We all need to ask for favors or help sometimes from others and that doesn’t change when you are in a different country surrounded by people speaking a different language. In this episode we covered key vocabulary related to helping others, some useful sentence structures you can apply and extremely helpful phrases in emergency situations. Let’s go!

(Enjoy the bloopers ;))

Chillchat (Learn Chinese and Chill)

Asking for Help in Chinese: from Small Favors to Emergencies

In this episode of Italiano Soprano, we dive into the world of English adjectives ending in -ful, like beautiful, helpful, and thoughtful—and explore how to express these ideas naturally in Italian. What’s the Italian equivalent of hopeful? Is grateful always grato? You'll learn common translations, tricky false friends, and get plenty of examples to help you sound more fluent and expressive in both languages. Perfect for intermediate learners aiming to sharpen their vocabulary and translation skills.

Italiano Soprano 

"-ful" Adjectives 

Marzo represents the month of March. Hear what happens when Marzo tries to make it rain on the shepherd and sheep. This story is of Italian origin.

Learn English with Stories

The Story of Marzo (March)

In this episode, Karen and Baiwei chatted about ‘decision fatigue’ and their tips for managing it.


你有“选择困难”吗？ Have you experienced 'decision fatigue'?

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

                             연습

받침[ㄴ, ㅁ] + {ㄷ, ㅈ, ㄱ}  { ㄸ, ㅉ, ㄲ }
                                       (된소리)

예문

1)  신다 [신따]   
2)  신더니 [신떠니] 
3)  안고 [안꼬] 
4)  안다 [안따]
5) 감다 [감따] 
6) 남지 [남찌]   
7) 숨다 [숨따]   
8) 참고 [참꼬]
9) 삶고 [삼꼬] 
10) 앉고 [안꼬] 
11) 앉다 [안따]     
12) 닮지 [담찌]      
13) 젊다 [점따]



한국어 발음 연습

한국어 발음 연습 "경음화" 3

Bu bölümde, Türk kahvesinin sadece bir içecek olmanın ötesinde, Türk kültüründeki yeri ve anlamı üzerine konuşuyoruz. Kahvenin tarihi, hazırlanış biçimi, fal geleneği ve sosyal hayattaki rolü gibi ilginç detayları öğrenirken hem Türkçe dinleme becerilerinizi geliştirecek hem de kültürel bilginizi artıracaksınız. Bölüm sonunda İngilizce özetle, konuşulanları daha iyi anlamanıza yardımcı oluyorum. Keyifli dinlemeler!

In this episode, we dive into the cultural richness of Turkish coffee—exploring how it’s more than just a beverage. You’ll learn about its history, unique preparation method, the tradition of fortune-telling, and its role in Turkish social life. This is a great way to improve your Turkish listening skills while also gaining cultural insight. Don’t worry if you’re not advanced—I’ll summarize everything in English at the end. Enjoy the episode!

Turkish Culture with Nur Sena

Turkish Coffee – More Than Just a Drink

La scorsa estate Jimmy si è divertito molto. È andato al mare in Sicilia. Anche se abita a Venezia, ama viaggiare per l’Italia, ammirare le città d’arte e assaggiare tutti i piatti tipici.

È voluto andare in Sicilia in aereo. Innanzitutto è atterrato a Palermo e per prima cosa ha voluto assaggiare i buonissimi arancini. Poi ha voluto visitare la cattedrale di Monreale, famosa in tutto il mondo.

Dopo qualche giorno è andato a Taormina, sulla costa orientale. Ha dovuto prendere un autobus perché non ama guidare. Taormina è una città bellissima e molto antica. Lì il mare è azzurro. Vicino a Taormina c’è anche il vulcano Etna. Jimmy ha potuto fare un’escursione sul vulcano insieme a una guida specializzata.

È potuto salire fino in cima. È stato stancante ma davvero molto bello.

Più tardi ha trascorso una settimana al mare a rilassarsi, a prendere il sole, a giocare a pallavolo sulla spiaggia, a nuotare e a mangiare piatti di pesce. 

Alla fine è tornato a Venezia dopo più di due settimane ed è andato subito a salutare il suo amico Marco. Ha mostrato le foto della vacanza al suo amico. Marco era molto arrabbiato: poiché è dovuto restare a Venezia per lavoro, non è potuto andare in vacanza.

Povero Marco!

//Want to learn more Italian? Check out the link -> https://cocai-italiano.com/

Cocai italiano - Podcast for Italian learners

Le vacanze estive

Borders between countries sometimes change after wars or international agreements, but part of the border between Italy and Switzerland is changing because of melting glaciers.

Large sections of the border are defined by different parts of the glacier, for example the lines of ridges in the ice.

But climate change has caused glaciers across Europe to melt and this has changed the positions of the glaciers' ridges and the natural boundaries between the countries.

The two countries have been talking about the new borders for a number of months. Switzerland signed the new border agreement at the end of September and it's waiting for Italy to do the same.

Part of the border is close to the popular Swiss ski resort of Zermatt. Some of the slopes will be affected by the border change, although skiers shouldn't need to worry about carrying their passports up the mountain!

In fact, both countries are in the Schengen area, so anyone with a visa to visit one of them will usually be able to visit the other without any problems.

The changes have been made so that it is clear which of the two countries is responsible for maintaining certain areas.

But both countries' economic interests were also considered when the new borders were agreed, Bloomberg said.

According to 2023 data, Switzerland's glaciers lost 4% of their volume in 2023, after losing a record 6% of their volume in 2022.

The region has had less snow and warmer summers in recent years.

Some glaciers have no ice left, and the situation will only get worse if nothing is done about climate change, experts say.

According to a 2023 study, up to half of the world's glaciers could disappear by 2100, even if we make progress with targets limiting climate change.