This episode introduces three idioms that use the word hook. Listen to the examples to hear how to use them. Please send me a message if you would like a copy of the audio script.

Idiom Corner

Hook

Hey there! Welcome to Creative Talk Studio — where art and language come to life.
I’m Ann, your host — a visual artist and educator from the Philippines. I’m so excited to have you here for our very first episode!

This podcast is your cozy space to learn English the creative way, discover tips on art and self-expression, and hear real stories from my life as a working artist and teacher.

Whether you're a student, a fellow creative, or just someone curious to learn and grow — you're in the right place!

I’ve spent years painting portraits, teaching English and art online, and now I’m bringing that experience to you through bite-sized lessons and fun conversations.

🎨 Coming up soon:
• How to describe art in simple English
• My go-to art materials
• And creative conversations for curious minds like yours!

So hit that follow button, and let’s begin this journey together. You can also find me on italki as Ann G Villanueva for one-on-one lessons.

Creative Talk Studio

Episode 01 - Introduction to Creative Talk Studio 

今天是5月5日 星期四 晴
今天很开心。
今天上课的时候，苏告诉我，她在她的硕士（shuo4shi4, master）学习中用上了中文。苏是学心理学(xin1li3xue2)的，作为一名心理志愿者(zhi4yuan4zhe3, volunteer)去社区(she4qu1, community)服务(fu2wu4, to serve)是很重要学习内容。然后，她的服务对象(dui4xiang4, target)是一位76岁的老爷爷，而这位老爷爷是说中文的。
时间真的过的很快，不知不觉(bu4zhi1bu1jue2,unconsciouly)苏和我学习中文已经快一年了，从最开始的星期一星期二到现在能够流利的交流(jiao1liu2,to have social contact)，她真的太棒了。
苏说：老师，你知道吗？我刚到那位老爷爷家的时候，非常紧张。因为不知道自己能不能说！接着一切都很顺利，那个时候，我真的很感谢你啊！
听到这里我真的很开心，很感动(gan3dong4, move)。虽然我只是在电脑的这一边教中文，但是我可以通过让学生提高中文，然后帮助到别人。尽管（jin4guan3,even though）这个人我不认识，哪怕(na3 pa4, even)他在离我非常遥远(yao2yuan3, dictant)的地方。

中文小天地 Little Chinese world

Episode 6  Happy! 开心！

In this podcast I want to talk about a topic that is very common that happens to people when they visit other countries.

¿Cuántas veces hemos escuchado historias de viajeros que se sienten engañados al comprar en otros países? Ya sea en un mercado local, una tienda de souvenirs o incluso en un restaurante, parece que algunos comerciantes intentan aprovecharse de los turistas, especialmente cuando notan que no somos locales.

¿Por qué sucede esto?

¿Cómo podemos evitar estas situaciones?

Preguntas para fomentar la conversación:

¿Creen que es justo que los turistas paguen más por los productos?

¿Qué estrategias utilizan los comerciantes para identificar a los turistas?

¿Cómo podemos evitar que nos engañen al comprar en el extranjero?

¿Creen que el turismo masivo contribuye a este problema?

¿Qué papel juega la cultura en estas prácticas comerciales?

¿Qué responsabilidades tienen los turistas y los gobiernos para combatir esta problemática?


Colombia

 Have you ever been scammed for being a foreigner?

Oi gente, aqui é Aneleh, sua tutora de português favorita. No podcast de hoje falaremos sobre algumas gírias cariocas. Se você é iniciante e está se sentindo perdido, pode pular direto para a parte em que explico tudo isso em inglês em dois minutos e vinte segundos. (If you are a beginner and feel lost, you can skip straight to the part where I explain all this in English at two minutes and twenty seconds). 
Se você quiser acompanhar o script do podcast é só clicar nesse link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aelsJ2SO9QA_DI0fnhR39OJlkahJwV8mvS1AI3-mwR4/edit?usp=sharing
Vamos lá?

Portuguese Drops 

Gírias (slangs) 

В России встречаются культуры Запада и Востока.

Глубинный народ

Восток дело тонкое

Remember when making friends just… happened? As adults, apparently we need calendars, repeated plans and a minor miracle. In this episode, we talk about friendship, loneliness and belonging in natural Spanish — with 3 useful chunks you can steal: perder el contacto, hacer piña and caerle bien a alguien. Plus: why socializing in Spain isn’t always the same as becoming part of the group.

Free Cita Notes in the link: key expressions, vocabulary + a quick listening check:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vOIOxP7v-4kuwy2O7wGZ3PXYGlQ-cp0M/view?usp=sharing




Cita con el Español

Hacer amigos de adulto parece un segundo trabajo · #01

"The Crisis" — by Mikhail Zoshchenko
In this episode, I read a simplified version of the short story "The Crisis" by Mikhail Zoshchenko — a witty look at everyday life during hard times. You'll hear slow and clear Russian, learn useful vocabulary, and answer a few simple questions to check your understanding. Perfect for A2–B1 level learners. Let’s dive in, word by word!