If you say that a task was "plain sailing" then it's easy to complete. You didn't have any difficulty doing it. Of course, you could also say that a task was not plain sailing, meaning that it was a bit of a challenge!

DAILY Business English VOCABULARY builder

It's a beautiful day to go sailing!

Acha que todos os brasileiros se cumprimentam com abraços e beijos? Não é assim que funciona. No Brasil, a forma como você interage fisicamente ao dizer "Oi'" ou se despedir pode depender do gênero e até mesmo da sexualidade. De soquinhos a beijos e abraços, essas saudações não são tão universais quanto você imagina. A maneira como elas tendem a acontecer entre os homens heterossexuais brasileiros é o que pode fazer você repensar o que sabe sobre cumprimentar alguém na cultura brasileira. Assista para aprender algumas regras sociais sutis por trás das saudações brasileiras.

WS Português

Você está errado sobre beijos e abraços no Brasil?

Live, raw, and uncut footage of English learners. Can you spot the mistakes?

AngliaEnglish

Doing things we love

こんにちは、Mikaです
このポッドキャストでは私の日々の出来事を通して、
日本語をより身近に楽しく感じてもらえたら嬉しいです。
短い間ですがリラックスした気分でどうぞお付き合いください。

知っている人もたくさんいると思いますが、実は7月3日から日本のお札のデザインが新しくなりました！
お札のデザインが変わるのは20年ぶりになりますが
もちろん今まで使っていたデザインのお札も使うことができます。
日本では約20年ごとにデザインが変更されていて、今までに53種類のお札が発行されています。
新しいお札のデザインは1万円札・5千円札・千円札と3種類ありますが
この新しいお札にデザインされている人達を簡単に説明します。

まず1万円札には 「渋沢栄一・しぶさわ えいいち」という人がデザインされています。
彼は日本の実業家であり、日本で初めて銀行を設立した人です。
そして現在の 「東京証券取引所・とうきょう しょうけん とりひきじょ」を設立し
「日本経済の父」と呼ばれています。
まさに日本の経済を作った人ですね。

そして5千円札には 「津田梅子・つだ うめこ」という人がデザインされています。
彼女は現在の「津田塾大学・つだじゅく だいがく」を創立した人です。
約150年前に女性初の留学生の1人として6歳でアメリカへ留学しました。
11年間アメリカで療育を受けた後に帰国して
35歳で現在の東京にある 「津田塾大学」を創立しました。
彼女は今の日本女性の社会進出のきっかけを作った貴重な人ですね。

そして最後の千円札にはちょっと怖そうな男の人がデザインされていますが
彼の名前は「北里柴三郎・きたざと しばさぶろう」といって
世界で初めて「破傷風菌・はしょうふうきん」という「菌の培養・きんの ばいよう」に成功した人です。
そしてその治療法を確立するなど伝染病の予防に大きな功績を上げた世界的な「細菌学者・さいきんがくしゃ」です。
その功績の大きさから、日本における「近代医学の父・きんだいいがくの ちち」とも呼ばれています。

この3名が新しい日本のお札の「顔」になります。
日本で新しいお札を使うときには是非日本らしいデザインや印刷技術にも注目してみてくださいね。

それでは今日も笑顔の多い一日を！
またね～


mika's whisper talk

Vol.6  日本のお札が新しくなりました！ / Japan’s banknotes have been updated!

Are you into bullet journaling or any sort of journaling?
I'm into bullet journals :) 

111 Tips for Learning a Language 

Tip 10 - Jot down your progress in a journal

Describe a story somebody told you and you remember

You should say:

Who told you the story
What the story was about
Why do you remember it

And explain how you felt about it.







“I guess I probably heard many stories back when I was a little kid, but the one that has always stuck in my mind is a story my grandfather told me when I was maybe about 7 or 8 years of age. My grandfather, who was an incredibly kind and loving person was however,  a man of few words…but when he had something to say, it was usually something worth remembering, and something very interesting about his own life growing up back in the day.

I remember it was Christmas time when he told me this story about his life, when he was about the same age as I was at the time, and how life was so different back then. He told me how when he was growing up, the family were very hard up and often strapped for cash, and were not able to have a proper Christmas dinner like most families today. 

He went on to tell me how both of his parents had to work every god given hour, pinching every penny, so they could just put enough food to survive on the table.

It’s a story I have always remembered, and often think about, even today. It reminds me of how lucky and privileged I was growing up, in a pretty well off family, never wanting for anything. I still feel thankful to this day, when i stop to think of the sacrifices that my grandparents and their parents before them had to make so we can live the lives we have today.


Thank you…”


IELTS 85 Speaking

Describe a story somebody told you and you remember

Enjoy the fourteenth episode of Culture To Grow, which allows you to travel the world from the comfort of your home, your car, or if you are still half asleep in your bed.

In this episode, you will hear from guests diving into the delightful realm of breakfasts hearing stories from China, India, Iran, & Russia! 

So grab your cup of coffee or tea, settle in, and let's embark on a mouthwatering adventure of Breakfast Around the World! 

China -  Soup Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao) 1:38 
India - Potato Flatbread (Aloo Paratha) 2:30 
Iran - Bread, White Cheese, & Walnuts 3:23 
Russia -  Sandwiches, Bold/Fried Eggs, & Porridge 4:07

Culture To Grow

Episode 14: Breakfast Around the World: A Global Morning Adventure!

In this story, a snowman named Jingle is a selfish husband whose job is more important than his marriage. This is Part 4 of 5. 

The dance group had met in the morning for a quick rehearsal. Today was their last day to practice before the big show. 

Even though the other dancers commented that it was already good enough, Jingle and the winking snowwoman worked very hard on their close embrace. 

Then, while everyone was packing up, getting ready to go distribute their flyers… 

Ding-ding ding-ding 

The ringing came from behind Jingle. He said, “Ugh… Doesn’t Candy know how stressed I am? What does she want now?” 

He turned, but instead of his wife, he saw his snowman neighbour. Confused, Jingle went over to talk. 

“You look disturbed,” said Jingle. 

“It’s Candy. She’s been hit by a car.” 

Jingle was shocked. He noticed the neighbour was holding a candy cane. 

“This is her cane. I picked it up after the accident. I immediately called an ambulance and she was taken straight to the hospital. It’s bad, Jingle, really bad. Come with me, let’s go together.” 

Jingle hesitated. He looked at the candy cane, then at the dance group in the distance. Then back at the candy cane. 

“Thank you for bringing me this. But I can’t go with you. I’ve got to distribute these flyers today. It’s our last chance, and the whole group is counting on me. They need me. Tell Candy I’ll be there after work.” 


Being a Cloud

Jingle the Snowman

Before you take your IELTS speaking exam don’t you think it would be a a good idea to know what the examiners are looking for? What’s the difference between a band 5 and a band 6 ? What do you have to do to get a band 7 ? Why do some people get band 8? What’s the difference between a 7 and 8, or the difference between 8 and 9? IELTS examiners mark your work according to 4 different skills, or criteria. The first is 'fluency and coherence'. This podcast teaches you the key differences between different band scores when examiners mark your speaking test according to fluency and coherence.
