HSK1 assesses test takers' abilities in the application of everyday Chinese (Mandarin). 

Chinese for beginners

We call it a PHONE - but let's be honest. We rarely use this COMPUTER in our pocket - to make phone calls. And we often forget all the tools that it contains, built right in. Tools that are amazing for working on our English!

I hope this episode helps you get inspired to use your phone as the language partner it is! 

* Please note - I speak very fast in this episode - so it may be challenging to understand everything I say. But I repeat myself a lot, so you don't have to understand it all. I think you will understand the main point. That is what matters! I hope it inspires you to USE your English to LEARN more English - today!

Hear and There

8. The language partner in your pocket 

In this episode you will listen to some advice how to take care of a small cat. 

BULGARIAN

Котето

As the US navigates what some experts have described as a loneliness epidemic, employers and employees across the country are trying to address what for many people is a lack of real friendships at work.

It's not a new thing, but remote work has only intensified the problem, says leadership expert Michael Bungay Stanier.

"People have this desire to be seen and be heard," Bungay Stanier says, but on video calls, the group gets right down to business rather than having the natural, informal interactions of a real room. It reduces people to "little heads in squares."

It's not easy to talk about this lack of friendship at work "because it feels like a shameful confession," Bungay Stanier says. But his clients are beginning to bring up the subject.

Awkward as it may be, these are conversations worth having, according to psychology professor Laurie Santos.

At-work friendships are good for employers, too. Santos says research shows that workplace friendships and a sense of belonging are vital to employees' happiness — and companies' success.

We assume that friendships at work are "a nice-to-have, not a need-to-have," she said.

But "maybe one of the reasons we're all so disengaged at work ... is that we're actively not investing in the thing that might matter the most for our happiness at work, which is our connection with other people," Santos said.

Some large companies began paying more attention to employee health long before the pandemic, often focusing on physical health.

Today, more employers are looking at ways to really improve people's mental health and well-being.

And experts say there is a lot that companies can do, even rethinking physical spaces in the offices with relationships in mind.

More than anything, remember the importance of everyday greetings at work — even if they make you a bit uncomfortable. A simple hello, Bungay Stanier says, could be the beginning of the end of loneliness.

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

Why It's Important to Have Friends at Work

En este episodio vamos a conocer un poco de los atractivos del Ecuador. Un hermoso país sudamericano que tiene mucho potencial turístico y natural 🌎
Estamos divididos en 4 regiones: la Costa 🏖, la Sierra 🗻, la Amazonía 🏞, y las Islas Galápagos 🏝, hogar de la tortuga gigante 🐢. 
¡Ven y comparte conmigo un poco del Ecuador! 

Hablemos de varias cosas

Galápagos, Ecuador y su biodiversidad

PATTY: I’m really excited for Aunt Mary’s surprise birthday party
this afternoon! Aren’t you?
SUSAN: Yeah! How old is she?
PATTY:  She’ll be 55 on May 14 [fourteenth].
SUSAN: Wow! I didn’t know that my mom was older — she’s going
to be 57 on September 2 [second]. Anyway, Aunt Mary’s 
going to be so surprised to see us all here!
PATTY: I know! But we still have to get all the food set up before 
she gets here … OK! We’re all ready now. Shh! She’s here!
ALL: Surprise!


LANGUAGE NOTES
• I’m really excited … Notice the emphasis on “really.” “Really” is used to emphasize the 
adjective “excited” here.
• Birthday party Notice that the normal stress for a compound noun falls on the first 
element of the compound.
• Aren’t you? This negative tag is used to show that the speaker expects a positive 
answer. Patty assumes that Susan is also looking forward to the party.
• She’ll be 55 Notice that “55” is stressed here. This detail answers the question “How 
old is she?”
• Fourteenth Notice that we use “th” for ordinal numbers, starting with 4 [but first, 
second and third]. The stress is on the second syllable [fourTEENTH]. Compare this with 
“fortieth: 40th” [FORtieth].
• She’s going to be ... Notice how this is pronounced like “gonna be.” Instead of four 
syllables “go/ing/to/be” there are three syllables “ga/na/be.”

English Conversation practice (30-day challenge)

Day 20: Birthdays

CHISTES MEXICANOS

UN SUEÑO RECURRENTE.

New year's resolutions are a must but why do we actually fail at achieving these and what to do differently this time round.

British English with Maria

Will you finally reach your goals?

Christmas Hampers (with transcript)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wCSKBLkmOiYp_VmK0wwykjSCyJpXJgBh/view?usp=drivesdk