In this episode, we will talk about Nelson Mandela. An influential person who freed South Africans of the oppressive Apartheid government. Check out these movies about Mandela: “Invictius”, “Mandela”, “Mandela and Klerk”, “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” and “Endgame”.

Dusty's LETS TALK!

Dusty's LETS TALK! Interesting facts about NELSON MANDELA

Мы говорим об отпуске на работе и о том, как попросить у начальника отпуск.

Molodets! Подкаст по изучению английского языка и американской культуре для носителей русского языка

Molodets (3.3) Время отпуска и время болезни

供養（くよう）する　                   hold a memorial service for a departed soul
お供（そなえ）えする　　　　　place food offerings 
私の夫の実家（じっか）では、お盆にお坊（ぼう）さんに家に来てもらい、お経(きょう）をあげてもらっています。
 Buddhist priest may come to my husband's house to read a sutra. 

Japanese culture ♪

お盆（ぼん）Japanese obon

New Year (正月, shōgatsu) is the most important holiday in Japan. Most businesses shut down from January 1 to January 3, and families typically gather to spend the days together.

Years are traditionally viewed as completely separate, with each new year providing a fresh start. Consequently, all duties are supposed to be completed by the end of the year, while bonenkai parties ("year forgetting parties") are held with the purpose of leaving the old year's worries and troubles behind.

Homes and entrance gates are decorated with ornaments made of pine, bamboo and plum trees, and clothes and houses are cleaned.

On New Year's eve, toshikoshi soba (buckwheat noodles), symbolizing longevity, are served. A more recent custom is watching the music show "kohaku uta gassen", a highly popular television program featuring many of Japan's most famous J-pop and enka singers in spectacular performances.

Akari Talks Japan

How people in Japan prepare for the new year お正月準備

Portuguese Audios for Beginners A2 -Áudios em Português para Principiantes A2

A Família

Let's dive into the explanation of the difference between “get over it” and “get even” 🤗


Yeva's Blog 

The explanation of the difference between “get over it” and “get even” 🤗

If you want to sound more fluent and natural, in this episode you'll discover how your first language influences your English and why it affects how you're understood. Get practical tips to start speaking with more confidence and better fluency.

Real English Skills

How Your First Language Makes Your English Hard to Understand

It's the area of the Atlantic Ocean that some people think is incredibly dangerous for ships, and people have claimed that giant squids, large storms, and even the ancient underground city of Atlantis are responsible for countless sailors' lives. In this episode we lift the curtain on the mystery of The Bermuda Triangle.

English Learning for Curious Minds

The Mystery of The Bermuda Triangle

On some tour buses, you'll hear the guide welcome passengers in a number of different languages.

And at airports around the world, announcements might be made in more than one language to help more travelers understand what's being said.

But in Belgium, a train passenger made an official complaint after the conductor used both Dutch and French to say good morning.

The problem for this passenger was that the train was traveling through a city called Vilvoorde in the Flemish part of Belgium, where Dutch is the main language.

But Vilvoorde is very close to the capital, Brussels, where both Dutch and French are used.

The French-speaking conductor, named Ilyass Alba, wrote about the complaint on Facebook.

He said that after greeting passengers, one had replied: "We're not in Brussels yet, you have to use Dutch only!"

And while many people have taken Alba's side, the person who complained was technically correct — only Dutch should have been used.

According to the country's language rules, only Dutch should have been used while the train was in the Flemish part of the country. And as Belga News Agency explains, Belgium's rules say only French should be used when trains are in the French-speaking part of the country.

But announcements can be French and Dutch in Brussels. And on trains traveling to Brussels Airport, Dutch, French, German — another of Belgium's official languages — and English can be used.

Some Dutch-speaking politicians have said it's important that conductors stick to language rules.

But the country's French-speaking transport minister said that making passengers feel welcome is the most important thing.

The train company, SNCB, agreed with the transport minister. "Saying hello in several languages is just nice, we can only thank our conductors for that," an SNCB official told Agence France-Presse.