In this episode for intermediate and advanced English learners, I'll talk about how the Valentine's Day holiday is typically celebrated in the U.S., and at the end, you'll have some listening comprehension questions to answer. (Music by Lesfm from Pixabay)


Conversations With a Friend

Let's Talk About Valentine's Day in the United States

I was sick so I took the opportunity to focus on casual vocabulary we use in English when we're not feeling well.

It's a shorter episode because it was only me, but in describing my illness, I focus on more vocabulary than usual:

under the weather
come down with (something)
a bug going around
burning the candle at both ends
be out of sorts
blow your nose
be stuffed up
run a fever
pull through
be on the mend

Brentoni's English Podcast

020 - Sick and Tired

**Presentazione in Italiano:**

Ciao a tutti, benvenuti al nostro  podcast"Italiano espresso"! Oggi vi parlerò di un cantautore italiano straordinario: Rino Gaetano. Nato a Crotone nel 1950 e trasferitosi a Roma da giovane, Rino è diventato famoso per la sua musica ironica, satirica e spesso provocatoria. Le sue canzoni mescolano elementi di rock, pop e folk, con testi che affrontano temi sociali e politici in modo unico e irriverente. Alcuni dei suoi brani più celebri includono "Gianna," "Ma il cielo è sempre più blu" e "Berta filava." Nonostante la sua carriera sia stata tragicamente breve, Rino Gaetano ha lasciato un'impronta indelebile nella musica italiana. Restate con noi per scoprire di più su questo artista eccezionale!



Hello everyone, welcome to our podcast "Italiano espresso"! Today, I will talk to you about an extraordinary Italian songwriter: Rino Gaetano. Born in Crotone in 1950 and moving to Rome at a young age, Rino became famous for his ironic, satirical, and often provocative music. His songs blend elements of rock, pop, and folk, with lyrics that uniquely and irreverently address social and political themes. Some of his most famous songs include "Gianna," "Ma il cielo è sempre più blu," and "Berta filava." Despite his tragically short career, Rino Gaetano left an indelible mark on Italian music. Stay with us to learn more about this exceptional artist!

Italiano espresso

Rino Gaetano: un cantautore istrionico

EP 30 Learn Thai _ How to make a sentence with _ จริงๆนะVSจริงๆ _ Really, Truly, and Honestly #learnthai

Thai for Everyone with Kru Robert

In this episode I talk through an idea I’ve been developing from my LinkedIn posts and from work with my Chinese IELTS students — the examiner’s eye. Lots of candidates can name the four IELTS writing criteria, but very few actually understand what they mean and how an examiner applys them. That gap explains a lot of 5.5–6.0 scores. So listen and hear how to close that gap...

I look at:
why template-heavy IELTS training produces flat, predictable essays
why “I know the criteria” is not the same as “I can apply the criteria”
how examiner perspective is formed over time and volume
how AI can be used to rehearse different band levels of the same task
This one is more theory than technique — it’s about thinking like an examiner before you start writing.

Read the companion article on LinkedIn below....
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/examiners-eye-rethinking-ielts-writing-through-reflection-dean-fudlf

Kev's English Podcast

KEP 42: The Examiner’s Eye – Seeing IELTS the Way Examiners Do

说到这里，他就长时间地陷入沉思之中。
And he sank into a reverie, which lasted a long time.
然后，从口袋里掏出了我画的小羊，看着他的宝贝入了神。
Then, taking my sheep out of his pocket, he buried himself in the contemplation of his treasure.
你们可以想见这种关于“别的星球”的若明若暗的话语使我心里多么好奇。
You can imagine how my curiosity was aroused by this half-confidence about the "other planets."
因此我竭力地想知道其中更多的奥秘。
I made a great effort, therefore, to find out more on this subject.
你是从哪里来的，我的小家伙？
My little man, where do you come from?
你的家在什么地方？
What is this ‘where I live, of which you speak?
你要把我的小羊带到哪里去？
Where do you want to take your sheep?
他沉思了一会，然后回答我说：
After a re?ective silence he answered:
好在有你给我的那只箱子，夜晚可以给小羊当房子用。
The thing that is so good about the box you have given me is that at night he can use it as his house.
那当然。
That is so.
如果你听话的话，我再给你画一根绳子，

And if you are good I will give you a string, too,
白天可以栓住它。再加上一根杆子。我的建议看来有点使小王子反感。
so that you can tie him during the day, and a post to tie him to.
但是小王子对我喊到：“栓住它，多么奇怪的主意。”
But the little prince seemed shocked by this offer: "Tie him! What a queer idea!"
“如果你不栓住它，它就到处跑，那么它会跑丢的，”我说。
"But if you don’t tie him," I said, "he will wander off somewhere, and get lost."
我的这位朋友又笑出了声：“你想要它跑到哪里去呀？”
My friend broke into another peal of laughter: "But where do you think he would go?"
不管什么地方。它一直往前跑。
Anywhere. Straight ahead of him.
这时，小王子郑重其事地说：“这没有什么关系，我那里很小很小。
Then the little prince said, earnestly: "That doesn’t matter. Where I live, everything is so small!"
接着，他略带伤感地又补充了一句：“一直朝前走，也不会走出多远”
And, with perhaps a hint of sadness, he added: "Straight ahead of him, nobody can go very far..."

小王子-The Little Prince-Read in Chinese

小王子第七章：它跑到哪里去

En el episodio de hoy hablamos de galicismos, que son palabras que usamos en español que tiene su origen en el francés. No vivimos en un mundo aislado y es inevitable que unas lenguas influyan en otras. España y Francia son países vecinos y ambos tienen lenguas romances lo que facilita la trasferencia de terminos. Hoy vamos a comentar el origen interesante de algunos de estos galicismos y también vamos a ver algunas palabras del día usadas en español y que vienen del país vecino.

Como siempre, espero que disfrutes el episodio, si lo haces, ¡no te olvides de dejarle una valoración!

ÚNETE AL RETO DE 10 DÍAS https://blancadelatorre.kartra.com/page/wRn262 

Video de la bbc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-liwRPKbbg 


Blanca to go 

156 – Palabras españolas que vienen del francés

Hier lernst du, wie du deine Familie vorstellst.

Ebenso die Pronomen "mein" und "dein"

A1-Niveau

03_Familie

Well it depends! On so many factors. Native like fluency is a must at least for higher levels but at lower levels, it's incredibly helpful when a teacher speaks your native language.....