Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Learn all the English vocabulary you need about gifts – giving and receiving! What should you say when you receive a present? What should you say when you give one? What’s the difference between a present and a gift? You will also learn to properly use verbs like wrap, regift, give, get, and exchange. And of course, we will also look at the culture of gift giving, and popular occasions for exchanging gifts – birthdays, holidays, weddings, housewarmings, Christmas, baby showers, and more. Watch, learn, and get ready for your next gift-giving moment! engvid.com/easy-english-conversation-gifts-presents
More EASY ENGLISH CONVERSATION lessons:
Talk about food youtu.be/EjYp7oDMM6s
11 common social expressions youtu.be/VgG0J2-OxfM
In this lesson:
0:00 Easy English: Gifts & Presents
1:14 special occasions
2:50 gift verbs in English
4:45 What to say when you give a gift
5:20 What to say when you receive a gift
5:53 Common gifts in North America
9:03 Should I open the gift?
9:36 common gift expressions
Transcript:
Hello. My name is Emma, and today we are going to be talking about presents and gifts and the English we use to talk about presents and gifts. So, this is a vocabulary lesson. It's also a cultural lesson. We will talk about what are some common gifts people give each other in North America, and we're going to talk about some things we say when we give a gift or receive a gift.
So, let's get started with the word "gift" and "present". So, this or this, we can call these "gif", we can also call them "presents". These two words have the same meaning. So, if one is easier to pronounce, you can use that one. "Gift" might be a little bit difficult to pronounce; "present" might be a little easier. They have the same meaning. So, a "present" is something you give or you get on a special occasion.
So, what are some examples of special occasions? Well, you might get a present for your birthday, maybe for an anniversary, like a wedding anniversary or a special anniversary. Weddings are places we often give presents. Same with holidays. So, depending on your religion or your culture, you might give a present, for example, at Christmastime or on a different holiday. "Baby showers", this might be a new word. A "baby shower" is when someone is having a baby, so we celebrate by giving them presents because they will have a baby so they have a party. We call the party a "baby shower". Another time you might give a present is for a housewarming party. A "housewarming party" is when someone moves to a new apartment or a new house. It's the first party in the new house, you might give somebody a present and say, "Congratulations on your new house." So, these are just some special occasions when you might give a present, especially in North America. There are other occasions as well, but these are some of the most common.
So, I want to talk a little bit about verbs. What verbs do we use when it comes to presents and gifts? We can use the verb "buy". "Buy" is in the present tense. Many people forget the past tense of "buy", which is "bought". "I bought a gift for my mom.", "I bought a gift for my teacher.", "I bought a gift for my boss." So, we often use the verb in the past tense, "buy", and the past tense is "bought". Same with "give". You can use the word "give". We often talk about presents in the past, so we might use the past tense. "I gave a present to my sister.", "I gave a present to my friend for her birthday." So, you can also say, "I gave my friend a present." So, that's another verb we commonly use with present or gift. And then finally "get". "Get" is a little informal, but we use it a lot with presents. So, "I got my brother a great present.", "I got my friend a good present.", "I don't know what to get for my boss for Christmas this year." These are some examples of how to use "get". And again, the past tense of "get" is "got". "Today, I got a present."
So, now we're going to look at what do we say when we give a present, and what do we say when we receive a present? What is the polite English we can use? Okay, so we often say the same thing when we give a gift. Here are some things we might say. "This is for you.", "This is for you.", "I hope you like it." We might also say, "It's just a little something." If we don't want the person to feel bad that we got them something big, we might say, "Oh, you know, it's just a little something for you.", "I got you something small." So, these are common things we say when we give a present. "This is for you."
When we receive a present, so when someone gives us a present, we often say, "Thank you so much." or "Thank you." We might also say, "You shouldn't have." So, this is a very polite thing to say when someone gives you a present. "Oh, thank you. You shouldn't have." It means that you really appreciate what they've done, that they've given you a present. "Thank you, but you shouldn't have.", "Thank you." […]
Learn all the English vocabulary you need about gifts – giving and receiving! What should you say when you receive a present? What should you say when you give one? What’s the difference between a present and a gift? You will also learn to properly use verbs like wrap, regift, give, get, and exchange. And of course, we will also look at the culture of gift giving, and popular occasions for exchanging gifts – birthdays, holidays, weddings, housewarmings, Christmas, baby showers, and more. Watch, learn, and get ready for your next gift-giving moment! engvid.com/easy-english-conversation-gifts-presents
More EASY ENGLISH CONVERSATION lessons:
Talk about food youtu.be/EjYp7oDMM6s
11 common social expressions youtu.be/VgG0J2-OxfM
In this lesson:
0:00 Easy English: Gifts & Presents
1:14 special occasions
2:50 gift verbs in English
4:45 What to say when you give a gift
5:20 What to say when you receive a gift
5:53 Common gifts in North America
9:03 Should I open the gift?
9:36 common gift expressions
Transcript:
Hello. My name is Emma, and today we are going to be talking about presents and gifts and the English we use to talk about presents and gifts. So, this is a vocabulary lesson. It's also a cultural lesson. We will talk about what are some common gifts people give each other in North America, and we're going to talk about some things we say when we give a gift or receive a gift.
So, let's get started with the word "gift" and "present". So, this or this, we can call these "gif", we can also call them "presents". These two words have the same meaning. So, if one is easier to pronounce, you can use that one. "Gift" might be a little bit difficult to pronounce; "present" might be a little easier. They have the same meaning. So, a "present" is something you give or you get on a special occasion.
So, what are some examples of special occasions? Well, you might get a present for your birthday, maybe for an anniversary, like a wedding anniversary or a special anniversary. Weddings are places we often give presents. Same with holidays. So, depending on your religion or your culture, you might give a present, for example, at Christmastime or on a different holiday. "Baby showers", this might be a new word. A "baby shower" is when someone is having a baby, so we celebrate by giving them presents because they will have a baby so they have a party. We call the party a "baby shower". Another time you might give a present is for a housewarming party. A "housewarming party" is when someone moves to a new apartment or a new house. It's the first party in the new house, you might give somebody a present and say, "Congratulations on your new house." So, these are just some special occasions when you might give a present, especially in North America. There are other occasions as well, but these are some of the most common.
So, I want to talk a little bit about verbs. What verbs do we use when it comes to presents and gifts? We can use the verb "buy". "Buy" is in the present tense. Many people forget the past tense of "buy", which is "bought". "I bought a gift for my mom.", "I bought a gift for my teacher.", "I bought a gift for my boss." So, we often use the verb in the past tense, "buy", and the past tense is "bought". Same with "give". You can use the word "give". We often talk about presents in the past, so we might use the past tense. "I gave a present to my sister.", "I gave a present to my friend for her birthday." So, you can also say, "I gave my friend a present." So, that's another verb we commonly use with present or gift. And then finally "get". "Get" is a little informal, but we use it a lot with presents. So, "I got my brother a great present.", "I got my friend a good present.", "I don't know what to get for my boss for Christmas this year." These are some examples of how to use "get". And again, the past tense of "get" is "got". "Today, I got a present."
So, now we're going to look at what do we say when we give a present, and what do we say when we receive a present? What is the polite English we can use? Okay, so we often say the same thing when we give a gift. Here are some things we might say. "This is for you.", "This is for you.", "I hope you like it." We might also say, "It's just a little something." If we don't want the person to feel bad that we got them something big, we might say, "Oh, you know, it's just a little something for you.", "I got you something small." So, these are common things we say when we give a present. "This is for you."
When we receive a present, so when someone gives us a present, we often say, "Thank you so much." or "Thank you." We might also say, "You shouldn't have." So, this is a very polite thing to say when someone gives you a present. "Oh, thank you. You shouldn't have." It means that you really appreciate what they've done, that they've given you a present. "Thank you, but you shouldn't have.", "Thank you." […]
