How to describe your hometown or current city — ESL lesson

Describing your hometown or city is a great way to practice English while sharing something personal and meaningful. Whether it’s a bustling city or a quiet village, every place has its own unique charm. This article introduces essential vocabulary and simple phrases to help English learners confidently talk about their hometown or city. With high-frequency words like “big,” “beautiful,” and “famous,” plus practical sentence structures, learners can easily describe where they’re from, what it’s like, and why it’s special. So, whether you are a teacher or student, this gives you a good baseline for success.

Basic vocabulary

Introduce essential words related to describing a hometown or city. Focus on simple, high-frequency terms that learners can easily use. Learners may be familiar with the terms but not necessarily the context.

Vocabulary list

• City/town: A place where people live (e.g., New York City, a small town).
• Hometown: The place where someone grew up or feels connected to.
• Big/small: To describe size (e.g., a big city, a small town).
• Beautiful/ugly: To describe appearance (e.g., a beautiful park).
• Busy/quiet: To describe the atmosphere (e.g., a busy street, a quiet village).
• Near/far: To describe location (e.g., near the mountains, far from the sea).
• Famous: Something well-known (e.g., a famous museum).
• Weather: Climate or conditions (e.g., sunny, cold, rainy).
• Places: Common locations (e.g., park, market, school, beach, museum).
• People: Describing residents (e.g., friendly, kind, busy).
• Food: Local or popular foods (e.g., pizza, sushi, tacos).
• Transport: Ways to get around (e.g., bus, train, subway, walking).

Vocabulary word for extension

1. Modern/traditional: To describe the style or feel of a place (e.g., a modern city, a traditional village).
2. Clean/dirty: To describe cleanliness (e.g., a clean park, a dirty street).
3. Safe/dangerous: To describe safety (e.g., a safe neighborhood, a dangerous area).
4. Crowded/empty: To describe population density (e.g., a crowded market, an empty beach).
5. Hot/cold and warm/cold: To describe temperature (e.g., a hot summer, a cold winter).
6. River/lake/pond/ocean: Natural features near a city or town (e.g., a river runs through my town).
7. Mountain/hill: Land features (e.g., my city is near a mountain).
8. Festival: A special event or celebration (e.g., a music festival).
9. Tourist: Visitors to a place (e.g., many tourists visit my city).
10. Culture: The traditions or way of life in a place (e.g., my town has a rich culture).

Teaching tips

• Use visuals like photos of cities, towns, or landmarks to connect vocabulary to real-world examples.
• Practice pronunciation of adjectives (e.g., “beautiful” vs. “busy”) and place names.
• Create a matching game: Pair words (e.g., “big” with “city”) to reinforce understanding.

Useful phrases

Teach simple sentence structures for describing a hometown or city. These should be adaptable and easy to memorize.

Key phrases

1. Basic description
   • “My hometown is [city/town].”
   • “I live in [city/town].”
   • “It’s a [big/small/beautiful/busy] [city/town].”
2. Adding details
   • “It’s [near/far from] [another place].”
   • “The weather is [sunny/cold/rainy].”
   • “There are many [parks/markets/restaurants].”
   • “It’s famous for [food/place/event].”
   • “The people are [friendly/kind/busy].”
3. Personal opinions
   • “I like it because it’s [adjective].”
   • “I don’t like it because it’s [adjective].”
   • “My favorite thing is [place/food/activity].”
4. Asking questions
   • “What’s your hometown like?”
   • “Is your city big or small?”
   • “What’s famous in your town?”
   • “Do you like living there?”

Teaching tips

• Write phrases on a board or handout and model their use with your own example (e.g., “My hometown is a small village. It’s quiet and near a forest.”).
• Have learners substitute their own city/town into the phrases for practice.
• Practice question forms to encourage interactive conversations.

Example conversations

Provide short, realistic dialogues to model how to describe a hometown or city. These examples progress from basic to more detailed exchanges.

Conversation 1: Basic description

Emma: Hi, Maria! Where’s your hometown?
Maria: It’s Lima, in Peru.
Emma: Is it big or small?
Maria: It’s a big city. It’s very busy.
Emma: Cool! Do you like it?
Maria: Yes, I like it. It has good food!

Conversation 2: Adding details

John: What’s your hometown like, Aisha?
Aisha: My hometown is Marrakech, in Morocco. It’s a beautiful city.
John: Oh, nice! What’s famous there?
Aisha: It’s famous for markets and old buildings. The weather is hot.
John: Sounds great! Do you live there now?
Aisha: No, I live in Paris now, but I visit Marrakech often.

Conversation 3: More advanced

Sophie: Hey, Liam, tell me about your hometown!
Liam: I’m from Galway, a small city in Ireland. It’s near the sea.
Sophie: That sounds nice! What’s it like?
Liam: It’s quiet but lively, with lots of music and festivals. The people are very friendly.
Sophie: Is there anything famous there?
Liam: Yes, it’s famous for its culture and seafood. My favorite place is the beach!

Teaching Tip

• Role-play these dialogues with the learner, switching roles to practice asking and answering.
• Encourage learners to adapt the dialogues using their own hometown or city details.
• In group settings, pair students to practice, prompting them to ask at least one follow-up question.

Teaching strategy

Here’s a step-by-step lesson plan to teach this topic effectively (approximately 45 minutes). The extension vocabulary list is available above if you have more time.

Step 1: Warm-up (5 minutes)

• Ask: “What’s one word to describe your hometown?” (e.g., big, beautiful, quiet). Write responses on the board.
• Show a picture of a city or town (e.g., via Google Images) and describe it briefly as a model (e.g., “This is Paris. It’s a big, beautiful city famous for the Eiffel Tower.”).

Step 2: Vocabulary introduction (10 minutes)

• Present the vocabulary list using visuals or a slideshow.
• Practice pronunciation, especially for adjectives and place-related words.
• Play a quick game: Say an adjective (e.g., “busy”), and learners name a place it describes (e.g., “Tokyo”).

Step 3: Phrase practice (10 minutes)

• Display key phrases and model them with your own example (e.g., “My hometown is a small town. It’s quiet and near a river.”).
• Have learners practice by filling in the blanks (e.g., “My hometown is ____. It’s ____.”).
• Correct pronunciation and grammar as needed, keeping feedback positive.

Step 4: Conversation practice (15 minutes)

• Read one example conversation aloud, emphasizing natural intonation.
• Pair learners (or role-play with them) to practice the dialogues, encouraging personalization.
• Ask learners to create their own short dialogue about their hometown or city.

Step 5: Wrap-up and personalization (5 minutes)

• Have each learner share one or two sentences about their hometown (e.g., “My hometown is Jakarta. It’s big and busy.”).
• Provide feedback on their use of vocabulary and phrases.
• Assign homework: Write 3-5 sentences about their city or practice describing it to a friend.

Additional tips

• Cultural sensitivity: Some learners may have moved frequently or have complex connections to their hometown. Allow flexibility in what they share.
• Visual aids: Use Google Maps or photos to show learners’ hometowns, making the lesson interactive.
• Listening practice: Play a short video or audio clip (e.g., from YouTube or ESL resources) of someone describing their city to expose learners to different accents.
• Adapt for level: For beginners, focus on simple descriptions (e.g., “It’s big.”). For intermediate learners, encourage more details (e.g., “It’s famous for its beaches and sunny weather.”).
• Incorporate technology: Use a virtual whiteboard to write phrases or share a screen with images of cities for discussion.

Common mistakes to address

• Grammar: Learners may omit articles (e.g., “It’s big city” instead of “It’s a big city”). Emphasize “a/an” usage.
• Pronunciation: Adjectives like “beautiful” or place names may be mispronounced. Practice these explicitly.
• Word Choice: Clarify the differences between “hometown” (where you grew up) and “current city” (where you live now).

Example activity: “Describe your city” game

For group classes, try this interactive activity.

• Give each learner a card with prompts (e.g., “Say one famous thing in your city,” “Describe the weather,” “Name a favorite place”).
• Learners take turns answering while others ask follow-up questions (e.g., “Why do you like that place?”).
• Alternatively, create a “Find Someone Who” game (e.g., “Find someone whose hometown is near a river”).

Homework or follow-up

• Writing: Write a short paragraph (5 sentences) describing your hometown or current city.
• Speaking: Record a 30-second audio or video describing your city, including one famous thing and one personal favorite.
• Research: Find a picture of your hometown online and describe it in 2-3 sentences in English.