My podcast, "にほんご聞こう" (Let's Listen to Japanese), starts today. This podcast is designed for people at various levels of Japanese proficiency, so I've made adjustments in terms of vocabulary, grammar, and speaking speed. I speak slowly in Episode 1. In the next episode, 1.5, I'll be speaking at a regular pace. Furthermore, the content of the second episode has additional information, so listening to both can be fun for comparison.

Transcript >> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UhstapJOXy4M6RAd3Tk8BV-2eVTKQoRi/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=113327799381827760818&rtpof=true&sd=true

にほんご聞こう！　Let's listen to Japanese! 

Episode 1.5 : Self-introduction [Advanced]

Hello everyone! Today I’m talking about some great books for studying Japanese. What kind of books do you all like? Let’s make learning fun!
みなさまごきげんよう、今日は日本語を勉強するときにオススメの本の話！みんなはどんな本が好き？楽しく勉強してみよう！


Moekoの日本語ベラベラtime

Moekoの日本語ベラベラtimeEpi23: 日本語勉強におすすめの本！【Japanese Podcast: listening practice】

Привет, друзья! Это мой подкаст «По-русски легко»! Поговорим о различиях в социальном взаимодействии русских и французов.
Когда я изучала французский язык и готовилась к экзамену DELF B2, то мой преподаватель сказал, что я грубый человек. Он сказал, что я не соблюдаю правила вежливости. И не использую французские формулы вежливости (Je n'utilise pas les formules de politesse françaises). Почему? Потому что мы, русские, не говорим так много длинных вежливых фраз, как французы. Чтобы поблагодарить, мы говорим: «Спасибо!» или «Большое спасибо!». И этого достаточно. Если мы хотим выразить недовольство качеством услуг или написать претензию, то мы никогда не благодарим контрагента за хорошую работу. И это логично. Если мы недовольны тем, как работает контрагент, почему мы должны говорить «спасибо»?
В обычной жизни, когда мы выражаем отказ, то тоже не говорим много вежливых слов. Но поверьте, этого достаточно, чтобы быть вежливым в России.
Например, мы можем сказать: СпасИ́бо, не нУ́жно (Spasybo, nie noujno). Merci, pas besoin.
СпасИ́бо, нет. (Spasybo, niet). Merci, non.
ИзвинИ́, сейчА́с я не могУ́. (Yzvyny, ya seytchas nie mogou).  Désolé, je ne peux pas en ce moment.
Мне жА́ль, но Э́то невозмО́жно.  (Mnie jal, no eto nievozmojno). Désolé, mais ce n’est pas possible. 
Я устА́л. Может, потО́м? (Ya oustal. Mojet, potom?). Je suis fatigué. Peut-être plus tard?
ИзвинИ́, но я сейчА́с О́чень зА́нят. (Yzvyny, no ya seytchas otchen zanyat). Désolé, mais je suis très occupé.
Надеюсь, вам было интересно немного узнать о русской вежливости. Желаю вам успехов в изучении русского языка!

По-русски легко!

Вежливый отказ по-русски

Southern California is experiencing its most devastating winter fires in more than four decades.

Fueled by powerful Santa Ana winds, fierce wildfires around the Los Angeles area have sent residents fleeing from their burning homes.

Santa Anas are warm, dry northeast winds that blow from the interior of Southern California toward the coast, moving in the opposite direction of the normal winds that carry moist air from the Pacific.

Thousands of firefighters have been battling multiple blazes, from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena, just north of Los Angeles, with new fires breaking out in the Hollywood Hills on the evening of January 8.

One of the fires is already the most destructive in Los Angeles history.

By early morning on January 9, more than 1,900 structures had been destroyed and over 130,000 people were under evacuation orders, with five people reported dead.

The fires have already consumed an area of about 110 square kilometers — nearly the size of the entire city of San Francisco.

Fires don't usually blaze at this time of year. But Santa Anas are happening later and later in the year, and this year's winds are much faster than usual — helping the flames spread faster once they ignite.

California had two extremely wet winters that caused lots of plants to grow, followed by a sudden drought that dried them out — which experts say has provided the perfect tinder for the flames.

AccuWeather estimated damage from the latest fires could reach $57 billion, with the weather company's Jonathan Porter saying "it may become the worst wildfire in modern California history."

Among those who have lost their homes are a number of celebrities, including actor Billy Crystal, who lost his home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood that he had lived in for 45 years.

Another celebrity who lost his home, The Princess Bride star Cary Elwes, wrote on Instagram: "Sadly we did lose our home but we are grateful to have survived this truly devastating fire."

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

Southern California Battles Devastating Winter Fires

Take an English Lesson with Carl https://italki.com/teacher/1947582

A Fox one day spied a beautiful bunch of ripe grapes hanging from a vine trained along the branches of a tree. The grapes seemed ready to burst with juice, and the Fox's mouth watered as he gazed longingly at them.

The bunch hung from a high branch, and the Fox had to jump for it. The first time he jumped he missed it by a long way. So he walked off a short distance and took a running leap at it, only to fall short once more. Again and again he tried, but in vain.

Now he sat down and looked at the grapes in disgust.

"What a fool I am," he said. "Here I am wearing myself out to get a bunch of sour grapes that are not worth gaping for."

And off he walked very, very scornfully.

There are many who pretend to despise and belittle that which is beyond their reach.

Take an English Lesson with Carl https://italki.com/teacher/1947582

Streetwise English

SWE 153 The Fox and the Grapes (Beginner)

Note: This podcast is intended for language learning ONLY. Not for promoting or criticizing any political party or ideology. Let’s keep it friendly and accessible to all :)

Also, all of the experiences are the hosts’ own experiences so please do your own research if you need more information.

Chillchat (Learn Chinese and Chill)

Chinese Myths and Legends About the Sun

Today's topic is, how to be more confident when speaking in meetings.

Some of you might know this already but my full time job is working with non native English speakers, one to one, on video calls to improve their confidence and ability when using English at work. And the number one thing that people tell me they need to improve is their confidence in meetings! How can I become more confident in meetings, how can I express my ideas better, how can I make my meetings easier. This is what we’re going to discuss today. 

For non-native English speakers, speaking in meetings can be a challenging and daunting task. Whether you’re presenting in front of a large group or just participating in a small discussion, it can be difficult to feel confident in your ability to express yourself. However, with a few simple tips, you can start speaking more confidently in meetings sooner rather than later.

At the same time, we’re going to look at some useful vocabulary and sentence structures that we can use to do this. So if you want to grab a pen to take some notes, feel free, and let’s get started.

Oh, and right at the end we’ll review a couple of the more interesting pieces of vocabulary I’ve included in today’s podcast.

Breakout Business English

Speaking in meetings. How to become more confident!

I'll read 'the very hungry caterpillar' by Eric Carle in this episode. You will listen to the life cycle of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, and also the day of the week, fruits, and counting to five.

'아주 배고픈 애벌레'는 무엇을 먹었을까요? 

Key vocabulary
알 egg
애벌래 caterpillar
일요일 Sunday
배가 고프다 to be hungry
월요일 Monday
사과 한 개 one apple
화요일 Tuesday
배 두 개 two pears
수요일 Wendsday 
자두 세 개 three plums
목요일 Thursday
딸기 네 개 four strawberries
금요일 Friday
오렌지 다섯 개 five apples 
수박 watermelon
배가 아프다 to have a stomache
번데기 cacoon
나비 butterfly


Korean with Yuna

Story Book_배고픈 애벌레 (Beginner)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1koNCEliM-QLCXISVjNEWqxyzDgs9bYmy/view?usp=drivesdk