How would you decline an invitation without being rude?
Here is a useful idiom to decline an offer politely or say that you would like to accept it, but at a later time.

Join me on this episode and learn how to use "take a rain check" in context!



English with Serena

Take a rain check (Rimandare l'invito)

How determination to succeed and a new baby led to changing people's lives.

Stories from UK to China

My travels into the teaching world

This episode is your ultimate guide to mastering a new language quickly and effectively. Join me as I dive deep into proven language learning strategies, share insider tips from polyglots, and debunk common misconceptions. Whether you're a beginner or looking to take your skills to the next level, this episode will equip you with the tools and motivation you need to achieve fluency.

Language learning tips & hacks

Language Accelerator: Quick Language Learning Hacks

Continuamos aprendiendo vocabulario relacionado a la comida peruana. Esta vez les traigo información sobre el camote (sweet potato).

En otros países hispanohablantes, se le conoce como batata, chaco, patata dulce, papa dulce o boniato.

Transcripción disponible en: https://conpedepatria.blog/2022/08/31/el-camote-o-la-batata/

¡Gracias por escuchar!

Learn Peruvian Spanish

6. El camote o la batata (sweet potato)

After our last episode which introduced the topic of Collocations, in this episode, we are going to learn some Effective STRATEGIES to Incorporate Collocations in the Vocabulary Acquisition process. 

All Things English

Vocabulary Acquisition - How to Effectively Use Collocations

La Tour Eiffel devrait éteindre la lumière : ce qu'il faut savoir !
Une nouvelle proposition de la mairie de Paris vise à modifier l'éclairage nocturne du monument. Des discussions sont en cours en pour définir l'organisation.


🇫🇷 L'actualité en français! 🇫🇷  - Lecture d'articles des grands journaux français 🗞️ -

Tour Eiffel : un éclairage remis en question 

On some tour buses, you'll hear the guide welcome passengers in a number of different languages.

And at airports around the world, announcements might be made in more than one language to help more travelers understand what's being said.

But in Belgium, a train passenger made an official complaint after the conductor used both Dutch and French to say good morning.

The problem for this passenger was that the train was traveling through a city called Vilvoorde in the Flemish part of Belgium, where Dutch is the main language.

But Vilvoorde is very close to the capital, Brussels, where both Dutch and French are used.

The French-speaking conductor, named Ilyass Alba, wrote about the complaint on Facebook.

He said that after greeting passengers, one had replied: "We're not in Brussels yet, you have to use Dutch only!"

And while many people have taken Alba's side, the person who complained was technically correct — only Dutch should have been used.

According to the country's language rules, only Dutch should have been used while the train was in the Flemish part of the country. And as Belga News Agency explains, Belgium's rules say only French should be used when trains are in the French-speaking part of the country.

But announcements can be French and Dutch in Brussels. And on trains traveling to Brussels Airport, Dutch, French, German — another of Belgium's official languages — and English can be used.

Some Dutch-speaking politicians have said it's important that conductors stick to language rules.

But the country's French-speaking transport minister said that making passengers feel welcome is the most important thing.

The train company, SNCB, agreed with the transport minister. "Saying hello in several languages is just nice, we can only thank our conductors for that," an SNCB official told Agence France-Presse.

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

Greeting in Two Languages Upsets Train Passenger

こんにちは。今回は新しい日本の映画、『PLAN 75』（プランななじゅうご）についてお話します。

この映画は近未来（きんみらい）、現在（げんざい）より少し先の未来を描いたSF（エスエフ＝Science Fiction）映画です。75歳（さい）になった人は生きるか、それとも死ぬかを選べるようになった、未来の日本を描いた（えがいた）お話です。

現在の高齢化社会（こうれいかしゃかい）の日本を風刺（ふうし）した映画で、早川千絵（はやかわ　ちえ）という女性映画監督が作りました。

彼女はこの映画で、第75回カンヌ国際映画祭（カンヌこくさいえいがさい＝Le Festival de Cannes 2022, 75e）の「ある視点」（あるしてん＝Un Certain Regard）部門（ぶもん）で、カメラ・ドールの特別表彰（とくべつひょうしょう）を受賞（じゅしょう）します。

日本では昔（むかし）とても貧しい（まずしい）村（むら）で、働く（はたらく）ことができない老人（ろうじん）を山（やま）に捨てる（すてる）、「姥捨て山（うばすてやま）」という伝説（でんせつ）が、あちこちに残っています。あちらこちらに残っている、という言い方もできます。

本当（ほんとう）に昔、こんな事があったのか、事実（じじつ）ではなく物語（ものがたり）なのか判りません（わかりません）。また他人（たにん）に迷惑（めいわく）をかけてはいけないと考える人が多い、日本人の性格（せいかく）を反映（はんえい）した物語かもしれません。

しかし欧米（おうべい＝アメリカやヨーロッパ）の人には、とてもショッキング（shocking）な題材（だいざい）だったのでしょう。「姥捨て山」伝説を映画化した、1983年の日本映画『楢山節考』（ならやまぶしこう＝The Ballad of Narayama）は、カンヌ国際映画祭でパルム・ドール（Palme d'Or）を受賞しています。

現在、日本では安楽死（あんらくし）・尊厳死（そんげんし）は合法化（ごうほうか）されておらず、認め（みとめ）られていません。「姥捨て山」伝説がある国なのに、と不思議（ふしぎ）に思う海外（かいがい）の人もいるでしょう。

映画や伝説など文化（ぶんか）、歴史（れきし）や法律（ほうりつ）などを通じて（つうじて）、日本人の考え方や習慣（しゅうかん）や制度（せいど）について、あなたの国との違いを話してみませんか。あなたが興味（きょうみ）を持つテーマで、ぜひお話ししましょう。それでは、さようなら。

Ken先生の映画・歴史・カルチャートーク

【第4回】新しい日本のSF風刺映画、『PLAN 75』（プランななじゅうご）についてお話します。

Seeing Your Way to Fluency: Let Scenery Help You Learn 🌄🏙️👥

What if the view in front of you could make grammar click, words stick, and speaking feel easier? In Episode 84, we use scenery—nature, city lines, people in motion—to gently tune your brain for the right task.

Nature calms stress so vocabulary and listening flow.

Cityscapes sharpen structure for grammar and pronunciation.

People scenes wake up rhythm, emotion, and real conversation.

Bring a photo, take a breath, look for 60 seconds—then study. It’s small, kind, and it works.
If you’d like help choosing the right scenes for your goals—or you simply want steadier progress in English, Malay, or Chinese—we can tailor it together in class. 💬