In HEAR AND THERE, I try to "practice what I preach" - using language as a tool to be more creative, to connect with others, and to feel more brave. I hope my words encourage you to do the same!

Hear and There

Listening Practice in Turkish

Listening Practice in Turkish -6 (B1 Level)

In this story, a snowman named Jingle is a selfish husband whose job is more important than his marriage. This is Part 4 of 5. 

The dance group had met in the morning for a quick rehearsal. Today was their last day to practice before the big show. 

Even though the other dancers commented that it was already good enough, Jingle and the winking snowwoman worked very hard on their close embrace. 

Then, while everyone was packing up, getting ready to go distribute their flyers… 

Ding-ding ding-ding 

The ringing came from behind Jingle. He said, “Ugh… Doesn’t Candy know how stressed I am? What does she want now?” 

He turned, but instead of his wife, he saw his snowman neighbour. Confused, Jingle went over to talk. 

“You look disturbed,” said Jingle. 

“It’s Candy. She’s been hit by a car.” 

Jingle was shocked. He noticed the neighbour was holding a candy cane. 

“This is her cane. I picked it up after the accident. I immediately called an ambulance and she was taken straight to the hospital. It’s bad, Jingle, really bad. Come with me, let’s go together.” 

Jingle hesitated. He looked at the candy cane, then at the dance group in the distance. Then back at the candy cane. 

“Thank you for bringing me this. But I can’t go with you. I’ve got to distribute these flyers today. It’s our last chance, and the whole group is counting on me. They need me. Tell Candy I’ll be there after work.” 


Being a Cloud

Jingle the Snowman

1.断食をしたことがありますか？体にいいと思いますか？
Have you ever fasted before? Do you think it is good for you?

2.あなたが政治家になったら、どんな政策を掲げますか？
If you were a politician, what would your policies be?

3.宇宙人の話し方をしてください。宇宙人の話し方ができますか？
Please speak the way an alien speaks. Can you speak like an alien?

4.試験で満点を取る方法はなんですか？
What is the best way to get a perfect score on an exam?

5.道で子猫が捨てられていたら、どうしますか？
What would you do if you found a kitten abandoned on the street?

6.あなたは日本レストランの店長です。
今からアルバイトの面接をしてください。
You are the manager of a Japanese restaurant.
You are now interviewing for a part-time job.

7.どうやって子供に自転車の乗り方をおしえますか？
How do you teach a child how to ride a bicycle?

8.好きな音楽の歌手かバンドを5人か５つ、言ってください。
Name five or five of your favorite music singers or bands.

9.親子丼と他人丼はどう違いますか？
What is the difference between oyakodon and tanindon?

10.文化祭とか夏祭りにいってみたいですか？
Would you like to go to a cultural festival or a summer festival?


[単語リスト(Word List)]
断食　だんじき　fasting

政治家　せいじか　a politician
宇宙人　うちゅうじん an alien
試験　しけん examinations
満点　まんてん
子猫　こねこ a kitten
店長　てんちょう a manager
面接　めんせつ　interview
乗り方　のりかた how to ride /how to get into 
歌手　かしゅ a singer  
文化祭　ぶんかさい cultural festival


[マルコさんの単語][Marko’s Word List]

頑張ります　がんばります　I'll do my best. 
準備　じゅんび　            preparation
乳製品　にゅうせいひん dairy products
ありがたみ          appreciation 
定める  さだめる to determine
地理　ちり          geography
南米　なんべい   South America 
実用　じつよう   practical use
むしろ                  rather than
平等　びょうどう equality
ふざけた                     joke
真似する　まねする   to imitate 
直前　ちょくぜん       Immediately before
短期間　たんきかん   short period of time 
丸暗記　まるあんき   memorization 
まかせる   to leave to others
餌　えさ   feed
応募する　おうぼする to apply for a job 
履歴書　りれきしょ     resume
不採用　ふさいよう　a rejection
申し訳ない　もうしわけない an excuse 
得意な　とくいな       to be good at
冗談　じょうだん       joke 
勘　かん                      intuition
補助輪　ほじょりん    training wheels



SAMURAI BROADCAST　侍放送

Vol.23 マルコさんへの10のむずかしいしつもん、2回くりかえし。 Ten Difficult Questions for Marco, repeated twice.

Discover how to stay motivated while learning Turkish! In this episode, I share practical tips, personal experiences, and simple strategies to make your language journey enjoyable and successful.

Merhaba Türkçe 

Episode 6: Staying Motivated in Learning Turkish

If you've reached B2 level, your pronunciation will probably be good.  But there are still things that you might be able to improve, to sound more like a native speaker.  

You can use sentence stress, intonation and connected speech to add more meaning and to speak faster.  This podcast contains examples of how we use these features to speak more fluidly.

Please read the transcript as you listen; it contains more notes and some exercises.  

TRANSCRIPT:   
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1NHd8AkwPBjvMRA76WFucbBRoL5h6wr-u&usp=drive_fs

English for Business

Sound like a native speaker

今日はジョジョの奇妙な冒険から、現在アニメが放送中のストーンオーシャンについて話しました。みなさんはアニメ見てますか？まだ途中ですがすごくいいですね。今回はストーンオーシャンと、ジョジョの好きな部と、好きなキャラについて話しました。みなさんの好きな部、好きなキャラ、ぜひ教えてくださいね。

☆目次

0:00 オープニング
0:25 ストーンオーシャンの感想 #12まで 
6:10 好きな部
14:13 好きなキャラ

☆語彙
ひねりがある
牢屋
遺伝子
汎用性
余念がない
力技
駆け引き
機転が効く
ほのぼの
好戦的
干渉
斬新
肝っ玉
異端児
言い伝え

"After 5" by Japanese Teacher

ストーンオーシャンめちゃくちゃ良い！

Forget the fancy suits and practiced answers.  Job interviews are about why, not what.  Why are you here? Why should we care?  The truth is, the scripted responses you rehearse might not resonate.  But what if you could tap into your authentic self, the one brimming with passion and ideas?  That's the power of mastering impromptu speaking.

Think of an interview not as an interrogation, but a conversation fueled by purpose.  Impromptu speaking allows you to sound natural and convincing.  It lets you ditch the script and dive straight into the wellspring of your "Why."  The interviewer throws a curveball question?  No problem.  You can think on your feet,  demonstrating your ability to adapt and solve problems –  essential skills in today's ever-changing workplace.

Imagine being asked about a weakness.  A scripted response sounds robotic.  But with impromptu fluency, you can talk about a past challenge, how you learned from it, and how that experience fuels your drive to succeed.  It's a story, not a statistic.  Stories connect.  They show your human side, your ability to overcome obstacles – all qualities that make you a compelling candidate. 

Confidence is another perk.  When you can speak confidently and articulately without a script, you project a powerful presence.  It shows you believe in yourself and your ideas –  the kind of person who inspires trust and gets things done.  So, ditch the memorization and embrace the impromptu.  It's not about having all the answers, but about the passion and purpose behind them.  That's the "Why" that will land you the job.

Don't wait for the interview to start honing your impromptu skills.  Start conversations with friends, family, or even strangers.  Challenge yourself to think on your feet and express yourself clearly.  Record yourself and watch it back.  Sign up for a session and we can focus on improving your impromptu speaking ability to make sure you get hired!

The Global Professional Podcast

Impromptu Speaking and Job Interviews - Episode 93

こんにちは！
Japanese daily life podcast のAtsushiです。
このPodcastは、日本語を楽しく勉強しているみなさんに向けたPodcastです。

ぼくの日常生活の話を聞くことで、日本語のリスニングをよくしたり、新しい言葉を知ってもらえたらいいなと思います。


今日は日本の11/3文化の日について話します。
日本は先週の金曜日が祝日だったので、週末は3連休でしたね。

日本に住んでいる人は週末はどうでしたかね？

その金曜日は祝日でしたね。
文化の日、という祝日です。
この文化の日について、ぼくもよく知らなかったので調べてみました。その話をします。

文化の日には「自由と平和を愛し、文化をすすめる」という意味があります。

11/3という日は2つの意味があって、
1つ目は明治天皇の誕生日
2つ目は日本国憲法の交付日

という日でした。
日本はこの憲法の中で、戦争放棄、戦争は決してしない、という意思表示をしているんですね。

そして平和であり、文化を発展させていく、ということでこの日が祝日になっています。

ぼくも知らなかったですが、この11/3は日本の博物館や美術館が無料になるみたいです。

もうちょっと早く調べて、みなさんに教えたら良かったですね。

来年、この時期に日本にいる人はぜひ、日本の博物館や美術館に行きましょう！


みなさんの国では、祝日はたくさんありますか？
好きな祝日はありますか？
それはどんな祝日ですか？
その日は何をしますか？

ぜひそんな話をぼくとしましょう！
オンラインレッスンでお待ちしていますね！


ぼくも英語や、今はトルコ語の勉強をがんばっています！
一緒に日本語の勉強もがんばりましょう！


ということで、今回は以上です。
最後まで聞いていただき、ありがとうございます！
ではまた！