I talk about choosing to be a blessing or a curse, a ray of sunshine or a dark rain cloud when you enter the room. I hope you enjoy! My italki teacher profile: https://italki.com/teacher/1947582 Thanks for listening! Visit my website for more of my full-length podcasts . https://www.streetwisenglish.com

Streetwise English

SWE64 Am I a Blessing or a Curse?

Want to know what winter is like in Cape Town? Then you are in the right place! This episode looks at some of the things that locals like to do on a typical winter's day in Cape Town!

Please note there is a list of highlighted vocabulary at the end of the episode with example sentences to listen to and enjoy. You can also find the vocabulary list at the end of this description. 

Enjoy!

Sample:

“Picture this: it's winter in Cape Town. Raindrops gently tap against the windows, as the city is hugged in a cool embrace. 

Cape Town experiences rainfall during the winter months, creating the perfect setting for cozy indoor activities.

The temperature outside can drop a lot, especially during the night. It can go as low as 5 degrees Celsius. On cold days, the average temperatures range between 10 and 15 degrees Celsius.”

Vocabulary: 

1.	Embrace - (verb) to hold closely or tightly
2.	Central heating - (noun phrase) a system that provides heat to an entire building or house 
3.	Rely on - (phrasal verb) to depend on or trust in someone or something
4.	Bond - (verb) to form a close relationship or connection with someone
5.	Cozy - (adjective) comfortable, warm, and snug
6.	Quality time - (noun phrase) time spent in a meaningful and enjoyable way, typically with loved ones
7.	Beverage – (noun) something to drink
8.	Delightful - (adjective) very pleasing, enjoyable, or charming
9.	Ward off - (phrasal verb) to prevent or protect oneself from something unwelcome or harmful
10.	Magnificent - (adjective) extremely beautiful, impressive, or grand
11.	Calves - (noun) the young of certain animals, especially cows, elephants, or whales
12.	Locals - (noun) people who live in a particular place or community
13.	Spot - (verb) to see, notice, or detect something, often from a distance
14.	Breach - (verb) to break or burst through a barrier or surface
15.	Awe-inspiring - (adjective) creating feelings of wonder and admiration

Cape Town Chronicles

Episode 2: A Typical Winter's Day in Cape Town (A2-B1)

In this practice episode, you’ll train the main vowel sounds represented by the letter I in British English. Through guided repetition, minimal pairs, and sentence-level contrasts, you’ll learn to hear and produce the difference between tense and relaxed vowels — including sounds like /iː/, /ɪ/, /ə/, /ɜː/, /aɪ/, and /ɪə/. This session focuses on clarity, accuracy, and avoiding common pronunciation mistakes that can lead to confusion or awkward misunderstandings. Ideal for learners who want to sharpen their British pronunciation through focused, practical training.

Transcript:

/iː/ — machine, police, magazine, sardine, routine, vaccine, marine

/ɪ/ — sit, bit, give, live, village, image, engine

/ə/ — possible, family, pencil, medicine, original

/ɜː/ — bird, first, girl, shirt, third, skirt, dirty, birthday, thirteen, confirm

/aɪ/ — time, fine, like, nine, side, bite, mine, pipe, drive

/ɪə/ — ear, hear, pier, tier, weird, fierce, bier, experience, idea, theatre

Minimal pairs:

ship /ʃɪp/ — sheep /ʃiːp/

bit /bɪt/ — beat /biːt/

live /lɪv/ — leave /liːv/

fill /fɪl/ — feel /fiːl/

slip /slɪp/ — sleep /sliːp/

bin /bɪn/ — bean /biːn/

sin /sɪn/ — seen /siːn/

rid /rɪd/ — read /riːd/

lick /lɪk/ — leak /liːk/

tin /tɪn/ — teen /tiːn/

Mix up:

machine — sit — possible — bird — time — ear police — bit — family — first — fine — pier marine — give — pencil — shirt — like — weird routine — live — medicine — dirty — nine — fierce vaccine — village — original — thirteen — side — experience

Sentences:

“I live here.” “I leave here.”

“Did you fill it?” “Did you feel it?”

“He bit the rope.” “He beat the rope.”

“I didn’t slip.” “I didn’t sleep.”

“Can I have that seat?” “Can I have that sit?”

“He gave me a leak.” “He gave me a lick.”

“She threw a pitch.” “She threw a peach.”

“It was very cheap.” “It was very chip.”

British Pronunciation Tips 

British Vowel Sound Masterclass: Lesson 11: The letter i: One Letter, Five Sounds - Practice 

Coffee. Toast. Spanish. That's all you need today ☕ Episode 2 takes you straight inside a Spanish café — you'll learn how to order like a local, ask for the bill without awkward pointing, and even pull off the very Spanish me pone, which is basically the secret handshake of café culture. Four minutes. One coffee. Zero excuses. 🥐🇪🇸
Episode 2 — Un café, por favor | 4 min

Practical Spanish for beginners

"Un café, por favor" - A coffee, please

Easy Swedish with Viktoria

Ep. #25 - Julspecial Skidsemester (lätt)

¿Cuál es tu película favorita? Hablemos sobre eso en este nuevo episodio de hablar por hablar 

Hablar por hablar (Listening)

¿Vemos una pelí? (Listening) 

Después de muchos años, volver a asistir a un concierto se sintió como si hubiera pasado toda una vida.

La magia de la vida

Episodio 19: La emoción de un concierto

How to introduce yourself? 介绍自己
How to talk about your interests? 我的爱好
Describing your city 我的城市
Sharing your phone number and email 电话号/电邮

New Words 生词：
старый - old，旧/老；
уютный - cozy，暖和；
особенно - especially，尤其；
фильмы - movies，电影；
давайте общаться - let's keep in touch，让我们谈谈。

Виниловые пластинки

Как тебя зовут?

In questo podcast parlo di come si mangia in Italia, faccio un elenco di alcune frutte e verdure di stagione e di piante aromatiche e qualche piatto tipico italiano come la pasta al pesto o le bruschette. Tempi verbali: presente, passato prossimo.