This is the first in a 5 part episode series. I will teach you the most common business idioms that you can use at the office today! These idioms are also common in everyday life as well. Check back soon for the next part of this series!

👉 Book class with me! https://italki.com/teacher/8476284 If you don't see an opening on my calendar that is ok for you, send me a message!

Today's idioms are:
1- A long shot
2- Back to the drawing board
3- To corner the market
4- Hands are tied
5- Up in the air

Stairway to English: Short easy to understand episodes to improve your English grammar and fluency

Business (and everyday!) common idioms series: Episode 1/5

Why does it look like teachers don't make any mistakes? Here are some funny stories about me making mistakes as a teacher. And successfully covering them up (did I, though?). With my co-host running away I am left alone to reminisce about my ridiculous attempts to be a free-of-mistakes teacher. Enjoy :)!

Do you English?

Teachers don't make any mistakes. Is that true?

大家好，您正在收听中文播客《丹霞说》，我是丹霞。最近白雪想搬家，我们来听听为什么吧。

最近，白雪想换一个公寓，因为她现在住着的公寓离公司太远了，每天坐地铁 来回 花在路上的时间需要两个小时，特别不方便。

早上七点出门儿，她需要六点半起床，晚上六点半下班，她回到家都差不多八点了。
天天这样，她觉得很累，尤其是白天工作的时候，她也总是想睡觉。

她想租一个离公司近点儿的地方，那么她可以有更多自己的时间。于是，白雪这几天一直在网上找找看 公司附近有没有合适的公寓，如果找到了，她就马上搬家！


这些词语您明白吗？
最近 zuì jìn  adj.adv. recent, recently
公寓 gōng yù  n. apartment
离   lí       v. to leave
地铁 dì tiě    n. subway
花   huā     v. spend; n. flower
方便 fāngbiàn  adj. convenient
差不多chàbùduō  adv. almost     
尤其yóuqí    adv. especially
总是zǒng shì  adv. always
于是yúshì    conj. so then, thereupon, as a result...
一直yīzhí   adv. continuously; always; all along
附近fùjìn   n. nearby
合适héshì  adj. suitable; appropriate
搬家bānjiā v.o. move house



Recently, Bai Xue wants to move her house. Let's see why.

Recently, Bai Xue wants to change an apartment, because the apartment she now lives in is too far away from the company. It takes two hours to travel back and forth by subway every day, which is particularly inconvenient.

Going out at seven in the morning, she needs to get up at six thirty and get off work at six thirty in the evening. It's almost eight o'clock when she gets home.

Every day like this, she feels very tired, especially when working during the day, she always wants to sleep.

She wants to rent a place close to the company, so she can have more time of her own. So, Bai Xue has been looking online these days to see if there is a suitable apartment near the company. If she finds it, she will move immediately!

HSK4 Vocab Based - Short Story Podcast

01. 白雪想搬家！Baixue wants to move house! Báixuě xiǎng bānjiā！

People often enjoy going to crowded places like cities and concerts. Why do they do this?

Today Nick discuses this question to give you some ideas for the IELTS test

IELTS with Nick - World Knowledge 

Why do people enjoy going to crowded places?

这里是one minute Chinese, 每天一分钟，中文很轻松(qing1song1, light soft)！ 我们一起听一分钟，想一分钟，说一分钟，今天的话题是重复(chong2fu4, repeat)。
重复的意思是一次又一次地做同样的事情，比如你说一次对不起，又说一次对不起，我们就可以说，你重复在说对不起。
那么，如果我每天都在重复做一件事情，会有什么结果（jie2guo3, consequence）？会发生什么呢？比如每天早上起来跑步。对，我会养成（yang3cheng2,cultivate）一个习惯(xi2guan4, habit)，跑步是一个好习惯，人们把这样的重复叫做坚持(jian1chi2, persevere in)！
但是如果我每天去酒吧(jiu3ba1, bar)喝酒到天亮，白天睡觉，这就是一个坏习惯，这样的重复，也被叫做堕落(duo4luo4, degenerate)。
坚持或者堕落，这两种重复都有很强大(qiang2da4, powerful)的力量(li4liang4, power)，它们都能改变一个人，一群人，一个国家，甚至一个世界。
你的生活里，有什么是重复在做的吗？它的力量很大哦,你知道怎么驾驭（jia4yu4, control, dominate, master）它吗？

One minute Chinese

Episode 2  Repeat 重复的力量

Una de las preguntas más frecuentes de mis estudiantes es qué series pueden ver para practciar su español. En este episodio de menciono 7. 5 de ellas bastante actuales, y otras 2 que han marcado un antes y un después en la vida de los españoles.

Blanca to go 

16 – series españolas

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

LECTURA COMPRENSIVA.


ESTE CUENTO NOS HABLA DE LAS AVENTURAS DEL GORRIÓN.


Antes de comenzar la lectura.

1. ¿Cual es tu estación climática favorita?

2. ¿Cual es tu estación climática no favorita?

Presta atención a la lectura de tu profesor.


Dime: ¿ Cuánto pesa un copo de nieve?

Dime cuánto pesa un copo de nieve, preguntó un gorrión a una paloma.
Nada de nada, le contestó.

Entonces debo contarte algo maravilloso, dijo el gorrión:

Estaba yo posado en la rama de un abeto, cerca de su tronco, cuando
empezó a nevar. No era una fuerte nevada ni una ventisca furibunda. Nada
de eso.

Nevaba como si fuera un sueño, sin nada de violencia. Y como yo no tenía
nada mejor que hacer, me puse a contar los copos de nieve que se iban
asentando sobre los tallitos de la rama en la que yo estaba. 

Los copos fueron exactamente 952. Al caer el siguiente copo de nieve sobre la rama que,
como tú dices, pesaba nada de nada, la rama se quebró.

Dicho esto, el gorrión se alejó volando.

Y la paloma, toda una autoridad en la materia desde la época de Noé, quedó
cavilando sobre lo que el gorrión le contara y al final se dijo:

Tal vez esté faltando la voz de una sola persona para que en este mundo
tenga lugar la paz.

Spanish Reading Comprehesion

The Sparrow

https://drive.google.com/file/d/17uIN1vEBxhyXIsxTr8BH7D9nTYBPsCMJ/view?usp=drivesdk