大卫：美玲，你明天几点下班？ 如果有时间，就和我一起去商场走一下吧。
美玲 ：大卫，我明天四点下班，是去我们以前去过的那一家商场吗？
大卫： 是的，你的生日快到了，我想买件衣服送给你。
美玲： 那家商场的东西不便宜，比我们公司附近商场的衣服贵多了。
大卫： 那我们明天就去你公司附近的商场走走，好吗？ 
美玲： 好吧！明天下午见。
大卫： 明天见！

Listening & Speaking (Mandarin)

大卫与美玲的电话约会   Dàwèi yǔ Měilíng de diànhuà yuēhuì   (HSK 2-3)

This week’s episode is a little slower, a little softer — because I’ve been recovering from COVID. But even in moments of weakness, we can still learn. In this reflective lesson, I share a quiet story from my week in recovery and teach useful, real-life English you can use when you're sick, tired, or just in need of rest.

You’ll learn:

     - How to talk naturally about being sick in English

     - Gentle ways to cancel or reschedule plans

     - Useful expressions like “I’m on the mend” and “I’ve been resting up”

     - A mindfulness prompt to help you practice English through real-life reflection

Whether you’re under the weather or just craving a pause, this immersive episode invites you to slow down and reconnect — with English, and with yourself.

The English Exchange

Breathe In, Breathe Out: Recovering and Reconnecting

How many words do you know?  500?  1000?  10000?  Does it even matter?  You’re learning a language…you just want to be able to speak.  Well, if that’s the case, you’re going to need to know words.  And let’s be real, if you’re not having fluent conversations, it probably has nothing to do with you not understanding English grammar.  Besides, native English speakers use very simple grammar in daily conversations.  More often than not, not being fluent is caused by the lack of words in that brain of yours.  But not to worry, this problem is fixable.

Modern language learning enthusiasts…you know, these Internet Polyglots, talk a lot about word frequency and this idea of your first 1000 words.  Let’s talk a little about where that comes from.