MEG: Well, hello there, Julia! Long time no see!

JULIA: Meg! Hi! What a coincidence! I haven’t seen you in ages! What are you doing here?

MEG: I just got a new job in the city, so I’m shopping for some clothes. Hey, what do you think of this shirt?

JULIA: Hmmm … well, you know how much I love blue. See? I’ve got the same shirt!

MEG: You always did have good taste! What a small world.

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

Coincidences 

From Miami to global travel, discover the story behind why I keep coming back to the classroom.

Real English Skills

Meet Your Teacher

How do we make an apology in Chinese? 
对不起[duì bù qǐ]，抱歉 [bào qiàn]  /不好意思 [bù hǎo yì si]

If you bump into someone else on the street. you can say: 抱歉/不好意思/对不起
I'm sorry for being late 抱歉我迟到了。/对不起我迟到了。/不好意思我迟到了。
Sorry I didn’t hear you. 抱歉/不好意思/对不起，我没有听到你说的话。
Sorry, could you repeated it again? 抱歉/不好意思/对不起，你可以重新说一遍吗？

really sorry  很抱歉 [hěn bào qiàn]， 很 means very
I'm really sorry for being late. 很抱歉我迟到了。

You also can say 非常抱歉/非常不好意思 [fēi cháng]，非常 also means very, extremely; highly
I'm really sorry for being late.非常抱歉/非常不好意思我迟到了。

Cara：I’m really sorry, is your car okay？非常不好意思，你的车有没有事？ 
The driver：It’s okay, you can go. 没事，你可以走了。

It’s okay in Chinese, 没事[méi shì]/没关系[méi guān xi]
It's OK. Don't worry about it. 没关系，不要放在心上。

At the end of today, I’ll leave you with a question:  can we say 非常对不起? Could you try to make a sentence？

Okay , that’s all for today. Thanks for listening. If you like my podcast ,you can subscribe to it. and If you have any question or suggestion about my podcast, feel free to message me or we can discuss it in our class. I’ll see you next time.我们下次节目再见。


Talk to Cara in Chinese

10. 道歉 make an apology

Привет, друзья! Это мой подкаст «По-русски легко»! Поговорим о различиях в социальном взаимодействии русских и французов.
Когда я изучала французский язык и готовилась к экзамену DELF B2, то мой преподаватель сказал, что я грубый человек. Он сказал, что я не соблюдаю правила вежливости. И не использую французские формулы вежливости (Je n'utilise pas les formules de politesse françaises). Почему? Потому что мы, русские, не говорим так много длинных вежливых фраз, как французы. Чтобы поблагодарить, мы говорим: «Спасибо!» или «Большое спасибо!». И этого достаточно. Если мы хотим выразить недовольство качеством услуг или написать претензию, то мы никогда не благодарим контрагента за хорошую работу. И это логично. Если мы недовольны тем, как работает контрагент, почему мы должны говорить «спасибо»?
В обычной жизни, когда мы выражаем отказ, то тоже не говорим много вежливых слов. Но поверьте, этого достаточно, чтобы быть вежливым в России.
Например, мы можем сказать: СпасИ́бо, не нУ́жно (Spasybo, nie noujno). Merci, pas besoin.
СпасИ́бо, нет. (Spasybo, niet). Merci, non.
ИзвинИ́, сейчА́с я не могУ́. (Yzvyny, ya seytchas nie mogou).  Désolé, je ne peux pas en ce moment.
Мне жА́ль, но Э́то невозмО́жно.  (Mnie jal, no eto nievozmojno). Désolé, mais ce n’est pas possible. 
Я устА́л. Может, потО́м? (Ya oustal. Mojet, potom?). Je suis fatigué. Peut-être plus tard?
ИзвинИ́, но я сейчА́с О́чень зА́нят. (Yzvyny, no ya seytchas otchen zanyat). Désolé, mais je suis très occupé.
Надеюсь, вам было интересно немного узнать о русской вежливости. Желаю вам успехов в изучении русского языка!

По-русски легко!

Вежливый отказ по-русски

В этом подкасте я рассказываю о разности поколений. Приятного прослушивания!

Привет, это Наташа!

Эпизод 27. Такие разные поколения.

Metti alla prova il tuo italiano con questo racconto breve!
Challenge yourself with this Italian short story!

Today's episode is a bit special: try to understand the ministory I'll tell, practice your comprehension skills and learn new words.

Useful links *** Learn Italian from scratch https://cocai-italiano.com/ Have a private lesson with me https://teach.italki.com/teacher/6679324 More content https://linktr.ee/Cocaiitaliano


Transcript

C'era una volta un topolino di nome Tommaso che viveva in una piccola tana nel bosco. Tommaso era un topolino molto curioso e sempre alla ricerca di avventure. Un giorno, decise di esplorare il mondo al di fuori della sua tana.
Camminò per molte ore, superando montagne e attraversando fiumi, fino a quando non vide un grande castello. Era così affascinato dal castello che decise di entrarci. Una volta all'interno, incontrò un re che aveva bisogno di aiuto per trovare un tesoro nascosto.
Tommaso accettò l'incarico e cominciò a cercare il tesoro. Esplorò ogni angolo del castello, ma non riusciva a trovare nulla. Ad un certo punto, incontrò una vecchia volpe che gli disse che il tesoro era nascosto sotto un albero nel cortile del castello.
Tommaso corse fuori dal castello e trovò l'albero. Scavò sotto di esso e c’era il tesoro! Era così felice che decise di dividerlo con il re. Il re era così grato che offrì a Tommaso una ricompensa, ma Tommaso rifiutò, dicendo che l'avventura e la scoperta del tesoro erano già una ricompensa sufficiente.
Allora il topolino tornò nella sua tana, pieno di gioia e con molte storie da raccontare ai suoi amici. E da quel giorno in poi, visse una vita piena di avventure e scoperte.
Fine.

Vediamo ora le domande. Ci sarà un momento di silenzio in cui potrai provare a rispondere:

Chi è Tommaso?
Cosa decide di fare un giorno?
Chi incontra?
Cosa gli chiede di fare il re?
Chi aiuta Tommaso a trovare il tesoro?
Dove è il tesoro?


3 minutes Italian

Mini storia in italiano - 3 minutes Italian

W tym odcinku opowiem wam o tym co możecie robić na Roztoczu. Dzisiaj nauczycie się takich wyrażeń jak: jeździć na rowerze, pływać kajakiem, spacerować po lesie, siedzieć przy ognisku i wiele innych. Oczywiście dzięki podcastom możecie również powtórzyć gramatykę  i wcale nie musi to być nudne :) 
Na przykład, pamiętacie, że powiedziałam:
jeździć po lesie, jeździć po ulicy
Który to jest przypadek?
Tak, to jest miejscownik. Zapamiętajcie jeździć/chodzić po ulicy, lesie, łące, śniegu + miejscownik.
A teraz spróbujcie zrobić quiz.
Jeśli chcielibyście transkrypcję i ćwiczenia proszę napiszcie do mnie. 
Dziękuję za uwagę i do usłyszenia :)


Polish is fun with Anka

Roztocze - część 2 

Negotiations are a dance – a balance between collaboration and advocating for your position. Confidence is, of course, key, and the language you use plays a crucial role in conveying it. 

Here's how to harness the power of words in three key areas:

1. Framing & Highlighting Value:

Start Strong: Open with a positive, confident statement that positions your value. Instead of "We're happy to discuss this opportunity," try "Our solution has a proven track record of increasing sales by X%."

Focus on Benefits: Shift the conversation from features to the benefits your offer brings. Don't just say "Our software is user-friendly," explain how it "streamlines workflows and saves your team time."

2. Concession Language with Strength:

Conditional Agreements: Acknowledge their points without conceding defeat. Use phrases like "That's a valid concern. To address it, we can offer..." This shows you're listening while steering the discussion.

"We Can" vs. "We Might": Use strong verbs that project confidence. "We can offer a discount for a bulk order" sounds more assured than "We might be able to consider a discount."

3. Closing the Deal with Clarity:

Active Voice & Ownership: Phrases like "We propose a contract with..." sound stronger than "Perhaps we could have a contract."

Summarize & Confirm: Recap key points and confirm next steps. End with "By finalizing the contract today, we can begin implementation next week"

Confident language isn't about aggression; it's about clear, persuasive communication. By strategically using these tips, you'll project confidence, effectively advocate for your value, and navigate negotiations with power and professionalism.