I talked about my local library, and what you can expect from it.

Scott's Podcast

The Library

Real-life conversation between Kristina and her mom about the death of Queen Elizabeth, slang and idioms, and life in America. 

REAL English with Kristina

Episode 1: Introduction

AngliaEnglish

Live, raw, and uncut footage of English learners. Can you spot the mistakes?

1, un. 2, deux. 3, trois. 4, quatre. 5, cinq. 6, six. 7, sept. 8, huit. 9, neuf. 10, dix.

Les numéros en français avec Aymaro

Les numéros de 0 à 10 en Français avec Aymaro

If you're looking to make a good first impression on a dating app, from your POV, you might think it would be a good idea to send a text using lots of abbreviations to make it seem like you're BFFs with the person you're texting.

But FWIW, according to a recent study from Stanford University and the University of Toronto, nobody likes receiving text abbreviations — not even young people.

Don't know those abbreviations? "POV" means "point of view," "BFF" means "best friend forever," and "FWIW" is "for what it's worth"!

Researchers studying the use of such abbreviations did a number of studies with several thousand people, and they found that texts using abbreviations were less likely to get replies. And writers using abbreviations were more likely to be seen as insincere.

Of course, we all use abbreviations — in one survey, it was found that 99% of people said they used them. But the researchers found that people don't like receiving texts with abbreviations, because rather than making them feel closer to the other person, it felt like the other person wasn't putting much effort into the conversation.

And while young people are even more likely to use abbreviations, they still felt that people who used them were insincere. Young people were also less likely to reply to such messages.

Lead researcher David Fang said we often put different amounts of effort into our conversations to show how important the other person is to us.

So it might be fine to put little effort into, say, a quick message to a delivery driver. But Fang said his team's results are especially important for people who really want to make a good impression — like at the beginning of a relationship!

Practice Listening, Reading & Comprehension

Want a Reply by Text? Don't Use Abbreviations!

In this episode, you will learn how to meet a new friend in a basic conversation at a natural and slow speed. Enjoy your podcast! 
<< Don't forget to solve the related quiz after listening to the podcast.

Turkish Conversations From ZERO to HERO

Episode 1: Greeting Friends - AyLin ve SerkaN Tanışıyor...

Laura's English Podcast

Introduction

In this episode you will learn about the "holly week" (semana santa) and the impact of religion in latin american culture

Spanish with Jas

EP 11. RELIGION IN LATIN AMERICA

今日のテーマは「日常会話で使える、軽い不満や心配を表すフレーズ」です。普段の生活で、ちょっとした違和感や不安を感じることってありますよね？そんなときに使える自然な日本語のフレーズを3つ紹介します。これを覚えておくと、友達や同僚との会話でより自然な日本語が使えるようになりますよ。

最初のフレーズは「なんか変だなぁ」です。例えば、いつもと違うことに気づいたときや、何かがおかしいと感じたときに使えます。シンプルですが、かなり汎用性の高い表現です。

[例文]
「このスマホ、なんか変だなぁ。反応が遅い気がする。」
この「なんか」は「何かが」という意味で、違和感を感じたときにぴったりです。

次のフレーズは「微妙だなぁ」です。これは、良いとも悪いとも言えない微妙な状況を表現するときに使います。たとえば、何かが少し期待外れだったり、判断がつかないときに便利です。

[例文]
「このレストラン、微妙だなぁ。料理は美味しいけど、サービスがいまいち。」
「微妙」という言葉には、曖昧さやニュアンスを含んでいるので、色々な場面で使えます。


最後のフレーズは「なんとなく不安」です。明確な理由がなくても、何か心配なときに使います。特に、新しいことに挑戦する前などに使われます。

[例文]
「明日のプレゼン、なんとなく不安だなぁ。うまくいくかな。」
この表現は、ちょっとした心配事を軽く伝えるのにぴったりです。

今日のエピソードでは、「なんか変だなぁ」、「微妙だなぁ」、「なんとなく不安」という3つのフレーズを紹介しました。どれも、日常生活で使いやすく、ちょっとした不満や心配を表現するのに便利なフレーズです。これらのフレーズをぜひ、日常の会話で使ってみてくださいね。