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00:08
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Sen: Hello and welcome to our podcast, English Trips. I’m Sen, and I’ll give you expert guidance on how to make the most of these episodes as a language learning tool.
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00:29
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Today we’re going to take a trip to Thailand! 
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00:36
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Are you learning English at the moment? Then this podcast is perfect for you. In each episode, we’ll take a virtual trip to a different part of the English-speaking world, where you’ll hear a real story from a real person… in English, of course! 
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00:50
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Each episode focuses on a specific part of the language, such as a grammar topic. But don’t worry, this isn’t a grammar podcast. The main thing is that our stories are fun and interesting, and they also get you more comfortable with understanding the language! 
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01:05
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And did you know that you can read along while you listen using our dynamic transcript? You’ll find the link in our show notes. Here’s a tip just for you: the first time you listen to the episode, follow along with the transcript. This will help you understand more of the story, and identify any difficult words or expressions. Then, listen a second, or even third time without the transcript, and see how much more you understand! 
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01:34
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Our focus for today is on the imperative form. We use it when we need to tell someone else what to do, like “Be quiet!”, or “Don’t forget to buy toilet paper!” It’s not always the most polite form to use, but in some situations, it can be super useful. In fact, you’ll hear exactly how useful it can be in today’s episode. While you’re listening, see if you can recognize a few more examples of the imperative. Don’t panic, they’re not too hard to find. 
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02:06
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Are you ready? Let’s fly to Thailand’s beautiful island of Koh Samui and hear about Chad’s extreme experience of surfing in a storm. 
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02:10
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02:20
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Chad: Koh Samui, Thailand: tropical island paradise. 
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02:22
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Ko Samui Crystal Bay - panoramio
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02:26
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When I went there on vacation in 1997, it was perfect. I wanted to stay – beautiful beaches, warm sunny weather, amazing food and friendly locals. Samui had it all. 
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02:38
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Pam Real Thai Las Vegas
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02:45
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I continued to dream of Koh Samui and its beauty after I returned to the US a month later. In 1999, my dream came true.
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03:02
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I moved to Koh Samui and opened a bar. 
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03:08
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I finally made it: sand, sun, surf... oops, well, no. No waves in Koh Samui, so no surf. But I brought my surfboard with me anyway, because I still hoped to surf. 
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03:16
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Koh Samui Lipa Noi2
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03:25
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So my surfboard sat in my apartment, unused, for about 2 years… until one dramatic day. A storm hit Koh Samui. A big storm. And with it, WAVES! Big waves! Finally some waves on Koh Samui – radical! 
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03:45
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via GIPHY

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03:52
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So I called my friend Stan… he was a surfer from California who lived on the island, and I said, “Dude, this is our only chance to surf on Koh Samui – ever! Let’s go!!” 
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04:08
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So we took our surfboards and went to the beach. There were so many tourists swimming and playing in the water. There were red flags everywhere! And that means stay out of the water! 
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04:18
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Mai-Khao-Beach Phuket Warning-flag-01
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04:24
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This is usually because of very dangerous riptides. Also, because the water is normally very calm, there were no lifeguards on the beach. Stan said, “What are these people doing? Don’t they know it’s dangerous out there?” 
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04:43
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Stan and I were not afraid. We had our surfboards and knew how to paddle out of a riptide. So we swam out to the big waves. But before we could catch the first wave, we heard screaming and shouting from the beach. 
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05:01
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We looked and saw people waving their arms and pointing to something in the water. Then we saw them. Two women stuck in a riptide. The beach was only 15 meters away, but they couldn’t get back. 
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05:17
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We swam close to them and we saw that they were very afraid. Their eyes were wide, and they were trying hard to stay above the water. 
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05:24
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Splash Drowning GIF from Splash GIFs
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05:27
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I said, “Stan, help that woman, and I’ll help the other one.” I paddled over to the woman and yelled, “Hold on to the board!” but she tried to climb up onto it. I fell off the board. 
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05:42
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Now we were both in the water, trying to hold on to my surfboard. I told her again, “Just HOLD the board, don’t climb ONTO it!” I kicked really hard to get us out of the riptide. I said, “Don’t panic, everything is going to be ok”. 
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06:06
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Five long minutes later, we were out of the riptide and made it to the beach. The woman was crying and saying something to me in Italian again and again, but I couldn’t understand. 
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06:23
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A big group of people came over. Her friend, who was with Stan, ran over and the women hugged each other. 
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06:31
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Stan and I were both exhausted, but we were happy the women were ok. We sat down on the beach to rest. 
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06:41
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The funny thing is, we never saw the two Italian women again after that. They disappeared into the chaos. 
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06:49
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When I think back on the experience, I always wonder what the woman said to me in Italian… Maybe that’s the next language I’ll learn. 
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06:59
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Sen: Phew! That was a little stressful! Now do you see how useful the imperative form can be? Chad used it to tell Stan and the women what to do, and, luckily, they all made it out of the water and back to land safely. But what did the woman say to Chad? I guess he’ll never know. 
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07:23
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Well, that’s enough adventure for me today. I hope you had fun, and that you learned a bit more about the imperative form. If you want to get a little more practice telling people what to do, you can always check out our beginner courses or the grammar section in the Babbel app! 
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07:43
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Finally, we’d love to hear what you think of the podcast. You can write us an email at podcasting@babbel.com, or simply leave a comment in your podcast app and we’ll see it. Thanks for listening, and see you next time for another exciting story in English. 
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End
Chad finds the perfect wave in Koh Samui, after moving to paradise in the late 90s. It took some time for him to get on his surfing board, and it all went completely different than expected. This monolingual story is great for intermediate learners. Or, if you're a beginner, first listen to the bilingual podcast in your native language and then listen to this one. It’ll give you an extra challenge to boost your English to the next level. We'd love to get your feedback, suggestions or learn about your own language learning journey. Email podcasting@babbel.com