Learn English with My Neighbor Totoro: Tell Me What You Saw

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Hibiscus Teach · Anime Vids · AN01

Learn English with My Neighbor Totoro

Tell Me What You Saw

An ordinary day becomes an extraordinary story when Mei discovers Totoro. Practise describing something unusual and telling a listener what happened.

A2–B12 clips · 12 clip questionsApproximately 60 minutes

Adults and teens aged 13+; accessible speaking practice for A2–B1 learners.

Created by , British English teacher.

Content note: Gentle fantasy, large imaginary creatures and a short fall during an adventure.

A little context: Sisters Satsuki and Mei have moved to the countryside with their father. Strange creatures live near their new home, and Mei is curious about everything she finds.

Watch each clip, then try its activities.

Study guidance

Read the vocabulary, watch once for the first-watch question and try the six checks. Replay as needed. Speak before opening a model. Take both roles in the final task.

  • Describe an unfamiliar creature using size, appearance and comparisons.
  • Tell a short story with a clear beginning, middle and ending.
  • Ask interested follow-up questions and respond to surprising news.

Vocabulary, examples, grammar practice, audio scripts and possible speaking answers are original teaching material. The vocabulary helps you discuss the scenes; not every item is spoken in the clips.

Start speaking

Before you watch

  1. What is the most unusual animal or object you have seen? Describe it without saying its name first.

    Start with: It was about the size of… It looked like…

    One possible answer

    It was about the size of a cat, but it had a very long nose. I saw it in a park. Can you guess what it was?

    Optional follow-up

    Which detail helped your listener picture it?

  2. When someone tells you a surprising story, what do you want to ask first?

    Start with: First, I would ask… because…

    One possible answer

    First, I would ask where it happened. Then I would ask who else was there.

    Optional follow-up

    How can you show interest without interrupting the story?

Clip A

Mei Meets Totoro

Mei is exploring near her home. Watch where her curiosity takes her.

First watch: Does this discovery seem frightening, friendly, or a mixture of both? Give one reason.

Watch on YouTube ↗
English scene guide

The clip begins with Mei examining a huge furry tail in a hidden, leafy place. She tumbles onto the sleeping creature, explores its face and asks who it is. She interprets its sounds as the name Totoro. The earlier pursuit of small creatures is not shown in this upload.

Watch and check · 6 questions

Choose one answer for each question. Answer about this clip only.

1. What does Mei examine at the beginning of this clip? (Visual detail)

2. What question does Mei ask the unfamiliar creature?

3. How does Mei arrive at the name Totoro in this meeting?

4. What is the large Totoro doing when Mei first finds him? (Visual detail)

5. How does the large Totoro compare with Mei in size? (Visual detail)

6. Which description best fits Mei’s response to this unusual discovery? (Interpretation)

Answer key and explanations
  1. A huge furry tail Correct. The opening shows Mei examining the large furry tail.
  2. Who are you? Correct. The English captions record her asking who the creature is.
  3. She interprets the creature’s sounds as its name Correct. She repeats Totoro and asks whether that is its name.
  4. Sleeping Yes. Mei discovers him resting.
  5. He is much bigger than she is Yes. Enormous is a useful word for the comparison.
  6. Curious and willing to explore Yes. Her actions support this interpretation.
Grammar in a minute · B1

An appearance is not an identity
Speaking · 3 prompts

Speak before opening a possible answer. Different supported interpretations are welcome.

  1. Describe Totoro to someone who has not seen the clip. Which three details will you choose?

    Start with: He is… He looks like… The most unusual thing is…

    One possible answer

    He is enormous and furry. He looks a little like a bear. He seems sleepy rather than dangerous.

    Optional follow-up

    Which detail is visible, and which is your impression?

  2. Would you feel more curious or more nervous in Mei’s situation? Explain.

    Start with: I would feel… because…

    One possible answer

    I would feel curious, but I would stay back at first. I would want to understand what the creature was doing.

    Optional follow-up

    What could make you change your first impression?

  3. Tell your partner about a small discovery that made an ordinary day interesting.

    Start with: One day, I was… Then I noticed…

    One possible answer

    One day, I was walking home. I noticed a tiny garden between two buildings. I stopped for a few minutes and took a photo.

    Optional follow-up

    What would you have missed if you had been in a hurry?

Clip B

Totoro Takes the Cat Bus

Satsuki and Mei are waiting for their father at a bus stop. Totoro is waiting with them, but his transport is unusual.

First watch: What will the sisters be most excited to tell their father?

Watch on YouTube ↗
English scene guide

A bus shaped like a giant cat arrives. Totoro boards it with the umbrella belonging to the girls’ father. When their father arrives, the sisters are eager to share their extraordinary experience.

Watch and check · 6 questions

Choose one answer for each question. Answer about this clip only.

1. Who are the sisters waiting for?

2. What makes the first bus unusual? (Visual detail)

3. Who gets onto the Catbus in this clip? (Visual detail)

4. What belonging of the girls’ father leaves with Totoro?

5. How do the sisters seem to feel about telling their father? (Interpretation)

6. Which sequence matches this bus-stop encounter? (Visual detail)

Answer key and explanations
  1. Their father Yes. They are waiting for their father to arrive.
  2. It looks like a giant cat Yes. Its animal shape makes the arrival extraordinary.
  3. Totoro Yes. Totoro takes the unusual bus.
  4. His umbrella Yes. The umbrella goes with Totoro.
  5. Excited to share what happened Yes. Their response shows eagerness and excitement.
  6. Totoro leaves on the Catbus, then the father arrives Yes. The magical departure comes before the ordinary arrival.
Grammar in a minute · B1

Keep the story order clear
Speaking · 3 prompts

Speak before opening a possible answer. Different supported interpretations are welcome.

  1. Retell the bus-stop encounter in three or four sentences.

    Start with: First, the sisters were… Then… Finally…

    One possible answer

    The sisters were waiting for their father. A Catbus arrived, and Totoro got on. Then their father arrived, and they told him about it.

    Optional follow-up

    Which detail would make your listener most surprised?

  2. Imagine a helpful form of transport inspired by an animal. Describe it and explain one useful feature.

    Start with: My transport would look like… It could…

    One possible answer

    It would look like a turtle. It could carry people across a river, and the seats would stay dry inside its shell.

    Optional follow-up

    What could be inconvenient about travelling in it?

  3. Your friend tells you an unbelievable travel story. How would you respond with interest?

    Start with: That sounds… What did…?

    One possible answer

    That sounds amazing. What did it look like? Did anyone else see it?

    Optional follow-up

    How can you ask for details without making your friend feel foolish?

Useful English

Listen and repeat

Use these original expressions. Try each You say situation before opening a possible reply.

What did it look like?

Ask about appearance.

You say: A friend says they saw an unusual creature. Ask for a description.

Possible reply

What did it look like? Was it bigger than a dog?

Stress LOOK and LIKE; keep did it light and connected.

I couldn’t believe it.

Express strong surprise.

You say: You found your old school friend sitting next to you on a flight. Say how surprised you were.

Possible reply

I couldn’t believe it. We hadn’t planned to meet at all.

Stress BELIEVE. Keep the final /t/ in couldn’t short before believe.

Then what happened?

Encourage a speaker to continue a story.

You say: Your partner says an enormous animal appeared. Invite them to continue.

Possible reply

Then what happened? Did it come any closer?

Stress THEN and HAPPENED; use an interested, natural falling tone.

It turned out to be…

Explain what something really was after a surprise.

You say: You thought a shape in a dark garden was an animal, but it was a neighbour’s bag. Explain.

Possible reply

It turned out to be a bag. I laughed when I got closer.

Link turned out; give the important new information after be the strongest stress.

Bring the clips together

Mastery check

Mastery check · 6 questions

Apply the vocabulary, useful expressions and ideas from both clips.

1. Which word describes someone who wants to find out more?

2. You want to use a friend’s umbrella and return it. Which request works?

3. Which description gives your listener the clearest picture of an unfamiliar animal?

4. A listener cannot picture the enormous tree in your story. Which detail is most useful?

5. Your partner pauses halfway through an interesting story. Which response invites more?

6. What does ‘It turned out to be a cat’ mean?

Answer key and explanations
  1. Curious Correct. Curiosity is the wish to find out.
  2. Can I borrow your umbrella? Correct. Borrow means use and return.
  3. It looked like a bear with long ears and silver fur. Correct. Familiar comparison, ear shape and colour create a clear picture.
  4. It was taller than the three-storey house beside it. Correct. The comparison makes its size concrete.
  5. Then what happened? Correct. It asks the speaker to continue.
  6. The speaker later discovered that it was a cat. Correct. It introduces what the speaker discovered.
Grammar mastery · B1+

What had already happened?
Final speaking

  1. Which encounter would you rather experience: meeting Totoro or seeing the Catbus? Give two reasons.

    Start with: I would choose… because… Also…

    One possible answer

    I would choose the Catbus because I love unusual vehicles. Also, I would have a very funny story to tell afterwards.

    Optional follow-up

    What would you ask someone who had experienced the other encounter?

  2. How can an adult respond kindly when a child describes something difficult to believe?

    Start with: They could start by… Then they could ask…

    One possible answer

    They could start by listening. Then they could ask the child to describe it. They don’t need to laugh at the child.

    Optional follow-up

    Can you show interest while still being unsure what happened?

  3. Tell a real or imaginary surprise story in about 45 seconds. Include a setting, a discovery and your reaction.

    Start with: I was… when… At first… Then…

    One possible answer

    I was waiting for a friend when I saw something moving in a bag. At first, I was nervous. Then a small dog looked out. I couldn’t believe how tiny it was.

    Optional follow-up

    Ask your listener which part was clearest and which part needs another detail.

An extraordinary encounter

A has just returned from a walk with a surprising story. B wants enough detail to picture what happened. Speak for two minutes, then swap roles.

Role A

Invent a friendly creature or an unusual vehicle. Explain where you were, what it looked like, what happened and how you felt. Give one surprising detail only after B asks a question.

Role B

Listen without interrupting the first two sentences. Ask about appearance and the next event. At the end, retell the story in two sentences so A can check your understanding.

Check your conversation

  • A describes appearance with a comparison and one precise detail.
  • The story contains at least three completed actions in a clear order.
  • B asks two relevant questions and checks the main events.
One possible exchange: try the task first

A: I was walking near the beach when I saw an enormous shape.

B: What did it look like?

A: It looked like a turtle, but people were sitting inside its shell.

B: Then what happened?

A: It stopped beside me. A door opened, and a driver asked where I wanted to go.

B: So you saw a turtle-shaped bus, and the driver offered you a ride?

A: Exactly. I couldn’t believe it.

Try again: Swap roles. This time the mysterious object has an ordinary explanation; reveal it with It turned out to be…

Spoken exit: In 20–30 seconds, use one expression from this lesson and explain one idea you can now express more clearly.
Tutor notes

Pacing: 0–5 warm-up; 5–20 clip A vocabulary, first watch, replay, quiz, grammar and discussion; 20–35 clip B sequence; 35–41 expressions; 41–46 mastery and final grammar; 46–60 final speaking and two-role task. Use the follow-ups selectively; all are available for a longer lesson.

Support: Let A2 learners answer the gist questions with a feeling plus one visible reason. Pause after a natural scene boundary, never after every sentence. Supply First, Then and Finally orally. Keep the scene guides collapsed until after the first watch. The first clip is visually rich, so assess observation and narration as well as listening.

Stretch: At B1, ask learners to separate a visible fact from an interpretation: He is large versus He seems friendly. Retell once from Mei’s viewpoint and once from a surprised listener’s. Encourage self-correction of one irregular past form on the second attempt.

Sensitivity: Use imaginary alternatives if learners prefer not to share personal childhood memories. Discuss curiosity through the fantasy; do not ask learners to imitate Mei’s wandering or approach unknown real animals. Keep the wider family illness plot out of required personal discussion.

Feedback: After a full speaking turn, praise one concrete descriptive detail and reformulate one useful error, especially looks like, waited for or saw/told. Have the learner repeat the improved sentence and continue their story. Accept different interpretations when linked to something in the clip.

More practice

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Original teaching activities: Hibiscus Teach. Videos remain with their respective owners. Use the source link to watch the selected upload.