This podcast will help you to improve your vocabulary and listening comprehension in an entertaining way by listening to stories with common English vocabulary and dialogues.

Stories in English

Littérature avec Isa

Les amoureux

When you take your IELTS speaking exam, there is a strong possibility that in part 2 you might have to describe a piece of art you like, so it’s best to prepare and go into your exam with a work of art you can talk about up your sleeve. You should also try to slip a few idioms in. See if you can spot the idioms I use in this podcast.

In this podcast I’m going to imagine I’m in an IELTS exam part 2, and I have to talk about a work of art.

OK, let’s make a start. The work of art I’m going to talk about is the Mona Lisa.

First, I’d like to mention who created it. The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo Da Vinci.

Now, I’d like to tell you about the first time I encountered it. We were studying the history of art in junior high, and my group had to talk about the Mona Lisa.

Next, I’d like to give you a little bit of the painting’s history. It is thought that Leonardo Da Vinci painted The Mona Lisa in Florence, Italy between 1503 and 1506. However, it has been suggested that Leonardo worked on the painting as late as 1517. It is painted in oil on a white canvas and has been on display at The Louvre museum in Paris since 1797.

Finally, let’s talk about why I like it. I love this painting because it’s both unusual and beautiful. Furthermore, it is said to be one of the most valuable paintings in the world, and may be worth as much as one billion dollars. In other words, it costs an arm and a leg! However, I don’t just like it because it’s expensive, I find it aesthetically pleasing, too. Also, the woman seems very mysterious. Sometimes she looks happy, and at other times she looks sad. It’s almost as if she is alive! I think this painting is one in a million and painters like Leonardo Da Vinci come along once in a blue moon.

Did you spot the idioms I used? That’s right: up your sleeve, costs an arm and a leg, one in a million, and once in a blue moon. Now take the quiz that comes with this podcast, and don’t forget to book a lesson with me!

IELTS Speaking Practice

IELTS speaking part 2: ART - The Mona Lisa

In this episode of Streetwise English Podcast, I talk about using the advantages of travelling by bus vs plane. Book an English conversation class with me . My teacher profile: https://italki.com/teacher/1947582 Thanks for listening!

Streetwise English

SWE 91 Travelling by Bus v.s. Plane

Follow along with me. Please send me a message and I will send you the PDF of book for free. 

Dr Suess stories

Dr. Suess ABC

Full transcript: https://japanesemayuna.com/

はい、こんにちは。今回はポッドキャストの21回目です。最近話す速度が比較的ゆっくりだったので、今日はもうちょっと自然なスピードで話してみたいと思います。一つの文章も少し長くしますし、単語の説明も省略します。いつもより難しいかもしれませんが、英訳とトランスクリプトがあるので大丈夫だと思います。どうしてもわからない単語や表現があったら、レッスンやコメントでいつでも質問してください。

Hello. This is the podcast episode 21. My speaking speed has been relatively slow lately, so today I'm going to try to speak at a more natural speed. I'll also make each sentence a bit longer, and I'll skip explaining words. It may be more difficult than usual, but I think you'll be fine with the English translations and transcripts. If there are words or expressions that you just can't understand, you can always ask me in the lesson or in the comments.

私は今週の月曜日、歯科矯正をしました。私は子供の頃は歯並びが良かったのですが、大人になって、親知らずが生えてから、歯並びが悪くなってしまいました。悪くなったと言っても前歯だけで、生活に影響はなかったので、放っておいたのですが、矯正は思っていたより安かったので、することにしました。50万円ぐらいするイメージがありましたが、実際は20万円ぐらいでした。ヨーロッパではもっと安いらしいですね。したことがある人は知っているかもしれませんが、初日より、２日目の方が痛かったです。とくに２日目の夜が痛かったです。期間は半年ぐらいかかると言われました。前歯だけなので、子供がするような一般的な矯正に比べると短いです。ああいうのは２、３年かかるみたいですね。

I had my dental braces on Monday this week. I had good teeth as a child, but as an adult, after my wisdom teeth came in, my teeth became misaligned. My teeth were misaligned, but it was only the front teeth and it didn't affect my life, so I left it alone, but I decided to do it because orthodontics was cheaper than I thought it would be. I had an image that it would cost around 500,000 yen, but in fact it was around 200,000 yen. I heard that in Europe it's even cheaper. People who have done it before may know that the second day was more painful than the first day. Especially the second night was painful. I was told it would take about six months. It's only the front teeth, so it's shorter than the typical orthodontic treatment that children have. It seems like those things take a couple of years.