Today's phrase for ESL learners is to be "knocked" down.

It can mean anything which has been knocked over, it can also mean when someone is involved in a car accident.
Examples:
My little cat sometimes knocks things over (or knocks things down).
My friend was knocked down by a passing car.




Teacher Joseph's Podcast

To Be Knocked Down

En este podcast escucharás una lectura acerca de México. Al final podrás hacer un ejercicio de comprensión lectora. Espero que te sirva.

Nos vemos en el próxio episodio.

Los países Hispanohablantes

¿Qué sabes sobre México?

El Poira es un espíritu que, según la leyenda, habita en los ríos, especialmente en las regiones cercanas a la Amazonía. Es descrito como un ser mitad hombre y mitad pez, similar a una sirena masculina. El Poira es conocido por atraer a las mujeres jóvenes y bellas que se acercan a los ríos a bañarse o lavar ropa. Aparece como un hombre atractivo y encantador, con una sonrisa hipnótica.

Las jóvenes que caen bajo su hechizo son llevadas al fondo del río, donde desaparecen para siempre. A pesar de su apariencia seductora, el Poira es un ser peligroso que sólo busca robar las almas de las mujeres. Las madres de los pueblos cercanos advierten a sus hijas que no se acerquen solas a los ríos, especialmente al atardecer, cuando el Poira suele aparecer.

Colombian Legends

El poira

Io e Caro ci facciamo una chiacchierata riguardo i detti o modi di dire. Lei mi insegna alcuni detti in spagnolo che si utilizzano in Argentina e io le insegno alcuni detti italiani.

The Italian Miscellaneous Podcast🖐 

Italian Ciao (Tinos e Tanos) Detti e refranes

Un breve episodio sulle ferie. Buon ascolto!

The Italian Miscellaneous Podcast for beginners

Ferie vs Vacanze

We’ve been told that positivity is the key to learning a language. But what if the opposite is true? In Episode 94 of 111 Tips for Learning a Language, I explore how pessimism—or clear-eyed realism—can actually make you calmer, happier, and more consistent in your studies. By accepting limits, releasing the struggle for perfection, and embracing mistakes as inevitable, you may find more freedom and even more fluency. Listen now and discover the bright side of gloom in your language journey.

Which part of “pessimism as freedom” resonates most with your language learning?

Facing reality and acting for its own sake?

Accepting limits and stopping the struggle?

Embracing failure as non-destructive?

Using defensive pessimism to prepare better?

Episode 94 challenges the idea that positivity is the only path to language learning success. Instead, we explore how pessimism—rooted in reality and acceptance—can set you free. Facing reality helps you value learning for its own sake rather than for a distant fantasy. Accepting limits reduces stress and allows you to appreciate small wins. Embracing failure as inevitable removes the fear of mistakes, and defensive pessimism turns anxiety into thorough preparation. Research in intrinsic motivation (Deci & Ryan), acceptance-based coping strategies, and defensive pessimism (Norem) shows that this approach can reduce stress, improve memory, and keep you consistent. The episode concludes with an invitation to stop bracing for perfection and instead find joy in the imperfect but deeply worthwhile present of learning.

💃🏻111 Tips for Learning a Language 

Tip 94 - (ง ◉ _ ◉)ง Do you have what it takes to be a pessimist? How it can help you learn a language.

To be in the middle of nowhere means to be in a place that is far away from other people, houses, or cities. For instance, my office is in the middle of nowhere. It takes me hours to get there!

DAILY Business English VOCABULARY builder

I'm in the middle of nowhere!

Many of us know that learning a second language isn't easy — it takes a lot of time and practice. It can be very rewarding, but also very frustrating, so many people might not even think about trying to learn a third language.

But it may not be as difficult as you think.

In fact, many polyglots — that is, people who speak many languages — say that learning a third language is actually easier than learning the second.

But why?

One reason could be that, when learning a third language, you have a better understanding of different language structures.

When we learn our first language, as children, we don't really learn how the language works — we just naturally start using it.

But when you learn a second language, you start getting used to language structures, including ones that might be different from your first language. In some languages, for example, nouns are often either masculine or feminine — while in English, there's no such difference.

Learning these things in our second language often makes it easier for our brains to recognize different structures like this in other languages.

When you learn a second language, you also develop different skills, like memorization techniques. These skills can then be used when learning your third language, making the process faster and more efficient.

Finally, learning your second language might have felt scary at first, but you did it! This may give you more confidence when learning your third language, because you have more of an idea of what to expect.

If you'd like to learn a third language, it might be helpful to choose one that's part of the same language family as one of your other languages, because the similarities could make the process a lot easier.

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

Why Learning a Third Language Is Easier than a Second

안녕하세요! 여기에 문학 작품 있어요?
您好! 这儿有没有文学作品?	

네, 있어요. 우리 서점에 있다는 걸 어떻게 알았어요?
有的。您是怎么知道我们书店有的?		

사장님 단골손님이 저에게 알려줬어요.
是老板您的常客告诉我的。	

그래요?  우리 서점에는 수백 권의 문학 작품이 있어요. 
是吗?  我们书店里有好几百本文学作品。	

*문학 작품 文学作品 
*단골손님 常客 
*서점 书店