FUNCTIONS:

Agreeing

Disagreeing

Hesitating

Introducing your opinion

Asking for opinions

Expressing preferences

Asking for clarification

Expressing likelihood

Speculating, guessing

Advice and recommendations

Describing a picture

Agreeing

I think you’re right

I would go along with the idea

I completely agree with you

That makes perfect sense

You have a point there

Absolutely, that’s spot on!

I couldn’t agree more

Disagreeing

That’s not how I see it

I couldn’t agree less

You must be kidding

That’s a ridiculous idea, don’t you think?

With all due respect, I must disagree

I’m afraid I can’t see it that way

No way, that’s nonsense!

Hesitating

I’m in two minds about it

I have some reservations regarding that

I’m not entirely convinced

There’s something that gives me pause

While I’m not entirely opposed, I do have some doubts

Introducing your opinion

To my mind

I reckon

In my opinion

As I see it

It seems to me

I would argue

From my point of view

Asking for opinions

Don’t you think …?

What’s your attitude to …?

What’s your opinion of …?

Are you in favour of …?

What’s your position as regards …?

You don’t support …, do you?

Expressing preferences

I prefer…

I would rather…

My preference would be…

I tend to favour…

If I had to choose, I would…

I lean towards…

I am inclined to…

I’m a big fan of…

I really enjoy…

I’m into…

I absolutely love…

I’m crazy about…

I’m fond of…

It’s right up my alley

It’s my thing

I can’t get enough of…

It appeals to me

It’s growing on me

I wouldn’t miss it for the world

I’m not a big fan of…

I don’t really enjoy…

I’m not into…

I can’t stand…

I’m not fond of…

It’s not my cup of tea

It doesn’t do anything for me

I’m sick of…

It gets on my nerves

It puts me off

I’d rather not…

It leaves me cold…

Asking for clarification

Could you please elaborate on that?

Would you mind explaining that further?

I’m not quite sure I understand. Could you clarify?

Could you provide more details?

Can you expand on that point?

Expressing likelihood

“It’s a foregone conclusion that…”

“There’s no doubt in my mind that…”

“I am almost certain that…”

“It’s highly likely that…”

“Chances are that…”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if…”

“It’s possible that…”

“There’s a chance that…”

“It’s unlikely that…”

“I doubt that…”

Speculating, guessing

“It seems to me that…”

“My gut feeling is that…”

“From what I gather…”

“If I were to guess…”

“It would appear that…”

“I reckon that…”

“I suspect that…”

“In all likelihood…”

“There’s a distinct possibility that…”

“It’s plausible that…”

Advice and recommendations

“You might want to consider…”

“Perhaps you could try…”

“If I were you, I would…”

“One thing you could do is…”

“Have you thought of…”

“May I suggest…”

“It might be beneficial to…”

“Consider this approach…”

“Why not give this a go…”

“If it were up to me, I’d…”

Describing a picture

“In the foreground…”

“In the background…”

“In the center of the image…”

“On the left side of the picture…”

“On the right side of the picture…”

“At the top of the picture…”

“At the bottom of the picture…”

“The picture depicts…”

“The image illustrates…”

“The photograph shows…”

“One can see…”

“Notice how…”

“This scene captures…”

“This photograph highlights…”

DICTIONARY

Add new and interesting words from this lesson to your English dictionary.

Store your words and expressions in this handy dictionary. You can create groups and play games based on your entries. There is also a practical importing feature.

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Bardzo mi przykro, ale lekcje na platformie The Blue Tree działają jedynie na komputerze lub tablecie.

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Zespół The Blue Tree

Learn more words

THE BLUE TREE

Travel & Nature

CEF B1

CEFR B1

Intermediate

warm up

TRANSCRIPT

Yes, definitely. Sometimes I can’t believe how fast the weeks go by. Monday turns into Friday in what feels like a blink. When I was a child, summer holidays felt endless, but now even a whole year seems short. I think routine plays a big role. When every day looks similar, my brain stops noticing details. That’s probably why time feels like it’s speeding up.

TRANSCRIPT

Yes, I do. There are periods when my days feel predictable and repetitive. I wake up, work, come home, repeat. Nothing dramatic, nothing new. It’s comfortable, but also slightly frustrating. When I notice that feeling, I try to change something small – take a different route, start a new project, or meet new people. Even a small change can break the routine and make life feel more alive again.

TRANSCRIPT

If I’m honest, I probably waste too much time scrolling on my phone. I tell myself it’s just five minutes, but it often turns into half an hour. Social media gives quick entertainment, but it rarely gives real satisfaction. I also waste time overthinking small decisions. Instead of acting, I analyse too much. I know that if I used that time better, I could learn something new or develop a skill.

part one

KEY LANGUAGE

Go through the flashcards below. Make sure you understand all the words and expressions.

VIDEO

Watch the first part of the video.

COMPREHENSION

Answer these questions. Refer to the information from the video.

  • ⌚ What did Jedidah learn when he spoke to elderly people? [0:26]
  • ⌚ What was he afraid of? [0:54]
  • ⌚ What did he promise himself he would do? [1:02]
  • ⌚ What are some of the places he visited? [1:20]
  • ⌚ What is the enemy of time? [1:32]
  • ⌚ How can adults slow down the passing of time? [3:13]

POLL

Cast your vote in the poll.

1️⃣ What makes time pass the fastest in your life?
2️⃣ When do you feel most “wide awake” and present?
3️⃣ If you wanted to slow down the passage of time, what would you change first?
1 vote

×

PRACTICE

Complete the exercise below.

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DISCUSSION

DIALOGUE

Read or role-play this dialogue.

Alita:
What stayed with me most from the film was the idea that routine makes time disappear. I’ve never thought about it this way before, but it makes sense. When every day looks the same, my brain kind of switches to autopilot.

Pete:
Exactly. I liked when he said it’s not really about the bike. It’s about breaking patterns. The bike is just a tool. The real point is doing something new and shocking your brain awake.

Alita:
Yes! And I loved the idea of being amazed again, like a child. When we’re young, everything feels new. Even small things are exciting. As adults, we stop noticing details.

Pete:
I’ve felt that. Last year I went hiking in the mountains. It wasn’t a huge adventure like cycling to South America, but it completely changed my perspective. I was exhausted, but I felt alive.

Alita:
That’s what he meant by wanting to feel “exhausted” at 85, right? Not tired of life, but tired because you really lived. I find that idea powerful.

Pete:
Me too. And it made me think: maybe adventure doesn’t have to be extreme. It could be learning something new, changing jobs, starting a project… anything that breaks routine.

Alita:
So maybe the real message is this: if we want time to slow down, we need to stay curious. It’s not about escaping life — it’s about paying attention to it.

OVER TO YOU

Discuss these questions. Refer to the topic of the lesson and your own experience.

BulletWhy do you think routine makes time feel shorter? What happens to our brain when nothing changes?
BulletWhat kind of “adventure” could be realistic in everyday life, without cycling across a continent?
BulletIn what situations do adults feel truly amazed, like children? Why do these moments matter?
BulletWhat small change could break your current routine and make your week more interesting?
BulletImagine you are 85 years old. What kind of life would make you feel satisfied and “exhausted” in a good way?

lesson glossary

COMMENTS

What do you think of Jedidah’s idea to slow down the passage of time? Is this something you would like to do yourself? How can we incorpate his ideas in our lives?

Share your thoughts and ideas below.

2 Comments

  1. Adam Wiśniewski

    I really admire Jedidah’s idea to slow down the passage of time. I’ve always liked to travel and discover new things so this kind of spending time is in my style. My dream and goal is to travel around the world one day, but for now I’m not sure that I will be cycling during my all journey like Jedidah, but maybe that’s something I should think about. If we want to slow down the passage of time, we don’t have to become a traveller, because everyone is different and has various hobbies. We can use his ideas in a distinct way. For someone, it will be a journey, but for someone else it could be developing a website. The most important thing is to don’t waste our time on junk stuff and try to do something which will develop us and stimulate our imagination.

  2. Karolina Borys

    Life really passes quickly and we need to make the most of it. Jedidiah’s adventure will be a memory for him to cherish – most of our days are unfortunately not as memorable. We let the reality carry us without our active participation. Making a change and choosing our own adventure can become a turning point in our lives – allowing us to reflect on everyday life.. And, at the very least, it will provide us with pictures to show and stories to tell.

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