Ordering food will be one of your first things to do in China, and also something you are forced to learn very quickly in the beginning of your Chinese learning journey. Today we will not teach you the basics such as ‘wo3yao4…’. Instead we will level up your ordering game and nudge you to become a more confident and native-like speaker, and work your way around all kinds of questions and problems at a restaurant. Let’s go!

Chillchat (Learn Chinese and Chill)

Ordering Food at a Restaurant: No CASH payment? No MENU? Time to UP Your Ordering Game!

In today's short episode, I will talk in slow Russian about myself, where I'm from, where do I live, my family and  my hobbies. 

In Russian From Afar

A1 - About myself - Russian for Beginners with Sergey

【スクリプト】
こんにちは～！マルハバ！サウジの日本語の先生、佳子です＾＾
みなさんー！お元気ですかー？私は絶好調です！息子を送った後にちょっとランニングしたからでしょうか、体が軽い！私が住んでいる地域では最近、朝8時で27度くらいありますが、日差しがまだ弱いのでランニングできます！30度超えるとなかなか難しくなるので、朝涼しいうちに朝ランを楽しみたいと思います♪
今日はスーパーであったちょっとめんどくさい出来事から学んだことについて話したいと思います。1週間前にスーパーで自分の朝食用に「ココア＆ヘーゼルナッツスプレッド」を購入しました。スーパーに行く1週間以上前にいろんなスーパーのチラシ広告が見れるアプリで、どこかで見つけて気になっていました。その日スーパーでその商品の割引がありました。「ピーナッツバターの割引が最近あんまりなくて切れそうだし、ヌテラよりヘルシーそうだから買ってみるか」と思って、ほぼ衝動買いみたいな感じで買いました。帰宅して、夫に「新しいの試してみる？ココア＆ヘーゼルナッツだから、ヌテラよりヘルシーそうでしょ？」と伝えたら、「ヌテラと一緒だよ。ヌテラのほうが絶対美味しいよ。」と言われました。「食べたことないのになんでヌテラのほうが美味しいってわかるの？」と思いましたが、私はヌテラもほぼ同じ材料でできてるとは知らず、単にチョコレートスプレッドだと思っていました。そしてなぜか「ココア」と書かれているとヘルシーだと思い込んでいました。ヌテラは夫が息子の特別な時のために購入しました。もちろん、体に良くないことはわかっているので、月に数回しかあげません。ヌテラと同じなら買う意味がないと思い、返品することにしました。しかも、あとでチラシアプリを見たらほかの店のほうが安いことに気づきました。
今日スーパーに行くと、朝早かったからか、以前返品手続したサービスカウンターにスタッフがいない。商品を卸しているスタッフに「返品はどこでできる？」と聞くと、「うーん、レジかな？」というあいまいな返答が返ってきたので、とりあえず、レジですることに。レジのサウジ人の女性に「Return&Refund」と言って、レシートを付けた商品を渡しました。いつも購入の際は会員限定ディスカウントのために電話番号が聞かれます。彼女に電話番号を聞かれたあと、クレジットカード読み取り機を差し出されました。「ん？前は現金で返金されたんだけどな」と思い、「Refund by card?」と聞くと、「うん、うん」みたいな返答。半信半疑ながらもスキャンしました。でもレシートを見ると払った感じ。いったん外に出ましたが、やっぱりおかしいと思って、オフィスにいるスタッフに聞きました。私は今日また支払ったようでした。今日は特に買いたいものもなかったので、往復とスーパーの滞在時間を含め20分以上のロスでした。
今回の件で学んだこと①普段買わないものは事前によく確認してから購入する。そしてチラシアプリで値段比較。②手続きはいつもの場所と方法で。③念のために返金返品などお店のレジで使えるアラビア語を覚える。
たまにお店のレジには英語がわからない人もいるので、基本的なフレーズは話せたほうがいいですね。

それでは、今日のフレーズを確認しましょう～！
今日のフレーズは「衝動買い」です。「衝動買い」とは「買う予定がなかったものをその場の欲しいという気持ちだけでよく考えずに買ってしまうこと。」です。私は今回、ヌテラなどの類似商品との比較や他店との値段の比較をよくしないまま購入してしまいました。これからは気になったものは来店前に調べます♪

それではまた、マアッサラーマ！


Japanese with Yoshiko（スクリプト付）

第42回：失敗から学んだこと~What I learned from the mistake~

1) Translate new words using a dictionary: 

Cola - 
Enfermero –
Joven –
Lento –
Peluquero –
Salón de belleza – 
Estar casado/soltero –
Pasar – 
Tener prisa –

2) Listen to the dialogue and try to answer the questions: 

¿De dónde son los chicos?
¿En qué trabaja el chico de Alcalá de Henares?
¿En qué trabaja la otra chica?
¿Tienen hijos?
¿Y tú? ¿En qué trabajas? ¿Te gusta tu profesión?

3) Read the dialogue and find the answers to the questions that caused you difficulty:

–        ¡Cuánta gente! La cola va muy lenta…
–        Ya.
–        Soy de Toledo, mi autobús sale a las 16.00. Voy a llegar tarde.
–        Yo vivo más cerca. Soy de Alcalá de Henares. Pero tengo mucho trabajo para hoy.
–        ¿Dónde trabajas?
–        Aquí, en Madrid. Trabajo en un hospital. Soy enfermero. Y tú, ¿En qué trabajas?
–        Soy peluquero. Tengo mi salón de belleza. Además, tengo 2 hijos y ahora están con sus abuelos.
–        ¡Ah! ¡Qué bien! Yo no estoy casado, no tengo hijos.
–        Ah no?
–        Bueno, si tienes mucha prisa, pasa tú primero.
–        ¡Muchas gracias!

See you in the class!

Método Tati

Chatting to a stranger

Are you preparing TOPIK test?
As you know well, you should practice [reading], [listening] and [writing] to prepare for the TOPIK II.
So I'd like to introduce in particular how I can get help or any way to prepare for [writing] of TOPIK II.

You have to prepare a total of 4 TOPIK II questions.

The quesions are as follows.
Number 51 is writing Practical sentences.
Number 52 is writing Descriptive sentences.
Number 53 is writing a P Describing Data.
Number 54 is writing on a Given topic.
You should prepare and practice these questions types.

The first type of question I will introduce is number 51.
No. 51 contains writing contents such as invitations, notices, and text messages.
You should write a sentence into the ( blank ) in the given writing composed of 4 to 8 sentences.
It is recommended to use words and grammar above the intermediate level.
Considering the time, number 51 should be completed in 5 minutes.

Let's take a look at some strategies for writing answers faster and more accurately now.
The process for No. 51 is as follows.
Strategy 1. Skimming
Skim through the question to the end to find the purpose of the writing.

Strategy 2. Remembering the Formality of Writing
Check the sentence final endings and usage of the casual/formal speech.

Strategy 3. Guessing
Understand the context from the preceding and followig sentences and guess what to write for the answer.

Strategy 4. Correcting Errors
Finally, check it there are any mistakes such as spelling errors or the wrong usage of postpositions and modify them.

You should also check your frequently used grammar and expressions.
1. A request
(1) V-아/어 주십시오.
(2) V-기 바랍니다.

2. plan
(1) V-(으)려고 합니다.
(2) V-고자 합니다.

3. ask
(1) 구합니다.
(2) 찾습니다. 

Through this process, you will be able to understand number 51 more naturally.
If you want to study more detailed and diverse grammar, expressions, and questions together, come to my class.

Reading Korea.

How do prepare well for the writing test of TOPIK II?

わたしのおすすめ日本ドラマについてお話ししました😊

Nihongo Hiyori | Japanese Podcast

#120 おすすめのドラマ My Favorite TV Drama Series

Hello and welcome to my new podcast channel The Conversation. This channel will focus on Business news articles and current affairs aimed at B2-C2 English level students. 

If you have any suggestions on topics you will would me to cover please feel free to leave me a comment below.

The Conversation

The Conversation Introduction Episode 

The Work from Home, Remote Working, and Telecommuting Handbook: Updated Edition (section) - Written and Narrated by JR Public Speaking

A huge number of workers today must work remotely to survive in today's economy...are you ready? 

The Work from Home, Remote Working, and Telecommuting Handbook is a compact and definitive guide to working from home, remote work, and telecommuting in the 2020 decade and beyond. Today, an unprecedented number of workers have suddenly been tasked with working from off-site and home locations. But working from home or telecommuting is not just an issue of taking a laptop and working from home. 

Learn about the techniques, benefits, and pitfalls that employees, freelancers, "solo-preneurs", and digital nomads need to know before viably undertaking remote work, including:

* The trends in remote work today, and projections for the future
* How to select and equip a remote work space
* Hardware and furniture required to work away from the office
* Software applications designed to support and manage productivity when working at home or away from the office
* Psychological benefits - and pitfalls - related to working away from an office environment
* A practical handbook, with a useful chapter of online and remote working resources at your fingertips

Created by award-winning multimedia and content producer and speaking coach Jason Rosette, aka JR Public Speaking, who has been working remotely for more than 15 years. The Work from Home, Remote Working, and Telecommuting Handbook is a must-have guide for any remote worker or telecommuter to add to their arsenal of knowledge in today's uncertain and distributed working environment.

Teacher JR Public Speaking's Podcast Wonderworld

The Work from Home, Remote Working, and Telecommuting Handbook: Updated Edition (Audio Version) - Written and Narrated by JR Public Speaking

Your Inner Saboteur is STEALING Your Profits (and Maybe Your Life!)

Self-sabotage. Sounds fluffy, right? WRONG. It’s the silent killer of success… and it’s likely rotting your English skills from the inside out.

Let’s get brutally honest. You’re doing this:

You’re playing horror movies in your head…

Picturing yourself stumbling, looking like a fool in front of clients.
Hearing your voice crack, sounding like a stumbling idiot.
Seeing yourself freeze, unable to string two words together.
Worst of all: Imagining the smirks, the laughter, the humiliation… so you just “leave the party” before it even starts.
Sound familiar? Maybe not that dramatic, but you’re doing some version of this. STOP. This shit is costing you EVERYTHING.

Every botched presentation, every lost client, every missed opportunity because you’re letting your inner critic run the show… that’s money ripped right out of your bank account. It’s years off your career. It’s a LIFE unfulfilled.

On my latest podcast, I expose exactly how you’re “beating yourself up” with your English—so you can finally understand what NOT to do and start getting paid what you’re worth.

Here’s what you’ll discover:

The hidden ways your negative self-talk is costing you deals.
How to silence the inner critic and unleash your authentic voice.
Proven strategies to build unstoppable confidence in any English situation.
This isn’t some feel-good therapy session. This is about money, power, and control.

Click to listen to the podcast NOW and take control of your English, your career, and your life.

P.S. Ready to stop playing small and finally dominate your industry with your English skills? Let’s talk. Book a private, one-on-one consultation with me, and let’s map out your path to unstoppable English success. 