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Learn Spanish with Rick.

Ahora practicamos con las consonantes más complicadas.

Escucha y repite las palabras con las siguientes letras.

La B y la V.
La LL y la Y.
La H.
La CH.
La Z.
La Ñ.
La C.
La G.
La J.

A1.1. Español básico para principantes. 

Clase 1. Pronunciacion de consonantes.

Text1
学生：师傅，你好，请带我去这个酒店。
xué shēng：shī fù，nǐ hǎo，qǐng dài wǒ qù zhè gè jiǔ diàn。
Student: Hello Shifu, please take me to this hotel.

司机：您好！请上车，请系上安全带。
sī jī ：nín hǎo! qǐng shàng chē，qǐng jìshang ānquándài !
Driver: Hello! Please get on the car and fasten your seat belt.

学生：请问，多长时间可以到？
xué shēng : qǐng wèn，duōcháng shíjiān kěyǐ dào ？
Student: May I ask how long it will take to arrive?

司机：不堵车的话，45分钟左右。
sī jī：bù dǔchē de huà ，45 fēnzhōng zuǒ yòu 。
Driver: If there is no heavy traffic, it will take about 45 minutes.

学生：好的，谢谢你！
xué shēng：hǎo de,xiè xiè nǐ ！
Student: Okay, thank you!

New words：
打车 dǎ chē：take a taxi
师傅 shī fù：master worker ; (show respect for skilled men) form of address
带 dài：bring；take
上车 shàng chē：get on/into (a car/train/etc.)
系jì：tie; fasten;
安全带 ān quán dài：safety belt
请问 qǐng wèn：Excuse me;may I ask
堵车 dǔ chē：traffic jam; heavy traffic
左右 zuǒ yòu：left/right；about

Text2
司机：您的酒店到了，您看是这里吗？
sī jī：nín de jiǔ diàn dào le,nín kàn shì zhè lǐ ma ？
Driver: Your hotel has arrived. please see if this's the place.

学生：是的，一共多少钱？
xué shēng：shì de, yī gòng duōshǎo qián ？
Student: Yes, how much does it cost in total?

出租车司机：请您看一下计价器上的费用。
 sī jī ： qǐng nín kàn yīxià jì jià qì shang de fèiyòng 。
Driver: please take a look at the fare on the meter.

学生：好的，这是钱，谢谢师傅！
xué shēng：hǎo de，zhè shì qián，xièxie shīfu ！
Student: Sure, here's the money. Thank you, Shi fu!

司机：不客气，祝您愉快，再见！
sī jī ： bù keqì，zhù nín yú kuài，zài jiàn ！
Driver: You're welcome. Have a nice day, goodbye!

New words：
这里 zhè lǐ：here
一共 yī gòng：in total；altogether
多少钱 duō shǎo qián：how much
计价器 jì jià qì：taximeter; fee meter
费用 fèi yòng：fee;cost; expense
愉快 yú kuài：happy; joyful; pleasant
看 kàn：look；see；watch



Welcome to visit China ”欢迎来中国!“

L3 在机场打车[zài jī chǎng dǎ chē]-Taking a taxi at the airport

Valerie and I conclude our discussion about moving abroad, including our tips for adapting to the local culture and learning the local language, as well as some specific advice for studying abroad in the United States.

Starting at 16:29, I explain the following vocabulary from the episode:

to make it
a work in progress
to take something with a grain of salt
to put something off
comfort zones

Brentoni's English Podcast

016 - Best Tips for a Happy Life Abroad (Part Three)

FLO TALKS 

Why people can't be themselves?

「におい」は、いい時にも嫌な時にも使います。
「香り」は、いい時にだけ使います。


Natural Nihongo Chat

#3 「におい」と「香り」ってどう違うの？

In this episode, we’ll dive into the Chinese character “末” and explore its many meanings and uses. From indicating the end of a period (like the end of the month or year) to describing the final stages of a process, "末" is a surprisingly versatile word. I’ll walk you through its different contexts and share some useful examples to help you understand its role in everyday Chinese. Tune in to learn how to use this essential character like a pro:

周末 (zhōu mò)
中文解释：一周的最后两天，通常是指星期六和星期天。
英文解释: The last two days of the week, usually referring to Saturday and Sunday.

月末 (yuè mò)
中文解释：指一个月的末尾，通常是指月的最后几天。
英文解释: The end of the month, usually referring to the last few days of a month.

年末 (nián mò)
中文解释：指一年中的最后几天，通常指12月的最后几天。
英文解释: The end of the year, usually referring to the last few days of December.

期末 (qī mò)
中文解释：指学期的最后阶段或最后考试。
英文解释: The end of a term, typically referring to the last phase of a school term or final exams.

Learn Chinese and Have Fun!

Such a Useful “End”: 末

What do you do if you see an object in a plastic bag lying around at a bus stop?

Most people would say: "Don't touch it!"

That's very good advice — most of the time.

But an object that was once found in a plastic shopping bag at a bus stop has just sold for $22.3 million at auction.

It was a painting by a great artist from Venice known as Titian. It's called The Rest on the Flight into Egypt, and it has a long and interesting history.

Although it's thought of as a masterpiece, it's one of the artist's smaller paintings. In fact, it's only 46 centimeters high and 63 centimeters wide.

Titian painted it early in the 16th century, when he was 20.

The painting, which depicts Jesus, Mary and Joseph from the Bible, has been owned by a number of rich and famous Europeans, including Austrian emperors.

It was taken from Vienna in 1809 by French soldiers, although it was later returned to the Austrian capital.

Later, it was bought by a British collector, but it was stolen in 1995.

And for seven years it was lost. After a reward of almost $130,000 was offered to anyone who could find the painting, it turned up at a London bus stop.

It had no frame when it was found by a well known art detective, but it was in quite good condition.

It had been expected to make between $19 million and $32 million at auction in London. The final amount was a new record for a Titian painting.

But that still might not be a good enough reason to go looking in plastic bags at bus stops!

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

Painting Once Found at Bus Stop Sells for $23 Million

What do you think is the most expensive place in the world to live? New York? London? Maybe Tokyo?

While Japan has long had a reputation as an expensive place to live, its cities have been getting cheaper in recent years — with some big changes coming just in the last 12 months.

American consulting company Mercer recently released its 2024 Cost of Living City Ranking, which compares the costs of over 200 items in 226 cities around the world. The results are based on a March 2024 survey, and include things like housing and transportation, as well as food, clothing and entertainment.

All five of the world's most expensive cities are unchanged from last year, with Hong Kong and Singapore again in first and second place. These two Asian cities are followed by three Swiss cities: Zurich, Geneva and Basel.

Bern, another Swiss city, has risen from seventh to sixth place, while New York City has fallen one place to seventh.

However, Tokyo has dropped 30 places to 49th — putting it right after San Juan in Puerto Rico. And Osaka has dropped 53 places to 146th — just ahead of Wuhan in China.

However, the biggest drop since last year was for Lagos in Nigeria, which fell 178 places to 225th. And the least expensive city is now Abuja, Nigeria's capital, at 226th.

Mercer wrote that many big drops were caused by changes in exchange rates. Japan's yen dropped to a 34-year low against the US dollar in March — and hit a 38-year low in early July.

The ranking was also affected by inflation — especially in housing prices — as well as increasing political uncertainty around the world.

Mercer says it's important for companies to look at its cost of living ranking when thinking about sending staff to live abroad.


