Natural Nihongo Chat

時間のおはなし

In this episode, we talk about the pleasure we get from hearing stories, and I share with you a beautiful tale about the joy that comes from helping others. Listen now, and then read the (shortened) transcript below to check your understanding.

This story takes place in a hospital, many years ago. And there was a room where there were two men, both seriously ill. One of those men was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour a day to drain the fluids from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend of all his time lying flat on his back. He couldn’t see anything, except the ceiling.

The men talked for hours on end. They spoke about their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, where they’d been on vacation, and the things they’d learned in their lives. And every afternoon, when the man in the bed next to the window, could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the wonderful things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed would live for those one-hour periods when his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and the colour of the outside world. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake, the man had said. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Lovers walked arm in arm amid flowers of every colour of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all of this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.......... 

If you'd like to read the rest of the transcript, send me a message on italki and I will gladly send you a copy. Or better still, book a lesson with me now, so that I can help you on your English learning journey. 

Learn English with Cambridge David

The one about storytelling

🎞️ Diálogo: Mala Reseña de una Película 🍿💬

Daniel: Bueno, Sofía… ¿qué opinas de la película que acabamos de ver?

Sofía: ¿Honestamente? ¡Horrible! No sé cómo aguanté las dos horas.

Daniel: ¡Totalmente de acuerdo! El tráiler parecía prometedor, pero la película fue una decepción total.

Sofía: ¡Sí! Parecía que iba a ser un thriller lleno de suspenso, y terminó siendo… ¿qué fue eso? ¿Un drama sin sentido?

Daniel: Exacto. Además, el guion era terrible. Los diálogos parecían escritos por un robot.

Sofía: ¡Y qué me dices de las actuaciones! La protagonista siempre tenía la misma expresión, estuviera asustada o feliz.

Daniel: Jajaja, sí, parecía que se había aprendido el guion 5 minutos antes de grabar.

Sofía: Y el villano… qué decepción. Lo mostraron en el tráiler como un genio malvado y resultó ser un tipo confundido.

Daniel: ¡Lo sé! Ni siquiera explicaron bien sus motivos. ¿Por qué quería destruir la ciudad? Nunca lo dijeron.

Sofía: Claro, y esa escena final… ¡por favor! ¿Cómo es que la protagonista sobrevive a una explosión sin un rasguño?

Daniel: Ahí me reí, no te voy a mentir. Fue tan ridículo que parecía una comedia.

Sofía: Sí, definitivamente fue una pérdida de tiempo. ¿Sabías que esta película costó 50 millones de dólares?

Daniel: ¿50 millones? ¿En qué se los gastaron? Porque los efectos especiales parecían de hace veinte años.

Sofía: Totalmente. Esa escena del helicóptero parecía hecha con una aplicación de celular.

Daniel: Bueno, al menos las palomitas estaban buenas.

Sofía: ¡Jajaja! Eso sí, las palomitas salvaron la noche.

Daniel: ¿Qué calificación le darías del 1 al 10?

Sofía: Le doy un 3… y solo por las palomitas.

Daniel: Yo le doy un 2… y eso siendo generoso.

Sofía: ¡Definitivamente no volveremos a ver una película dirigida por ese director!

Learn Spanish Conversation

Learn Spanish conversation part 49

duì niú tán qín

意思是比喻对不讲道理的人讲道理，白费口舌，力气

这个成语常用于讥讽人讲话时不看对象，含有贬义。‌

Chinese idioms (中国成语)

对牛弹琴

Job interview tip 4 Find out what kind of interview you’re in for

What kind of job intereviews are there?

Which one will you be facing?

How to rpepare yourself in advance?

What does voice have to do with your level of confidence?

Listen in and gain some value.

To Your Success!

Job Interview Preparation | CEO Interview Strategies From Diverse Business Sectors!

Job interview Preparation. Tip 4: Find out what kind of interview you’re in for.

Try it now！ 
听播客回答问题，Listen to the podcast and answer the questions below. There will be a text tomorrow after you finish the exercise! 
1. zhōng guó běi fāng de tiān qì zěn me yàng ？ shì nèi ne ？ 
1. 中    国  北  方   的 天   气 怎  么 样   ？ 室  内  呢 ？ 
2. nán fāng de wēn dù zěn me yàng ？ 
2. 南  方   的 温  度 怎  么 样   ？ 
3. nán fāng rén zěn me ràng zì jǐ nuǎn huo yì dián ér ？ 
3. 南  方   人  怎  么 让   自 己 暖   和  一 点   儿 ？ 

他们在聊啥？What are they talking about？

中国南北差异zhōng guó nán běi chā yì ：North-south differences in China

I'll talk about how to say ' I want ice cream naturally. You'll learn how to use ' V고 싶다' Vs  'N 원하다'  in this episode.  *V :verb  *N:noun
To say 'to want' 'V고 싶다' is more commonly used in everyday conversations. Whereas 'N 원하다' is not that frequently used because it is more poetic, formal, and literate.

I want to go there. 거기 가고 싶어요.  *거기 there  가다 * to do
I want to eat it.        그거 먹고 싶어요.  *그거 that thing  *먹다 to eat
I want to sleep.        (잠)  자고 싶어요.  *(잠) 자다 to sleep
I want to dance.            춤 추고 싶어요.  *춤 추다 to dance

I want ice cream.        아이스크림 먹고 싶어요.
I want ice water.        시원한 물 마시고 싶어요.   *시원한 물 ice water *마시다 to drink
I want a new iPhone.  새 아이폰 사고 싶어요.     *새 아이폰 new iPhone  *사다 to buy
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I want world peace.  세계 평화를 원해요.  *세계 평화 World peace
I want love.                  사랑을 원해요.           *사랑 love 

Thank you. 감사합니다. 




Korean with Yuna

I Want Ice Cream _아이스크림 먹고 싶어요 (Beginner)

Living in the moment vs. living in the future

FLO TALKS 

In Chinese there’s a word called 衣食住行 (yi1 shi2 zhu4 xing2), representing the 4 essential aspects in our life: clothing, food, place to live and going out. In today’s episode we are tackling the last aspect ‘行’. What are the most popular transportations in China? What transportation we DO NOT have in China? And many more! 