Are You American? — Teacher Edition

1

Listening

10 minutes

Say to student:

"Is Alex American? What about his friend? Let's learn about WE and THEY."

Dialogue: Two people meet at an international language school.

Pia and Alex

Here is the text from the listening. Read along and check your answers.

Hi! Are you American?

No, I'm not. I'm Canadian.

And your friend? Is she American?

No, she isn't. She's Japanese.

Are you in the same class?

Yes, we are.

We're in the English class.

Cool! See you in class then!

or click any bubble to hear one line

Comprehension:

1. Is Alex American?

2. Is his friend Japanese or American?

3. Are they in the same class?

4. What class are they in?

2

Language Focus

12 minutes

Grammar: verb be plural: we/they + aren't (be COMPLETO)

Form	Structure
Affirmative	We are (We're) ___. / They are (They're) ___.
Negative	We are not (We aren't) ___. / They are not (They aren't) ___.
Interrogative	Are we/they ___? — Yes, we/they are. / No, we/they aren't.

Examples:

We're in the English class. (= We are in the English class.)

They're Japanese. (= They are Japanese.)

We aren't American. (= We are not American.)

Are they Brazilian? — No, they aren't. They're Mexican.

Try it!

1. We Brazilian. (is / am / are)

2. Are they American? No, they . (isn't / aren't / 'm not)

3. you in the same class? (Is / Am / Are)

4. Pia and Alex in the English class. (is / are / am)

Answers: 1. are | 2. aren't | 3. Are | 4. are

Common Errors

We is Brazilian. → We are Brazilian.
We/You/They sempre com ARE (nunca IS).

They no are Japanese. → They aren't Japanese.
Negativo: aren't (= are not) DEPOIS do pronome. Não usar 'no' como negação.

Explicação (PT-BR):
We are = Nos somos. Contracao: We're. They are = Eles sao. Contracao: They're. Negativo: aren't = are not. Agora voce sabe be COMPLETO: I'm, you're, he's, she's, it's, we're, they're.

3

Practice

15 minutes

Watch for:
- Nationalities vs Countries: Brazilians confuse 'Brazil' (country) vs 'Brazilian' (nationality). 'I'm FROM Brazil' vs 'I AM Brazilian.'
- -ese pronunciation: Japanese /dʒæpəniːz/, Chinese /tʃaɪniːz/. The '-ese' rhymes with 'please' /iːz/.
- We vs They: 'We' = me + you(s). 'They' = other people (not me, not you). Test: 'Me and you = ___?' (we). 'Alex and Pia = ___?' (they).
- Aren't /ɑːrnt/: Brazilians say /arent/ with 2 syllables. Correct: 1 syllable /ɑːrnt/.
- Nationality patterns: -an (American, Brazilian, Mexican, Canadian), -ish (Spanish, Turkish), -ese (Chinese, Japanese).

We / They + are

Complete the chart and sentences with words from the box.

weThey'rearen'tWe'reAre

1. you American?

2. No, aren't.

3. Canadian.

4. Japanese. (Alex's friends)

5. They American.

Answer Key:
1. Are
2. we
3. We're
4. They're
5. aren't

Country and Nationality

Match the country to the nationality.

Column A

Brazil

Japan

China

Mexico

the US

Canada

Column B

Brazilian

Japanese

Chinese

Mexican

Canadian

American

Answer Key:
Brazil = Brazilian
Japan = Japanese
China = Chinese
Mexico = Mexican
the US = American
Canada = Canadian

Short Answers

Complete the short answers.

1. Are Pia and Alex American? No, they .

2. Are they in the same class? Yes, they .

3. Is Alex's friend Japanese? Yes, she .

4. Are you Brazilian? Yes, I .

Answer Key:
1. aren't
2. are
3. is
4. am

Pia and Alex — Choose the correct answer

Based on the dialogue, choose the correct answer.

Replay dialogue

1. What nationality is Alex?

Brazilian

Canadian

American

2. Alex's friend is from ___.

the US

Mexico

Japan

3. Are Pia and Alex in the same class?

Yes, they are.

No, they aren't.

Yes, we are.

4. What class are they in?

Spanish

Japanese

English

Brand Quiz

Your teacher asks about brands. Answer with the correct nationality.

1. Toyota — Is it American? → No, it isn't. It's Japanese.

2. Huawei — Is it Japanese? → No, it isn't. It's Chinese.

3. Zara — Is it American? → No, it isn't. It's Spanish.

4. Nike — Is it Japanese? → No, it isn't. It's American.

5. Havaianas — Are they American? → No, they aren't. They're Brazilian!

6. Turkish Airlines — Is it Mexican? → No, it isn't. It's Turkish.

4

Let's Talk

13 minutes

Let's Talk!

Use what you learned today to answer these questions. Elaborate as much as you can!

Talking about people you know — not the dialogue, not brands.

1. Tell me about a famous person from your country. Who is it?

Follow-up: Cool! Is he/she famous in the US too?

Target: He's/She's ___. He's/She's Brazilian. He's/She's a singer/actor/player.

Expected answer: He's/She's Brazilian.

Tip: Force student to PRODUCE: name + nationality + 1 detail. Accept any famous Brazilian (player, singer, actor). Then push for one more sentence ('He plays soccer / She sings').

2. Look around the room. Find 2 things and tell me where they are from.

Follow-up: Really? Are you sure? Look at the brand again!

Target: My phone is from ___. It's ___. / This pen is ___. It's from ___.

Expected answer: It's from China. / It's Japanese.

Tip: Practical reuse: student looks at real objects (phone, pen, water bottle) and says origin. Force 2 items minimum. Build country → nationality if they only say one.

3. Are you and your family from the same city? Tell me about it.

Follow-up: Where are your parents from originally?

Target: Yes, we are. / No, we aren't — they're from ___ and I'm from ___.

Expected answer: We're from São Paulo. / No, they're from Minas.

Tip: Pratica we/they real, com vida do aluno. Aceita short answer (Yes/No) e build pra full sentence com we're/they're/aren't. Bom pra gerar 2-3 frases reais.

4. Quick brand quiz! I say a brand, you say the country: Toyota? Samsung? Nestlé?

Follow-up: And the people? Toyota → Japanese. Samsung → ___?

Target: Toyota is from Japan. / Samsung is Korean. / Nestlé is from Switzerland.

Expected answer: Japan. / Korea. / Swiss.

Tip: Game-style — pula entre brands. Aceita só país no começo, depois force frase completa 'It's from X' e nationality. Pode adicionar mais brands (Adidas, Pizza Hut, BMW).

Extension activity: Aluno rapido: Quiz com mais marcas. 'What about Adidas? Volkswagen? Zara?' Aluno pesquisa e responde.

Self-Assessment

How did you do today?

✓
I can ask about nationalities: Are you American?
✓
I can say: We're Brazilian. / They're Japanese.
✓
I can answer: No, we aren't. / Yes, they are.

Great work today!

Next class: personal information! What's your email? How old are you?