A brief history of Venezuelan food called: Hallaca. It is very common to eat it at Christmas in the Caribbean country. The hallaca is very similar to the tamale, so many times people confuse them, but their preparation and origins may be somewhat different.

Narrated with a Venezuelan accent.*

Spanish Audio bites

Hallaca o tamal

Thanks to Jerome for being such a great guest!!!

Alexis : https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/9464070
Jerome: https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/4075458

Hey Alexis!

Motivation in 2025!🤩

Are you stuck at IELTS 5.5 or 6.0? Tired of hearing the same advice but seeing no progress? In this episode, I break down the real reasons why your IELTS Speaking and Writing scores aren’t improving — and what you need to change today.

Having worked with hundreds of IELTS candidates, especially from China, I know the common mistakes:

Short, unnatural answers

Overly formal language

Repetitive vocabulary

Relying on memorized idioms instead of natural English

🚫 Why IELTS strategies alone won’t help
🚫 Why tips, templates, and endless mock tests aren't enough
✅ Why 200+ hours of active practice is the real key to moving from Band 6 to Band 7
✅ How authentic English practice and honest feedback will help you improve faster

What you'll learn in this episode:

The truth about IELTS progress (based on Cambridge research)

Why many candidates from China (and globally) misunderstand how IELTS works

How IELTS measures real-world communication skills, not your ability to memorize exam hacks

The mindset shift you need if you’re serious about Band 7+

🎧 Listen now and get clear, no-nonsense advice on how to improve your IELTS score — from someone who’s helped students worldwide achieve success.

If you want a transcript for this episode, go to www.theenglishnative.com

Kev's English Podcast

 Kev's English Podcast – Episode 32 Why You're Stuck at IELTS Band 6 (and How to Finally Reach Band 7)

A famous tale from Persian literature is read and explained by Ali. 

Simple Farsi with Ali

Story; Read and Explained

小丽：下个月我去旅游，你能跟我一起去么？
小刚：我还没想好呢，你觉得哪最好玩？
小丽：南方啊，我们去年就是这个时候去的。
小刚;南方太热了，北方好一点，不冷也不热。

HSK3

HSK3-1-Text3

In this episode of #MustWatch TV series/movies I would like to recommend Extraction, an action-packed action movie. Watch it and let me know what you think of it.

#MustWatch TV Series/Movies

#MustWatch Extraction(Movies)

Full transcript: https://japanesemayuna.com/

はい、こんにちは。今回はポッドキャストの20回目です。寒い日が続いていますが、近所の公園では桜が満開です。桜が咲くと、公園に人が増えます。桜は綺麗ですが、咲いている期間がとても短いです。桜の花は、１年の間に２週間ぐらいしか見ることができません。咲き始めてから１週間経つと、だんだん花が散っていきます。寒い日や、天気の悪い日が続くと、もっと早く散ってしまうこともあります。せめて１ヶ月ぐらい咲いていてほしいですね。

Hi, this is the podcast episode 20. It's been cold, but the cherry blossoms are in full bloom in my neighbourhood park. When the cherry blossoms bloom, more people come to the park. Cherry blossoms are beautiful, but they are in bloom for a very short time. The flowers can only be seen for about two weeks during the year. After a week of blooming, the flowers gradually fall off. If the weather is cold or bad, they may fall even faster. I would like to see them in bloom for at least a month.

春になると、スーパーにいろいろな果物が置かれます。この時期に一番目立つ場所にあるのは、いちごです。最近、白いいちごもよく見かけます。「見かける」とは、見るつもりがなくても、見ることです。白いいちごは、品種改良によって作られています。「品種改良」とは、人間が植物や動物の新しい種類を作ることです。いちごは、アントシアニンという成分によって赤くなります。白いいちごは、品種改良でアントシアニンが消されています。日本では、色の他にも、サイズを大きくしたり、味を甘くしたりするために、果物の品種改良が行われています。

In spring, a variety of fruits are placed in supermarkets. Strawberries have the most prominent place at this time of year. Lately, white strawberries have also Mikakeru frequently. “Mikakeru” (see) means to look at them even when you don't intend to. White strawberries are the result of Hinsyu-kairyou. “Hinsyu-kairyou” (breeding) is the process by which humans create new varieties of plants and animals. Strawberries turn red because of anthocyanins. White strawberries have anthocyanins removed by Hinsyu-kairyou. In Japan, in addition to colour, fruit Hinsyu-kairyou has also been done to increase size and sweeten the taste.

春なので、環境が変わる人も増えていますね。ずっと一緒に勉強してきた生徒さんが、テストに合格したり、日本で新しい仕事が決まった話を聞くので、とても嬉しいです。言語の勉強で一番大事なことは、使い続けることだと思います。文法や単語を覚えることも大事ですが、毎週一緒に会話ができる人がいると、自信がつきます。自信がつくと、いろいろなチャンスに出会えます。まだオンラインで授業を受けたことがない人は、ぜひ始めてみてください。私は最近、新しいレッスンのアイデアを考えています。記事は４月から再開する予定です。

Japanese Lessons with Mayuna

20. 桜と白いいちご

Mother's Day is coming! Here share you  a  poem of Tong Dynasty  on mother.
游子吟      jau4 zi2 jam4
唐   孟郊   tong4   maang6 gaau1
慈母手中线， ci4 mou5 sau2 zung1 sin3
游子身上衣。jau4 zi2 san1 soeng6 ji1
临行密密缝，lam4 hang4 mat6 mat6 fung4
意恐迟迟归。ji3 hung2 ci4 ci4 gwai1
谁言寸草心，seoi4 jin4 cyun3 cou2 sam1
报得三春晖。bou3 dak1 saam1 ceon1 fai1
