Alan’s Weekend Words July 22nd
Sleep
I’ts surprising how many things we can talk about related to sleep in English. Apparently the Swedes have 95 different words for sleep. I don’t think we have anything like that many in English, but even so, we talk abou sleep and sleeping in quite a number of ways.
For instance, we have:
sleep for the noun
to sleep, sleeping – the verb
and other words that describe sleep in different ways> Examples:
A nap or a “catnap” = a short sleep – usually in the daytime
to snooze, or a snooze” same as a “nap”
Often, an alarm clock will have a “snooze” button – so that we can sleep a little longer and then another alorm will sound.
To doze – where it’s describing someone not sleeping too deeply. “Don’t doze off when you’re driving!!” an important thing to remember.
There are other slang words or expressions. Here are some I know and quite like:
“Shut-eye”
“Kip”
“40 winks”
“Nod-off”
“Zonked” (usually after someone has had a lot to drink”
“Slaughtered” (very tired)
“Dead to the world” – when someone can’t wake up very easily – after a late night
I remember that Americans sometimes say “bushed” – meaning tired – but maybe they don’t use that so much these days...
We sometimes use the Spanish word “siesta” to talk about sleeping during the daytime – for a rest, when on holidau or having a sleep when the weather is very hot.
There are many others I can’t remember just now. Perhaps you’d like to do a bit of research yourself!
When someone needs to get to sleep, we sometimes “count sheep” in our heads. The idea is to get so bored counting sheep – you fall asleep! Try it!
See you next time
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Saturday, July 21, 2007
German/English Deutsch/Englisch post
hallo, wie geht’s. Diesmal ich spreche ein bisschen Deutsch. Ich lerne es seit 6 Jahren, aber ich habe Deutsch schon in der Schule gelernt vor vielen Jahren!!.
Heutzutage, wenig Leute lernen Deutsch im Vergleich als ich jung war. Deutsch ist noch immer eine wichtige Sprache aber ich glaube viel mehr Leute aus verschiedenen Laendern wollen englisch lernen . Weil ich Engländer bin, ist es fuer mich sehr interessant, andere Sprachen zu lernen, und ich finde Deutsch sehr interessant und besonders wenn ich in Deutschland bin, weil ich mit meinen deutschen Freunden auch deutsch sprechen kann.
Ich kenne gut Hessen, die eine Region in der Mitte von Deutschland ist. Besonders die Stadt Kassel, wo meine Frau und ich Freunde haben. Ihr könnt ein Podcast von unseren Besuchen nach Kassel das wir im Mai gemacht haben hier lesen und hoeren.
Heute habe ich mit einem Freund aus Deutschland im Paltalk gesprochen und er hat mir gesagt, daß das Wetter in Deutschland schoen ist. Leider ist das Wetter hier nicht so gut - zu viel Regen. Weil das Wetter nicht so gut ist, habe ich mich entschieden - dass ich Zeit genug habe, diesen Podcast zu machen.
Vielleicht, ist das nicht so langweilig fuer Sie, ein Podcast ueber das schlechte Wetter zu hoeren... aber das ist ein sehr wichtiges Thema fuer einen Englaender!
Bis zum naechsten Mal
(many thanks to Bettina for the corrections)
In English....
Hello, how are you? This time I’m speaking a little German. I’ve been learning it 6 year, but I did learn German when I was at school – a long time ago!
Today, not so many people learn German compared to when I was young. German is still an important language but I think many more people from other countries want to learn English.
Because I am English, I'm also interested in other languages. I find German very interesting and particularly when I'm in Germany as I can speak German with my friends there.
I know Hessen well, this is a region in the middle of Germany. I know Kassel especially well, where my wife and I have some friends. You can read and listen to a podcast about our visit to Kassel which we did in May.
Today I spoke with my friend from Germany in Paltalk and he told me that the weather in Germany is very nice. Unfortunately here it isn’t so good – too much rain. Because the weather is bad, I decided I had enough time to make this podcast. Perhaps it isn’t so boring for you to listen to a podcast about bad weather – but it’s a very important topic for an English person!
Until next time!
Heutzutage, wenig Leute lernen Deutsch im Vergleich als ich jung war. Deutsch ist noch immer eine wichtige Sprache aber ich glaube viel mehr Leute aus verschiedenen Laendern wollen englisch lernen . Weil ich Engländer bin, ist es fuer mich sehr interessant, andere Sprachen zu lernen, und ich finde Deutsch sehr interessant und besonders wenn ich in Deutschland bin, weil ich mit meinen deutschen Freunden auch deutsch sprechen kann.
Ich kenne gut Hessen, die eine Region in der Mitte von Deutschland ist. Besonders die Stadt Kassel, wo meine Frau und ich Freunde haben. Ihr könnt ein Podcast von unseren Besuchen nach Kassel das wir im Mai gemacht haben hier lesen und hoeren.
Heute habe ich mit einem Freund aus Deutschland im Paltalk gesprochen und er hat mir gesagt, daß das Wetter in Deutschland schoen ist. Leider ist das Wetter hier nicht so gut - zu viel Regen. Weil das Wetter nicht so gut ist, habe ich mich entschieden - dass ich Zeit genug habe, diesen Podcast zu machen.
Vielleicht, ist das nicht so langweilig fuer Sie, ein Podcast ueber das schlechte Wetter zu hoeren... aber das ist ein sehr wichtiges Thema fuer einen Englaender!
Bis zum naechsten Mal
(many thanks to Bettina for the corrections)
In English....
Hello, how are you? This time I’m speaking a little German. I’ve been learning it 6 year, but I did learn German when I was at school – a long time ago!
Today, not so many people learn German compared to when I was young. German is still an important language but I think many more people from other countries want to learn English.
Because I am English, I'm also interested in other languages. I find German very interesting and particularly when I'm in Germany as I can speak German with my friends there.
I know Hessen well, this is a region in the middle of Germany. I know Kassel especially well, where my wife and I have some friends. You can read and listen to a podcast about our visit to Kassel which we did in May.
Today I spoke with my friend from Germany in Paltalk and he told me that the weather in Germany is very nice. Unfortunately here it isn’t so good – too much rain. Because the weather is bad, I decided I had enough time to make this podcast. Perhaps it isn’t so boring for you to listen to a podcast about bad weather – but it’s a very important topic for an English person!
Until next time!
The owl and the pussy cat
The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to seaIn a beautiful pea-green boat:
They took some honey, and plenty of money
Wrapped up in a five-pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
"O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are,You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!"
Pussy said to the Owl,
"You elegant fowl,
How charmingly sweet you sing!
Oh! let us be married; too long we have tarried:
But what shall we do for a ring?"
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the bong-tree grows;
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood,
With a ring at the end of his nose,
His nose,His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.
"Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring?" Said the Piggy, "I will."
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand on the edge of the sand
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.
Edward Lear
They took some honey, and plenty of money
Wrapped up in a five-pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
"O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are,You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!"
Pussy said to the Owl,
"You elegant fowl,
How charmingly sweet you sing!
Oh! let us be married; too long we have tarried:
But what shall we do for a ring?"
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the bong-tree grows;
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood,
With a ring at the end of his nose,
His nose,His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.
"Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring?" Said the Piggy, "I will."
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand on the edge of the sand
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.
Edward Lear
Monday, July 16, 2007
French/English podcast
Hello,
This time I decided to record a podcast in French as well as a translation in English. I don’t know how many visitors to this site understand French, but I think it is worth putting a podcast completely in French here.
I have been learning French for 16 years. It is always difficult for me, but despite this difficulty I continue with my hobby and improve my French. The French word “pefectionner” is an interesting word, because there isn’t really an equivalent in English. We say “develop”, “learn” or “improve” when we talk of language learning.
A few years ago I was an admin for a chatroom with www.about.com. It was great to have the chance to meet with others who were learning French like me as well as people who spoke French as a mother tongue.
Thanks to the visitors I got lots of information and other interesting websites. Amongst this, someone recommended me to read an “online” book which I am recommending to you. This is a book written by an american whilst working in Paris. Here’s the site. The book is in English and well written for students of French – but it could be useful for people learning English too.
http://www.signiform.com/french/
I find singing songs very useful for language development. Sometimes I sing French songs and I’ve put a few on this podcast site for you which I recorded some months ago following a few concerts at French language learners evening meetings around my area in the UK.
Bye for now
This time I decided to record a podcast in French as well as a translation in English. I don’t know how many visitors to this site understand French, but I think it is worth putting a podcast completely in French here.
I have been learning French for 16 years. It is always difficult for me, but despite this difficulty I continue with my hobby and improve my French. The French word “pefectionner” is an interesting word, because there isn’t really an equivalent in English. We say “develop”, “learn” or “improve” when we talk of language learning.
A few years ago I was an admin for a chatroom with www.about.com. It was great to have the chance to meet with others who were learning French like me as well as people who spoke French as a mother tongue.
Thanks to the visitors I got lots of information and other interesting websites. Amongst this, someone recommended me to read an “online” book which I am recommending to you. This is a book written by an american whilst working in Paris. Here’s the site. The book is in English and well written for students of French – but it could be useful for people learning English too.
http://www.signiform.com/french/
I find singing songs very useful for language development. Sometimes I sing French songs and I’ve put a few on this podcast site for you which I recorded some months ago following a few concerts at French language learners evening meetings around my area in the UK.
Bye for now
Podcast français/anglais
Salut.
Cette fois j’ai décidé d’enregister un podcast en français ainsi que une traduction en anglais. Je ne sais pas combien de visiteurs du site comprennent cette langue – mais je pense ça vaut la peine de mettre un podcast sur ce site complètement en français.
Je parle le français depuis 16 ans. C’est toujours difficile pour moi mais en dépit de ça – je continue perfectionner mon français comme passe-temps. C’est un mot interessant : « perfectionner » parce qu’en anglais ce mot n’existe pas. On dit en anglais : « developper », « apprendre plus » or « amelioerer » quand on parle d’un apprentissage d’une langue.
Il y a quelques années j’étais administrateur pour une salon de bavardage (chatroom) chez www.about.com. C’étatit très bien d’avoir l’occasion de faire les rencontres aux autres personnes qui apprennaient le français ainsi que les francophones. Grace aux visiteurs, j’ai trouvé les informations et d’autres sites Internet très interessants. Parmi ces visites, quelqu’un m’a conseillé de lire un livre « en ligne » et je vous propose ce site pour lire ce livre écrit par un americain pendant son sejour à Paris quand il travaillait la.
Voici le site. Le livre est en anglais et c’est un livre bien écrit pour les étudiant de la language française en particulière.
http://www.signiform.com/french/
Je trouve les chansons bien utiles pour aider le developpement d’une langue. Moi, je chante de temps en temps les chansons francaises et j’ai laissé certaines ici sur ce site que j’ai enregistré il y a quelques mois. Je les ai enregistré après des concerts aux cercles français qui exisitent dans ma region de l’Angleterre.
A bientôt
Cette fois j’ai décidé d’enregister un podcast en français ainsi que une traduction en anglais. Je ne sais pas combien de visiteurs du site comprennent cette langue – mais je pense ça vaut la peine de mettre un podcast sur ce site complètement en français.
Je parle le français depuis 16 ans. C’est toujours difficile pour moi mais en dépit de ça – je continue perfectionner mon français comme passe-temps. C’est un mot interessant : « perfectionner » parce qu’en anglais ce mot n’existe pas. On dit en anglais : « developper », « apprendre plus » or « amelioerer » quand on parle d’un apprentissage d’une langue.
Il y a quelques années j’étais administrateur pour une salon de bavardage (chatroom) chez www.about.com. C’étatit très bien d’avoir l’occasion de faire les rencontres aux autres personnes qui apprennaient le français ainsi que les francophones. Grace aux visiteurs, j’ai trouvé les informations et d’autres sites Internet très interessants. Parmi ces visites, quelqu’un m’a conseillé de lire un livre « en ligne » et je vous propose ce site pour lire ce livre écrit par un americain pendant son sejour à Paris quand il travaillait la.
Voici le site. Le livre est en anglais et c’est un livre bien écrit pour les étudiant de la language française en particulière.
http://www.signiform.com/french/
Je trouve les chansons bien utiles pour aider le developpement d’une langue. Moi, je chante de temps en temps les chansons francaises et j’ai laissé certaines ici sur ce site que j’ai enregistré il y a quelques mois. Je les ai enregistré après des concerts aux cercles français qui exisitent dans ma region de l’Angleterre.
A bientôt
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Foule Sentimentale (words and music by Alain Souchon)
Alain Souchon
Foule sentimentale
Oh la la la vie en rose
Oh the good life
Le rose qu'on nous propose
That they offer us
D'avoir les quantités d'choses
To have things in abundance
Qui donnent envie d'autre chose
Which makes you want even more
Aïe, on nous fait croire
Oh, they make us believe
Que le bonheur c'est d'avoir
That happiness is to have
De l'avoir plein nos armoires
Our wardrobes full
Dérisions de nous dérisoires car
It’s a mockery, because
Foule sentimentale
The sentimental crowd
On a soif d'idéal
They are thirsty for the ideal
Attirée par les étoiles, les voiles
Attracted by the stars, the sails
Que des choses pas commerciales
Than the mundane
Foule sentimentale
Sentimental crowd
Il faut voir comme on nous parle
We need to see it as they speak to us
Comme on nous parle
As they speak to us
Il se dégage
It comes easily to us
De ces cartons d'emballage
From these product wrappings
Des gens lavés, hors d'usage
From washed out, worn out people
Et tristes et sans aucun avantage
Sad types, with nothing going for them
On nous inflige
They inflict us
Des désirs qui nous affligent
With these desires that distress us
On nous prend faut pas déconner dès qu'on est né
Feed us rubbish from the day we are born
Pour des cons alors qu'on est
Fools that we are
Foule sentimentale
This sentimental crowd
On a soif d'idéal
They are thirsty for the ideal
Attirée par les étoiles, les voiles
Attracted by the stars, the sails
Que des choses pas commerciales
Than the mundane
Foule sentimentale
Sentimental crowd
Il faut voir comme on nous parle
We need to see it as they speak to us
Comme on nous parle
As they speak to us
On nous Claudia Schieffer
They give us Claudia Schiffer (famous model)
On nous Paul-Loup Sulitzer
They give us Paul-Loup Sulitzer (self-made millionaire)
Oh le mal qu'on peut nous faire
The the harm that they can do to us
Et qui ravagea la moukère
And which ravaged the harlot
Du ciel dévale
From the fallen sky
Un désir qui nous emballe
A desire that thrills us
Pour demain nos enfants pâles
For tomorrow our pale children
Un mieux, un rêve, un cheval
The best, a dream, a horse
Foule sentimentale
The sentimental crowd
On a soif d'idéal
They are thirsty for the ideal
Attirée par les étoiles, les voiles
Attracted by the stars, the sails
Que des choses pas commerciales
Than the mundane
Foule sentimentale
Sentimental crowd
Il faut voir comme on nous parle
We need to see it as they speak to us
Comme on nous parle
As they speak to us
Foule sentimentale
Oh la la la vie en rose
Oh the good life
Le rose qu'on nous propose
That they offer us
D'avoir les quantités d'choses
To have things in abundance
Qui donnent envie d'autre chose
Which makes you want even more
Aïe, on nous fait croire
Oh, they make us believe
Que le bonheur c'est d'avoir
That happiness is to have
De l'avoir plein nos armoires
Our wardrobes full
Dérisions de nous dérisoires car
It’s a mockery, because
Foule sentimentale
The sentimental crowd
On a soif d'idéal
They are thirsty for the ideal
Attirée par les étoiles, les voiles
Attracted by the stars, the sails
Que des choses pas commerciales
Than the mundane
Foule sentimentale
Sentimental crowd
Il faut voir comme on nous parle
We need to see it as they speak to us
Comme on nous parle
As they speak to us
Il se dégage
It comes easily to us
De ces cartons d'emballage
From these product wrappings
Des gens lavés, hors d'usage
From washed out, worn out people
Et tristes et sans aucun avantage
Sad types, with nothing going for them
On nous inflige
They inflict us
Des désirs qui nous affligent
With these desires that distress us
On nous prend faut pas déconner dès qu'on est né
Feed us rubbish from the day we are born
Pour des cons alors qu'on est
Fools that we are
Foule sentimentale
This sentimental crowd
On a soif d'idéal
They are thirsty for the ideal
Attirée par les étoiles, les voiles
Attracted by the stars, the sails
Que des choses pas commerciales
Than the mundane
Foule sentimentale
Sentimental crowd
Il faut voir comme on nous parle
We need to see it as they speak to us
Comme on nous parle
As they speak to us
On nous Claudia Schieffer
They give us Claudia Schiffer (famous model)
On nous Paul-Loup Sulitzer
They give us Paul-Loup Sulitzer (self-made millionaire)
Oh le mal qu'on peut nous faire
The the harm that they can do to us
Et qui ravagea la moukère
And which ravaged the harlot
Du ciel dévale
From the fallen sky
Un désir qui nous emballe
A desire that thrills us
Pour demain nos enfants pâles
For tomorrow our pale children
Un mieux, un rêve, un cheval
The best, a dream, a horse
Foule sentimentale
The sentimental crowd
On a soif d'idéal
They are thirsty for the ideal
Attirée par les étoiles, les voiles
Attracted by the stars, the sails
Que des choses pas commerciales
Than the mundane
Foule sentimentale
Sentimental crowd
Il faut voir comme on nous parle
We need to see it as they speak to us
Comme on nous parle
As they speak to us
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Thanking people in English
Thanking people
In English classes, the most taught forms are:
Thankyou – useful for nearly any situation – formal or informal
Thankyou very much – useful for emphasising that you are very grateful to someone
Thanks – more informal – matter of fact – used in nearly any informal situation
We also use other words and phrases for thanking:
The most popular word these days in England is: "Cheers"
This can be a bit confusing as it is also the word we use for toasting someone with a drink (usually an alcoholic drink) "Cheers!"
Cheers – when we mean thanks is a popular way of thanking people for many things: in shops, on the street, with family etc
Other words we use:
Thanks a lot – we tend to use this in two ways: one to emphasise that we want to thank someone for their help "Thanks a lot for helping me with my homework". But also a negative way to say "I wish you hadn’t said that, or done that…thanks a lot!"
Thanks a million – is a very friendly way of saying thanks when someone has done something really special or helped you personally. "Thanks a million for your kind donation to the charity fund!"
Thanks so much - similar to "thanks a million" "thanks so much for all your help"
Thanks a bundle – this is like "thanks a million" - "thanks a bundle for the loan of your car"
Thanking you! This is a way of saying thanks in a way that shows other people you mean it. "thanking you for your help last week when you took my son to school"
"Thankyou kindly sir" (or madam) or "thank you kind sir" (or madam) we say this when we want to appear to be appreciating someone’s help in a pseudo formal style – deliberately to sound a little old-fashioned. Really we are saying this to friends or family to put a little more emphasis on the idea of thanking someone.
Nice one! An easy way of saying to friends the equivalent of "thankyou for this – I really needed it" example: lending someone some money..
Good one! Similar to "nice one"
Sound! (colloquial) Similar to "nice one"
We occasionally use a foreign word such as "gracias" or "merci" just to be a little different
Bye for now
In English classes, the most taught forms are:
Thankyou – useful for nearly any situation – formal or informal
Thankyou very much – useful for emphasising that you are very grateful to someone
Thanks – more informal – matter of fact – used in nearly any informal situation
We also use other words and phrases for thanking:
The most popular word these days in England is: "Cheers"
This can be a bit confusing as it is also the word we use for toasting someone with a drink (usually an alcoholic drink) "Cheers!"
Cheers – when we mean thanks is a popular way of thanking people for many things: in shops, on the street, with family etc
Other words we use:
Thanks a lot – we tend to use this in two ways: one to emphasise that we want to thank someone for their help "Thanks a lot for helping me with my homework". But also a negative way to say "I wish you hadn’t said that, or done that…thanks a lot!"
Thanks a million – is a very friendly way of saying thanks when someone has done something really special or helped you personally. "Thanks a million for your kind donation to the charity fund!"
Thanks so much - similar to "thanks a million" "thanks so much for all your help"
Thanks a bundle – this is like "thanks a million" - "thanks a bundle for the loan of your car"
Thanking you! This is a way of saying thanks in a way that shows other people you mean it. "thanking you for your help last week when you took my son to school"
"Thankyou kindly sir" (or madam) or "thank you kind sir" (or madam) we say this when we want to appear to be appreciating someone’s help in a pseudo formal style – deliberately to sound a little old-fashioned. Really we are saying this to friends or family to put a little more emphasis on the idea of thanking someone.
Nice one! An easy way of saying to friends the equivalent of "thankyou for this – I really needed it" example: lending someone some money..
Good one! Similar to "nice one"
Sound! (colloquial) Similar to "nice one"
We occasionally use a foreign word such as "gracias" or "merci" just to be a little different
Bye for now
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Asking questions in English
It’s interesting how many ways we can ask questions in English.
I wanted to explain a little in this podcast about the different ways do this. In fact I had to think about this a lot before I recorded the podcast – as a lot depends on the situation and who were are talking to.
Regarding asking people for things. In English we use the "conditional" form a lot. This is where the question sounds more polite.
For example:
"Could I have a cup of tea please?" sounds more polite that "Can I have a cup of tea please?"
The reason is that English people usually ( but not always of course) try to be polite and the word "could" means that the person who is being asked would feel that the person asking the question was not demanding a cup of tea – almost that the person being asked has a choice. Of course if you were in a café asking this question, it would seem a bit silly that they would not want to give you some tea – but this way of asking questions still stays in our language.
"I would like…" is similar
" Could I trouble you for….?" Is very polite and fomal
Between friends and family, it is less formal:
"Can you lend me a garden rake?" is perfectly acceptable.
"I want a…." is not normally used – as it sounds impolite. However as always, there are exceptions. " I want a holiday – I’ve been working too many hours" could be used as a statement. But, if you were to ask your boss for a holiday, you would say "Could I have next week off please? I want to go on holiday"
"Have you got some stamps?" is ok to use when asking for stamps in a Post Office
Also,
"Do you have some(any) stamps?" Would be the right question to see if the place selling stamps had any e.g. Newsagents
"Do you sell stamps?" would also be ok – if you were in a shop and wanted to see if they sold stamps
To add emphasis, we often say:
"I really would like…… do you have any? (or "could I have?)
"Do you mind if I take….?" A useful phrase in, say a Tourist Information office and they offer leaflets and you think that they are being offered for free – but you are not sure.
"Will you come to my party?" a direct question to a friend – which means that they should give you an answer "yes" or "no"
An alternative (and more polite) would be " Would you come to my party?" this means that the person being asked might say "no thanks – I have to visit my mother – thanks for asking me"
"Shall we go to the seaside for our holidays?" is more direct than "should we go to the seaside for our holidays?" and usually you would get a different response.
The first question would normally mean the person being asked would say "Yes, it sounds a good idea" or "No, I don’t want to go to the seaside this year"
The second question would normally mean the person being asked would say "Let me think about it, it might be worth doing" or " I’m not sure – whether I like the idea or not"
So, it is worth learning the different ways to ask for things in English and see what response you get. If you find that the question seems too direct – then try using:
Could I/you/we?
Should I/you/we?
Would I/you/we?
Might I/you/we?
Another very polite way is "is it ok if?" or "do you mind if?"
More direct ways or asking questions are
Can I/you/we?
Shall I/you/we?
Will I/you/we?
Don’t be worried about using these ways of asking if you need help or are in trouble or you need a direct "yes" or "no" answer.
I wanted to explain a little in this podcast about the different ways do this. In fact I had to think about this a lot before I recorded the podcast – as a lot depends on the situation and who were are talking to.
Regarding asking people for things. In English we use the "conditional" form a lot. This is where the question sounds more polite.
For example:
"Could I have a cup of tea please?" sounds more polite that "Can I have a cup of tea please?"
The reason is that English people usually ( but not always of course) try to be polite and the word "could" means that the person who is being asked would feel that the person asking the question was not demanding a cup of tea – almost that the person being asked has a choice. Of course if you were in a café asking this question, it would seem a bit silly that they would not want to give you some tea – but this way of asking questions still stays in our language.
"I would like…" is similar
" Could I trouble you for….?" Is very polite and fomal
Between friends and family, it is less formal:
"Can you lend me a garden rake?" is perfectly acceptable.
"I want a…." is not normally used – as it sounds impolite. However as always, there are exceptions. " I want a holiday – I’ve been working too many hours" could be used as a statement. But, if you were to ask your boss for a holiday, you would say "Could I have next week off please? I want to go on holiday"
"Have you got some stamps?" is ok to use when asking for stamps in a Post Office
Also,
"Do you have some(any) stamps?" Would be the right question to see if the place selling stamps had any e.g. Newsagents
"Do you sell stamps?" would also be ok – if you were in a shop and wanted to see if they sold stamps
To add emphasis, we often say:
"I really would like…… do you have any? (or "could I have?)
"Do you mind if I take….?" A useful phrase in, say a Tourist Information office and they offer leaflets and you think that they are being offered for free – but you are not sure.
"Will you come to my party?" a direct question to a friend – which means that they should give you an answer "yes" or "no"
An alternative (and more polite) would be " Would you come to my party?" this means that the person being asked might say "no thanks – I have to visit my mother – thanks for asking me"
"Shall we go to the seaside for our holidays?" is more direct than "should we go to the seaside for our holidays?" and usually you would get a different response.
The first question would normally mean the person being asked would say "Yes, it sounds a good idea" or "No, I don’t want to go to the seaside this year"
The second question would normally mean the person being asked would say "Let me think about it, it might be worth doing" or " I’m not sure – whether I like the idea or not"
So, it is worth learning the different ways to ask for things in English and see what response you get. If you find that the question seems too direct – then try using:
Could I/you/we?
Should I/you/we?
Would I/you/we?
Might I/you/we?
Another very polite way is "is it ok if?" or "do you mind if?"
More direct ways or asking questions are
Can I/you/we?
Shall I/you/we?
Will I/you/we?
Don’t be worried about using these ways of asking if you need help or are in trouble or you need a direct "yes" or "no" answer.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Petite Marie
Francis Cabrel
Petite Marie
Petite Marie, je parle de toi
Little Marie, I speak of you
Parce qu'avec ta petite voix
Because with your little voice
Tes petites manies, tu as versé sur ma vie
Your little habits, tu have poured on my life
Des milliers de roses
Thousands of roses
Petite furie, je me bats pour toi
Little wild one, I fight for you
Pour que dans dix mille ans de ça
So that in 10,000 years from now
On se retrouve à l'abri, sous un ciel aussi joli
We’ll find ourselves a shelter, under a sky just as pretty
Que des milliers de roses
As 1000’s of roses
Je viens du ciel et les étoiles entre elles
I come from the sky and the stars only
Ne parlent que de toi
Speak of you
D'un musicien qui fait jouer ses mains
From a musician whose hands play
Sur un morceau de bois
On a piece of wood
De leur amour plus bleu que le ciel autour
Of their love more blue than the sky above
Petite Marie, je t'attends transi
Little Marie, I wait for you transfixed
Sous une tuile de ton toit
Under a tile of your roof
Le vent de la nuit froide me renvoie la ballade
The cold night wind brings me back the ballad
Que j'avais écrite pour toi
That I had written for you
Petite furie, tu dis que la vie
Little wild one, you say that life
C'est une bague à chaque doigt
Is a ring on each finger
Au soleil de Floride, moi mes poches sont vides
In the sunshine of Florida, my pockets are empty
Et mes yeux pleurent de froid
And my eyes cry from cold
Je viens du ciel et les étoiles entre elles
I come from the sky and the stars only
Ne parlent que de toi
Speak of you
D'un musicien qui fait jouer ses mains
From a musician whose hands play
Sur un morceau de bois
On a piece of wood
De leur amour plus bleu que le ciel autour
Of their love more blue than the sky above
Dans la pénombre de ta rue
In the shadow of your street
Petite Marie, m'entends-tu ?
Little Marie, do you hear me ?
Je n'attends plus que toi pour partir...
I’m only waiting for you to be able to leave
Dans la pénombre de ta rue
In the shadow of your street
Petite Marie, m'entends-tu ?
Little Marie, can you hear me ?
Je n'attends plus que toi pour partir...
I’m only waiting for you to be able to leave
Je viens du ciel et les étoiles entre elles
I come from the sky and the stars
Ne parlent que de toi
Only speak of you
D'un musicien qui fait jouer ses mains
From a musician whose hands play
Sur un morceau de bois
On a piece of wood
De leur amour plus bleu que le ciel autour
Of their love more blue that the sky above
Words and music - Francis Cabrel
English translation: Alan Palmer
Petite Marie
Petite Marie, je parle de toi
Little Marie, I speak of you
Parce qu'avec ta petite voix
Because with your little voice
Tes petites manies, tu as versé sur ma vie
Your little habits, tu have poured on my life
Des milliers de roses
Thousands of roses
Petite furie, je me bats pour toi
Little wild one, I fight for you
Pour que dans dix mille ans de ça
So that in 10,000 years from now
On se retrouve à l'abri, sous un ciel aussi joli
We’ll find ourselves a shelter, under a sky just as pretty
Que des milliers de roses
As 1000’s of roses
Je viens du ciel et les étoiles entre elles
I come from the sky and the stars only
Ne parlent que de toi
Speak of you
D'un musicien qui fait jouer ses mains
From a musician whose hands play
Sur un morceau de bois
On a piece of wood
De leur amour plus bleu que le ciel autour
Of their love more blue than the sky above
Petite Marie, je t'attends transi
Little Marie, I wait for you transfixed
Sous une tuile de ton toit
Under a tile of your roof
Le vent de la nuit froide me renvoie la ballade
The cold night wind brings me back the ballad
Que j'avais écrite pour toi
That I had written for you
Petite furie, tu dis que la vie
Little wild one, you say that life
C'est une bague à chaque doigt
Is a ring on each finger
Au soleil de Floride, moi mes poches sont vides
In the sunshine of Florida, my pockets are empty
Et mes yeux pleurent de froid
And my eyes cry from cold
Je viens du ciel et les étoiles entre elles
I come from the sky and the stars only
Ne parlent que de toi
Speak of you
D'un musicien qui fait jouer ses mains
From a musician whose hands play
Sur un morceau de bois
On a piece of wood
De leur amour plus bleu que le ciel autour
Of their love more blue than the sky above
Dans la pénombre de ta rue
In the shadow of your street
Petite Marie, m'entends-tu ?
Little Marie, do you hear me ?
Je n'attends plus que toi pour partir...
I’m only waiting for you to be able to leave
Dans la pénombre de ta rue
In the shadow of your street
Petite Marie, m'entends-tu ?
Little Marie, can you hear me ?
Je n'attends plus que toi pour partir...
I’m only waiting for you to be able to leave
Je viens du ciel et les étoiles entre elles
I come from the sky and the stars
Ne parlent que de toi
Only speak of you
D'un musicien qui fait jouer ses mains
From a musician whose hands play
Sur un morceau de bois
On a piece of wood
De leur amour plus bleu que le ciel autour
Of their love more blue that the sky above
Words and music - Francis Cabrel
English translation: Alan Palmer
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Runaway/Vanina
As I walk along I wonder a-what went wrong
With our love , a love that was so strong
And as I still walk on, I think of the things we've done
Together , a-while our hearts were young
I'm a-walkin' in the rain
Tears are fallin' and I feel the pain
Wishin' you were here by me
To end this misery
And I wonder
I wa-wa-wa-wa-wonder
Why
Ah-why-why-why-why-why she ran away
And I wonder where she will stay
My little runaway , run-run-run-run-runaway
Loin de toi je me demande
Pouquoi ma vie ressemble
A une terre brûlée
Mais quand l'amour prend ses distances
Un seul être vous manque
Et tout est dépeuplé
Vanina rappelle-toi
Que je ne suis rien sans toi
Vanina si tu m'oublies
Je serais pour la vie
Seul au monde
Oh ! Mon... mon... mon...monde
Toi, toi…… si loin de toi
Et le monde
N'existe pas
Si tu es loin de moi, loin loin loin loin de moi
Original version by Del Shannon
French version by Dave
This version by me!
With our love , a love that was so strong
And as I still walk on, I think of the things we've done
Together , a-while our hearts were young
I'm a-walkin' in the rain
Tears are fallin' and I feel the pain
Wishin' you were here by me
To end this misery
And I wonder
I wa-wa-wa-wa-wonder
Why
Ah-why-why-why-why-why she ran away
And I wonder where she will stay
My little runaway , run-run-run-run-runaway
Loin de toi je me demande
Pouquoi ma vie ressemble
A une terre brûlée
Mais quand l'amour prend ses distances
Un seul être vous manque
Et tout est dépeuplé
Vanina rappelle-toi
Que je ne suis rien sans toi
Vanina si tu m'oublies
Je serais pour la vie
Seul au monde
Oh ! Mon... mon... mon...monde
Toi, toi…… si loin de toi
Et le monde
N'existe pas
Si tu es loin de moi, loin loin loin loin de moi
Original version by Del Shannon
French version by Dave
This version by me!
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Alan's Weekend Words 17th June
Hello everyone
Thanks for all your feedback on my podcasts – I really appreciate it.
Today I want to talk some more about the way we speak in normal conversation as opposed to the language you read in text books or in English language classes.
Obviously I can only talk about my own experience in England,
When people speak quickly, it happens that some words become harder to distinguish and this can be difficult for English language learners I think.
For instance, If I asked a friend of mine, “would you like to go to the cinema?” it can often become “would yer like t’go to the cimema?” You can hear that the word “you” becomes more like “yer” and “to” becomes more like the letter “t”
This can be considered lazy speaking, but between friends, with work colleagues etc it is just easier and doesn’t mean that we are lazy.
Another example is “Do you want to?” which often becomes “do yer wanna?”
Here is a list I have made of some common phrases that can often be shortened.
I have got to go – I’ve gotta go
When I come back – when I’m back
What time is it? = what’s the time? (what time do you make it?)
I need to put some fuel in my car – I need to fill up (my car)
Do you sell sandwiches? Have you any sandwiches (sarnies)
Do you have a pen I can borrow please? Have you a pen please?
Could you pass me the salt please – could I have the salt please?
Did you take any good photographs when you were on holiday? did you take any good pictures(photos) on your holidays?
I’m trying to show you examples of where we use alternative sentences to those that would normally be taught in English classes.
I’m also trying to avoid (as much as I can) using examples of dialect – because some dialects in England shorten words as a feature of the dialect.
I’ll give you an example: Do you have a pen I can borrow please – often becomes Have you got a pen please? and in my dialect, I could say “d’y’ave a pen please?”
So I’m not trying to show you dialects in this podcast – I’m simply discussing how we choose different sentences sometimes – because they seem less formal, friendlier, easier to say – for quite a number of reasons. Often it may be simply because of habit. Do y’want a coffee? is much more common to ask as a question to a friend or member of the family than “would you like a cup of coffee?”
This type of “everyday speech” is, I think, what can make it more difficult for English learners to understand when listening to spoken English – it is quite often not like the written standard forms.
Some other examples:
Hello! it’s very nice to see you, please come in – “Hi, come on in!”
Well, I am really tired so I should go to bed – “I’m off to bed - I’m tired”
Did you enjoy that TV programme that was shown yesterday evening? Did you like that programme on telly yesterday evening?
Hopefully, you’ll be able to hear and read these differences and it may give you more understanding of why English may seem more complex – when in fact, it is often being made simpler to make it easier and quicker to have a conversation between friends and family.
See you next time
Bye!
Thanks for all your feedback on my podcasts – I really appreciate it.
Today I want to talk some more about the way we speak in normal conversation as opposed to the language you read in text books or in English language classes.
Obviously I can only talk about my own experience in England,
When people speak quickly, it happens that some words become harder to distinguish and this can be difficult for English language learners I think.
For instance, If I asked a friend of mine, “would you like to go to the cinema?” it can often become “would yer like t’go to the cimema?” You can hear that the word “you” becomes more like “yer” and “to” becomes more like the letter “t”
This can be considered lazy speaking, but between friends, with work colleagues etc it is just easier and doesn’t mean that we are lazy.
Another example is “Do you want to?” which often becomes “do yer wanna?”
Here is a list I have made of some common phrases that can often be shortened.
I have got to go – I’ve gotta go
When I come back – when I’m back
What time is it? = what’s the time? (what time do you make it?)
I need to put some fuel in my car – I need to fill up (my car)
Do you sell sandwiches? Have you any sandwiches (sarnies)
Do you have a pen I can borrow please? Have you a pen please?
Could you pass me the salt please – could I have the salt please?
Did you take any good photographs when you were on holiday? did you take any good pictures(photos) on your holidays?
I’m trying to show you examples of where we use alternative sentences to those that would normally be taught in English classes.
I’m also trying to avoid (as much as I can) using examples of dialect – because some dialects in England shorten words as a feature of the dialect.
I’ll give you an example: Do you have a pen I can borrow please – often becomes Have you got a pen please? and in my dialect, I could say “d’y’ave a pen please?”
So I’m not trying to show you dialects in this podcast – I’m simply discussing how we choose different sentences sometimes – because they seem less formal, friendlier, easier to say – for quite a number of reasons. Often it may be simply because of habit. Do y’want a coffee? is much more common to ask as a question to a friend or member of the family than “would you like a cup of coffee?”
This type of “everyday speech” is, I think, what can make it more difficult for English learners to understand when listening to spoken English – it is quite often not like the written standard forms.
Some other examples:
Hello! it’s very nice to see you, please come in – “Hi, come on in!”
Well, I am really tired so I should go to bed – “I’m off to bed - I’m tired”
Did you enjoy that TV programme that was shown yesterday evening? Did you like that programme on telly yesterday evening?
Hopefully, you’ll be able to hear and read these differences and it may give you more understanding of why English may seem more complex – when in fact, it is often being made simpler to make it easier and quicker to have a conversation between friends and family.
See you next time
Bye!
Thursday, June 07, 2007
My trip to Germany (Kassel)
Hello everyone,
Today I’d like to tell you about my trip to Germany. Last week I went with my wife and son to Kassel, which is a city in the centre of Germany in the Hessen region. We were taking part in an exchange group visit with the "Pendle-Kassel Community Exchange". This was a great opportunity to visit the town once more, meet with our friends from the German side of the group and to stay with these families in the city.
The Pendle-Kassel community exchange has been in existence for 26 years and my wife is the chairperson on the English side. Pendle is my home region which comprises of 3 towns. Together, these towns make up the same number of people as those who live in the city of Kassel – around 150,000 people.
The idea of the exchange is quite simple. Each year a group of exchange group members will travel to either Germany or to England. This year it was our turn to visit Kassel. Each group has about 50 members. This year 32 members of the group travelled by aeroplane (Air Berlin) from Manchester to Kassel. We stayed with "host families" (called Gastgeber in German) who were all so kind as to welcome us into their homes to stay as guests for 7 nights.
So that we don’t abuse their hospitality (in other words, so we don’t take too much of the families’ time) each day of the week we take part in activities or excursions. Some of our hosts will organise these activities or act as guides on the excursions. This way, it allows our hosts to still go to work or do things that they need to do and also gives us (the visitors) chance to see more of Germany and German life.
The exchange started in 1981 between a school in Pendle and a school in Kassel. At that time, it was just school children and teachers that took part in the exchange. Later, the exchange group opened up a welcome to parents and their friends. Now it is open to anyone who is interested – of any age. In reality, this means all ages from quite young children with their parents through to quite elderly people. I like this aspect, because it allows different age groups to do things together and this is quite a rare thing in my country these days. Where there are young children visiting, these children will stay with a parent, although when the children are a little older, they may stay with a family on their own.
It is also an opportunity to develop language skills (for those who wish to) and to discover more about German way of life, peoples’ interests and hobbies, food and drink and well as to see some of the sights.
Each day in Kassel is an opportunity to get to know our hosts better and make friends at the same time. For those visiting for the first time, the first few hours after arrival are be the most difficult. Even though it may seem daunting, it always seems to work our well and soon the new people make become friends. Even language difficulties are not such a problem because those who take part do so volutarily and they will try hard to make sure that visitors are comfortable and feel at home.
A lot of communication can be done by guesswork and even by gesturing and language difficulties never seem to hold back people from enjoying themselves. Of course, quite a number of the German people speak some English and this helps the English people enormously. Some English visitors speak German as I do, and of course this offers many opportunities to experience another language in a "real-life" situation and a chance to learn and share language.
The visit then becomes almost like an activity holiday. Each visitor is free to take part in the organised activities – such as an organised walk, a visit to a museum or a visit to town for shopping.
The programme this year was very well organised. We had a couple of free days with the families to decide what we could do together and then each of the other days, there were excursions by "Reisebus" (which is a tour bus) to visit interesting places.
The excursions took us to: Eisenach and Wartburg (in the former East Germany where Martin Luther translated the Bible)
Wiesbaden near Frankfurt – to visit the regional parliament building and go shopping in the town.
Willingen in Sauerland where we visited a church that is now a restaurant and had a trip on a chair lift used for skiers in winter.
We also visited the famous "Herkules" monument and park just outside Kassel which has some marvellous "wasserspiel" or water games twice per week. http://www.wilhelmshoehe.de/home.htm
We also had the chance to look around Kassel. I particularly enjoyed a visit to a Flohmarkt (garage sale or flea market)
One thing that must be said is that good friends can be made during this visits. Me and my wife stayed with a very nice family for the first time in 2001 and since then, we have visited a further 3 times with this year’s visit making it our fourth visit
On the Thursday morning we visited the "Rathaus" (City Hall) for a chance to present the mayor with a small gift.
On the Saturday evening everyone met at the school hall for a party night. This was a great chance for everyone to discuss how well the week had gone, and to thank all those who had worked hard to prepare the excursions and also it was an opportunity for giving presents. Later in the evening there were some music, dancing, food and drink for all.
The final day (Sunday) gave people chance to say their individual thanks and to get their suitcases packed and then later in the day we were off back to the airport (Paderborn) for the flight back to Manchester.
Of course, before we left, we invited the German members of the Exchange group to come over to England next year and to spend a week in our region. This is planned to take place in May 2008 and my wife and I will be happy to welcome our friends once more to stay with us.
This exchange is a great way to make friends and understand people from other countries and long may in continue!
Today I’d like to tell you about my trip to Germany. Last week I went with my wife and son to Kassel, which is a city in the centre of Germany in the Hessen region. We were taking part in an exchange group visit with the "Pendle-Kassel Community Exchange". This was a great opportunity to visit the town once more, meet with our friends from the German side of the group and to stay with these families in the city.
The Pendle-Kassel community exchange has been in existence for 26 years and my wife is the chairperson on the English side. Pendle is my home region which comprises of 3 towns. Together, these towns make up the same number of people as those who live in the city of Kassel – around 150,000 people.
The idea of the exchange is quite simple. Each year a group of exchange group members will travel to either Germany or to England. This year it was our turn to visit Kassel. Each group has about 50 members. This year 32 members of the group travelled by aeroplane (Air Berlin) from Manchester to Kassel. We stayed with "host families" (called Gastgeber in German) who were all so kind as to welcome us into their homes to stay as guests for 7 nights.
So that we don’t abuse their hospitality (in other words, so we don’t take too much of the families’ time) each day of the week we take part in activities or excursions. Some of our hosts will organise these activities or act as guides on the excursions. This way, it allows our hosts to still go to work or do things that they need to do and also gives us (the visitors) chance to see more of Germany and German life.
The exchange started in 1981 between a school in Pendle and a school in Kassel. At that time, it was just school children and teachers that took part in the exchange. Later, the exchange group opened up a welcome to parents and their friends. Now it is open to anyone who is interested – of any age. In reality, this means all ages from quite young children with their parents through to quite elderly people. I like this aspect, because it allows different age groups to do things together and this is quite a rare thing in my country these days. Where there are young children visiting, these children will stay with a parent, although when the children are a little older, they may stay with a family on their own.
It is also an opportunity to develop language skills (for those who wish to) and to discover more about German way of life, peoples’ interests and hobbies, food and drink and well as to see some of the sights.
Each day in Kassel is an opportunity to get to know our hosts better and make friends at the same time. For those visiting for the first time, the first few hours after arrival are be the most difficult. Even though it may seem daunting, it always seems to work our well and soon the new people make become friends. Even language difficulties are not such a problem because those who take part do so volutarily and they will try hard to make sure that visitors are comfortable and feel at home.
A lot of communication can be done by guesswork and even by gesturing and language difficulties never seem to hold back people from enjoying themselves. Of course, quite a number of the German people speak some English and this helps the English people enormously. Some English visitors speak German as I do, and of course this offers many opportunities to experience another language in a "real-life" situation and a chance to learn and share language.
The visit then becomes almost like an activity holiday. Each visitor is free to take part in the organised activities – such as an organised walk, a visit to a museum or a visit to town for shopping.
The programme this year was very well organised. We had a couple of free days with the families to decide what we could do together and then each of the other days, there were excursions by "Reisebus" (which is a tour bus) to visit interesting places.
The excursions took us to: Eisenach and Wartburg (in the former East Germany where Martin Luther translated the Bible)
Wiesbaden near Frankfurt – to visit the regional parliament building and go shopping in the town.
Willingen in Sauerland where we visited a church that is now a restaurant and had a trip on a chair lift used for skiers in winter.
We also visited the famous "Herkules" monument and park just outside Kassel which has some marvellous "wasserspiel" or water games twice per week. http://www.wilhelmshoehe.de/home.htm
We also had the chance to look around Kassel. I particularly enjoyed a visit to a Flohmarkt (garage sale or flea market)
One thing that must be said is that good friends can be made during this visits. Me and my wife stayed with a very nice family for the first time in 2001 and since then, we have visited a further 3 times with this year’s visit making it our fourth visit
On the Thursday morning we visited the "Rathaus" (City Hall) for a chance to present the mayor with a small gift.
On the Saturday evening everyone met at the school hall for a party night. This was a great chance for everyone to discuss how well the week had gone, and to thank all those who had worked hard to prepare the excursions and also it was an opportunity for giving presents. Later in the evening there were some music, dancing, food and drink for all.
The final day (Sunday) gave people chance to say their individual thanks and to get their suitcases packed and then later in the day we were off back to the airport (Paderborn) for the flight back to Manchester.
Of course, before we left, we invited the German members of the Exchange group to come over to England next year and to spend a week in our region. This is planned to take place in May 2008 and my wife and I will be happy to welcome our friends once more to stay with us.
This exchange is a great way to make friends and understand people from other countries and long may in continue!
Thursday, May 24, 2007
More on accents
Hello everyone
As I’m travelling to Germany this coming weekend, I am recording my chatcast today.
Today’s chatcast is about language learning and accents.
I think a lot of people who learn English have concerns about their accent. First and foremost, is it understandable to other people? Does it sound "right"? What do native speakers think when they hear it? Will it ever become like a "native speaker"?
Many questions like this come to mind. I have talked to many people over the years who are learning English and I often hear them say " I would like to improve my English" and also " I would like to improve my accent – to sound more "British" or "American"
I often wonder why this is. Why does it seem important to have a "near-native" accent? Maybe it is because it is a personal ambition to speak well, where people will appreciate the learner’s ability to speak naturally, without the need to explain "I am from this country or that country"
On the other hand, it can be a desire to lose the accent of the mother tongue, because maybe the learner don’t like their own language so much and would prefer to speak English – or even to live in an English-speaking country.
I get a bit concerned that some people would like to "hide" their accent and work very hard to sound exactly like a native speaker, because which accent should they copy? For instance in England there are many different accents and dialects that are not the "standard" accent – which in our country is called "received pronunciation"
More native speakers speak with a regional accent than speak "received pronunciation"
The important thing surely is communication? As a native English speaker I hear a lot of different accents when I travel around the country, on TV and radio and when I travel to other countries. I’m sure I speak for many of us native speakers when I say that for us accents matter less than good communication. In other words, a person speaking with a foreign accent is fine as long as we can understand what is being said. We are used to hearing many different English accents – not just across the country but from around the world. We don’t think it so important when we meet someone from another country who is learning English and we hear an accent.
In fact, very often many people from foreign countries speak more clearly and with better grammar than many native speakers.
My advice is to try to improve your accent if you want to or if you can, but don’t get too concerned about it if you feel you are not making progress.
Having said all this, I can give you some tips and hints for a more natural-sounding English.
First, relax! Try not to get stressed and anxious about speaking – most people are friendly and appreciate that you are speaking English. Some mistakes are acceptable.
Secondly. Take your time speaking – don’t rush to say all you want to say. Many non-natives try to speak too quickly when they speak English. Try listening to a few English native speakers and you’ll realise that not many speak very fast.
Thirdly. There is no need to apologise for example "I’m sorry my English isn’t so good" A better approach would be " I keep trying to improve my English"
Fourthly. Take note of the stress that is put on words. This is very important in English for a good pronunciation – irrespective of what accent we have. To show you an example: the number 42 is pronounced FOURTY -two. If it said without stress on the first syllable "four-ty-two", it could sound like "for tea too"
To give you an idea what I mean. See what you think about these words, the first pronunciation is correct
Confident – conFI-dent – Con-fi- DENT
Solution – SOL – u- tion - SoluTION
I hope you have a nice weekend
Bye for now
As I’m travelling to Germany this coming weekend, I am recording my chatcast today.
Today’s chatcast is about language learning and accents.
I think a lot of people who learn English have concerns about their accent. First and foremost, is it understandable to other people? Does it sound "right"? What do native speakers think when they hear it? Will it ever become like a "native speaker"?
Many questions like this come to mind. I have talked to many people over the years who are learning English and I often hear them say " I would like to improve my English" and also " I would like to improve my accent – to sound more "British" or "American"
I often wonder why this is. Why does it seem important to have a "near-native" accent? Maybe it is because it is a personal ambition to speak well, where people will appreciate the learner’s ability to speak naturally, without the need to explain "I am from this country or that country"
On the other hand, it can be a desire to lose the accent of the mother tongue, because maybe the learner don’t like their own language so much and would prefer to speak English – or even to live in an English-speaking country.
I get a bit concerned that some people would like to "hide" their accent and work very hard to sound exactly like a native speaker, because which accent should they copy? For instance in England there are many different accents and dialects that are not the "standard" accent – which in our country is called "received pronunciation"
More native speakers speak with a regional accent than speak "received pronunciation"
The important thing surely is communication? As a native English speaker I hear a lot of different accents when I travel around the country, on TV and radio and when I travel to other countries. I’m sure I speak for many of us native speakers when I say that for us accents matter less than good communication. In other words, a person speaking with a foreign accent is fine as long as we can understand what is being said. We are used to hearing many different English accents – not just across the country but from around the world. We don’t think it so important when we meet someone from another country who is learning English and we hear an accent.
In fact, very often many people from foreign countries speak more clearly and with better grammar than many native speakers.
My advice is to try to improve your accent if you want to or if you can, but don’t get too concerned about it if you feel you are not making progress.
Having said all this, I can give you some tips and hints for a more natural-sounding English.
First, relax! Try not to get stressed and anxious about speaking – most people are friendly and appreciate that you are speaking English. Some mistakes are acceptable.
Secondly. Take your time speaking – don’t rush to say all you want to say. Many non-natives try to speak too quickly when they speak English. Try listening to a few English native speakers and you’ll realise that not many speak very fast.
Thirdly. There is no need to apologise for example "I’m sorry my English isn’t so good" A better approach would be " I keep trying to improve my English"
Fourthly. Take note of the stress that is put on words. This is very important in English for a good pronunciation – irrespective of what accent we have. To show you an example: the number 42 is pronounced FOURTY -two. If it said without stress on the first syllable "four-ty-two", it could sound like "for tea too"
To give you an idea what I mean. See what you think about these words, the first pronunciation is correct
Confident – conFI-dent – Con-fi- DENT
Solution – SOL – u- tion - SoluTION
I hope you have a nice weekend
Bye for now
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Transcript - Alan's Weekend Words
Hello everyone
Here is a new chatcast. I’m calling this "Alan’s weekend words". I usually have a little time at the weekend to make a podcast and this weekend is no exception. I’m happy to know that you find my recordings interesting and I hope to keep on making them and hopefully keep your interest at the same time.
One of the reasons I decided to make these recordings was to create a small "language corner" where I can tell you some of the things I think are interesting and important about language. Also, whilst I think language lesson podcasts can be very good and helpful, I didn’t want to make mine into language lessons. Firstly, because I’m not a teacher and secondly (and more importantly in my opinion) because I think that people who are interested in languages, or are learning languages seriously need a way to hear that language spoken in a normal, everyday way. A podcast is one way of these people getting that opportunity.
I try to make my presentations like a "chat" and hopefully this will mean you will hear something different to language drills or situational dialogues and vocabulary or grammar tests in my recordings. I will try to just "chat" (inverted commas) in that, I will just talk about things that interest me or things that I have heard about that you might find interesting too.
In a week’s time, next Saturday, me and my wife will be going once more to Germany. We will be going with the Pendle/Kassel community exchange group. My wife is the leader of the English side of the group. This is a cultural exchange where a group of people from Pendle (the region in England where I live) will travel to Kassel in Germany to stay for a week. We will stay with families in the town.
This exchange has been in existence for 25 years and started as an educational exchange between a school in Pendle and a school in Kassel. This originally was for a group of students from each school to take part and visit their counterparts in either Germany or in England. The idea of the visit was to stay for a week with families, enjoying life with a family, and having excursions through the day to visit interesting places. Each year one school would host the visit and the other year they would be guests. This means that the visits took place annually – England one year and Germany the other year.
After a few years of successful student annual visits, some of the students’ parents were interested in taking part and they also enjoyed visiting and staying with families. These days, anyone can join at any age. We have members as young as 12 and as old as 78. This is a good opportunity for older and younger people to do things together, although of course not all the activities we do are for everyone. For example maybe the adults would visit a museum and the younger people would go swimming.
I like this exchange visit very much. It also gives me a chance to speak German and see more of the country and culture. My wife does not speak German, but she is fine because some people in the group can speak English and often language problems can be overcome easily by taking a bit of time to speak slowly. If necessary, we can always use a dictionary or phrase book or even make a sign of what we want to say.
I think these sort of exchanges between people from different countries can work very well and I’m looking forward to going and telling you about it afterwards.
As I am just chatting using my normal way of speaking, if you find some of the vocabulary difficult, please let me know and I’ll explain it more next time I make a podcast.
Don’t forget that you can read the transcription at my blog: www.alanpalmer.blogspot.com
Bye for now
Tschuess
A la prochaine
Zaijian!
Here is a new chatcast. I’m calling this "Alan’s weekend words". I usually have a little time at the weekend to make a podcast and this weekend is no exception. I’m happy to know that you find my recordings interesting and I hope to keep on making them and hopefully keep your interest at the same time.
One of the reasons I decided to make these recordings was to create a small "language corner" where I can tell you some of the things I think are interesting and important about language. Also, whilst I think language lesson podcasts can be very good and helpful, I didn’t want to make mine into language lessons. Firstly, because I’m not a teacher and secondly (and more importantly in my opinion) because I think that people who are interested in languages, or are learning languages seriously need a way to hear that language spoken in a normal, everyday way. A podcast is one way of these people getting that opportunity.
I try to make my presentations like a "chat" and hopefully this will mean you will hear something different to language drills or situational dialogues and vocabulary or grammar tests in my recordings. I will try to just "chat" (inverted commas) in that, I will just talk about things that interest me or things that I have heard about that you might find interesting too.
In a week’s time, next Saturday, me and my wife will be going once more to Germany. We will be going with the Pendle/Kassel community exchange group. My wife is the leader of the English side of the group. This is a cultural exchange where a group of people from Pendle (the region in England where I live) will travel to Kassel in Germany to stay for a week. We will stay with families in the town.
This exchange has been in existence for 25 years and started as an educational exchange between a school in Pendle and a school in Kassel. This originally was for a group of students from each school to take part and visit their counterparts in either Germany or in England. The idea of the visit was to stay for a week with families, enjoying life with a family, and having excursions through the day to visit interesting places. Each year one school would host the visit and the other year they would be guests. This means that the visits took place annually – England one year and Germany the other year.
After a few years of successful student annual visits, some of the students’ parents were interested in taking part and they also enjoyed visiting and staying with families. These days, anyone can join at any age. We have members as young as 12 and as old as 78. This is a good opportunity for older and younger people to do things together, although of course not all the activities we do are for everyone. For example maybe the adults would visit a museum and the younger people would go swimming.
I like this exchange visit very much. It also gives me a chance to speak German and see more of the country and culture. My wife does not speak German, but she is fine because some people in the group can speak English and often language problems can be overcome easily by taking a bit of time to speak slowly. If necessary, we can always use a dictionary or phrase book or even make a sign of what we want to say.
I think these sort of exchanges between people from different countries can work very well and I’m looking forward to going and telling you about it afterwards.
As I am just chatting using my normal way of speaking, if you find some of the vocabulary difficult, please let me know and I’ll explain it more next time I make a podcast.
Don’t forget that you can read the transcription at my blog: www.alanpalmer.blogspot.com
Bye for now
Tschuess
A la prochaine
Zaijian!
Podcast #5 songwords
Les Champs-Elysées
Je m'baladais sur l'avenue le cœur ouvert à l'inconnu, J'avais envie de dire bonjour à n'importe qui
N'importe qui et ce fut toi, je t'ai dit n'importe quoi. Il suffisait de te parler, pour t'apprivoiser
Aux Champs-Elysées, aux Champs-Elysées Au soleil, sous la pluie, à midi ou à minuit
Il y a tout ce que vous voulez aux Champs-Elysées
I was strolling down the avenue wondering what I should do. I felt the need to say “bonjour” to everyone
Then suddenly you came to view. I came right up to talk to you
And everything felt right there on the Champs Elysees
Oh Champs Elysees, Oh Champs Elysees. In the rain or in the sun - from morning till the day is done - There’s all that you could need there on the Champs Elysees
Tu m'as dit "J'ai rendez-vous dans un sous-sol avec des fous, qui vivent la guitare à la main, du soir au matin"
Alors je t'ai accompagnée, on a chanté, on a dansé et l'on n'a même pas pensé à s'embrasser
You told me that you’d a rendez-vous -at a café bar where there are people who
Like to party through the night - until daylight
So I came along and we danced and sang - to the sweet music of the band
Didn’t even stop to kiss there on the Champs-Elysees
Aux Champs-Elysées, aux Champs-Elysées Au soleil, sous la pluie, à midi ou à minuit
Il y a tout ce que vous voulez aux Champs-Elysées
Hier soir deux inconnus et ce matin sur l'avenue - deux amoureux tout étourdis par la longue nuit
Et de l'Étoile à la Concorde, un orchestre à mille cordes - tous les oiseaux du point du jour chantent l'amour
Aux Champs-Elysées, aux Champs-Elysées - yesterday two strangers who, this morning on the avenue
Are lovers weary from that long and special night. And in this new Parisian scene
We’ve just begun to live our dream - and sing our song of love there on the Champs Elysees
Aux Champs-Elysées, aux Champs-Elysées Au soleil, sous la pluie, à midi ou à minuit
Il y a tout ce que vous voulez aux Champs-Elysées
Oh Champs Elysees, Oh Champs Elysees. In the rain or in the sun - from morning till the day is done - There’s all that you could need there on the Champs Elysees
Je m'baladais sur l'avenue le cœur ouvert à l'inconnu, J'avais envie de dire bonjour à n'importe qui
N'importe qui et ce fut toi, je t'ai dit n'importe quoi. Il suffisait de te parler, pour t'apprivoiser
Aux Champs-Elysées, aux Champs-Elysées Au soleil, sous la pluie, à midi ou à minuit
Il y a tout ce que vous voulez aux Champs-Elysées
I was strolling down the avenue wondering what I should do. I felt the need to say “bonjour” to everyone
Then suddenly you came to view. I came right up to talk to you
And everything felt right there on the Champs Elysees
Oh Champs Elysees, Oh Champs Elysees. In the rain or in the sun - from morning till the day is done - There’s all that you could need there on the Champs Elysees
Tu m'as dit "J'ai rendez-vous dans un sous-sol avec des fous, qui vivent la guitare à la main, du soir au matin"
Alors je t'ai accompagnée, on a chanté, on a dansé et l'on n'a même pas pensé à s'embrasser
You told me that you’d a rendez-vous -at a café bar where there are people who
Like to party through the night - until daylight
So I came along and we danced and sang - to the sweet music of the band
Didn’t even stop to kiss there on the Champs-Elysees
Aux Champs-Elysées, aux Champs-Elysées Au soleil, sous la pluie, à midi ou à minuit
Il y a tout ce que vous voulez aux Champs-Elysées
Hier soir deux inconnus et ce matin sur l'avenue - deux amoureux tout étourdis par la longue nuit
Et de l'Étoile à la Concorde, un orchestre à mille cordes - tous les oiseaux du point du jour chantent l'amour
Aux Champs-Elysées, aux Champs-Elysées - yesterday two strangers who, this morning on the avenue
Are lovers weary from that long and special night. And in this new Parisian scene
We’ve just begun to live our dream - and sing our song of love there on the Champs Elysees
Aux Champs-Elysées, aux Champs-Elysées Au soleil, sous la pluie, à midi ou à minuit
Il y a tout ce que vous voulez aux Champs-Elysées
Oh Champs Elysees, Oh Champs Elysees. In the rain or in the sun - from morning till the day is done - There’s all that you could need there on the Champs Elysees
Monday, May 14, 2007
Podcast #4 Transcript
Hello
Welcome to my 4th podcast
This time I wanted to carry on the theme of making my podcasts more like a Chat. When we learn languages, it’s often quite difficult to get the chance to actually hear someone speaking in a casual way, as we do in a conversation, I am hoping to do this today a little with my podcast.
I think it’s a good way to see how everyday speech sounds. I know it’s a little difficult to have a "chat" as I’m speaking on my own, but on the other hand I am so used to using text chat in Paltalk and other chat programs, that I thought I could just talk and write down what I said and hopefully it will sound like we are having a conversation – you and me.
I was very grateful to Alba, from Paltalk for telling me about the Podcast website, because it means that I can easily post (as it is called) a podcast to the site when I have made them.
I’ll put the text on my blog.
It is interesting how words are created. Computer and Internet terms are springing up all the time and the two words "blog" for "weblog" or web diary and podcast from "I-pod and broadcast" are two quire recent words which are now well known in Internet circles.
The English language is always expanding. It’s interesting to think how many words have come into the language since I was a child. Also words become old-fashioned and disappear from use. This makes English one of the biggest languages in terms of vocabulary as well as number of people who speak it.
In Britain there are many accents. I speak with a Northern English accent, or more precisely with a Lancashire accent, but even in Lancashire there are quite a number of slightly different sounding accents. So I could say that I speak with a East Lancashire accent. Even then, I could say that some words and vowel sounds are a little different between the town where I live and the next town nearby.
These differences are quite small and you would probably have to have been brought up in the region to hear it. In fact accents are changing quite a lot in my country. Most people used to speak with a pronounced (or strong) regional or local accent, and many still do, but a lot of the accents are not as strong as they used to be and this is because people move around the country more than they used to in the past. Also, TV and films have a big influence and people modify their speech to make themselves more understandable to others.
Some of the more noticeable differences are the short open vowels in the North such as "bath" where in the south it would sound more like "bath" (long a)
In the North people often shorten the word where the "th" in the word "the" sometimes is shortened to "t" - walking t’dog instead of "walking the dog". A recent Northern pronunciation which sounds quite funny is " t’Internet" instead of "the Internet"
I’ll talk more about accents another time.
If you find that some of the words or phrases a little difficult to understand, then please leave me a comment and I’ll try to explain it.
I’ve started to use podcasts myself for learning languages. I love Chinesepod.com for listening to Mandarin chinese. The podcasts are really interesting and helpful. I’ve also found some useful French podcasts and Alba’s Spanish podcasts here in this site are really great.
It’s great that we can listen to interesting presentations so easily these days. I remember when I was young I used to have a short wave transistor radio and I used to try an listen to other languages but the quality was always poor and the radio stations I did find were very faint and the language and country seemed so far away. Nowadays it is so easy to contact people and speak with them around the world. I think it is really fantastic that the technology exists that allows this to happen. It makes you wonder how this will develop in the future.
I hope you like the guitar tune introduction that I play on my podcasts. Although I play a few different styles, I thought this folky tune would suit my style – a relaxed style. Some of you have remarked that you like my style of presenting and I’m glad about that – as it is my preferred style and I wouldn’t want you to be bored listening.
If you have any suggestions for my chatcasts (as I prefer to call them) let me know. For the moment, I am just talking about things that interest me in the hope that you find it interesting too.
Here are some different ways to say goodbye in English
Bye for now
See you!
Ta ta for now
Byee
See you later
See you in a bit
So long
Cheerio
Toodle-oo
See you next time
Welcome to my 4th podcast
This time I wanted to carry on the theme of making my podcasts more like a Chat. When we learn languages, it’s often quite difficult to get the chance to actually hear someone speaking in a casual way, as we do in a conversation, I am hoping to do this today a little with my podcast.
I think it’s a good way to see how everyday speech sounds. I know it’s a little difficult to have a "chat" as I’m speaking on my own, but on the other hand I am so used to using text chat in Paltalk and other chat programs, that I thought I could just talk and write down what I said and hopefully it will sound like we are having a conversation – you and me.
I was very grateful to Alba, from Paltalk for telling me about the Podcast website, because it means that I can easily post (as it is called) a podcast to the site when I have made them.
I’ll put the text on my blog.
It is interesting how words are created. Computer and Internet terms are springing up all the time and the two words "blog" for "weblog" or web diary and podcast from "I-pod and broadcast" are two quire recent words which are now well known in Internet circles.
The English language is always expanding. It’s interesting to think how many words have come into the language since I was a child. Also words become old-fashioned and disappear from use. This makes English one of the biggest languages in terms of vocabulary as well as number of people who speak it.
In Britain there are many accents. I speak with a Northern English accent, or more precisely with a Lancashire accent, but even in Lancashire there are quite a number of slightly different sounding accents. So I could say that I speak with a East Lancashire accent. Even then, I could say that some words and vowel sounds are a little different between the town where I live and the next town nearby.
These differences are quite small and you would probably have to have been brought up in the region to hear it. In fact accents are changing quite a lot in my country. Most people used to speak with a pronounced (or strong) regional or local accent, and many still do, but a lot of the accents are not as strong as they used to be and this is because people move around the country more than they used to in the past. Also, TV and films have a big influence and people modify their speech to make themselves more understandable to others.
Some of the more noticeable differences are the short open vowels in the North such as "bath" where in the south it would sound more like "bath" (long a)
In the North people often shorten the word where the "th" in the word "the" sometimes is shortened to "t" - walking t’dog instead of "walking the dog". A recent Northern pronunciation which sounds quite funny is " t’Internet" instead of "the Internet"
I’ll talk more about accents another time.
If you find that some of the words or phrases a little difficult to understand, then please leave me a comment and I’ll try to explain it.
I’ve started to use podcasts myself for learning languages. I love Chinesepod.com for listening to Mandarin chinese. The podcasts are really interesting and helpful. I’ve also found some useful French podcasts and Alba’s Spanish podcasts here in this site are really great.
It’s great that we can listen to interesting presentations so easily these days. I remember when I was young I used to have a short wave transistor radio and I used to try an listen to other languages but the quality was always poor and the radio stations I did find were very faint and the language and country seemed so far away. Nowadays it is so easy to contact people and speak with them around the world. I think it is really fantastic that the technology exists that allows this to happen. It makes you wonder how this will develop in the future.
I hope you like the guitar tune introduction that I play on my podcasts. Although I play a few different styles, I thought this folky tune would suit my style – a relaxed style. Some of you have remarked that you like my style of presenting and I’m glad about that – as it is my preferred style and I wouldn’t want you to be bored listening.
If you have any suggestions for my chatcasts (as I prefer to call them) let me know. For the moment, I am just talking about things that interest me in the hope that you find it interesting too.
Here are some different ways to say goodbye in English
Bye for now
See you!
Ta ta for now
Byee
See you later
See you in a bit
So long
Cheerio
Toodle-oo
See you next time
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Podcast # 3 supplementary (French song)
San Francisco
Paroles et Musique: Maxime Le Forestier 1973
C’est une maison bleue
It’s a blue house
Adossée à la colline
Which backs on to a hill
On y vient à pied, on ne frappe pas
You go there by foot, you don’t knock
Ceux qui vivent là, ont jeté la clé
Those who live there have thrown the key away
On se retrouve ensemble
We meet up together
Après des années de route
After years on the road
Et l'on vient s'asseoir autour du repas
And we all sit together to eat
Tout le monde est là, à cinq heures du soir
Everyone is there until 5am
CHORUS
San Francisco s'embrume
San Francisco is in the haze
San Francisco s'allume
San Francisco is lighting up
San Francisco, où êtes vous
San Francisco, where are you?
Liza et Luc, Sylvia, attendez-moi
Liza and Luc, Sylvia – wait for me
Nageant dans le brouillard
Swimming in the fog
Enlacés, roulant dans l'herbe
Rolling on the grass
On écoutera Tom à la guitare
You can hear Tom on the guitar
Phil à la kena, jusqu'à la nuit noire
Phil on the Ken flute until night falls
Un autre arrivera
Another is coming
Pour nous dire des nouvelles
To tell us the news
D'un qui reviendra dans un an ou deux
Of someone who’s coming in a year or two
Puisqu'il est heureux, on s'endormira
Since he is happy, we’ll sleep easy
CHORUS
San Francisco se lève
San Francisco is rising
San Francisco se lève
San Francisco is rising
San Francisco ! où êtes vous
San Francisco, where are you?
Liza et Luc, Sylvia, attendez-moi
Liza and Luc, Sylvia – wait for me
C'est une maison bleue.
It’s a blue house
Accrochée à ma mémoire
Hooked onto my memory
On y vient à pied, on ne frappe pas
You go there by foot, you don’t knock
Ceux qui vivent là, ont jeté la clef
Those who live there have thrown
the key away
Peuplée de cheveux longs
Populated with the long hairs
De grands lits et de musique
Big beds and music
Peuplée de lumière, et peuplée de foules
Populated with light and crowds
Elle sera dernière à rester debout
She will be the last one standing
CHORUS
Si San Francisco s'effondre
If San Francisco falls apart
Si San Francisco s'effondre
If San Francisco falls apart
San Francisco ! Où êtes vous
San Francisco – where are you?
Liza et Luc, Sylvia, attendez-moi
Liza and Luc, Sylvia – wait for me
Paroles et Musique: Maxime Le Forestier 1973
C’est une maison bleue
It’s a blue house
Adossée à la colline
Which backs on to a hill
On y vient à pied, on ne frappe pas
You go there by foot, you don’t knock
Ceux qui vivent là, ont jeté la clé
Those who live there have thrown the key away
On se retrouve ensemble
We meet up together
Après des années de route
After years on the road
Et l'on vient s'asseoir autour du repas
And we all sit together to eat
Tout le monde est là, à cinq heures du soir
Everyone is there until 5am
CHORUS
San Francisco s'embrume
San Francisco is in the haze
San Francisco s'allume
San Francisco is lighting up
San Francisco, où êtes vous
San Francisco, where are you?
Liza et Luc, Sylvia, attendez-moi
Liza and Luc, Sylvia – wait for me
Nageant dans le brouillard
Swimming in the fog
Enlacés, roulant dans l'herbe
Rolling on the grass
On écoutera Tom à la guitare
You can hear Tom on the guitar
Phil à la kena, jusqu'à la nuit noire
Phil on the Ken flute until night falls
Un autre arrivera
Another is coming
Pour nous dire des nouvelles
To tell us the news
D'un qui reviendra dans un an ou deux
Of someone who’s coming in a year or two
Puisqu'il est heureux, on s'endormira
Since he is happy, we’ll sleep easy
CHORUS
San Francisco se lève
San Francisco is rising
San Francisco se lève
San Francisco is rising
San Francisco ! où êtes vous
San Francisco, where are you?
Liza et Luc, Sylvia, attendez-moi
Liza and Luc, Sylvia – wait for me
C'est une maison bleue.
It’s a blue house
Accrochée à ma mémoire
Hooked onto my memory
On y vient à pied, on ne frappe pas
You go there by foot, you don’t knock
Ceux qui vivent là, ont jeté la clef
Those who live there have thrown
the key away
Peuplée de cheveux longs
Populated with the long hairs
De grands lits et de musique
Big beds and music
Peuplée de lumière, et peuplée de foules
Populated with light and crowds
Elle sera dernière à rester debout
She will be the last one standing
CHORUS
Si San Francisco s'effondre
If San Francisco falls apart
Si San Francisco s'effondre
If San Francisco falls apart
San Francisco ! Où êtes vous
San Francisco – where are you?
Liza et Luc, Sylvia, attendez-moi
Liza and Luc, Sylvia – wait for me
Podcast #3 transcript
Hello
Welcome to my third podcast. Bonjour, Guten Tag, Buenas dias, Bom dia, goeden dag, ni hao Jo napot
This time I’ve decided to call this a “blogcast” because I thought that it might be a nice idea to just talk about a few things, writing it down as if I were just chatting with you.
So, I’ll talk for a few minutes about a few things that I’m interested in regarding my language.
The first thing I’d like to talk about is expressions
English people love using expressions and sayings when they talk with each other. It adds interest to conversations and “colour” to the language. It always surprises me that when I am talking with non-native speakers I notice just how many expressions I want to use – but then have to think about whether the person I am talking with would understand them.
When I was in France in 1997 to learn French, I made a comparison between English and French expressions. It was interesting to discover which were the same (when directly translated) as for example, “walls have ears” and others that were not quite the same:
Never in a month of Sundays (English)
Never in a week of 4 Thursdays (French)
The meaning was the same – it means that something will never happen.
Here’s a good website that explains lots of expressions: http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/
I often wonder how people keep motivated when they learn something. Language learning is difficult and it’s easy to get a little bored or feel that things are a bit too difficult. I also think that keeping motivation high is not always easy. Here’s a good expression I found on the Internet:
Be respectful towards yourself:
"Don’t shout at the apple and demand that it ripens!
It won’t ripen any faster and all you’ll get is a sore throat!!!"
This really does apply to language learning I think – even the part about shouting !
Have you ever tried singing in a different language to your own native language. I’ve been learning French songs for a couple of years and it’s very difficult! On the other hand it’s really interesting to have a try and see how pronunciation can improve – it also interesting to be able to see what the songwords mean – depending on the song these can be difficult to understand.
One thing that is difficult for language learners is when native speakers speak fast and it is difficult to follow them. I have had lots of problems with this in the past with French and German people speaking too fast for me – and it sometimes still happens.
I have a technique that seems to work for me and I’d like to share it with you. This involves trying to listen carefully but also to listen mostly for key (or the most important) words so that you can follow the sense of what is being said. Also, don’t be afraid to interrupt (politely) with an interjection something like “ oh yes?, I see” or if you don’t understand so well, then repeat what you think was said.
Here’s an example of what I mean:
Main speaker (native speaker)
“ Ah, so you are learning English, and how do you find it – do you find it interesting, difficult sometimes I suppose. We talk a bit too fast maybe it’s difficult for you to follow everything that is said…”
Here the words to listen to
“ Ah, so you are learning English, and how do you find it? – do you find it interesting, difficult sometimes? I suppose you would. We talk a bit too fast maybe it’s difficult for you to follow everything that is said…”
You could say:
“Ah, yes, I’m learning English” - it is interesting – sometimes I find it difficult yes
The idea is to keep listening to the important points, and if you don’t understand something completely, then always be prepared to say so “oh, sorry, I didn’t just catch what said there – could you just tell me that again please?”
Bye for now
See you next time
Welcome to my third podcast. Bonjour, Guten Tag, Buenas dias, Bom dia, goeden dag, ni hao Jo napot
This time I’ve decided to call this a “blogcast” because I thought that it might be a nice idea to just talk about a few things, writing it down as if I were just chatting with you.
So, I’ll talk for a few minutes about a few things that I’m interested in regarding my language.
The first thing I’d like to talk about is expressions
English people love using expressions and sayings when they talk with each other. It adds interest to conversations and “colour” to the language. It always surprises me that when I am talking with non-native speakers I notice just how many expressions I want to use – but then have to think about whether the person I am talking with would understand them.
When I was in France in 1997 to learn French, I made a comparison between English and French expressions. It was interesting to discover which were the same (when directly translated) as for example, “walls have ears” and others that were not quite the same:
Never in a month of Sundays (English)
Never in a week of 4 Thursdays (French)
The meaning was the same – it means that something will never happen.
Here’s a good website that explains lots of expressions: http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/
I often wonder how people keep motivated when they learn something. Language learning is difficult and it’s easy to get a little bored or feel that things are a bit too difficult. I also think that keeping motivation high is not always easy. Here’s a good expression I found on the Internet:
Be respectful towards yourself:
"Don’t shout at the apple and demand that it ripens!
It won’t ripen any faster and all you’ll get is a sore throat!!!"
This really does apply to language learning I think – even the part about shouting !
Have you ever tried singing in a different language to your own native language. I’ve been learning French songs for a couple of years and it’s very difficult! On the other hand it’s really interesting to have a try and see how pronunciation can improve – it also interesting to be able to see what the songwords mean – depending on the song these can be difficult to understand.
One thing that is difficult for language learners is when native speakers speak fast and it is difficult to follow them. I have had lots of problems with this in the past with French and German people speaking too fast for me – and it sometimes still happens.
I have a technique that seems to work for me and I’d like to share it with you. This involves trying to listen carefully but also to listen mostly for key (or the most important) words so that you can follow the sense of what is being said. Also, don’t be afraid to interrupt (politely) with an interjection something like “ oh yes?, I see” or if you don’t understand so well, then repeat what you think was said.
Here’s an example of what I mean:
Main speaker (native speaker)
“ Ah, so you are learning English, and how do you find it – do you find it interesting, difficult sometimes I suppose. We talk a bit too fast maybe it’s difficult for you to follow everything that is said…”
Here the words to listen to
“ Ah, so you are learning English, and how do you find it? – do you find it interesting, difficult sometimes? I suppose you would. We talk a bit too fast maybe it’s difficult for you to follow everything that is said…”
You could say:
“Ah, yes, I’m learning English” - it is interesting – sometimes I find it difficult yes
The idea is to keep listening to the important points, and if you don’t understand something completely, then always be prepared to say so “oh, sorry, I didn’t just catch what said there – could you just tell me that again please?”
Bye for now
See you next time
Podcast #2 transcript
Hello
Welcome to my second podcast. Bonjour, Guten Tag, Buenas dias, Bom dia, goeden dag, ni hao Jo napot
Today I’d like to talk about common mistakes which people make when they are learning English. These are often only small mistakes and really don’t matter to a native English speaker like me when we hear them – but I thought it might be interesting to discuss some of these small mistakes here,
Remember that part of my learning philosophy is to not worry about making mistakes – so with this podcast I’d like you to know that am not trying to make you worry about them – just to know a little more about my language.
The first common mistake people make is to use the word “since” when talking about things that are happening now that started in the past, for example when people say “I am learning English since 2 years” when this should be “ I have been learning English for 2 years”. We use the word “since” to describe things that started in the past, but not for talking about duration of time someone has been learning or doing something. Some examples of English using “since”
“Since I started learning English I find I enjoy writing letters more”
“Since you left I have been very sad”
“I’ve changed a lot since we last met”
Another common mistake is to use the phrase “of course” in the wrong context. If, for example someone offers you a cup of tea “would you like a cup of tea?” the correct answer would be “yes, please” or “no, thankyou”. Sometimes learners of English will say “ of course!” meaning to them “how kind of you, I would like a cup of tea, yes”
But if they say “of course” it could sound to the native English speaker something like “ yes I do, and you should already know that I do!” – in other words a little bit impolite. Of course, we do you the phrase “of course” – which I just used!
Some examples:
“Of course, when we go to the beach, we must not forget our towels”
“Of course I would like to go with you to the show – because we’d love seeing it together”
“I would, of course, need to bring my swim suit if we are going to the beach!”
These statements are used to agree with someone or affirm something needs or should be done.
Of course, there are many more uses for “of course” and of course, I would like to tell you more about it, but of course, I haven’t much time to do this today!
Common pronunciation difficulties:
The “th” sound as in think, thought, thanks as also the slightly different sound with the, these, though, there and those for example
The “r” sound for running, riding, rowing, rocking and rolling!
The “w” sound for walking a wonderful way to work
I’ll talk a little more about pronunciation next time
Bye for now
Welcome to my second podcast. Bonjour, Guten Tag, Buenas dias, Bom dia, goeden dag, ni hao Jo napot
Today I’d like to talk about common mistakes which people make when they are learning English. These are often only small mistakes and really don’t matter to a native English speaker like me when we hear them – but I thought it might be interesting to discuss some of these small mistakes here,
Remember that part of my learning philosophy is to not worry about making mistakes – so with this podcast I’d like you to know that am not trying to make you worry about them – just to know a little more about my language.
The first common mistake people make is to use the word “since” when talking about things that are happening now that started in the past, for example when people say “I am learning English since 2 years” when this should be “ I have been learning English for 2 years”. We use the word “since” to describe things that started in the past, but not for talking about duration of time someone has been learning or doing something. Some examples of English using “since”
“Since I started learning English I find I enjoy writing letters more”
“Since you left I have been very sad”
“I’ve changed a lot since we last met”
Another common mistake is to use the phrase “of course” in the wrong context. If, for example someone offers you a cup of tea “would you like a cup of tea?” the correct answer would be “yes, please” or “no, thankyou”. Sometimes learners of English will say “ of course!” meaning to them “how kind of you, I would like a cup of tea, yes”
But if they say “of course” it could sound to the native English speaker something like “ yes I do, and you should already know that I do!” – in other words a little bit impolite. Of course, we do you the phrase “of course” – which I just used!
Some examples:
“Of course, when we go to the beach, we must not forget our towels”
“Of course I would like to go with you to the show – because we’d love seeing it together”
“I would, of course, need to bring my swim suit if we are going to the beach!”
These statements are used to agree with someone or affirm something needs or should be done.
Of course, there are many more uses for “of course” and of course, I would like to tell you more about it, but of course, I haven’t much time to do this today!
Common pronunciation difficulties:
The “th” sound as in think, thought, thanks as also the slightly different sound with the, these, though, there and those for example
The “r” sound for running, riding, rowing, rocking and rolling!
The “w” sound for walking a wonderful way to work
I’ll talk a little more about pronunciation next time
Bye for now
Podcast #1 transcript
Hello, welcome to my language podcast. I thought that I’d make a podcast to help my friends who I speak with in Paltalk to learn more English.
If you like these podcasts, I’ll make more when I have time. Learning a language isn’t easy. I can vouch for that. I’ve been learning French for 16 years and German for 7 years – it’s never easy for me. Having said that, I find that learning a language can be very enjoyable despite the difficulties. It helps you to understand more about the people and countries where the language is spoken. In the case of English, this is a world-wide language – a “lingua franca” for the modern world. The Internet has made English even more important, and more and more people the world over are learning my native language.
You may have read my “Top 10 language tips” on my blog. I’ll explain them a bit more.
1. Keep motivated even when you are frustrated with your progress - which will sometimes happen - Rome wasn't built in a day! Don't expect to become fluent very quickly, learning a language well takes many years. But always remember that any level allows communication. I think that very often learners expect to become fluent much more quickly than is possible. This can lead to a lot of frustration and it can also make learners feel they aren’t progressing when they are!
2. Keep interested in new words - they are the key to any progress. What I mean here is that language is mostly about words – a person who knows a lot of words would communicate without much grammar. I’ve read somewhere that to speak a language in a basic way needs a vocabulary of 2000 words. This sounds a lot – but isn’t so difficult to learn with a bit of patience and time.
3. Enjoy using the language you already have - many people often say that they are "not yet good enough" - but forget what they have already achieved and what opportunities it brings. I realised a long time ago that “a little goes a long way” and I have found that it is surprising just how much communication can take place at any level.
4. Use the Internet as and when you can. There is a fantastic amount of useful material, not to mention interesting and useful blogs and chatrooms. I remember the first time I went on line which is 10 years ago this year. I thought, what a great opportunity for me, I can learn now from my own living room. These days, there is so much there for you to get for free. It’s a brilliant resource if used intelligently.
5. Read in the target language as much as you can. But don't try to read at a level too high - or you will get frustrated. Try reading for enjoyment sometimes at the level you are at - or just a little higher. You will find this encouraging. I read a book many years ago on second language learning that placed a big emphasis on reading a lot – but was careful to point out that the level should not be too high or it would not be beneficial. Too many courses in my opinion expect learners to read texts that are set at too high a level.
6. Make as many friends as you can that speak the target language - maybe you could join a language club where people learn together. I am a member of 3 French language clubs and 2 German language club. If you find it difficult to find a club, you could try to make some "virtual friends" online. This is something that takes some effort, but is really worth it. It means looking to see what is out there and where you can find the right club. I know people who form their own club for exchanging ideas and tips. I do realise also, that finding clubs and native speakers is sometimes impossible depending on where you live.
7. Don't think of mistakes as failure - this is negative. Think of mistakes as "feedback" and then you learn to find ways to reduce them by keeping a positive attitude. When did you see a young child worry about making mistakes? This is my point. When did a child think that they make mistakes? They only know it if an adult corrects them – and very often this is a parent who corrects in a nice way – so they child never thinks of mistakes – and gets on with learning. As a result – they learn quickly. We can do this as adults if we try.
8. Take every opportunity to speak the language and engage with people. If you can't find anyone to talk with, then talk about things with yourself (out of earshot or people will start to wonder...) I have some interesting conversations with myself whilst driving...! And other places too. If this is your only means to express yourself – then don’t forget to do it! Listening to yourself speak is similar to learning to play and instrument “by ear”. I’ve been learning guitar this way for 37 years and I play for myself more often than I play for other people – I’m not a professional musician. So take every opportunity to speak as much as possible.
9. Learn about the culture of the country or countries where the language is spoken when you have some spare time. For example: English culture is somewhat different to the USA but we have many similarities and we do speak the same language - or do we? In reality there are quite a few differences between American English and British English. However these variations in accent and dialect happen with other languages too. I read that one of the most important things in developing language learning is to also learn about the culture of the countries where the language is spoken. This helps make the language “real”, because it helps put the language in context.
10. Finally don't be too hard on yourself if you don't progress as fast as you would like to. Learning a language isn't a smooth process - you can learn a lot quickly sometimes - then sometimes the progress is slow. Always think of language learning as a long-term project not a short-term project and you'll enjoy it more. I can’t think of any more to say on this apart from
Finally, here is my own favourite saying (I wrote it myself)
"Enjoy what you know and the rest will only grow"
Take care
See you next time
Merci j’espere que tu l’as trouve interessant!
Danke schoen, Ich hoffe dass, alles interessant war
I hope you found it interesting
Bye!
If you like these podcasts, I’ll make more when I have time. Learning a language isn’t easy. I can vouch for that. I’ve been learning French for 16 years and German for 7 years – it’s never easy for me. Having said that, I find that learning a language can be very enjoyable despite the difficulties. It helps you to understand more about the people and countries where the language is spoken. In the case of English, this is a world-wide language – a “lingua franca” for the modern world. The Internet has made English even more important, and more and more people the world over are learning my native language.
You may have read my “Top 10 language tips” on my blog. I’ll explain them a bit more.
1. Keep motivated even when you are frustrated with your progress - which will sometimes happen - Rome wasn't built in a day! Don't expect to become fluent very quickly, learning a language well takes many years. But always remember that any level allows communication. I think that very often learners expect to become fluent much more quickly than is possible. This can lead to a lot of frustration and it can also make learners feel they aren’t progressing when they are!
2. Keep interested in new words - they are the key to any progress. What I mean here is that language is mostly about words – a person who knows a lot of words would communicate without much grammar. I’ve read somewhere that to speak a language in a basic way needs a vocabulary of 2000 words. This sounds a lot – but isn’t so difficult to learn with a bit of patience and time.
3. Enjoy using the language you already have - many people often say that they are "not yet good enough" - but forget what they have already achieved and what opportunities it brings. I realised a long time ago that “a little goes a long way” and I have found that it is surprising just how much communication can take place at any level.
4. Use the Internet as and when you can. There is a fantastic amount of useful material, not to mention interesting and useful blogs and chatrooms. I remember the first time I went on line which is 10 years ago this year. I thought, what a great opportunity for me, I can learn now from my own living room. These days, there is so much there for you to get for free. It’s a brilliant resource if used intelligently.
5. Read in the target language as much as you can. But don't try to read at a level too high - or you will get frustrated. Try reading for enjoyment sometimes at the level you are at - or just a little higher. You will find this encouraging. I read a book many years ago on second language learning that placed a big emphasis on reading a lot – but was careful to point out that the level should not be too high or it would not be beneficial. Too many courses in my opinion expect learners to read texts that are set at too high a level.
6. Make as many friends as you can that speak the target language - maybe you could join a language club where people learn together. I am a member of 3 French language clubs and 2 German language club. If you find it difficult to find a club, you could try to make some "virtual friends" online. This is something that takes some effort, but is really worth it. It means looking to see what is out there and where you can find the right club. I know people who form their own club for exchanging ideas and tips. I do realise also, that finding clubs and native speakers is sometimes impossible depending on where you live.
7. Don't think of mistakes as failure - this is negative. Think of mistakes as "feedback" and then you learn to find ways to reduce them by keeping a positive attitude. When did you see a young child worry about making mistakes? This is my point. When did a child think that they make mistakes? They only know it if an adult corrects them – and very often this is a parent who corrects in a nice way – so they child never thinks of mistakes – and gets on with learning. As a result – they learn quickly. We can do this as adults if we try.
8. Take every opportunity to speak the language and engage with people. If you can't find anyone to talk with, then talk about things with yourself (out of earshot or people will start to wonder...) I have some interesting conversations with myself whilst driving...! And other places too. If this is your only means to express yourself – then don’t forget to do it! Listening to yourself speak is similar to learning to play and instrument “by ear”. I’ve been learning guitar this way for 37 years and I play for myself more often than I play for other people – I’m not a professional musician. So take every opportunity to speak as much as possible.
9. Learn about the culture of the country or countries where the language is spoken when you have some spare time. For example: English culture is somewhat different to the USA but we have many similarities and we do speak the same language - or do we? In reality there are quite a few differences between American English and British English. However these variations in accent and dialect happen with other languages too. I read that one of the most important things in developing language learning is to also learn about the culture of the countries where the language is spoken. This helps make the language “real”, because it helps put the language in context.
10. Finally don't be too hard on yourself if you don't progress as fast as you would like to. Learning a language isn't a smooth process - you can learn a lot quickly sometimes - then sometimes the progress is slow. Always think of language learning as a long-term project not a short-term project and you'll enjoy it more. I can’t think of any more to say on this apart from
Finally, here is my own favourite saying (I wrote it myself)
"Enjoy what you know and the rest will only grow"
Take care
See you next time
Merci j’espere que tu l’as trouve interessant!
Danke schoen, Ich hoffe dass, alles interessant war
I hope you found it interesting
Bye!
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