This is an important grammar topic at the intermediate level. This short episode introduces the idea of ergative verbs. 

Ergative verbs are a set of verbs which have a third option besides being active or passive: ergative. This means they are active in form, with the receiver of the verb's action as the subject. The meaning is the same as the passive. 

The examples I use in the episode: 
The store opens at 10. 
The movie will star at 8pm. 
The music stopped. 
The weather changed.
The chicken is cooking. 
The car is reversing. 
The plants grew. 
The window broke. 

I hope you enjoy the episode and find it helpful. Message me with any questions you have. 
Subscribe to never miss an episode. 
See you soon!


English with Eric

Grammar: Ergative Verbs

清明节，又称踏青节、行清节、三月节、祭祖节等。清明节源自上古时代的祖先信仰与春祭礼俗，兼具自然与人文两大内涵，既是自然节气点，也是传统节日。扫墓祭祖与踏青郊游是清明节的两大礼俗主题，这两大传统礼俗主题在中国自古传承，至今不辍。 

清明节在公历4月5日前后。

清明节是传统的重大春祭节日，扫墓祭祀、缅怀祖先，是中华民族自古以来的优良传统。清明节融汇自然节气与人文风俗为一体，是天时地利人和的合一，充分体现了中华民族先祖们追求“天、地、人”的和谐合一，讲究顺应天时地宜、遵循自然规律的思想。

清明节与春节、端午节、中秋节并称为中国四大传统节日。除了中国，世界上还有一些国家和地区也过清明节，比如越南、韩国、马来西亚、新加坡等。


Qingming Festival, also known as outing Festival, Qingming festival, March festival, ancestor worship festival. Tomb-sweeping Day comes from the ancient beliefs of our ancestors and the customs of Spring Festival. It is both natural and cultural. It is not only a natural solar term point but also a traditional festival.  Tomb sweeping and ancestor worship and outing are the two themes of the Qingming Festival. These two traditional themes have been passed down in China since ancient times.  

Tomb-sweeping Day falls around April 5 in the Gregorian calendar.  

Qingming Festival is a major traditional Spring Festival. It is a fine tradition of the Chinese nation since ancient times to sweep tombs and offer sacrifices to ancestors.  Qingming Festival combines natural solar terms and cultural customs as a whole, is the unity of heaven, earth and man, fully embodies the Chinese ancestors to pursue the harmony of "heaven, earth and man", pay attention to conform to the idea of heaven and earth, follow the laws of nature.  

Qingming Festival, The Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival are called the four traditional Festivals in China.  Besides China, qingming Festival is also celebrated in some countries and regions in the world, such as Vietnam, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore.  


Maple's fun Chinese  (Mandarin)

清明节  Qingming Festival   Qīngmíng jié

EP 11_  They are all my friends - tā men dōu shì wǒ de péng you

Who says Chinese is hard？ 谁说中文很难

I will give you 4 words, honestly, only 4 words, which will make you sound more natural instantly. They are words all my students know, but never use!!

Sometimes trying to replace simple vocabulary has the opposite effect of sounding natural :) Stick to the basics!

Please comment if you like what you hear, or leave me a comment to focus on something in particular.   

I have a transcript available here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C6uqVQLjxQI0MqNP7zNi57jkcjwtfI_DBJ-hS57KBwY/edit?usp=sharing

English With Craig  - Natural English, Natural Learning

Episode Two:  4 words to sound WAY more natural! 

learn the greetings in french and repeat when i say " your turn " :) 

𝗗𝗢 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗞 𝗙𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗔𝗜𝗦 ? 😉

The french greetings

In this episode, Karen and Baiwei chatted about their experiences with living in an RV, anxiety about buying a house, and how they find a sense of belonging in a place.

Chillchat (Learn Chinese and Chill)

你愿意住房车吗? Are you willing to live in an RV?

V tomto podcaste vás zoberiem na emotívnu cestu medzi dvoma krajinami. Môj bratranec Richard so svojou manželkou Mirkou zdieľajú svoj fascinujúci životný príbeh o odchode do Írska, kde si počas trinástich rokov vybudovali nový domov a vychovali deti.

V tomto rozhovore sa dozviete:

- Aké boli ich začiatky v cudzej krajine a s akými najväčšími prekážkami bojovali.
- Ako prebiehal proces učenia sa jazyka a adaptácie na úplne inú kultúru.
- Čo ich po trinástich rokoch viedlo k zásadnému rozhodnutiu vrátiť sa späť na Slovensko.
- Či je návrat domov po takej dlhej dobe jednoduchší ako samotný odchod do zahraničia.

Toto video je plné úprimných skúseností o kultúrnom šoku, rodinných putách a o tom, čo to dnes vlastne znamená „cítiť sa doma“.

💡 Pre študentov slovenčiny:
Rozhovor je vedený prirodzenou slovenčinou, vďaka čomu je ideálnym materiálom na trénovanie počúvania s porozumením a rozširovanie slovnej zásoby o témy sťahovania, práce a rodinného života.

Learn Slovak Through Stories

Po trinástich rokoch z Írska domov: Výzvy a návrat s Mirkou a Richardom (B2+)

En este episodio, Jon (Madrid) y Joan (Barcelona) hablan sobre EL DÍA DEL ORGULLO FRIKI. La fiesta donde los "freaks" celebran sus diferentes películas y series favoritas. MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU. ¡Relájate y escúchanos!

¡Qué Pasa! Podcast en Español

EL DÍA DEL "FRIKI" 

"If you are speaking to everyone, you are speaking to no one."
Business is my favorite topic these days. I feel like as a newcomer in the business scene, I learned a lot of things based on personal experience and based on the experience of others. In this podcast, I would like to share some reasons on why having a niche target market is a practical choice for your business.