In this episode, I talk to one of my italki students, Wen from China. We talk about her English
journey and especially her successful strategy that helped her get 7.5 in IELTS.

Transcript available below
https://kevsenglishpodcast.com/2025/03/02/kevs-english-podcast-episode-21-interview-with-wen-from-china-how-she-took-ielts-and-what-her-successful-strategy-is/

IELTS with Kev: Ideas, Language & Better Answers

Kev's English Podcast: Episode 21: Interview with Wen from China: how she took IELTS and what her successful strategy is!

みなさんは、からいものが好きですか。
わたしは、とても苦手です！
でも、きょうは「日本一からい村」を目指すわたしの村の話です。

Do you like hot chili pepper?
Actually, I can't eat hot foods...(I love spicy curry, without chili!)
Today, I'm talkin g about my village aiming to be the "hottest" village in Japan!!

+++ words +++
きっかけ　　　　　　　trigger
原発（げんぱつ）　　　nuclear power plant
　＝原子力発電所（げんしりょくはつでんしょ）
売れる（うれる）　　　in demand
対策（たいさく）　　　countermeasure
検査（けんさ）　　　　inspection
何回も（なんかいも）　many many times
安全な（あんぜんな）　safe
農家（のうか）　　　　farmer
おかずみそ　　　　　　miso(soybean paste) with some ingredients
　　　　　　　　　　　really tasty with plain rice!
鍋（なべ）　　　　　　hot pot
挑戦する（ちょうせんする）　try
盛り上がる（もりあがる）　　come alive
ave『福の歌』（えいぶ・ふくのうた）　song by a musician in Fukushima


+++ grammers +++
Vんです         　　　listen!(I want to talk about this)
Vたら　　　　　　　　 if
かもしれない　　　　　might
V(よ)う　　　　　 　　intend to
Vてみる　　　　　　　 try ～ing

Country Life in Japan とかいとちがう　かもしれない　いなかのくらし

ふくしまと　ハバネロと　3.11

*This story contains graphic and explicit material it is not recommended for children, for mature audiences only*
The Cat and The Baboon is a short story about gossip and the service industry involving a cat and a baboon, by David Sedaris.
Send me a message for your free digital copy of this book and if you would like to discuss it. 


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

The Cat and The Baboon (Adult 18+)

うれぴい。80年代に大流行りした言い方。意味は「嬉しい」てこと。雑音あるから、気をつけてね。

It’s like a cute, old-fashioned way of saying “I’m happy.”
Sorry about the background noise in the recording.

Scripted videos on my Youtube channel : Jp_tutor_Mayumi 
https://youtu.be/H9iC88lxD8E?si=yV1bP9-UT0lVjDua

おばばのTAWAGOTO [A Middle-Aged Woman's Ramblings] Loose thoughts about Japanese,teaching,and everyday life.

Ep1 : うれぴい

In Episode 39, we bring you versatile verbs that cover everything from holding hands to honoring values. Perfect for real-life conversations, these verbs add richness to your daily interactions!

🔹 Hold (hands) – 握住 (Wò zhù) ✋
🔹 Hold (object) – 拿住 (Ná zhù) 📦
🔹 Hold (passport, views) – 持有 (Chí yǒu) 📄
🔹 Honour – 尊重 (Zūnzhòng) 🌟
🔹 Hop – 单脚跳 (Dān jiǎo tiào) 🐇

For more practice, hop on to our resources:
📘 C(39) Vocabulary Flash Cards: Visualize and Memorize – Quick, visual reminders to help these verbs stick!
🎯 C(39) Verbs Quiz: Test Your Knowledge – See how well you’ve mastered today’s verbs and put them into action!

👉 Listen to Episode 39 now, and let’s level up your language toolkit together!

5 Verbs a Day. 每天学习五个动词。

C(39) Verbs Set: Hold (hands) Hold (object) Hold (passport, views) Honour Hop

Ayer SpanisHolidays “se vistió de etiqueta”. Este modismo lo utilizamos para indicar que alguien o algo se adapta a una situación en la que se requiere formas, protocolo y elegancia. No es que fuera a la ópera, no. Si no que por primera vez, lo presenté en una feria de turismo: el B-Travel, que es un encuentro internacional en Barcelona, del sector del turismo en  el que instituciones, países e iniciativas privadas presentan a sus países, y también exponen empresas de gestión turística en un espacio común.

AUDIO-ARTÍCULOS (Nivel B2-C1)

Un día de etiqueta

Full scripts: https://japanesemayuna.com/
はい、こんにちは。今回はポッドキャストの16回目です。大阪は今週からだんだん暖かくなっています。来週の予報は、最高気温が10度を超えています。私の実家は東京ですが、大阪は東京に比べると天気がいいです。晴れている日が多いです。寒いと電気代が高くなるので、早く春になってほしいですね。

Hi, This is the podcast episode 16. It has been getting warmer and warmer in Osaka this week. The forecast for next week is for a high of over 10 degrees Celsius. I’m from Tokyo, and the weather in Osaka is much nicer than in Tokyo. It is sunny most days. I hope spring will come soon because the cold weather will make our electricity bill higher.

もうすぐ春なので、最近は引越しをする人が多いです。日本では、3月から4月は学校や会社が始まるシーズンで、学生や新社会人が一人暮らしを始めるからです。私も授業で、生徒さんとよく引越しの話をします。国によって引越しのシステムやプロセスが違うので面白いですね。

It's almost spring, so many people are moving out these days. In Japan, March-April is the season for schools and companies to start, and it's because students and those who just graduated school and became working adults start living alone. In my classes, I often talk about moving with my students. It's interesting because the system and process of moving differs from country to country.

日本で家を借りるときは、ほとんどの場合、不動産業者と契約をします。まず不動産業者のウェブサイトを見て、希望に合う部屋を探します。広さや、駅からの距離や、築年数が書かれています。「築年数」とは、建物の古さのことです。建てられてから１年経ったアパートは、「築１年」といいます。日本では新しいアパートのほうが人気があるので、新しいアパートのほうが値段が高いです。建てられて１年未満で、まだ誰も住んでいない家を「新築」といいます。

When you rent a house in Japan, you almost always sign a contract with a real estate agent. The first thing to do is to look at the real estate agent's website and find a room that fits your needs. You will find the size of the room, the distance from the station, and the age of the building. “Chikunensuu” (the age of the building) refers to how old the building is. An apartment built one year ago is said to be “Chiku 1nen” (1 year old building). In Japan, newer apartments are more popular, so newer apartments are more expensive. A house that has been built for less than a year and no one is living in it yet is called “Shinchiku” (newly built).

Japanese Lessons with Mayuna

16. アパートを探す

How would you decline an invitation without being rude?
Here is a useful idiom to decline an offer politely or say that you would like to accept it, but at a later time.

Join me on this episode and learn how to use "take a rain check" in context!

