Interview with the Blazers' Nicolas Batum: 'Slam Dunk'
Date: Jan 23 2009
Category: Real Life
Themes: Sports
Grammar: Modal Verbs
1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.
2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.
Basketball was invented in North America, and the US almost always wins the gold at the Olympics. But every year, more international players are drafted into the NBA.
Currently, the Portland Trail Blazers have three foreign players. The youngest is Nicolas Batum, who just came over from France for his first season in the NBA. Jason recently went to the Blazers’ practice facility to talk to Batum about what it’s like to play pro basketball in your second language.
3. Watch - Watch the video without reading the dialog.
English, baby! English Lesson Video
English, baby! English lesson audio.
Intro
Basketball was invented in North America, and the US almost always wins the gold at the Olympics. But every year, more international players are drafted into the NBA.
Currently, the Portland Trail Blazers have three foreign players. The youngest is Nicolas Batum, who just came over from France for his first season in the NBA. Jason recently went to the Blazers’ practice facility to talk to Batum about what it’s like to play pro basketball in your second language.
Dialog
Nicolas |
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Jason: Welcome to English, baby! I’m Jason, here with Nicolas Batum of the Portland Trail Blazers. How old are you and where are you from, Nicolas?
Nicolas: I’m twenty. I’m from France.
Jason: When did you learn all the terms for basketball?
Nicolas: I know the terms in basketball because in France the coach speaks English almost all the time.
Jason: Has there ever been a time, though, where there’s been, like, a funny misunderstanding?
Nicolas: Sometimes I don’t understand what he’s saying during the game. Yeah.
Jason: You’re new to the team this year. Have the guys teased you for being from another country or anything?
Nicolas: Yeah. They joke about if you can play basketball in France. “They play basketball in France? You sure?”
Jason: They do play basketball in France, but you play a lot more games here. How’s that goin’ for you?
Nicolas: Yeah. It’s tough. I’ve played almost thirty-four, thirty-five games in two months. In France I played thirty-five games in six or seven months, so…Yeah.
Jason: Is it OK though?
Nicolas: It’s tough, but I’m good. Yeah.
Jason: We were wondering if you could explain what a slum dunk is now?
Nicolas: Slam dunk?
Jason: Yeah.
Nicolas: You just go to the rim, and crush...crush the ball in the rim. That’s all. Yeah.
Jason: Can you show us one?
Nicolas: OK.
Jason: Sweet.
Grammar Point
Modal Verbs: Can & Could
Jason asks Batum if he could explain what a slam dunk is. Later, he asks, “Can you show us one?” Can and could are both modal verbs. They’re often used to express ability or possibility. We also use them to make requests.
The main difference between “can” and “could” when making requests is degree of formality or politeness. It’s more formal or polite to say “Could you pass the peas, please?” than “Can you pass the peas?” In spoken English, we often switch back and forth between the two, as Jason does here.
Make sure you never put to between can or could and the main verb in a sentence. In other words, don’t say, “Can you to show us a slam dunk?” That’s incorrect. You just can’t say it.
Discussion
Discussion - Join the discussion to learn more and make friends.
When Jason arrives at the practice, Nicolas was running drills and practicing his jump shot. He learned terms like that early on because his coach in France usually spoke English. So Nicolas can easily explain what slam dunk means in a basketball game. But did you know that you can use slam dunk in your daily life, even if you don’t play or watch sports?
Since when a player dunks the ball almost always goes in the basket, you can call any sure success a slam dunk. If your job interview goes really well, you could tell your friends, “It was a slam dunk. I’m sure I got the job.” Or if you want to convince your friends to go into business with you, you could say, “We have such a good idea. It will be a slam dunk. We’ll make lots of money!”
Is there anything coming up in your life that you hope will be a slam dunk? Is there an NBA player from your country?
For more with Batum, watch another video of him dunking, check out this YouTube fan channel or visit the Portland Trail Blazer’s website. Also, listen to this radio interview with Jason about interviewing Batum or read Jason’s blog.
Comprehension Quiz
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