Basketball I Play Person Watch B Great Playing

Listen to the Entire Lesson

Basketball is a great sport to play even after growing up. This is because you don't need so many people to play. Even 4 people is enough to play 2 on 2. We'll cover both playing and watching basketball in this session.

Here are basic ways to say you want to play basketball.

I want to play basketball. We should round up the guys and play."
We haven't played basketball in a long time. Let's get something going."
When are you guys going to play basketball again?"
Anybody up for a game of basketball?"
Let's go down the street and play some basketball."
I've been itching to play basketball for a while."

Shooting hoops is a terminology a lot of people use when referring to basketball.

Let's go shoot some hoops."
Do you wanna go shoot some hoops?"
I'm going to shoot some hoops with the guys. You wanna come?"

Common expressions about basketball.

Basketball is my favorite sport."
I like to play basketball."
I get a good workout playing basketball."
At the gym, I play basketball with a lot of guys."
I'm out of shape to play basketball."
Running up and down the court is too tiring for me."
I need to get in shape to play basketball."
I'm going to play basketball this weekend."
I have a 36 inch vertical."

Where do you guys go to play basketball?"
Are there any basketball courts around here?"

Basketball - Terminologies

Dribbling - Bouncing the ball up and down.
Double dribble - When you dribble the ball. Stop dribbling, and then start dribbling again. This is illegal.
Traveling - Walking without dribbling the basketball. This is also illegal.
Foul (shooting) - A person hitting the body or the arm of the shooter while that person is shooting.
Free throw - Taking a free throw shot for 1 point at the line.
Technical foul - A bad foul such as arguing with the referee or hitting someone in a bad way. Results in two free throws and regaining possession.
Possession - The team with the ball has possession.
Slam dunk - Putting the basketball in the hoop without shooting.
Lay up - Shooting the basketball right below the hoop
3 pointer - Shooting outside the far line around the basketball court that counts as 3 points instead of 2.
Shot clock violation - Failing to hit the rim before the 24 second counter expires.
3 in the key - When an offensive player stands in the area below the basket for more than 3 seconds. This is a foul.
Screen - Using a body to block another player
Vertical - The height a person can jump in inches.
Air ball - Shooting the basketball and missing the backboard and the rim completely.

In baseball, umpires are the people calling the strikes and balls and fouls, etc. In basketball, the judges are called referees.

Basketball - Talking with Friends

Talking about basketball with friends

I have a friend who can dunk."
My friend is six five. I saw him dunk with two hands without running."
Peter's pretty good. I was playing with him the other day and he worked us all."
John's a great shooter. Anything within fifteen feet is just about guaranteed."
My friend Jason is a great 3 point shooter."

I can't believe how bad Sean is. Does he know he sucks, or is he clueless?"
Don't bring out Doug again. He's a ball hog and can't shoot worth crap."

He's not a bad player, but a little slow."

Basketball - Watching Basketball

Do you watch the NBA?"
Do you keep up with basketball on TV?"
Do you like to watch basketball?"
Which team do you like the most?"
When does basketball season start?"
Who's your favorite player?"
Who do you think is the greatest basketball player ever?"
Do you think Karl Malone is any good?"

I like watching the Lakers play."
I'm a Pistons fan."
I try to watch every Rockets game."

I don't watch much basketball."
I only watch the playoffs."

I never got into basketball."

Playing basketball is fun, but it's boring watching other people play."
I don't watch the Bulls on TV much, but I keep up with them through the newspaper."
I only watch the highlights on the sports channel."

Basketball - Talking about Kids

My daughter made her junior high basketball team."
My son is playing for his high school team."
I have to drive my son to basketball practice every Tuesdays and Thursdays."
I'm going to watch my daughter's basketball game tomorrow night."

Your daughter is pretty athletic. She plays both soccer and basketball."
Johnny started dribbling the ball since he was 3 years old."

Does your son play any other sport besides basketball?"
Your kid is quite a basketball player."

Basketball - Interactive Practice

Click on Listen All and follow along. After becoming comfortable with the entire conversation, become Person A by clicking on the Person A button. You will hear only Person B through the audio file. There will be a silence for you to repeat the sentences of Person A. Do the same for Person B. The speed of the conversation is native speed. Use the pause button if the pause between each sentence is too fast for you. After practicing several times, you will be able to speak as fast as a native.