In this episode for upper-intermediate and advanced English learners, my daughter and I talk about our predictions for the second part of Stranger Things 4. The first seven episodes were released at the end of May and the last two episodes come out July 1st. We recorded this episode on June 17th and try to guess what'll happen in those last two episodes. 

WARNING: This episode contains SPOILERS (we talk about what happened in the first seven episodes, so don't listen to this if you haven't already watched it).

We'd love to hear your predictions in the comments, or, if you're listening to this after the last two episodes come out you can find out if we were right or not!  (Music by Lesfm from Pixabay)

Conversations With a Friend

Stranger Things Season 4, Part 2 PREDICTIONS!

先日、1年半住んだイギリスから日本に帰国しました✈️
日本に久しぶりに帰ってきて、日本人なのに、日本についてびっくりしたことをお話しします。

Natty's Podcast

日本に帰ってきてびっくりしたこと⚡️（逆カルチャーショック）

这是我喜欢的一首中文歌曲：原来你也在这里。听完后记得告诉我：我唱的怎么样吧？哈哈哈！

Chinese songs

中文歌曲：原来你也在这里


   a. Level playing field - A fair and equal competition or situation.
      Example: "

The new rules ensure a level playing field for all participants."
   b. Throw in the towel - To give up or surrender.
      Example: "After the continuous setbacks, she finally threw in the towel."
   c. Play ball - To cooperate or participate willingly.
      Example: "If we want to achieve success, we all need to play ball and work together."
   d. Offside - In an unauthorized or disadvantageous position.
      Example: "The goal was disallowed due to the player being offside."
   e. Hit it out of the park - To achieve great success or accomplish something outstanding.
      Example: "Her presentation hit it out of the park and impressed everyone in the room."



IELTS Podcast 雅思博客

Sports-related idioms

Looking for the perfect anime to start learning Japanese?
In this video, I introduce a short and simple anime that even beginners can understand — and it’s full of cute cat moments! 🐾
Enjoy studying Japanese while watching the adorable cat キュルガ!
日本語初心者でもわかる日本語勉強におすすめのショートアニメを紹介しています！
かわいい猫のキュルガを見ながら楽しく勉強してみてくださいね🐾

ANIME ・MANGA TALK | アニメ・マンガトーク | Japanese listening practice N4-N3

[Japanese listening practice] Perfect Short Anime for Japanese Beginners（日本語勉強にいいアニメ）

Negotiations are a dance – a balance between collaboration and advocating for your position. Confidence is, of course, key, and the language you use plays a crucial role in conveying it. 

Here's how to harness the power of words in three key areas:

1. Framing & Highlighting Value:

Start Strong: Open with a positive, confident statement that positions your value. Instead of "We're happy to discuss this opportunity," try "Our solution has a proven track record of increasing sales by X%."

Focus on Benefits: Shift the conversation from features to the benefits your offer brings. Don't just say "Our software is user-friendly," explain how it "streamlines workflows and saves your team time."

2. Concession Language with Strength:

Conditional Agreements: Acknowledge their points without conceding defeat. Use phrases like "That's a valid concern. To address it, we can offer..." This shows you're listening while steering the discussion.

"We Can" vs. "We Might": Use strong verbs that project confidence. "We can offer a discount for a bulk order" sounds more assured than "We might be able to consider a discount."

3. Closing the Deal with Clarity:

Active Voice & Ownership: Phrases like "We propose a contract with..." sound stronger than "Perhaps we could have a contract."

Summarize & Confirm: Recap key points and confirm next steps. End with "By finalizing the contract today, we can begin implementation next week"

Confident language isn't about aggression; it's about clear, persuasive communication. By strategically using these tips, you'll project confidence, effectively advocate for your value, and navigate negotiations with power and professionalism.

The Global Professional Podcast

Using Confident Language in Business Negotiations - Episode 33

Dumbo: Storytelling. 
Improve your listening skills by listening to this shortened version of the children's classic, Dumbo.

You will hear me ask a couple of questions to check your comprehension and listening skills, and after a short pause, I will reveal the answer. 

Don't forget to join me for a class soon. 
Have a great day! 



Say Hi English! With Teacher Duran.

Storytelling with questions and answers: DUMBO 

Esta semana hablamos de eufemismos, que son estructuras, palabras más suaves o más políticamente correctas que usamos en lugar de usar su equivalente, que a veces puede sonar vulgar o duro.

Después de escuchar el episodio no te olvides de dejar una valoración ni de pasarte por mi instagram para decirme qué te ha parecido el episodio, ¿habías escduchado estos eufemismos antes? En tu idioma nativo, ¿también los usáis?


Blanca to go 

137 – Eufemismos en español

There is an old theory that eating cheese before bed causes bad dreams, although scientists don't have much evidence to prove it.

But if cheese can't make us dream, new research from the US says that perhaps an app could — and they don't have to be bad dreams!

Researchers experimented with an app that they designed to encourage people to have lucid dreams. These are dreams that feel vivid and real.

During lucid dreams, people know that they're dreaming and may even be able to control what happens in the dream.

Not everyone has lucid dreams. It's thought that about half of us will have them during our lives, but some people may have them regularly.

Lucid dreams may be useful for us: experts think they could encourage creativity and problem-solving, or help us with nightmares.

The app in the study used a method called "targeted lucidity reactivation" that is supposed to make people more likely to experience lucid dreams.

This is usually done in a laboratory, but the researchers wanted to see how effective an app used at home could be.

They did two experiments to see if the app could increase the frequency of participants' lucid dreams.

The first experiment included 19 participants. Before going to sleep, they did a 20-minute activity that encouraged them to enter a "lucid mindset" when they heard certain sounds.

These same sounds were then played during the night. The frequency of the participants' lucid dreams more than doubled during the week of the experiment.

Fifty people completed the second experiment. They were put into three groups, with one group using the targeted lucidity reactivation method.

The people in this group reported that they had experienced more lucid dreams during the week of the experiment than those in the two control groups.

The researchers said these results suggest that apps like this could help people to use sleep for "personal benefits" including "spiritual and personal growth."