Discover the secrets to effortless connections with 'The Art of Small Talk.' Enhance your social skills and learn to engage in captivating conversations that leave a lasting impression. Unlock the power of small talk and elevate your communication prowess today.

English Learner's Boost

The Art of Small Talk: Building Social Skills for Engaging Conversations

In this episode, I make some observations about different conversational styles among native and non-native English speakers. I am generalizing, of course, and these are just my thoughts, based on what I've experienced in my life. *

I'd love to hear what YOU think! What have you observed? 

Here are some questions you might want to talk to yourself or write about - as we reflect on the year that has ended. Maybe you want to create a short monologue by recording your thoughts in a voice memo on your phone. Or perhaps you could try writing down your ideas on your phone or on a piece of paper. Do it for 5 or 10 minutes, and don't worry about your grammar or vocabulary. Writing is a great PROCESS - an exercise where you can use your English - anywhere, anytime, without a teacher or a listener. So getting in the HABIT of writing or speaking to yourself is as important as the words you use. Over time, your skills will improve! 

---- QUESTIONS TO ANSWER -----

What does the word SUCCESS mean to you? 
What does SUCCESS LOOK LIKE to you? 
What is something you have SUCCEEDED AT?

Based on YOUR definition of success - what made 2023 a successful year for you?
What will make 2024 a successful year for you? 

And here's a THOUGHT EXPERIMENT and a WRITING EXERCISE.
Imagine it is December 31, 2024. Using past tenses, write about what made 2024 a successful year for you. (This may feel strange, but it’s a great exercise for your English and for your mind! It can be fun and transformative, too!)

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*Note - In this episode, I make the mistake of using the word "American" to refer to people from the US. This is a bad habit that I am (still) trying to break. The truth is that we are all Americans in the whole hemisphere - North and South. But, as they say, "old habits die hard" or existing patterns are hard to change. 

Hear and There

4. How we speak with others & why we should talk to ourselves

The Articles are divided into two groups: definite and indefinite articles.

DEFINITE ARTICLE
A definite article in Spanish has 4 ways of conjugation
       él, la, los, las

INDEFINITE ARTICLE
A indefinite article in Spanish has 4 ways of conjugation.
   un, una, unos, unas



Podcast Learn Spanish

Kind of articles in spanish or tipos de artículos en español

Una de las tradiciones más importantes y antiguas❗️ 
Día de los muertos en México, único e inigualable. 

Son las 5 Spanish

EP2. ¿Sabías esto sobre el día de los muerto? 💀🕯🎊

こんにちは！さゆりです。
今回のトピックは「新幹線でモバイルバッテリーが発火!?」です。
いつも聞いてくださってありがとうございます♡

你好！我是さゆり。
這次的主題是「新幹線發生行動電池火災！？」。
感謝大家一直以來的收聽♡

Hi, i'm Sayuri!
Today's topic is "Mobile Battery Fire on the Shinkansen!?".
Thank you for listening to my podcast♡

にほんごタイム🇯🇵Learn Japanese with Sayuri!

［ニュース］新幹線でモバイルバッテリーが発火!?🚄｜新幹線發生行動電池火災！？｜Power Bank Fire on the Shinkansen!?

Vaccine: 疫苗 [yì miáo]
Covid-19 vaccine新冠疫苗 xīn guàn yì miáo
Get vaccinated: 打疫苗 (colloquial)  / 接种疫苗(formal) jiē zhòng yì miáo
I'm vaccinated: 我打了疫苗。wǒ dǎ le yì miáo
I'm double vaxxed: 我打过两针疫苗。(针 is the measure word of Vaccination)
I'm triple vaxxed: 我打了三针(疫苗)。
I just got my fourth dose: 我刚打了第四针(疫苗)。
After you get vaccinated, you’ll have antibody. 抗体【kàng tǐ】
So that’s go through a short dialogue between Cara and John.
Cara: John,你打新冠疫苗了吗？John,have you get the Vaccine?
John: 我打了三针（疫苗），你呢？I'm triple vaxxed, and you？
Cara: 噢，我没有打过（疫苗）。Oh, I never Get vaccinated. 
John: 为什么？Why？
Cara: 我觉得疫苗不安全。I don't think the vaccine is safe.

Okay , that’s all for today. I hope you like the series of COIVD-19 podcasts. If you have any question or suggestion about my podcast,feel free to message me or we can discuss it in our class.Thanks for listening. If you like my podcast ,you can follow it. I’ll see you next time.我们下次节目再见。


Talk to Cara in Chinese

8. 疫苗Useful expressions of Vaccine

In this episode we will talk about 【World Cup】, you will learn how to say 【host venue,Group stage,Knockout rounds】 ect. The material helps you get used to different voice and accent. 
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不管你是不是球迷，接下来这一个多月世界杯这三个字将会充斥在你的耳边。先介绍一下背景，卡塔尔世界杯，世界杯是4年一次，这是第22届。这一次世界杯也创造了历史上的很多第一次。第一次在中东举行，第一次11月份举行，以及第一次花费如此巨大。当然这三件事情是完全关联的。由于主办地在卡塔尔，位于中东地区，气候炎热，正常举办世界杯的六七月份卡塔尔四五十度的天气显然是不适合体育运动的，所以改到了11月份。而卡塔尔为了这一届世界杯特地新建了8座超豪华的球场，100多个新的酒店，一条新的地铁以及新的机场。这让他们的总花费超过了2,200亿美金。这是什么概念呢？4年前的俄罗斯世界杯140亿美金已经是史上之最，而这次的投入直接拉大了一个量级。介绍完背景，再说一个最基础的点。本次世界杯是来自于五大洲32个不同的国家队参加的比赛，所以不同于英超、西甲、欧冠这样子的俱乐部比赛。你可能听说过的曼联、皇马、巴萨、拜仁不会参加世界杯比赛。那么第3个问题就来了，国家队这么多又没有中国队，我应该怎么看比赛呢？作为刚开始看球或者没看过球的朋友来说，那一定是看一些比较精彩的比赛或者关注度比较高的比赛，基本就等同于强队的比赛。这是目前夺冠赔率最高的十支球队，很显然他们的比赛关注度和精彩程度都相对来说会高一点。尤其是德国和西班牙，丹麦和法国还同分一组。这一届世界杯的比赛时间不算很差，当然也不算特别友好。虽然卡塔尔和咱们同属亚洲，但是还是有5个小时的时差。小组赛前两轮，还有一些时间比较友好的比赛，比如6点和9点。从小组赛第3轮开始，比赛时间相对来说就不是很好，都是晚上11点和3点这个时间点。当然了，对于老球迷来说这些时间点并不陌生。如果你只想看非常高水平的强强对话，小组赛里面为你挑出了这5场比赛。很不巧，都是比较深夜的时间，而且刚好是连续三天晚上的深夜。进入淘汰赛，基本上应该都是强强对话了。即使有可能会出现黑马，它的实力当然也会非常不俗。最后到底是哪两支球队站在12月18号的决赛赛场上，我们拭目以待。
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充斥/chōng chì/be full of
主办地/zhǔ bàn dì/host venue
史上之最/shǐ shàng zhī zuì/the most in history
量级/liàng jí/magnitude
英超/yīng chāo/English Premier League
西甲/xī jiǎ/La Liga
欧冠/ōu guàn/UEFA Champions League
曼联/màn lián/Man Utd
皇马/huáng mǎ/Real Madrid
巴萨/bā sà/Barca
拜仁/bài rén/FC Bayern
夺冠赔率/duó guàn péi lǜ/odds to win league
尤其/yóu qí/especially
同属/tóng shǔ/both belong to
强强对话/qiáng qiáng duì huà/games against the top sides
小组赛/xiǎozǔsài/Group stage
淘汰赛/táotàisài/Knockout rounds
黑马/hēimǎ/dark horses
不俗/bùsú/fairly well
拭目以待/shìmùyǐdài/wait and see

Yuli's Chinese Channel

世界杯 World Cup （Advanced level）

What should go into your IELTS speaking preparation?

Preparing for the IELTS speaking test involves several key components. Here's what you should focus on during your IELTS speaking preparation:

1. Time management:
2. Asking for feedback
3. Analyze model answers
4. Relax and breathe to calm down

There is more details in the recording and lots of tips to help you succeed. Practice listening & get ideas on how to ace your IELTS speaking test.

Please look through my schedule to see when you can train with me personally and book my available meetings now.

To Your Succeess!

IELTS-SPEAKING 8-9 BAND IS POSSIBLE. DAILY SPEAKING PRACTICE PART 1,2 & 3. Listen daily.

What should go into your IELTS speaking preparation?

Transport company Uber has announced a new service that could make it cheaper for people in the US to travel to and from the airport and other popular places.

It's called Uber Shuttle — and it's really just a bus service offered by the company.

"Whether you're a traveler, sports fan, or concertgoer, get ready because Uber Shuttle is arriving soon," said Uber's Anthony le Roux when the news was announced in the middle of May.

Uber users will be able to book up to five seats on a shuttle service to big events and airports from a central place.

It might be useful if you're at a big, out-of-town concert and there aren't enough regular Ubers or taxis, for example.

Uber's shuttles will have between 14 and 55 seats, and people will be able to book up to a week before they travel.

The company says the cost of the shuttle will be "a fraction" of the price of a regular Uber.

In one example Uber gave during the announcement, the price of the shuttle was about one-third of the price of a regular Uber.

The shuttle, which has previously been tested in India, will be available in some US cities this summer to help people travel to and from events.

As for airports, Uber has not yet said which ones the shuttle will be available at.

When it is available, users will see the shuttle as an option in their apps, and they'll be able to rate and tip shuttle drivers just like regular Uber car drivers.