Today, let's try practicing some Russian tongue twisters! Tongue twisters are a fantastic tool for improving your pronunciation, focusing on challenging sounds, and increasing your speech speed, ultimately making it clearer.
Give it a shot and try repeating after me. I'll read each one twice: first slowly, and then closer to normal speed.

бык тупогУб, тупогУбенький бычОк, у быкА белА губА былА тупА. (б,п) 

Карл у КлАры укрАл корАллы, а КлАра у КАрла укрАла кларнЕт. (к,р,л)

на мелИ мы налИма ленИво ловИли, менЯли налИма вы мне на линЯ. о любвИ не менЯ ли вы мИло молИли, и в тумАны ЛимАна манИли менЯ. (л,м,н)

These tongue twisters focus on various Russian sounds. Try to articulate them as clearly as possible. Let's focus on accuracy rather than speed. Good luck!

Russian with Elina

Russian tongue twisters - part 2

In this episode, we will be discussing the topic of weather. You will learn the most common phrases and vocabulary used to describe different weather conditions, as well as practical expressions that you can easily use in everyday conversations

Mister Bakur

How to talk about "Weather" in Egyptian Arabic? 

Did you know?

Cats vs Dogs

Konnichiwa! Welcome to Slow Japanese! In this episode, Akari will talk about home and furniture. What kind of furniture do you have?

Usage of Slow Japanese:
STEP 1. Listen to the episode without seeing scripts.
STEP 2. Go to mochifika.com/podcast/ and check "Key vocabularies of this episode", listen again to the episode while seeing the list.
STEP 3. Check the whole script, it'll fill the gap in your understanding.

Scripts and key vocabularies of this episode are here:
https://mochifika.com/podcast-script/slow-japanese-episode-6-home/

Slow Japanese

Episode #6 - Home

        为了看日出，我常常早起。那时天还没有大亮，周围很静，只听见船里机器的声音。
        天空还是一片浅蓝，很浅很浅的。转眼间，天水相接的地方出现了一道红霞。红霞的范围慢慢扩
大，越来越亮。我知道太阳就要从天边升起来了，便目不转睛地望着那里。
        果然，过了一会儿，那里出现了太阳的小半边脸，红是红得很，却没有亮光。太阳像负着什么重担
似的，慢慢地，一纵一纵地，使劲儿向上升。到了最后，它终干冲破了云需，完全跳出了海面，颜色真
红得可爱。一刹那间，这深红的圆东西发出夺目的亮光，射得人眼睛发痛。它旁边的云也突然有了光
彩。

         有时候太阳躲进云里。阳光透过云缝直射到水面上，很难分辨出哪里是水，哪里是天，只看见一片
灿烂的亮光。
        有时候天边有黑云，云还很厚。太阳升起来，人看不见它。它的光芒给黑云镶了一道光亮的金边。
后来，太阳慢慢透出重围，出现在天空，把一片片云染成了紫色或者红色。这时候，不仅是太阳、云和
海水，连我自己也成了光亮的了。
        这不是伟大的奇观么?

听优美短文，提升中文阅读和写作

《海上日出》节选

Heisann! 
I denne episoden introduserer jeg meg selv, og forteller om hva hensikten med podkasten er. Lytt for å bli kjent med meg, og samtidig start en reise til å forbedre din norsk. Gleder meg til å bli kjent med deg, god fornøyelse!

Tula Tenker Høyt - Lær deg norsk

Hyggelig å møte dere!

¿Quieres saber un poquito de Costa Rica? Ven te invito a conocer más sobre mi país. 

Chatty Spanish

Curiosidades de Costa Rica 

As it's already May, a lot of the part 1 and part 2 topics are changing in the IELTS speaking exam. Let's start with the topic "Describe a positive change you made in your life" with some good idioms which are explained below.

Remember this is just an example answer, and you should never learn example answers off by heart. It's very important to speak naturally in the speaking exam.


Idioms used in the example answer:

Out of shape

If someone is unhealthy or not able to do a lot of physical activity, we can say they are out of shape.

“He drinks and smokes too much, and has become very out of shape.”



In good shape

If you’re in good shape, you are fit and healthy. This  especially refers to the physical condition of your body ( being at a healthy weight, not overweight, getting plenty of exercise)


Run down

If you’re feeling run down, you are tired and lacking energy, usually after a sustained period without enough rest.

“After working late in the office every night for the last 2 weeks, he started to feel very run down.”


Full of beans

Someone who has a lot of energy might be described as full of beans.

“Young children are always full of beans, and love to run around, and play.”


Fit as a fiddle

Fit as a fiddle means ‘in very good health’ and may more often be used to refer to older people.

“My grandfather is 86, but is still as fit as a fiddle, and goes to exercise in the park every morning.”


Picture of good health

To look the picture of health simply means to look very healthy and well.

“Wow! Have you been going to the gym recently? You look the picture of health.


IELTS 85 Speaking

Describe a positive change you made in your life - IELTS speaking part 2

For the past few years, companies around the world have been testing out a four-day work week. In many cases, this means allowing employees to spread their work hours over four days instead of five.

Many of these tests have been successful, and people in the UK may soon get more rights to ask for a four-day work week.

Since April, employees in the UK have had the right to ask for more flexible working conditions, but companies do not have to agree to it.

But under the government's plans to increase flexibility for workers, companies may have to offer flexible working hours from the day the employee starts working — although it's not yet clear what this means.

"One possibility is for the government to make it more difficult for employers to refuse such requests, because at present it is quite easy for them to do so," Charlie Thompson, an employment lawyer who works for law company Stewarts, told Sky News.

Education Minister Jacqui Smith said more flexibility could be better for productivity.

"You're still doing the same amount of work, but perhaps you're doing it in a way that enables you, for example, to need less child care, to spend more time with your family, to do other things, that encourages more people into the workplace," she told LBC Radio.

But not everyone is happy with the idea of a four-day work week, and some tests weren't as successful as others.

UK supermarket Asda tested a four-day week, but changed back to the five-day week after staff said the longer work days were too demanding.

Another supermarket, Morrisons, also tried a four-day work week at its head office, but to make it work, staff sometimes had to work on Saturdays, which they weren't happy about.