The single, most powerful thing you can do on your own to improve your fluency in any language is to read out loud from a good book. 

The Language Journey

The single, most powerful thing you can do ON YOUR OWN to improve your fluency in any language

I made a story for Japanese language learners in Japan and abroad, a story about talking on the phone using words from the JLPT N2.

JLPT/N2 story

JLPT/N2 story in 24 words that start with "あ".

Thai Tea La Nid - EP.2 - Thai People Like to Shorten Words?! 

Hello guys! Welcome back to the episode 2 of Thai Tea La Nid Podcast.

Today, we're going to talk about how Thai people really speak in daily life. 

Well, have you ever had a problem understanding Thai people speak? 

Hmm, it just doesn't sound like what you have learned from the textbook, right? 

I think one of the reasons might be because we always shorten words and we always skip the subject. 

OK, for example, how to ask what are you doing in Thai? 

From the textbook, you might say “kun gam-lang tam à-rai yòo ká”. I'll make it more natural. “kun gam-lang tam à-rai yòo ká”. 

Which is too formal and kind of too long because that's like six words or eight syllables. 

Okay, so let's start by skipping the subject first. 

From “kun gam-lang tam à-rai yòo ká”, we can say “gam-lang tam à-rai yòo ká”.

Ok now, let's shorten the words. You can say “tam à-rai yòo ká” or “tam rai ká”. 

That's the shortest version. 

Ok, let's practice again from like the full version to the shortest version, ok? 

“kun gam-lang tam à-rai yòo ká” 

“gam-lang tam à-rai yòo ká” 

“tam à-rai yòo ká”, and 

“tam rai ká”. 

Ok, so now you can understand more Thai and I hope you enjoyed this episode of Thai Tea La Nid. 

See you again next time. Bye bye.

*Sorry for saying “ok” a lot in this episode. Thanks for listening. Let me know if this is helpful and if you like it. Don’t forget to subscribe for more. See you. :D

Thai - Tea La Nid (ไทยทีละนิด) Podcast

Thai Tea La Nid (ไทยทีละนิด) - EP.2 - Thai People Like to Shorten Words?! (with transcript for study)

    Nǐ shì Zhōnɡɡuó rén ma?
A：你  是     中国      人  吗？
    Wǒ bú shì Zhōnɡɡuó rén,  wǒ shì Měiɡuó rén.
B：我 不  是       中国    人， 我  是    美国  人。


HSK Standard Course Level 1 Audio of the textbook

Lesson 3 text 3

Learning Italian can feel exciting… and sometimes, a little confusing — right? 💭
Especially when you come across expressions that sound almost the same,
but actually mean something a bit different.

Today, we’re looking at one of those classic Italian pairs:
👉 “Quanto costa” and “Quant’è.”

Both are super common when you’re out shopping, ordering a coffee, or paying the bill —
but they’re not always used in the same way.

So, if you’ve ever hesitated between the two… don’t worry — you’re definitely not alone.
Let’s break it down together, step by step.

🟢 In this episode, we’ll explore the meaning, the grammar, and the usage of both expressions —
with examples and a bit of cultural context,
so you can confidently use them in real-life conversations.




ITALPOP

“Quanto costa” vs. “Quant’è”: What’s the difference?

yí wèi lǎo yé yé tiāo zhe yì dàn cǎo mào，  
一位老爷爷挑着一担草帽，
dào chénɡ li qù mài。 
到城里去卖。
tiān qì hěn rè，tā ná chū yì dǐnɡ cǎo mào，
天气很热，他拿出一顶草帽，
bǎ tā dài zài tóu shanɡ。 
把它戴在头上。
zǒu zhe zǒu zhe，tā jué de lèi le， 
走着走着，他觉得累了，
jiù zuò zài yì kē dà shù xià xiū xi。
就坐在一棵大树下休息。
hū rán，yì qún wán pí de hóu zi cónɡ shù shànɡ tiào xià lái， 
忽然，一群顽皮的猴子从树上跳下来，
qiǎnɡ zǒu le lǎo yé yé shēn biān de cǎo mào。 
抢走了老爷爷身边的草帽。
hóu zi men xìnɡ ɡāo cǎi liè de huí dào shù shanɡ， 
猴子们兴高采烈地回到树上，
mó fǎnɡ lǎo yé yé de yànɡ zi， 
模仿老爷爷的样子，
bǎ cǎo mào dài zài tóu shanɡ。 
把草帽戴在头上。
lǎo yé yé jí de mǎn tóu dà hàn， 
老爷爷急得满头大汗，
tā zhāi xià cǎo mào， 
他摘下草帽，
yì biān shān，yì biān xiǎnɡ bàn fǎ。
一边扇，一边想办法。
hóu zi men kàn jiàn le， 
猴子们看见了，
yě bǎ cǎo mào zhāi xià lái， 
也把草帽摘下来，
ná zài shǒu li yáo lái yáo qù。
拿在手里摇来摇去。
zhè shí，lǎo yé yé xiǎnɡ chū le yí ɡè hǎo bàn fǎ。 
这时，老爷爷想出了一个好办法。
tā bǎ cǎo mào rēnɡ zài dì shanɡ。 
他把草帽扔在地上。
hóu zi men kàn jiàn le，  
猴子们看见了，
yě bǎ cǎo mào cónɡ shù shànɡ rēnɡ le xià lái。
也把草帽从树上扔了下来。
lǎo yé yé fēi kuài de jiǎn qǐ cǎo mào，ɡǎn mánɡ zǒu le。 
老爷爷飞快地捡起草帽，赶忙走了。

CHINESE STORY中文故事

猴子戴草帽

El día de hoy me encuentro con Milo un tutor de Italki de Medellín, Colombia, hablamos sobre juegos infantiles, aquí podrás escuchar verbos conjugados en el Pretérito Imperfecto o Pasado Imperfecto del modo Indicativo. 

Visiten a Milo: https://www.italki.com/teacher/11526291/spanish

No Manches Que Bacano

Children's Games

The exciting short story by Roald Dahl continues, withe new words explained at the end of the podcast.

Stories to Stimulate!

The Umbrella Man - Part two

A story written by me. Based on a dream I had.

Calista is surprised when the magician knows her name and asks her to help him with a magic trick in front of the audience.

Vocabulary:
extend: to stretch out
dim: a little dark, not much light
spellbound: fascinated by something
squint: to close your eyes a little because the light is too bright
blush: when your face turns a little red because you like someone
amend: to change something, to improve it

Phrases:
to break the ice: to become comfortable with someone
in my element: to be around something you're completely comfortable with
to seek someone out: to search for a specific person
third wheel: an extra person on a date with the couple
by all means: yes

To read the transcript: https://saracasalino-books.weebly.com/blog/the-magicians-performance