Learn and practice useful English language for everyday situations with the All-Weather English podcast.  You'll learn informal vocabulary, slang, idioms, and more.

All-Weather English

Этот подкаст будет полезен всем, кто изучает русский язык. Несмотря на сложность русского языка, его изучение может подарить вам множество увлекательных моментов! 

Русский в любую погоду (All-Weather Russian)

Con motivo de día de Muertos, hoy quiero compartir con ustedes el cuento de Francisca y la Muerte. Esta historia fue escrita por el autor cubano Onelio Jorge Cardoso. Nació el 14 de mayo de 1914 y murió el 29 de mayo de 1986, muchas de sus obras han sido adaptadas a la televisión, obras de teatro y la radio.

Español con Patty Intermediate Level B1-B2

Francisca y la Muerte

课文六     《比尾巴》
        shuí de wěi ba cháng
　　谁的尾巴长？
　　shuí de wěi ba duǎn
　　谁的尾巴短？
　　shuí de wěi ba hǎo xiàng yì bǎ sǎn
　　谁的尾巴好像一把伞？
　　hóu zi de wěi ba cháng
　　猴子的尾巴长。
　　tùzidewěibaduǎn
　　兔子的尾巴短。
　　sōng shǔ de wěi ba hǎo xiàng yì bǎ sǎn
　　松鼠的尾巴好像一把伞。
　　shuídewěibawān
　　谁的尾巴弯？
　　shuí de wěi ba biǎn
　　谁的尾巴扁？
　　shuí de wěi ba zuì hǎo kàn
　　谁的尾巴看？
　　gōng jī de wěi ba wān
　　公鸡的尾巴弯。
　　yā zi de wěi ba biǎn
　　鸭子的尾巴扁。
　　kǒng què de wěi ba zuì hǎo kàn
　　孔雀的尾巴看。
       ————————————————————————————
     比 bǐ  to compare  尾巴 wěi bā  tail  谁 shuí  who/whom  伞 sǎn umbrella
     长 chánɡ  long   短duǎn short  
   

Iris读课本—— Original Chinese Textbook Reading（first to third grade）

课文六：比尾巴  Compare the tails

几 (jǐ) and 多少 (duōshǎo) are both words in Chinese that can be translated as "how many" or "how much" in English, but they are used in different contexts and convey slightly different meanings.
几 (jǐ) is usually used to ask about a small quantity, it can be roughly under 10, the number is vague.
For example:
你有几个兄弟？ (Nǐ yǒu jǐ gè xiōngdì?)
How many brothers do you have?
我这里有几张照片？ (Wǒ zhèlǐ yǒu jǐ zhāng zhàopiàn?)
How many photos do I have here?
现在几点？
Xiànzài jǐ diǎn
What time is it now?

多少 (duōshǎo) is usually used to ask about a bigger quantity. When the number is not certain but you assume it's definitely more than ten, it's better to ask the question with 多少 (duōshao) instead of 几 (jǐ). For example:
这个东西多少钱？ (Zhège dōngxi duōshǎo qián?)
How much does this thing cost?
你的工资多少？ (Nǐ de gōngzī duōshǎo?)
How much is your salary?

Note that in some contexts, 几 (jǐ) and 多少 (duōshǎo) can be used interchangeably, especially in spoken Chinese. In this case, the choice of word may depend on the speaker's style or emphasis.

Difference between A and B in Chinese with Shanmei

几 (jǐ) VS 多少 (duōshǎo)-HSK1

One of the questions that many of us have about exercise is "should it hurt?"

Some people agree with the old saying: "No pain, no gain," which means if it's not hurting, you're not improving.

But is that really true?

When it comes to weight training, some experts tell people that they should train "until failure" for best results.

This means they keep lifting or training until their body cannot physically do any more.

However, others say that this approach is not suitable for everyone.

"If somebody wants to increase muscle mass as much as they possibly can, then training to failure is something to consider," said Michael Zourdos, from Florida Atlantic University, who has done research into this subject.

He and his colleagues found that lifting weights "until failure" may build bigger muscles, but isn't needed to increase strength.

He said people who work out hard, but don't push themselves to exhaustion, will still likely improve their fitness.

For the average person just looking to increase their fitness levels, Zourdos said it's easier to get results.

He said that these people would benefit from a hard session that comes within five to 10 repetitions of failure, rather than training to complete exhaustion.

He also said "failure training" often makes people so sore that they miss their next session.

Overdoing it can sometimes be harmful — and people who are planning on doing strenuous exercise should see a doctor first.

James Fisher, a sport science expert in the UK, says that resting muscle groups is an important part of training.

But he agrees that if people want to build muscle, they need to push themselves.

"If you lift a weight you can easily lift 10 times or more, you never really work hard enough," he said.

Still, Fisher said that the best workout is "one that people will actually do," regardless of how hard they push themselves.

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

Does 'Training to Failure' Improve Strength, Fitness?

बुद्धिमान को हमेशा कम बोलना चाहिए और बात करने की खातिर मुँह खोलने से पहले एक बार जरूर सोच लेना चाहिए कि उसका क्या फल होगा."


Stories from Panchatantra 

बातूनी कछुआ 

The easiest way to learn and remember idioms is to learn about their history. When you understand where they came from, it's a lot easier to remember what they mean.  This episode covers idioms that are drawn from different types of transportation.

Difficult English Explained

Idioms from Transportation:  What do they mean and where do they come from?

Tommy and Emily discuss what is Christmas? What? are the presents for? Why do we give presents?

English My Way

The meaning of Christmas

Ка́ждое у́тро в о́фисе есть совеща́ние.
Анто́н о́чень хо́чет уча́ствовать. Он мно́го говори́т.
Иногда́ мы не понима́ем, о чём он говори́т.
Иногда́ он не понима́ет, о чём мы говори́м.
Поэ́тому мы о́чень ча́сто смеёмся.
Анто́н о́чень стара́ется.
Ско́ро он бу́дет отли́чно говори́ть по-ру́сски.
Совеща́ние зака́нчивается. Пора́ рабо́тать.
Сего́дня у нас мно́го дел.

******************************************************************************
Every morning there is a meeting in the office.
Anton really wants to participate. He talks a lot.
Sometimes we don’t understand what he’s talking about.
Sometimes he doesn’t understand what we’re talking about.
That’s why we laugh very often.
Anton tries very hard.
Soon, he’ll speak Russian perfectly well.
The meeting ends. It’s time to work.
Today we have a lot to do

***************************************************************
每天早上办公室都要开会。
安东很想参加。 他发言很多。
有时我们都不明白他在说什么。
有时他听不懂我们在说什么。
这就是为什么我们经常笑。
安东非常努力。
很快，他就能说一口流利的俄语。
会议结束。 工作时间到了。
今天我们有很多事情要做
********************************************************************
Chaque matin, il y a une réunion au bureau.
Anton veut vraiment participer. Il parle beaucoup.
Parfois, nous ne comprenons pas de quoi il parle.
Parfois, il ne comprend pas de quoi nous parlons.
C'est pourquoi nous rions très souvent.
Anton fait de gros efforts.
Bientôt, il parlera parfaitement russe.
La réunion se termine. Il est temps de travailler.
Aujourd'hui, nous avons beaucoup à faire.
