standing,
• what they are doing right now,
• what they are wearing,
• 1–2 contrasts with what they usually do.

Example starter:

In this picture three people are sitting at a small table. The woman on the left is wearing… She is holding… Usually she works at…

After you write:

• underline all the -ing forms (present continuous),
• circle all the prepositions of place (next to, in front of, behind, between, etc.).

E: DAY 5 – LISTENING, REVISION & SHADOWING

📚📝 Option 1 – Offline practice (without the app)

1. Read the text “A busy café on Friday afternoon” aloud and record it on your phone.
2. Play the recording and do shadowing – speak together with yourself, copying intonation and rhythm.
3. Close the text and try to retell the story in your own words.
4. Look around you (or at a photo) and say at least 10 present continuous sentences, for example:

• The woman is talking on her phone.
• Two children are playing near the door.
• A man in a black jacket is standing behind the counter.

👩‍💻🔥 Option 2 – Practice in SpeakingCamps (with the app)

If you use the SpeakingCamps app, you can go further:

Open the app → Pre-Intermediate camp with the same name as this post (Week 3 - "A busy café on Friday afternoon").

There you can:

• listen to the Week 3 text as audio;
• do shadowing directly with the built-in recording;
• revise vocabulary for body parts and prepositions of place;
• practise present simple vs present continuous in short tasks;
• speak with an AI agent that describes scenes with you and guides you with questions about the text

You can also sign up for a live Speaking Club where we describe photos, our offices, cafés and metro stories in small groups (up to 8 people).

Download the app: https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/speakingcamps/id6448212314

If you need help or have questions, message me at @olga_dobrozhan on Telegram or email support@speakingcamps.com.

Cheers! 😊

____

P.S: Correct answers for self-check: