Teacher Notes

Unit 7 · Education & Learning · Lesson 35

Study Abroad

Learn the vocabulary and structures to describe living overseas — culture shock, homesickness, adaptation. You'll advise someone nervous about going.

CEFR B255–65 minCultural adjustmentCore

Warm-up · §1

5 min

Get talking

reflection

One country

If you could study one year abroad, which country would you choose and why?

discussion

Biggest worry

What would worry you most about living abroad alone? Rank: language, money, food, loneliness.

activity

Home comforts

Name three things from home you'd miss most in month one.

Grammar focus · §2

8–10 min

'Get used to' vs 'be used to' vs 'used to' — the classic B2 trap

Open in Reference Centre

Quick rule

Past habit → used to + verb. Familiar now → be used to + -ing / noun. Becoming familiar → get used to + -ing / noun.

Pattern builder

Past habit (stopped)
used to + base verb
e.g. I used to call home every day.
Familiar now (state)
be used to + noun / -ing
e.g. I'm used to the food now.
Becoming familiar (process)
get used to + noun / -ing
e.g. I'm getting used to the accent.

Compare

Structure	Meaning	Example
used to + verb	Past habit that stopped	I used to feel homesick every Sunday.
be used to + -ing	Now familiar (state)	I'm used to eating late.
get used to + -ing	Process of getting familiar	It took time to get used to eating late.

Examples

→
I used to phone home every day. (past habit, stopped)
→
I'm used to the food now. (familiar)
→
It took me three months to get used to the weather. (process of adjusting)
→
I'm still getting used to the tram system.
→
She's not used to living alone yet.

Common mistakes

I'm used to eat late.
✓ I'm used to eating late.
After 'be used to', use -ing form or noun.
I used to eating late.
✓ I used to eat late.
'Used to' (past habit) takes the base verb.
I'm getting used to the food is spicy.
✓ I'm getting used to spicy food.
'Get used to' takes a noun or -ing, not a full clause.

Natural English

In real speech, natives often stress the difference with tone: 'I'm USED to it now' (familiar) vs 'I USED to hate it' (past habit). The stress shifts and disambiguates in half a second.

Deep dive (full explanation)

Three structures, one word 'used', three very different meanings. 'Used to + verb' = past habit that stopped. 'Be used to + noun/gerund' = something is now familiar. 'Get used to + noun/gerund' = the process of becoming familiar. Study abroad needs all three constantly.

Question 1.'When I first arrived, I ___ phone home every night.'

Question 2.'I'm ___ the food now — it's fine.'

Question 3.'It took a month to get used to ___ late.'

Question 4.'She's not used to ___ alone.'

Question 5.Which is WRONG?

Answer all items, then check.

Conversation Builder

Say it naturally

Build the sentence → spot the natural chunks → say it aloud → reply like a real conversation.

1.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.

Step 1 · Build

Tap words below to build the sentence…

2.Rebuild the sentence — then say it aloud.

Step 1 · Build

Tap words below to build the sentence…

Quick check 1.'When I first arrived, I ___ phone home every night.'

Quick check 2.'I'm ___ the food now — it's fine.'

Answer all items, then check.

Vocabulary · §3

5–7 min

Words & phrases to own

Open in Reference Centre

culture shock

the disorienting feeling of being in a very different culture.

homesickness

the sad feeling of missing home.

to adapt

to change your behaviour to fit a new situation.

to settle in

to become comfortable in a new place.

to fit in

to feel like you belong in a group or place.

host family

a local family a student lives with abroad.

student halls / dorms

shared university accommodation.

expat

someone living in a country that isn't their own.

language barrier

difficulty in communicating due to language.

to open your eyes (to)

to make you understand something new.

Activate it now

Use each word on something you actually know.

Make it yours#1
Have you ever felt culture shock — even in your own country? Describe it.
culture shock
Your view#2
Host family or student halls: which would you choose and why?
host familystudent halls / dorms
Rank#3
Rank hardest to easiest to adjust to: food, weather, language, humour, working hours.
to adaptto settle in
Complete#4
Finish: 'The country that would give me the biggest culture shock is ___ because ___.'
culture shockto fit in
Discuss#5
Does the language barrier disappear or just change over time?
language barrierexpat

Matching

Match term to meaning.

Tap an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.

Answer all items, then check.

Categorise

Sort these into how you would actually use them when talking about study abroad · cultural adjustment.

Answer all items, then check.

Pronunciation · §4

3–4 min

'used to' — the silent 'd'

'Used to' sounds like 'YOOS-tuh', not 'YOOZED TOO'. The 'd' is silent in fluent speech. Same for 'supposed to' → 'SUH-posed-tuh'. Overpronouncing sounds robotic.

I YOOS-tuh live abroad.
She's YOOS-tuh the weather.
It took time to get YOOS-tuh it.
I'm YOOS-tuh eating late.
You'll get YOOS-tuh it.

Reading · §5

8–10 min

Three Months In

Listen to the passage

Tap play to listen. Replay as many times as you need.

Kenji arrived in Berlin in September, twenty-one, alone, and — he'll admit now — completely underprepared. 'I used to think I was open-minded,' he laughs. 'Then I ordered coffee on day two and cried in the street.' Culture shock is like that. It doesn't hit at the airport. It waits a few weeks, then arrives on an ordinary Tuesday, and suddenly everything is difficult: the shops close early, the buses run on their own logic, and the language you thought you'd learnt turns into noise. The standard advice — 'give it three months' — turns out to be roughly right. In week two, Kenji hated Berlin. By month three, he was ordering coffee without thinking, taking the tram in the correct direction, and, crucially, no longer texting his mother twice a day. He was getting used to it. Study-abroad students go through this every year. The lonely ones don't necessarily go home. The ones who go home are usually the ones who never quite let themselves adapt — who kept comparing everything to what they were used to, instead of learning what was new.

Question 1.When does culture shock usually arrive?

Question 2.What is the standard advice?

Question 3.By month three, Kenji…

Question 4.Who tends to go home?

Answer all items, then check.

True / False / Not Given

Decide if each statement is True or False

Q1.Culture shock always hits at the airport.

Q2.'Give it three months' turned out to be roughly right.

Q3.Students who compare everything to home tend to adapt best.

Answer all items, then check.

Listening · §6

8–10 min

A nervous student calling an older friend (about 1:30)

Listening audio

Tap play to listen. Replay as many times as you need.

Show transcript

Ana:I fly to Amsterdam on Sunday and I'm honestly panicking.

Diego:Deep breath. First week will feel unreal — that's fine.

Ana:What if I don't fit in?

Diego:You will. But not straight away. When I moved, I used to compare everything to home and it just made me miserable.

Ana:How long before it felt normal?

Diego:Honestly? About three months to get used to the little things — the shops, the bikes, the weather.

Ana:And the language barrier?

Diego:It gets smaller, then invisible, then it comes back on bad days. That's normal too.

Ana:Host family or student halls?

Diego:Halls if you want independence, host family if you want to settle in faster. Both have trade-offs.

Question 1.What was Diego's mistake at first?

Question 2.How long before things felt normal?

Question 3.How does Diego describe the language barrier?

Question 4.Which does Diego say helps you settle in faster?

Answer all items, then check.

Tick what you hear

Tick every phrase you actually hear.

Answer all items, then check.

Exam skills · §7

5 min

Strategy focus — Advising in Speaking Part 3

Open in Reference Centre

Task

Part 3 often asks 'What advice would you give?' Weak answers list rules. Strong answers combine advice + reason + honest warning.

Strategy

Three-move formula: reassure ('It's normal to…') → advise ('Try to…') → warn ('But don't…'). Slip in 'used to / get used to' naturally.

Example

It's normal to feel overwhelmed in week one — most people do. Try to give it three months before deciding anything. But don't spend hours comparing it to home; the ones who go back early are usually the ones who never let themselves get used to the new place.

Practice · §8

8–10 min

Fill in the blank

Question 1.I ___ phone home every night when I first arrived.

Question 2.I'm ___ eating late — it's fine now.

Question 3.It took a month to get used to ___ alone.

Question 4.In week three, I had serious ___ shock.

Question 5.She's an ___ living in Berlin.

Question 6.The language ___ was the hardest part.

Answer all items, then check.

Sentence transformation

Type a short answer (1–3 words)

Q1.Fill: 'I'm getting u___ to the weather.'

Q2.Fill: 'I u___ to feel homesick every Sunday.'

Q3.One word — 'to feel like you belong' = f___ in.

Answer all items, then check.

Writing · §9

5 min

Put it in writing

Your task

Write a 130–170 word letter of advice to a friend about to study abroad. Use at least ONE of each: 'used to', 'be used to', 'get used to'. Include FOUR items of study-abroad vocabulary.

Your answer

0 words Restoring…

Show model answer

Dear Ana, Congratulations on Amsterdam. A few honest thoughts. Week one won't feel real. The shops will close at odd times, the bikes will terrify you, and the language you thought you'd learnt will vanish the moment someone speaks fast. That's normal. It's called culture shock and it hits everyone, usually around week three. Give it three months. When I moved abroad, I used to phone home every single day and compare everything I saw. It made things worse. Now I'm used to a lot of it — the food, the humour, the fact that dinner is at nine. It took time to get used to being alone in a new place, but you do get there. Go for a host family if you want to settle in faster. And don't run home in week four — that's the exact moment it starts to change. You'll be fine. Really.

Speaking · §10

10–15 min

Make it a real conversation

Useful expressions in Reference Centre

ROLEPLAY — Advising a nervous friend. Your teacher/partner plays a friend about to study abroad and asks: 'What should I actually expect?' Answer in 60–90 seconds using ONE of each: 'used to', 'be used to', 'get used to', plus FOUR items of vocabulary.

Useful phrases

• When I first went, I used to ___
• It took a while to get used to ___
• You'll get used to ___
• The language barrier ___
• Give it ___
• Don't compare everything to ___

Dialogue completion

Pick the most natural B2 line.

FriendI'm nervous about going. What should I expect in the first month?
You_______________
FriendAny advice?
You_______________
FriendHost family or halls?
You_______________

Answer all items, then check.

Optional · Teacher-led

Teacher Activities

Optional group extensions. ~18 min total

Homework · §11

Take-home

Take it home

writing

Write the 150-word advice letter using all three 'used to' structures.

speaking

Record a 90-second voice note: 'The country I'd most (and least) like to live in — and why.'

vocab

Write true sentences with: culture shock, homesickness, adapt, settle in, host family, expat.

listening

Watch a 3-minute study-abroad vlog and note two 'used to / get used to' sentences the speaker uses.

Recap · §12

2–3 min

What you've learned

You can use 'used to', 'be used to' and 'get used to' correctly.
You can talk about culture shock, homesickness and settling in.
You can advise someone nervous about studying or living abroad.
You're ready for Review Lab 7 — 'The Study Abroad Fair'.

Lesson 34 · Beyond the Classroom Lesson 36 · Tech in My Pocket