I explain what language learning research says about the best way to learn English without painful grammar study. 

Painless English

How to Learn English without Grammar Study

工具人gōng jù rén  literally means "tool person," referring to someone who is like a tool—used by others to fulfill tasks or solve problems. However, this term carries a playful or self-deprecating tone rather than a serious accusation.

Learn Chinese with Hot Topics

工具人gōng jù rén

This episode is a companion to Chapter 2 of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. This short podcast highlights some of the themes and vocabulary from this chapter, and it also shares a fun quote.

Here are the vocabulary words from this chapter covered in this episode:

1. isolated (adj.) – not near to other places or people
2. thunderstruck (adj.) – amazed or surprised
3. apparition (n.) – a ghost or ghostlike image of a person
4. cumbersome (adj.) – large or heavy and therefore difficult to carry or use;
unwieldy
5. indulgently (adv.) – in a way that allows someone to have or do what they
want
6. acquaintance (n.) a person that you have met but do not know well

If you would like to join the The Little Prince book club, please feel free to DM me and I will be happy to share more information! 🌟

Book Club: The Little Prince

Let's Explore The Little Prince: Chapter 2

En el episodio de esta semana te voy a enseñar diferentes maneras en las que podemos expresar sentimientos en español. Las formas que vas a aprender en este episodio son un poquito más avanzadas que las típicas, “estoy contenta”, “estoy muy triste”.... Y te van a ayudar a subir el nivel de tus conversaciones en español.

Espero, como siempre, que disfrutes el episodio. Después de escucharlo, me harías un gran favor si dejaras una valoración al podcast en la plataforma desde donde lo escuchas.


Blanca to go 

144 – Sentimientos avanzados

Crea historias con verbos irregulares en 5 tiempos verbales para que aprendas a dominar y memorizar estos verbos más fácil. 
En este episodio te daré como ejemplo una pequeña historia en la que he usado Pasado, Presente, Futuro y Condicional Simple, con el fin que identifiques más fácil los verbos irregulares en sus 5 tiempos.
Al final del episodio te dejaré 3 opciones de verbos irregulares en primera persona para que crees tu historia usando uno de los verbos que te he dejado, ya sea, VENIR, SER O QUERER

 Exact minute where I say the correct use of the verbs in each tense: 4:03 

VERBO VENIR= Yo vengo, venía, vine, vendré, vendría 
VERBO SER= Yo soy, era, fui, seré, sería 
VERBO QUERER= Yo quiero, quería, quise, querré, querría 

Aprendiendo a lo Smart 

Domina verbos IRREGULARES con historias en español

Este es un episodio, como otros anteriores, sobre el vocabulario y los temas que suelen aparecer en el DELE B2 y C1. En este caso es un episodio sobre el alquiler de vivienda.

DELE exam (B2-C1)

20. Vocabulario: alquiler de vivienda

BLESSING IN DISGUISE

Meaning: an apparent misfortune that eventually has good results.

“It was a blessing in disguise that the boss got caught in traffic.
It meant we got to be fully prepared for the presentation.”

A STONE’S THROW

Meaning: a short distance

“My new office is just a stone’s throw from my house. It only
takes me 10 minutes to get to work now!”

ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS

Meaning: what someone 'does' is more important than what someone 'says'

“Dmitry, actions speak louder than words. Stop telling me you
will put your plan into action and just do it!”

ADD INSULT TO INJURY

Meaning: to act in a way that makes a bad or displeasing situation worse.

“Anna hadn’t prepared for her presentation at all. The fact
that she rocked up half an hour late added insult to injury.”

ALL EARS

Meaning: to be listening eagerly and attentively.

“I’m sorry I didn’t have time to listen to your proposal earlier,
Sergei. Now I’m all ears. Fire away!”

BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE

Meaning:  following the wrong course of action because a persons beliefs or ideas about something are incorrect.

“Susanna seems to think I told her boss she went home early
on Friday. She’s barking up the wrong tree. I think it was Julie.”

BEATING AROUND THE BUSH

Meaning: to discuss a matter without getting to the point.

“Stop beating around the bush and get to the point!”

Business English Idioms and Phrases

001 Business Idioms and Phrases

Would you like to learn how to greet people in the UK? This episode focuses on British English greetings specifically, but many of them can still be used when speaking English all over the world. Let's talk about them now...

Words & phrases used in this episode:
- Hello! / Hi! 
- Morning! 
- Y'alright? (A combination of 'you' and 'alright')
- How are you? 

Conversational English With Josh 

British English Greetings

Full transcript: https://japanesemayuna.com/

はい、こんにちは。今回はポッドキャストのシーズン２の１回目です。シーズン１の最終回は７月でしたから、３ヶ月ぐらいお休みしていたことになります。お休みしている間にも、Youtubeでチャンネル登録者数が増えていました。どうもありがとうございます。

Hello. This is my podcast episode 1 of season 2. The last episode of season 1 was in July, so I was on a break for about three months. Even while I was on a break, the number of subscribers to my Youtube channel increased. Thank you very much.

この３ヶ月、私は何をしていたかというと、大学の入学準備を進めていました。私は大学で美術を勉強しましたが、もう一度大学に行って、今度は教育学を勉強することにしました。教育学では、教育史や、心理学や、社会学など、先生になるための勉強をします。京都に教育学で有名な大学があります。私は現在大阪に住んでいて、京都に電車で一時間ぐらいで行けるので、そこに行くことにしました。大学の授業はほとんどオンラインなので、仕事を続けながら受けることができます。大学は今月始まったばかりです。

What I have been doing for the past three months is preparing to go to university. Before, I studied art at university, but I have decided to go to university again, this time to study education. In education, I study the history of education, psychology, sociology, etc., in order to become a teacher. There is a university in Kyoto that is famous for education studies. I currently live in Osaka and can get to Kyoto by train in about an hour, so I have decided to go there. Most of the university’s classes are online, so I can take them while continuing to work. The university classes just started this month.

大学ではたくさん本を読んで、レポートを書かなければいけません。レポートは3000字ぐらい必要です。私は今、教育原論についての本を読んでいます。この本は、私が行っている大学の教授が書いた本です。この本には、教育というシステムがどのように始まったかとか、どこの国でどんな教育が行われたかなどが書いてあります。ヨーロッパや日本の教育の歴史を勉強します。そして、現代の教育の課題について考えます。現代の教育では、貧富の差や、社会的マイノリティーへの教育、不登校などが問題になっています。「貧富の差」とは、お金持ちの人と貧乏な人のギャップのことです。「不登校」とは、生徒が学校に行かないことです。
