📘 Part 3: Leisure time

This episode's vocabulary

Miserable (adj.) - very unhappy.

Day off (noun) - a day when you do not work.

Fast-paced (adj.) - happening very quickly.

Laid-back (adj.) - relaxed in manner and character; not usually worried about other people's behaviour or things that need to be done.

Mutually (adverb) - felt or done by two or more people or groups in the same way.

To tailor (verb) - to adjust something to suit a particular need or situation.

Niche (adj.) - interesting to, aimed at, or affecting only a small number of people.

To cater to someone/something (phrasal verb) - to satisfy a need or to provide what is wanted or needed by a particular person or group.

Kill two birds with one stone (idiom) - to succeed in achieving two things in a single action.

To invade (verb) - to enter an area of activity in a forceful and noticeable way.

Mod cons (plural noun) - the machines and devices, such as washing machines and fridges, that make the ordinary jobs in a home easier.

Automation (noun) - the use of machines and computers that can operate without needing human control.

To conceive (verb) - to imagine something.

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Questions and Answers

M: Hello, dear premium listener. Welcome back into the premium content. Speaking part three, and we're going to be talking about leisure time. Let's talk about leisure time. Do people like to spend their leisure time in your country?

R: Well, I would hope so, since that's supposed to be the time you spend having fun. I certainly haven't seen anyone looking too miserable on their days off.

M: Do you think only old people have time for leisure?

R: I think they usually have plenty of time for it since they usually aren't working and they're collecting their pensions. But they aren't the only group by far. Young people have a lot of free time. And even working adults can always find ways to get the most out of the time they have. I suppose it's about planning out what you have to be the most economical with it.

M: What leisure activities do old and young people prefer?

R: Well, I'm not well versed in the statistics, but if I were to guess, based on what I've read and seen, young people prefer a more digital and fast-paced entertainment like video games or sports, while older people prefer more laid-back activities like bowling or reading. I doubt those things are mutually exclusive, though. I can see a lot of grannies enjoying video games if they got the chance to get into it.

M: And how does technology affect the way people spend their leisure time?

R: I suppose they have access to a greater variety of media, whether it's in terms of genre or format, assuming they aren't enjoying it more since it's tailored to their tastes, they probably feel like they have less time since, well, it's supposed to fly when you're having fun, isn't it?

M: And do you think this effect is positive or negative, the effect of technology on our leisure time?

R: Well, it will depend on what angle you're looking at it from. I mean, it's great that people have more variety so that their more niche interests can be catered to. On the other hand, that probably makes them more demanding for more stuff, and maybe that's not sustainable in the long run.

M: Should leisure activities entertain and educate people?

R: Well, it would be great if we could kill two birds with one stone like that, wouldn't it? I'm not sure why that's something we should aim for with everything, though. Is that just for the sake of efficiency? Now that I think about it, it doesn't seem possible in some cases, since learning requires a certain level of application of knowledge and not all knowledge application can be fun. Sometimes you just have to sit down and learn things.

M: Do people have more leisure time now than in the past?

R: Well, it seems like yes is the obvious answer, but I wonder if either the opposite is the case or if things haven't changed much at all. Our work invades our lives through our mobile phones and we still have stress to manage. So despite all the mod cons, maybe very little has changed taking that into consideration.

M: And what about the future? Will people have more leisure time?

R: Well, apparently there's supposed to be an increasing level of automation. So by that logic, people will be spending less time on work or at least work as it's currently conceived. So I can definitely see them having more leisure time, if they're able to afford it.

M: Sweet. Thank you, Rory, for your lovely Rory answers!

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