Bedside Italian

Bedside Italian #33 - Ho visto The Sound of Music per la prima volta.

En este episodio un prisionero político le escribe una conmovedora carta de despedida a su esposa. 

Historias para quienes sufran con el subjuntivo

Una carta para Amanda

Describe an interesting neighbour - IELTS speaking part 2 and part 3






Describe an interesting neighbour


You should say-

Who this neighbour is
How long have you known him/her
What kind of person he/she is

And explain why you think this neighbour is interesting





“I’m extremely lucky to have a number of very good and helpful neighbours, but when it comes to an interesting neighbour, that would have to be Joe, who lives in the apartment right opposite mine.

I first had the pleasure of meeting Joe just over a year ago, very soon after I moved into the building, and thanked  my lucky stars the day I met him. It was during one of the Covid lockdowns, and it was impossible to go outside to buy groceries, which was making things quite difficult for me… being a foreigner.

I remember it was about 3 days into the lockdown when Joe knocked on my door and introduced himself to me. The first thing that caught my interest was his excellent use of English, and how he seemed to have a slight Australian accent. To cut a long story short, he told me how he guessed that being a foreigner I might need some help in buying food and other necessities during the lockdown, and had come to offer me some help, which really made my day.

After thanking him for his generous offer, I invited him into my apartment for a chat over a cup of coffee, and we spent the next few hours chatting and getting to know one another. He told me how he had spent a number of years living and travelling abroad, which explained his excellent level of English.

He had so many interesting stories of his travels, but the one that really stood out was his account of the time he travelled across the entire width of Australia, and lived to tell the tale.  As an avid traveller myself, I found all of this so fascinating and incredibly interesting, and we sat for hours swapping stories on our different adventures.


Thank you.”


IELTS 85 Speaking

Describe an interesting neighbour

Today we will read an article. You should listen and read in parallel. Ideally after doing that twice you should read the text out loud by yourself.

Article we will read today is: Первое — лучшее: как синдром утенка отравляет нам жизнь
Source: https://trends.rbc.ru/trends/education/61bb01b29a794780796740d4

After listening to the text, please answer the following questions in comments:
1) Что такое синдром утёнка? Опишите  одним предложением.
2) Синдром утёнка встречается только у обитателей животного мира или у людей тоже?
3) Приведите свой пример (из жизни или придуманный) проявления синдрома утёнка.

I will thoroughly check your answers! Hope to hear some weird examples!

Listen and read

Синдром утёнка (B1-B2)

Bedside Italian #17 - Come mangiano il pop corn gli Italiani?

SALESPERSON: Can I help you?
GLORIA: Yes, I’m looking for a sweater — in a size medium.
SALESPERSON: Let’s see … here’s a nice white one. What do 
you think?
GLORIA: I think I’d rather have it in blue.
SALESPERSON: OK … here’s blue, in a medium. Would you
like to try it on?
GLORIA: OK … yes, I love it. It fits perfectly. How much is it?
SALESPERSON: It’s $50. It will be $53, with tax.
GLORIA: Perfect! I’ll take it.

LANGUAGE NOTES
• Can I help you? or “May I help you?” is what a salesperson normally says to greet 
a customer.
• I’m looking for a here means “I don’t know exactly which one I want.”
• Size medium. Clothing usually comes in small, medium and large sizes. Some 
women’s clothing comes in number sizes, usually ranging from 2 to 16.
• Let’s see … An expression used when a person wants to think something over, to 
make a choice or decision, or to look for something.
• I’d rather have it in here means “I don’t like this exact one. I would prefer it in a 
different” color/size/material, etc.
• Would you like to …? is a polite way to ask “Do you want to …?”
• Try it on means to test the fit or appearance of a garment by putting it on. “Try on” is a 
separable phrasal verb, so the object “it” goes between “try” and “on.”
• How much is it? means “How much does it cost?” Notice that the main sentence 
stress falls on “is” in this question.
• I’ll take it means “I will buy it.”

English Conversation practice (30-day challenge)

Day 18: Shopping

This is an excerpt from the podcast Monocle on Culture.
This podcast is a great resource for lively reports and in-depth interviews on the newest and finest in art, film, books, and the media business.

Topic: What Gets Washed Up?
In this podcast, you will trawl the shores of Britain, Brazil, and beyond to ask, ‘What gets washed up?’ Ancient objects are examined that tell tales of London's past and the authors of messages in bottles are tracked down.

English News

What Gets Washed Up?

Today we're joined by Galina, a Russian student from Moscow who recently relocated with her husband to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. In the podcast, Galina talks about the things she misses from home, and the things she loves about her new country. She describes the difficulties of starting a new life, and talks about the importance of English in her journey. If you've ever thought about starting a new life in a new land, this podcast is for you. Listen now to Galina's inspiring story.

Learn English with Cambridge David

From Moscow to Dubai - starting a new life in a foreign country

Z wird in den meisten Ländern anders ausgesprochen. Im Deutschen muss man das Z wie „ts“ aussprechen. Ausnahmen sind Wörter, die eingedeutscht wurden. Also, Wörter, die aus einem anderen Land stammen. 

Viel Spaß beim Hören, Erkennen und Mitmachen:

Zum zwölften Mal zog Zita ihren zerrissenen Mantel zurecht. Zögerlich spazierte sie zum Zaun, wo Ziegen zwischen Zweigen nach Futter suchten. „Zeit zu handeln!“, murmelte sie, als sie einen zerbrochenen Zaunpfahl entdeckte. Schnell griff sie nach einer Zange und zog Nägel aus der Tasche.

Zwischenzeitlich näherte sich ein großer Zugvogel und setzte sich auf den Zaun. Zita lächelte, während sie den Zaun flickte. Plötzlich hörte sie ein leises Zirpen – ein kleiner Zaunkönig zitterte auf einem Zweig.

„Was für ein zauberhafter Moment!“, dachte Zita zufrieden, als sie den Zaun fertig reparierte und zurück in ihr kleines Zuhause ging.