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General English · Speaking · B1

Talking about goals and ambitions

Connect a longer-term ambition with manageable steps and likely obstacles.

Lesson 8 · About 22 minutes

Learn: your objectives

  • Explain motivation beyond naming a goal.
  • Distinguish immediate steps from longer-term hopes.

Warm-up

Think about these questions. Say a short answer aloud.

  • What is a skill you would like to develop?
  • What makes a goal manageable?

Useful language

Purpose and steps

In the long term, I'd like to …

State an ambition without implying it is already arranged.

In the long term, I'd like to run a small repair service.

What motivates me is …

Explain the value behind the goal.

What motivates me is helping people keep useful things longer.

For now, I'm focusing on …

Bring the ambition back to a current action.

For now, I'm focusing on learning basic repairs.

Notice: model speaking

Read aloud. Notice how the speakers use the phrases and respond to each other.

Rita: What would you like to do in a few years?

Sardor: I'd like to run a small bicycle repair service. What motivates me is making cycling easier for people nearby.

Rita: How are you preparing?

Sardor: For now, I'm learning from an experienced mechanic at weekends. I still need more practice, and finding a suitable space could be difficult.

Rita: What's your next step?

Sardor: Learn to handle common repairs confidently before thinking about a shop.

Speaking strategy

Connect ambition, motivation, next step and obstacle. An honest obstacle makes a plan clearer; it does not cancel the ambition.

Pronunciation & fluency focus

Contrast time frames with clear stress: ‘In the LONG term … For NOW …’. Pause before the current step so it does not sound like a completed achievement.

Teaching guidance, not an analysis of your voice.

Use: controlled practice

Choose a useful response for each situation. Check when all questions are answered. These are phrase exercises, not a speaking assessment.

1. Which sentence states an ambition without claiming it is achieved?
2. Add motivation for learning repairs.
3. Choose a manageable first step towards a large goal.
4. Mention an obstacle constructively.
5. Which question explores the next step rather than demanding a guarantee?

Build your answer

Write a few keywords. Then look away and speak. Notes stay on this page only.

Speak: your challenge

Speak for 90 seconds about a real or imagined ambition. Explain its motivation, a manageable next step and one obstacle without promising success.

Personal, creative and community goals are as suitable as career ambitions.

Speak aloud. This page does not record, listen to or assess your speech. There is no automatic speaking score.

Self-check

Open to everyone. Answers, notes and checklists are not saved to an account. These original lessons use level labels to organize learning; completion is not official CEFR certification or proof of a level.