A lively episode that clears up one of English’s most misunderstood words. Discover when 'literally' means exactly, and when it’s used for emphasis. Includes examples of real speech and shadowing to improve your natural intonation.

BrightStep: One Word

Literally

저는 보통 토요일에 마트에 가요.
I usually go to a mart on Saturday.

오늘은 토요일이라서 마트에 갔어요. 
Today was Saturday, so I went to the mart.

오후 한 시에 갔어요.
I went there at 1 o'clock.

마트에서 계란이랑 라면이랑 우유를 샀어요. 
At the mart, I bought eggs and ramens and milk.

비누와 휴지도 샀어요.
I also bought soap and tissue.

계란이 좀 비쌌어요. 
Eggs were a bit expensive.

4000원이었어요.
It was 4000won.

비누가 싸서 많이 샀어요. 
Soap was cheap, so I bought a lot.

모두 23000원이었어요.
In total, it was 23000won.

Daily Journal in Korean(한국어 일기)

마트(Mart)

🎙️ 1. Let’s Listen – Can You Hear the Difference?

First, let’s listen to these three words:

자다 (to sleep)
차다 (to kick)
짜다 (to be salty)

Now, let’s pronounce them slowly one more time:
자–다 / 차–다 / 짜–다

Can you hear the difference?

The key difference lies in the intensity of the sound and the movement of the mouth.

🧠 2. The Pronunciation Principle – What’s Going On?

Let’s break it down:

ㅈ (j) – Voiced sound
Your lips and tongue lightly touch, and then the sound is released softly.
You don’t blow out air forcefully.
👉 Examples: jada (to sleep), juiceu (juice), jihacheol (subway)

ㅊ (ch) – Aspirated sound
The tongue blocks the airflow, and then strong air bursts out as the sound is released.
👉 Examples: chada (to kick), chima (skirt), chokollit (chocolate)

ㅉ (jj) – Tense (fortis) sound
It’s much tighter and stronger than ㅈ.
You need to slightly tense your vocal cords and use more pressure with your lips and tongue.
👉 Examples: jjada (salty), jjok (side), jjigae (stew)

📌 In short:
ㅈ – Normal
ㅊ – Strong and breathy
ㅉ – Very tense and tight

💡 3. Pronunciation Practice – Repeat After Me

Let’s try these sets of words together. Repeat after me:

자 / 차 / 짜
조 / 초 / 쪼
줄 / 출 / 쭐

The more you practice,
the more your mouth and ears will get used to the differences!

If you’d like, I can also provide an audio version of this script, or help you record practice drills. Let me know!

한국어 발음 연습

한국어 ㅈ / ㅊ / ㅉ 발음 

* 다음을 듣고 물음에 답하십시오.
③ 약속 (지문)
남자: 내일 영화 보러 갈래요?
여자: 미안해요. 내일은 친구를 만나야 해요.
남자: 그럼 주말은 어때요?
여자: 좋아요. 토요일 오후에 봐요.

④ 쇼핑 (지문)
점원: 어떤 옷을 찾으세요?
손님: 봄에 입을 자켓을 보고 있어요.
점원: 이건 어때요? 색도 예쁘고 가격도 괜찮아요.
손님: 네, 한번 입어 볼게요.

⑤ 병원 (지문)
의사: 어디가 아프세요?
환자: 어제부터 머리가 아파요.
의사: 열도 있네요. 약 드시고 푹 쉬세요.
환자: 네, 감사합니다.

한국어 토픽 듣기 

한국어 토픽 2 듣기

This podcast will make sure that you won't have to feel unconfident about using 'make up' in your speech ever again!

All About English and How You Learn It!

'Make Up' Is Really Easy to Use In Your Speech!

El episodio de esta semana es un poco diferente, en él vamos a practicar, como siempre, la comprensión auditiva, pero vamos a hacerlo de manera muy activa. Hoy te voy a leer un texto y luego te voy a hacer unas preguntas relacionadas con lo que hemos leído para ver si puedes responderlas correctamente. Así que vamos a practicar tu habilidad para escuchar y retener, recordar información en español. 

Como siempre, espero que disfrutes el episodio. Si es así, no te olvides de dejar a este podcast una valoración, y pásate por mi Instagram para decirme qué te ha parecido.


Blanca to go 

122- Un entrenador en la oficina

「I'm sorry to hear that.」を言いたいときの自然な日本語表現についてお話ししました😊

Nihongo Hiyori | Japanese Podcast

#113 「I'm sorry to hear that.」は日本語でなんと言う？

Today’s episode is “こうもり の ともだち？（kōmori no tomodachi?）”《Who is the bat's friend?》.
This is from Aesop's Fables.
This episode is JLPT-N5 level.

I created a quiz on this episode.
After listening, please take the quiz!

Please use this audio for listening and shadowing practices.

☆Words☆
こうもり（kōmori）：bat
森（もり / mori）：forest
鳥（とり / tori）：birds
動物（どうぶつ / dōbutsu）：animals
けんかをする（kenka o suru）：get in a fight 
言う（iu）：say
空（そら / sora）：sky
飛ぶ（とぶ / tobu）：fly
牙（きば / kiba）：fang, tusk
爪（つめ / tsume）：nail
強い（つよい / tsuyoi）：strong
弱い（よわい / yowai）：weak
王様（おうさま / ōsama）：king
翼（つばさ / tsubasa）：wing
暗い（くらい / kurai）：dark
洞窟（どうくつ / dōkutsu）：cave

☆Grammar☆
・～ことができます（～koto ga dekimasu）：can ～
・～たら（～tara）：if ～

☆Script for this episode
The scripts (URL) are listed in the overview section of the channel.

☆Quiz for this episode
https://www.italki.com/quiz/set/7550?utm_source=copylink_share&utm_medium=share_content&utm_campaign=share_quiz

Simple Japanese Listening with Meg（めぐ）Smile

#34 Short story / こうもりの ともだち？《Who is the bat's friend?》/ Aesop's Fables  // N5 Level / Japanese listening

In this episode my mom teaches me how to make blueberry pie, my childhood favorite, step by step. You can expect to learn a lot of new cooking-related vocabulary and phrasal verbs. And then, if you’re able to follow the recipe, you may even want to try baking the pie yourself!

***For English learners! – Detailed vocabulary lesson begins at 30:04***

***Full transcript available ⁠at https://american-idiom.com/f/002-making-a-blueberry-pie⁠***

Episode Outline:

Background information about pies in American culture (Starts at 2:10)
Choosing and preparing your blueberries (Starts at 2:46)
Making a pie crust (Starts at 6:52)
Making a decorative edge for your pie crust (Starts at 18:40)
Preparing your berry mixture and finishing your pie (Starts at 21:23)
Making a streusel crust to top the pie (Starts at 25:49)
Baking and serving instructions (Starts at 26:58)

Vocabulary and examples (Starts at 30:04)

To end up (used at 6:07, 13:22 and 29:02 and explained at 30:28)
To rinse off (used at 6:17 and 6:37 and explained at 32:30)
To wear out (used at 15:38 and explained at 34:05)
To look the part (used at 18:53 and explained at 35:17)
As is (used at 29:04 and explained at 38:21)

Note on native shortcuts (Starts at 40:07)

***A written recipe for the blueberry pie can also be found at ⁠american-idiom.com⁠ at the bottom of ⁠the following page: https://american-idiom.com/f/002-making-a-blueberry-pie***