Welcome to the Just Chatting podcast where Paul & Rachel just chat about everyday events using natural British English.

Just Chatting

Each week I read an interesting news article from the BBC. Listen along to the words and pronunciation and I will also share with you the link to the story so that you can read along as well.

The Breaking News Podcast

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BizPod - The Business English Podcast

Привет, друзья!  Сегодня я хочу поговорить с вами о разных акцентах у людей из разных регионов России. А также о том, как легко говорить по-русски.
Россия – это самая большая страна в мире по площади территории. Люди из разных регионов России говорят по-разному.  Можно легко понять, откуда, из какого региона России ваш собеседник. Например, у жителей Москвы есть свои особенности произношения. Если сказать по-простому, то москвичи «акают». Что это значит?  Для московского акцента характерна сильная редукция безударных гласных, в сочетании с более протяжным «а». 
На юге России люди говорят звук «х» вместо «г». Они произносят фрикативный звук «г». 
Я живу на Урале. Есть мнение, что здесь люди говорят быстро. Как вы думаете, я говорю быстро? Или это нормальный темп?
В нашей большой стране мы привыкли слышать разную речь, разные акценты.
Не нужно бояться, что когда вы будете говорить по-русски в России, то русские вас не поймут. Вы можете попросить повторить фразу или говорить медленнее. Вот несколько полезных фраз:
•	Извините, я плохо говорю по-русски. - Excusez moi, je ne parle pas bien russe. 
•	Вы говорите по-французски? - Parlez-vous français? 
•	Не могли бы вы говорить медленнее, пожалуйста. - Pouvez-vous parler plus lentement, s'il vous plaît? 
•	Вы могли бы повторить? - Pouvez-vous répéter? 
•	Повторите, пожалуйста. - Répétez, s’il vous plaît.
•	Как это сказать по-русски? - Comment dit-on cela en russe? 
Желаю вам хорошего дня! Приходите ко мне на уроки. Будем делать ваш русский язык лучше.

По-русски легко!

Разные акценты русских людей

After consonants, the vowel letter pairs а/я, э/е, о/ё, ы/и, and у/ю represent 
essentially the same vowel sound. Their only difference is that the letters in the bottom 
row tell you that the preceding consonant is palatalized, or soft.*

HARD CONSONANTS             SOFT CONSONANTS

Да-да! - Oh yes!                       дядя - uncle 
мэр - mayor                             мер - of measures 
быт - daily life                          бит - computer bit 
живот - belly                            живёт - he/she lives 
музыка - music                        мюзикл - musical (show)

* a palatalized consonant is pronounced with the blade of the tongue pressed up 
against the hard palate, it sounds like a consonant plus the [y] sound of “yes” pronounced at the exact same time.

Russian Pronunciation wilth Lubov

HARD / SOFT CONSONANTS PRACTICE. Живот Или Живёт? Listen and Repeat.

Hace unas semanas, en este mismo blog hablaba sobre el “idioma universal: la música”. Pues hoy sale la newsletter número 10 y el tema entorno al que gira es sobre 10 canciones específicas que ayudan, sin duda, a mejorar las áreas de: comprensión auditiva, fonética, vocabulario e inmersión en la cultura hispanoamericana... todo esto e incluso más: la alegría y las emociones que generan estas diez composiciones que hacen que la gente cada vez más y más, se enamore de nuestra cultura y por supuesto, de nuestra lengua también.

AUDIO-ARTÍCULOS (Nivel B2-C1)

La Música y la Lengua

CHISTES MEXICANOS

LAS ESPOSAS METICHES...

Let's make five different sentences with the word happy. 

Joy to Our World

I am happy! 

English is a widely spoken language and is considered as a universal language. It is the primary language of international communication, business, and education. Being fluent in English can be advantageous in various fields, such as education, business, travel, and communication with people from different parts of the world. Fluency in English can be achieved through consistent efforts and a systematic approach. This podcast aims to provide some useful tips and strategies to help individuals become fluent in the English language.

English Learning tips

how to become fluent in any language

Giant Dreams Midget Abilities by David Sedaris read by Teacher Alyse
Read and follow along. Send me a message for your free pdf copy of this story. 

"WHEN YOU'RE PLAYING YOUR GUITAR, MAKE BELIEVE YOU'RE PLAYING AN ACTUAL WOMAN," MISTER MANCINI TOLD ME. "GRAB HER BY THE NECK AND MAKE HER HOLLER."

My father loves jazz and has an extensive collection of records and reel-to-reel tapes he used to enjoy after returning home from work. He might have entered the house in a foul mood, but once he had his Dexter Gordon and a vodka martini, the stress melted away and everything was "Beautiful, baby, just beautiful." The instant the needle hit that record, he'd loosen his tie and become something other than the conservative engineer with a pocketful of IBM pencils embossed with the command think.

"Man, oh man, will you get a load of the chops on this guy? I saw him once at the Blue Note, and I mean to tell you that he blew me right out of my chair! A talent like that comes along only once in a lifetime. The guy was an absolute comet, and there I was in the front row. Can you imagine that?"

"Gee," I'd say. "I bet that was really interesting."

Empathy was the wrong tack, as it seemed only to irritate him.

"You don't know the half of it," my father would say. " 'Really interesting' my butt. You haven't got a clue. You could have taken a hatchet and cut the man's lips right off his face, chopped them off at the quick, and he still would have played better than anyone else out there. That's how good he was."

Because it was the music we'd grown up with, I liked to think that my sisters and I had a genuine appreciation for jazz. We preferred it over the music our friends were listening to, yet nothing we did or said could convince him of our devotion. Aside from replaying the tune on your own instrument, how could you prove you were really listening? It was as if he expected us to change color at the end of each selection.

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk and other stories from David Sedaris ( Adult 18+) 

Giant Dreams Midget Abilities

Ultra trail de Mont Blanc is a prestigious race held in Europe. In this race, trail runners all over the world get tested for the perseverance in finishing one of the toughest race in trail running history. Over the years, I watched Elite runners  winning and losing the race, some elites even go on a DNF. JIM WALMSLEY , an American runner, finally won the UTMB after 5 attempts. He displayed GRIT and perseverance.