Grammar & vocabulary tips for the most common questions & problems.

The English Toolbox

Hello, dear Russian language students and teachers!

Phoebe from "Friends" once said: "Oh, I wish I could come, but I don't want to" 
Фиби из "Друзей" однажды сказала: "Ой, я бы с удовольствием пришла, но не хочу" 

:)

1-minute Survival Russian for Travelling (A1-A2)

Как вежливо отказываться от приглашений_How to politely decline an invitation

Listen to the highlights of the groundbreaking AI summit held at Bletchley Park in November 2023. Join me as we navigate through the essential aspects of this historic event, exploring the world of artificial intelligence and its implications.

Lisa's Podcast

The World's First IA Summit at Bletchley Park

In this episode, I want to teach you how to use numbers in Bahasa Indonesia. This phrase could be very useful when you don't know how to say or express something in Bahasa Indonesia. Let's listen to it.

Bahasa Sehari-Hari (Daily Phrases)

Numbers in Bahasa Indonesia Part.2

🌑 El Tren de las 3:33 🚆

Samuel odiaba viajar en tren, pero aquella noche no tuvo más opción. Su auto se había averiado y debía llegar a su ciudad antes del amanecer. Al llegar a la estación, notó algo extraño: el único tren disponible era el de las 3:33, una hora que le resultó inquietante. Subió al vagón y encontró el interior vacío, excepto por un hombre al fondo que lo observaba sin parpadear. El tren arrancó con un sonido metálico que resonó como un lamento.

A medida que avanzaba, Samuel sintió un frío creciente. Miró por la ventana y se dio cuenta de que el paisaje no cambiaba. Siempre veía el mismo bosque oscuro, como si el tren avanzara en círculo. Se levantó para preguntar al hombre del fondo, pero cuando llegó allí, el asiento estaba vacío, y en su lugar, había una nota: "Este no es un tren cualquiera. No intentes bajarte".

El corazón de Samuel se aceleró. Corrió hacia la puerta y trató de abrirla, pero estaba sellada. De repente, una voz metálica por los altavoces dijo: "Próxima parada: el olvido". Miró su reflejo en la ventana y vio al hombre de antes mirándolo desde el otro lado del cristal, ahora con una sonrisa macabra. El tren nunca llegó a su destino. Al día siguiente, el jefe de estación encontró el vagón completamente vacío, excepto por una nota pegada en la ventana: "El tren de las 3:33 siempre necesita un nuevo pasajero".

Spanish Reading Comprehesion

The 3:33 Train

Here are five simple expressions to say "no" in Chinese with simple examples:
1. 不 (bù) - This is a simple and common way to say "no" in Chinese. It can be used in a variety of contexts and is a general negative word.
Example:
A: 你喜欢苹果吗？ (nǐ xǐ huān píng guǒ ma?) (Do you like apples?)
B: 不 (bù) (No)
I normally don’t answer people with just a simple 不 to say no, because it sounds rude. But if you are in a fight with someone, I guess it is a good language tool.
2. 不要 (bù yào) - This phrase means "don't want" or "don't." It can be used to say "no" in a more polite or indirect way.
Example:
A: 吃蛋糕吗？ (chī dàn gāo ma?) (Do you want to eatcake?)
B: 不要，谢谢。 (bù yào, xiè xiè) (No, thank you.)
3. 不行 (bù xíng) - This phrase means "can't" or "not allowed." It can be used to say "no" in a more formal or assertive way.
Example:
A: 你能给我五块钱吗？ (nǐ néng gěi wǒ wǔ kuài qián ma?) (Can you give me five dollars?)
B: 不行，我没有五块钱。 (bù xíng, wǒ méi yǒu wǔ kuài qián) (No, I don't have five dollars.)
5. 不可以 (bù kě yǐ) - This phrase means "cannot" or "not allowed." "不可以" (bù kě yǐ) is often used to indicate that something is not allowed or not permitted. 
Example:
A: 妈妈，我能去朋友家玩吗？ (mā ma, wǒ néng qù péng you jiā wán ma?) (Mom, can I go to my friend's house to play?)
B: 不可以，你还没有完成你的作业。 (bù kě yǐ, nǐ hái méi yǒu wán chéng nǐ de zuò yè) (No, you have not finished your homework yet.)

Five Ways to Say XXX in Chinese

5 ways to say "no" in Chinese

Il clima influisce sui nostri umori e dopo tanto caldo e sole un giorno di grigio e piovoso altro non fa che portarmi un po' di buoni ricordi e un pizzico di nostalgia. 

The Italian Miscellaneous Podcast🖐 

Una giornata piovosa

Nowadays, conference calls are the norm. Whether your team members live within a 30-minute radius of one another or live on different continents, you’ll likely conduct all meetings over conference calls. 

By now, you know some of the perils of conference calls. Someone forgets to mute themselves, and you hear them breathing or eating their lunch, someone forgets to unmute themselves when they start talking, someone is talking, and then their kid or spouse barges in their office making noise. No matter what unusual situation unfolds during a conference call, someone has to manage the conversation and make it as effective as possible. 

In this episode, you will learn how to lead conference calls. We’ll focus on audio conference calls, not video conference calls, which deserve their own episode. 

Episode originally published on December 11, 2020.

Read the transcript at https://www.express-to-impress.com/conference-calls/

Theme music by Lucas Knutter. 

Infographics on Pinterest. 

Express to Impress

How to Lead Conference Calls

On this episode my guest Jerome and I discuss different useful phrases related to Halloween🎃🎃 Take a listen and try using one in your next English conversation!

Thanks to Jerome for being such a great guest!!!

Alexis : https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/9464070
Jerome: https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/4075458