Baffled by English? Lets dissect strange expressions, idioms, and native jargon in 5 minutes or less... Along with brief honesty on my meat only diet, business endeavors, and living abroad moments! 

Baffling Lingo

Coge un papel y un bolígrafo. Escucha el audio y escribe las frases con verbos simples y las horas correctamente. ¿Puedes entender estos verbos y las horas?

A1.1. Español básico para principantes. 

Clase 5. Frases simples con la hora 2.

Welcome to the American English Pronunciation Guide. My name is Trevor Kafka, and I am your host.

There are many different varieties of American English. I was born and raised in New York, which has given me General American English pronunciation. The English that I speak has 15 vowel sounds. 

Please view the transcript for help while listening.

Today, we will talk about the vowel sound number 1 of 15: /æ/ black cat. The mouth must be open and wide for this sound, maybe a little more than you are used to in your native language.

Listen to me saying this sound and repeat: /æ/, /æ/, /æ/

Listen to and repeat the following single-syllable words:
black
cat
bad
can
have
laugh
sad
tax
thank

Listen to and repeat the following multiple-syllable words:
eggplant
gather
happen
master
command
family
unsatisfied
understand
imagine

Listen to and repeat the following sentences:
The mad cat had a hat.
It is bad to have a laugh when your family is sad.
I can imagine you’re unsatisfied with the master’s command.

I would like to thank Shirley Thompson and Karen Taylor for their work in developing the set of key phrases that I use with each vowel, such as /æ/ black cat, /eɪ/ grey day, etc. 

📢 American English Pronunciation Guide

Episode 1 - Vowels æ black cat (1 of 15)

Estamos muy cerca de acabar el año, y muchas personas ya están pensando en sus propósitos para el nuevo año. Por eso he pensado que hoy es un buen día para hablar de propósitos y mencionar los más comunes en estas fechas entre los españoles. 

Espero que disfrutes el episodio. Después de escucharlo no te olvides de dejar una valoración ni de pasarte por mi Instagram para decirme qué te ha parecido y si tú eres de las personas que tienen propósitos cada año nuevo, y si coinciden con los que he mencionado en el episodio.


Blanca to go 

120 – Los propósitos de año nuevo 

Montmartre est morte, oui morte ! Il est impossible d'y retrouver l'esprit d'antan. J'ai aujourd'hui invoqué son fantôme. Traversons les rues pour rencontrer Marcel Aymé, Pablo Picasso et Dalida !
Un grand merci à Annie Gasca pour son témoignage. 

Douce France

Le fantôme de Montmartre

In this episode you will learn how to use the possessive pronouns in spanish

Spanish with Jas

EP 30. POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS

Spanish star Rafael Nadal is retiring from professional tennis at the age of 38, he has announced.

Nadal won 22 Grand Slam singles titles during his career, including the French Open 14 times.

He has been one of the greatest players of the modern game, sharing his time at the top with his longtime rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

The tennis world has long debated which man should be called the "Greatest of All Time" — or "GOAT."

Nadal hasn't been able to compete much during the past two seasons because of injuries. He has entered just two of the last eight major tournaments.

He said that next month's Davis Cup finals — when he'll play for Spain — will be his final tournament.

"It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make," he said. "But in this life, everything has a beginning and an end."

Nadal was known for his physical style of play — he played every point as though it were his last, but he was especially strong on clay courts.

There is a statue of Nadal outside those slow, red courts in Paris on which he enjoyed so much success.

As well as his French Open titles, he won the US Open four times and won Wimbledon and the Australian Open twice each.

"I think it is the appropriate time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I could have ever imagined," Nadal said.

His last major title came in Paris in June 2022. Nadal's tally of Grand Slams has since been surpassed by Djokovic, who has now won 24 majors.

In total, the Spaniard won 92 singles titles, spent 209 weeks as the world's number one player and earned almost $135 million in prize money.

He said: "Really, everything I have experienced has been a dream come true."

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

Rafael Nadal Retires from Professional Tennis at 38

Note: This podcast is intended for language learning ONLY. Not for promoting or criticizing any political party or ideology. Let’s keep it friendly and accessible to all :)


Also, all of the experiences are the hosts’ own experiences so please do your own research if you need more information.


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