A2 English Listening Practice - Names

[0:00]Hey everybody, welcome to this A2 English Listening Practice video. You can use this video to practice your listening and comprehension as I speak. Before we start, remember to download the Listening Time podcast, and if you want my specialized training to help you understand native speakers, then become a Listening Time member. And if you want my advanced podcast episodes, then become a Listening Time family member. Okay, today we're going to talk about names. This is a fun topic to talk about, especially with people from different countries. There are many different types of naming customs around the world. So, let's talk a little bit about names in the US. Americans usually have three names, which we call the first name, middle name, and last name. When people get married, the wife usually takes her husband's last name, and then, if they have kids, their children take the father's last name. One thing I want to note is that there are tons and tons of different names in the US. Obviously, every country has a wide variety of names, but it seems like, in the US, there are even more names. Of course, there are many traditional names that have been used in English for many centuries, and there are many Biblical names that people give their children. But there are also many non-traditional names that people give their children. These names might come from other languages, or they might be variations of existing names, or they might be names that the parents invented. Parents can get very creative with children's names nowadays. Let me talk a little bit about naming customs in Mexico, where I live. Here, people have a first and a middle name like in the US, but they have two last names. Their first last name is their father's last name, and their second last name is their mother's last name. So, in general, Mexican names are longer than American names or names in other countries. When people get married in Mexico, the wife doesn't change her last name like in the US. She keeps both of her last names. And then, if they have children, their children take their father's first last name and their mother's first last name. These two names become their two last names. So, as you can see, the naming customs are pretty different in these two countries. And in other countries around the world, the naming customs might be completely different from Mexico or the US. Now, let's talk a little bit about nicknames. These are names that people call other people that aren't their real names. There are certain names in different languages that have an accompanying nickname. For example, in English, people named "Robert" might be called "Bob" sometimes. And people named "Matthew" might be called "Matt," and people named "William" might be called "Bill." These are nicknames that are automatically associated with these names. However, many people give more personal nicknames to their friends or family members. And when people call you by your nickname, it's often a sign that these people are close with you. They feel more comfortable with you, and so they feel like they can call you by your nickname. I think this is the case in most countries. I had a couple different nicknames when I was young, and I called some of my friends by their nicknames. How about you? Do you have a nickname? Okay, that's all for today. Remember to download the Listening Time podcast, and become a member at patreon.com/listeningtime to receive my specialized training, which will help you understand native speakers. And if you want to reach an advanced level of listening, then become a Listening Time family member to receive my advanced podcast. Also, subscribe to the channel, click on the bell, and follow us on Instagram. I'll see you next time.