We will talk a little bit of this and that in China. Cultural, language, traditions, famous people, history, and so on...

胡言乱语 Hoo's Talk

Around ’O Munaciello revolve different legends, born in ancient times and passed down through Neapolitan oral tradition.
It is an ambiguous figure, capable of surprising anyone who encounters it, suspended between mystery, popular beliefs, and everyday life.

In this episode of Comme se dice, you will hear all the legends connected to ’O Munaciello, alongside a more concrete explanation that coexists with the myth. Some stories are rooted in underground Naples, others come from distant times, when the city felt different and every street corner seemed to hide a secret.

Everything is told in pure Neapolitan, word by word, as it has been passed down through generations.
Get ready to enter a world where every word, every gesture, every story can change the way you see Naples.
Between legends, curiosities, and blurred realities, you will experience the city like never before.

Neapolitan Language  - 🎙️ "Comme se dice?" - Il Podcast della Lingua Napoletana! 🌟

’O Munaciello: Legends and Secrets of Naples

Dear Russian language learners!

Here is a list of phrases you will might need when you go to a cafe or a restaurant in Russia. It includes not only a request for a check/a bill but also some phrases that you need when you want to share a bill among the participants of the dinner (go dutch) or you feel you would like to pay for the whole dinner yourself.

Ваш преподаватель и любительница русских ресторанов,
Елена

1-minute Survival Russian for Travelling (A1-A2)

Как оплачивать счёт в ресторане/How to pay a bill in a restaurant

Primero, hablemos del verbo "ir". "Ir" significa "to go" en inglés y es un verbo irregular, así que cambia en sus conjugaciones. Por ejemplo:
- Yo voy al mercado. 🛒
- Tú vas a la playa. 🏖️
- Él/ella va al parque. 🌳

En Ecuador, puedes usar este verbo para describir tus planes. Por ejemplo:
- Voy a visitar el Malecón 2000 en Guayaquil. 🌆
- Vamos a las Islas Galápagos el próximo mes. 🏝️

Ahora, el verbo "hacer", que significa "to do" o "to make". También es irregular:
- Yo hago la tarea. 📚
- Tú haces deporte. 🏃‍♂️
- Nosotros hacemos un pastel. 🎂

En Ecuador, puedes usar "hacer" en muchas situaciones cotidianas. Por ejemplo:
- Hago una excursión al Cotopaxi. 🗻
- Hacemos una fiesta en la Amazonía. 🎉

Otro verbo importante es "tener", que significa "to have". Es irregular y muy útil:
- Yo tengo una idea. 💡
- Tú tienes un libro. 📖
- Ellos tienen una casa. 🏠

En Ecuador, puedes decir:
- Tengo un viaje a Quito. ✈️
- Tienes que probar el ceviche. 🥘

Por último, el verbo "ser", que significa "to be". Es esencial y también irregular:
- Yo soy de Ecuador. 🇪🇨
- Tú eres estudiante. 🎓
- Nosotros somos amigos. 🤝

En Ecuador, puedes usar "ser" para describir lugares y personas:
- Soy de Cuenca. 🏞️
- Eres muy amable. 😊

No tengas miedo de hablar español

Verbos difíciles e irregulares 

In this episode you will learn some phrases for interrupting politely, checking you have understood and closing meetings. If you would like the transcript, send me a message. 

Business Buzz

Business Buzz Episode 3. Language for meetings - interrupting politely, checking you have understood and closing a meeting

【スクリプト】
こんにちは～！マルハバ！サウジの日本語の先生、佳子です＾＾
みなさんー！お元気ですかー？もう2026年ですね。時がたつのは早い！
今日は冬休みについて話したいと思います。
先週末まで１２日間息子の学校が冬休みでした。
２学期制の学校なので、１２月末から期末試験が２週間弱あり、そのあと冬休みでした。
毎年、若干休みがずれますがだいたい１２月末から１月のはじめくらいに冬休みが始まります。今年の冬休み、直前までノープランでした。だいたいどの休みもノープランなのですが、春に日本に行く予定なので大きな旅行もいけないし、近くのお出かけスポットも行きつくしたので、どうしようかなーという感じでした。
期末試験最終日は息子の友達を連れてショッピングモールにあるプレイグラウンドに行きました。しかし、後半からすんごい疲れた感じで、そのあと友達の家について大好きなゲームで遊ぼうといっても「疲れたし、帰りたい」と言ったので、ちょっと滞在して帰りました。夕食後、かなりしんどそうだったので熱を測ってみると３８．９度。出ました、高熱。だいたい１週間以上の休みのたびに高熱が出ます。なんででしょうね。安心感から出る熱でしょうか。ということで息子は５日間熱で寝込んだりゆっくりしていて、お出かけにはいけませんでした。完全に治った翌日に今月オープンしたイベントに行ってみようと誘ってみたのですが、「混んでそうだから、行きたくない」と断固拒否。結局、一度ピクニックに行っただけでした。息子はかなりのインドア派。最近はどんなに天気が良くても「公園は楽しくないから嫌だ」と言います。でもひさしぶりに行った公園に行くと、どんなに古い公園でも「ここ実は好きな公園なんだ」と言います。それを聞くと毎回面白い。親としては、天気がいいときは、少しでも外で体を動かして、太陽の光を浴びてほしいのですけど、無理やりしたくないことをさせるのもお互いにとって良くないですね。時々バトルになりますから。
今週から学校が始まりました。３週間の春休みまで６週間、頑張るぞー！！

それでは今日のフレーズです。今日のフレーズは「断固拒否」です。強い意志で拒否することを意味します。例えば「息子に新しいアラビア語学習のアプリを提案したが、断固拒否された。」それではまた、マアッサラーマ！


Japanese with Yoshiko（スクリプト付）

第50回：冬休み~Winter vacation~

A short tour of Colombian biodiversity. Join me


Un pequeño recorrido por la biodiversidad colombiana. Acompáñame


Hablar por hablar (Listening)

COLOMBIA 

It's no secret that Hawaii is a favorite destination for Japanese tourists. In 2023, the islands welcomed around 573,000 visitors from Japan — the most from any country.

But did you know there's a connection between Japan and Hawaii that goes beyond travel and into clothing?

Aloha shirts, also known as Hawaiian shirts, have roots in Japanese culture, beginning with Japanese immigrants in Hawaii.

In the late 1800s, Japanese immigrants in Hawaii started importing Japanese clothing as well as rolls of fabric to make clothes with.

In the 1920s, locals in Hawaii saw these fabrics and started using them to make casual dress shirts with Japanese patterns on them. These shirts became popular with tourists to Hawaii.

Soon after, aloha shirts were made in bulk, but instead of using fabric made for Japanese clothing, stores in Hawaii started bringing in printed fabrics made just for aloha shirts.

And by the late 1930s, the designs had changed from Japanese patterns to the Hawaiian inspired patterns we're used to today — images of Mount Fuji and Japanese pine trees were replaced with things like coconut trees, surfers and fish.

But even though today's aloha shirts don't look very Japanese inspired, they still remain popular within Japan.

Yosuke Seki, an aloha shirt aficionado who goes to Hawaii every year, told CNN he wears his shirts daily, and hopes to inspire others to try them.

"Right now, I'm wearing a replica of one of the expensive designs," Seki said, adding that his shirt cost between $130 and $200. The more expensive shirts can cost thousands of dollars, he explained.

And for some fans, aloha shirts are not just clothing — they're collectable items, or even considered art.

Yoshihiro Nakano is the brand director of Sun Surf, a Japanese company that has been making aloha shirts for about 50 years. Many customers don't even wear the aloha shirts they buy, and instead just collect them or frame them, Nakano told CNN.