I Want My Pants Back – ESL Reading & Speaking Lesson Plan

For Teachers: I Want My Pants Back!

Here is a nice little reading / vocabulary / speaking lesson for you and your student about a man from Sweden flying back to another country because he forgot something. This was designed for a one-to-one lesson, but it can easily be adapted for small groups. The article was written with an intermediate (B1–B2) student in mind.

The main objective of the lesson is to drive conversation on the topic, with an interesting article added into the lesson. As the focus is speaking, feel free to go off-topic and down different avenues if it happens naturally.

⚠️ Note for students: point out the difference between the word pants in the UK and the USA:

• UK English: pants = underwear
• US English: pants = trousers

In this story, pants is used in the British sense: underwear.

Pre-lesson Questions

Use these questions to warm up and bring the topic closer to your student’s life:

1. What is the best hotel you’ve ever stayed in? Why was it the best?
2. Have you ever forgotten something important before or while travelling?
3. What would you do if you left something behind in another country?
4. Do you have any favourite items of clothing? Why?
5. Have you ever lost a favourite piece of clothing?
6. Do you like to buy clothes or souvenirs when you’re abroad?
7. Have you ever been to Spain? What do you think about Spanish culture?

Tell your student they are going to read a short article called “I Want My Pants Back” and brainstorm some ideas about what could be behind the headline. Encourage more details, even if their guesses are wrong.

Reading: I Want My Pants Back

As you can see, key words have been highlighted under each paragraph. You can get your student to read aloud, then go over the words together if needed after each paragraph.

I Want My Pants Back

A man from Sweden made international headlines this month when he flew all the way back to Spain just to pick up his forgotten underwear. The man, in his early 30s, said the underwear had “sentimental value” and were “too important to leave behind.”

• In his early 30s – someone who is 30–33 years old.
• Make headlines / headlines – when a news story is very big and is being shown and talked about on news channels around the world / the “title” of news stories that appear in newspapers or online.
• Sentimental value – when something is important to you because of memories or emotions.
• Leave behind – to accidentally or intentionally not take something with you.

The man had been on holiday in Málaga, in the south of Spain, for a short weekend break. He stayed at a small hotel close to the beach, but when he got home to Sweden, he realised he had left behind his favourite pair of underwear—a gift from his ex-girlfriend.

• Weekend break – a short trip to relax, usually from Friday to Sunday.
• Realise – to suddenly understand or remember something.
• Ex-girlfriend – a woman who used to be your romantic partner.

The man said: “At first I thought, forget it, it’s just underwear. But then I started thinking about how many good memories were connected to them. It felt wrong to leave them behind like that.” He immediately booked the next available flight back to Spain, picked up the underwear from the hotel, and flew home again the same day.

• Forget it – a phrase meaning “It’s not important” or “Never mind.”
• Connected to – when something is linked or related to something else.
• It felt wrong – a feeling you have inside that you shouldn’t do something.
• Immediately – right away; without waiting.

The hotel staff were stunned when he showed up just for the underwear. One staff member said: “We thought he must have left something really valuable, like jewellery or a passport. But no, it was just a pair of pants. We couldn’t believe it! The bizarre thing is, he didn’t contact us. We told him we would have posted his pants to him, but he said he couldn’t take the chance.”

• Stunned – very surprised or shocked.
• Showed up – arrived somewhere when someone is not expecting you.
• Valuable – worth a lot of money or very important.
• Bizarre – something very strange.
• Jewellery – rings, necklaces, earrings etc.
• Can’t / couldn’t take the chance – when you can’t risk doing something.

Some people online praised the man for his dedication, while others joked about the “world’s most expensive underwear” considering the cost of flights. One user said “The man needs to get over his ex and move on and leaving his pants in Spain would have been the perfect opportunity for a fresh start.” The man, however, says he has no regrets.

• Praised – said positive things about someone.
• Dedication – when you care a lot about something and make a big effort.
• To get over (someone) – to recover from a past romantic relationship.
• To move on – to accept that a relationship is over and start your life without that person.
• No regrets – you don’t feel bad about anything you did in the past.