Book talk for A1 - A2 students

The books i read in May of 2025 (episode 1)

En este episodio nos sumergimos en el vibrante universo del cine español y su proyección internacional. Desde los visionarios como Pedro Almodóvar y Alejandro Amenábar hasta estrellas como Penélope Cruz y Javier Bardem, exploramos cómo el talento español ha dejado huella en festivales, taquillas y corazones alrededor del mundo. Acompáñanos en este recorrido entre cámaras, historias y mucha pasión ibérica por el séptimo arte.

Entre tapas y eñes con Escudero

Episodio 9. Luces, cámara… ¡España!: El cine español que conquista el mundo

PATTY: I’m really excited for Aunt Mary’s surprise birthday party
this afternoon! Aren’t you?
SUSAN: Yeah! How old is she?
PATTY:  She’ll be 55 on May 14 [fourteenth].
SUSAN: Wow! I didn’t know that my mom was older — she’s going
to be 57 on September 2 [second]. Anyway, Aunt Mary’s 
going to be so surprised to see us all here!
PATTY: I know! But we still have to get all the food set up before 
she gets here … OK! We’re all ready now. Shh! She’s here!
ALL: Surprise!


LANGUAGE NOTES
• I’m really excited … Notice the emphasis on “really.” “Really” is used to emphasize the 
adjective “excited” here.
• Birthday party Notice that the normal stress for a compound noun falls on the first 
element of the compound.
• Aren’t you? This negative tag is used to show that the speaker expects a positive 
answer. Patty assumes that Susan is also looking forward to the party.
• She’ll be 55 Notice that “55” is stressed here. This detail answers the question “How 
old is she?”
• Fourteenth Notice that we use “th” for ordinal numbers, starting with 4 [but first, 
second and third]. The stress is on the second syllable [fourTEENTH]. Compare this with 
“fortieth: 40th” [FORtieth].
• She’s going to be ... Notice how this is pronounced like “gonna be.” Instead of four 
syllables “go/ing/to/be” there are three syllables “ga/na/be.”

English Conversation practice (30-day challenge)

Day 20: Birthdays

こんにちは、あかりです。今日(きょう)のトピックは「働(はたら)き方(かた)の違(ちが)い」です。

Usage of Slow Japanese:
STEP 1. Listen to the episode without seeing the scripts.
STEP 2. Go to mochifika.com/podcast/ and check "Key vocabularies of this episode", and listen again to the episode while seeing the list.
STEP 3. Check the whole script, it'll fill the gap in your understanding.

👉Support the Mochifika project, and see full scripts + access to the additional materials!
https://www.patreon.com/mochifika

Buy me a coffee:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mochifika

Slow Japanese

Episode #48 - Difference in working style

Am I effectively prioritizing tasks based on importance and urgency? 
Do I allocate my time to the most critical activities?

Do I frequently find myself overwhelmed by deadlines and commitments? 
How can I better manage my workload?

Am I struggling with procrastination or avoiding certain tasks? 
What strategies can I implement to overcome these tendencies?

Are distractions hindering my productivity? 
How can I create a more focused work environment?

Am I setting realistic and achievable goals? 
Do I break down large tasks into smaller, manageable steps?

Do I effectively delegate tasks to others? 
Am I maximizing my team's potential?

Am I taking sufficient breaks throughout the day? 
How can I balance work and rest to maintain optimal productivity?

Am I using time management tools or techniques to improve my efficiency?
Are there any new tools or methods I could explore?

Am I regularly reviewing and adjusting my schedule to ensure it aligns with my priorities? 
How can I make necessary adjustments to stay on track?

Am I seeking feedback and support from others to improve my time management skills?
Are there mentors or resources available to help me?


The Global Professional Podcast

20 Questions for Global Professionals on Time Management - Episode 122

Всем привет! (Hello everyone!)
Сегодня 19 девятнадцатое августа. (Today is the 19th of August.)
Как быстро летит время. (How quickly time flies.)
Сегодня у меня мало работы. (Today I have little work.)
Поэтому я много отдыхала и спала. (That’s why I rested and slept a lot.)
Но чем больше я сплю, тем больше я чувствую себя усталой. (But the more I sleep, the more tired I feel.)
Сегодня мне лень что-либо делать. (Today I feel too lazy to do anything.)
Хотя я смогла приготовить обед и написать рассказ на русском языке. (Although I managed to cook lunch and write a story in Russian.)
Погода была солнечной, но сейчас немного пасмурно. (The weather was sunny, but now it’s a bit cloudy.)
Я бы хотела выйти покататься на велосипеде. (I would like to go out for a bike ride.)
Надеюсь, что не пойдёт дождь. (I hope it won’t rain.)
Всем желаю хорошего дня или вечера. (I wish everyone a good day or evening.)
Большое спасибо, что слушаете мои подкасты и до скорого. (Thank you very much for listening to my podcasts, see you soon.)

My diary in Russian

19 августа, мой день 

JANE: Hi, Helen! How’s it going?
HELEN: Fine, thanks — and you?
JANE: Just fine. Where are you off to?
HELEN: To the library. I’ve got a history exam next week 
and need to start studying. Ugh.
JANE: Oh, no. Well, I’ll see you later then. Good luck! 
HELEN: Thanks. See you later.


LANGUAGE NOTES
• “Hi” is an informal way of saying “hello.” Notice that the “i” sound in “hi” is extended, to 
show that Jane is very pleased to see Helen.
• “How’s it going?” is an informal way of saying “How are you?”
• “Fine, thanks—and you?” Notice the rising intonation on “and you?” This shows that 
Helen is interested in what Jane has to say.
• “Where are you off to?” is an informal way of saying “Where are you going?” Notice the 
falling intonation since this is an information question, not a “yes/no” question.
• “To the library.” Notice that Helen does not say “I’m going” here because that 
information was already established in the question “Where are you off to?”
• “Oh, no” is a way of saying “I sympathize with you” or “I understand you are not happy.”
• “See you later” is an informal way of saying “goodbye.”

Day2 : Informal Greeting in English

In this episode we are going to learn a Real Chinese Conversation【Take-away lunch】. 
------------------------------------------------
Step 1: Listen and catch the words you know already, have a guess about the content.
Step 2: Check the script to learn one by one. 
Step 3: Listen and repeat after it.
Step 4: Practice until you can perform the dialogue. 
------------------------------------------------
店员(diànyuán, clerk)：欢迎光临，这是我们的菜单，看下想吃点什么？
huān yíng guāng lín ， zhè shì wǒ men de cài dān ， kàn xià xiǎng chī diǎn shén me ？
Welcome, this is our menu, what would you like to eat?
顾客(gùkè, customer): 有推荐的吗？
yǒu tuī jiàn de ma ？
Any recommendations?
店员：喜欢吃猪肉、鸡肉还是牛肉？
xǐ huan chī zhū ròu 、 jī ròu hái shì niú ròu ？
Do you like pork, chicken or beef?
顾客：猪肉吧。
zhū ròu ba 。
Pork please.
店员：叉烧饭是我们的招牌菜，要不要试试？
chā shāo fàn shì wǒ men de zhāo pai cài ， yào bu yào shì shì ？
Rice with char siu is our signature dish, would you like to try it?
顾客：看起来不错，那就一份叉烧饭吧。
kàn qǐ lái bú cuò ， nà jiù yí fèn chā shāo fàn ba 。
It looks good, I will take rice with char siu.
店员：单点二十块钱，加五块钱有一杯饮料。
dān diǎn èr shí kuài qián ， jiā wǔ kuài qián yǒu yì bēi yǐn liào 。
A single order costs 20 yuan, and you can get a drink by adding 5 yuan.
顾客：有什么饮料？
yǒu shén me yǐn liào ？
What drinks are available?
店员：柠檬茶和奶茶。
níng méng chá hé nǎi chá 。
Lemon tea and milk tea.
顾客：柠檬茶吧。
níng méng chá bā 。
Lemon tea please.
店员：打包还是这里吃？
dǎ bāo hái shì zhè lǐ chī ？
Do you want to take away or eat here?
顾客：打包。
dǎ bāo 。
Take away.
店员：打包费一块钱。一共二十六块。
dǎ bāo fèi yī kuài qián 。 yí gòng èr shí liù kuài 。
The take away fee is 1 yuan. A total of 26 yuan.
顾客：付了。
fù le 。
(scaned and)Paid.
店员：请在那边取餐。
qǐng zài nà biān qǔ cān 。
Please pick up the food over there.
顾客：谢谢。
xiè xie 。
Thank you.

Yuli's Chinese Channel

打包午饭 Take-away lunch（Beginner）

A podcast a day keeps the doctor away!

An in depth look at three idioms. 
Step 1: Learn the history behind them. 
Step 2: Repeat the stories to friends at dinner parties. 
Step 3: Pretend you are smart and cultured. 
Step 4: Profit!