Cafetalk Tutor's Column

Making the most of your English lessons and speaking classes

Many learners may struggle with confidence when speaking English. Some reasons could be due to fea...

その「頑張って！」ちゃんと伝わってる?

Japanese people often say ”頑張って", but how can we say that in English? Watch the video for four grea...

Sound of Silence

My Mum's hearing deterioration is a natural result of ageing. She resisted using a hearing aid. Lis...

紫陽花を英語で?

In June in Japan we can see a lot of 紫陽花, they are very beautiful flowers, but what are they called...

Speaking on a specific topic followed by Reading a news article on the same topic OR vice versa.

Speaking on a topic followed by reading the news on the same topic can be a beneficial language lea...

Diversity In India

The Indian sub-continent is a favourite place to travel to for many people and there are several re...

Very Ordinary Series of My Wanting to Keep Touch with Everyone

Today, thought like this flew around my head.     葉っぱのフレディ(The Fall of Freddie the Leaf)から It's nat...

JOURNALING

Journaling is a personal practice and each individual will have their own unique approach. Journals...

Quick tips: to be cool/down with something

I was listening to a song yesterday and heard a useful phrase that you’ll probably never find in a ...

和製英語　ー　ハンバーグ

なぜそれが間違いなのか 「ハンバーガー」(“hamburger”)は英語ですけど、「ハンバーグ」は和製英語です。「ハンバーグ」はドイツの都市名です。      代わりに何を言うのが良いのか 一言では...

The Enduring Love Between Americans and Pizza

Tourists might not know this, but the United States is a pizza-loving nation, consuming a staggerin...

Opening phrases in IELTS or EIKEN

Some of us might struggle with opening sentences when we’re required to speak on a topic, express a...

What made you laugh hard recently?

I'm writing this in spoken language so that you can get used to it. :) New vocab are in RED and the...

Talking about fire in English: Part 2

In this brief follow-up to Part 1, I will introduce just a few more words for talking about fire in...

What made me laugh recently? Well...

Earlier today, I found myself yearning for some cuddles with my beloved chihuahua, Bambi. I couldn'...

Talking about fire in English: Part 1

In my recent post titled Canada on fire, I mentioned that Canada has been experiencing unprecedente...

Lost

I was in a group of 10, on a summer's day hike in the Himalayas. Only a day earlier, we were at the...

Canada on fire

Photo: Toronto skyline (June 6th)Over the past week or so, there have been an exceptional number of...

和製英語　ー　バイキング

なぜそれが間違いなのか “Viking”　（「バイキング」）は、約1000年前に北欧に住んでいた海賊で有名な人たちを指す "Viking"に由来しています。   北欧では、この「バイキング」のスタイ...

「Thanks」は注意が必要なので、気を付けてください。

「Thanks」には良いニュアンスと悪いニュアンスがあります。友達とか家族にフレンドリーに「Thanks」と言うこともできるし、皮肉として使うこともできます。にこやかな笑顔で友達に「Thanks」と...

Can you still smile?

Smile coach Keiko Kawano teaches students at a smile training course at Sokei Art School in Tokyo, ...

Advanced Idiom Practice With the Legend of Zelda

This a great opportunity for advanced learners of English to practice their reading! This column po...

Quick tips: wanna, gonna, hafta, sorta, etc.

As most of you probably already know, sounds often blend together in spoken English. “Want to” soun...

How I use AI and technology for language learning

Hello friends,In one of my last columns I wrote about how learning a language cannot be replaced by...

"It's a Southern Thing"

Recently, my younger brother moved to Texas, which is part of the southern United States or "the So...

If you want to get fluent in English. . .

Dear Cafetalk Community,How are you doing? It's nice and warm/hot in Canada now! After the long win...

Coffee Power

Whenever I start the morning with a steaming mug of coffee, I notice a gradual change in my mood. I...

和製英語　ー　ジュース

なぜそれが（時に）間違いなのか  ジュースは "juice "から来ており、特に果物から出る液体を意味します。つまり、「オレンジジュース」はジュースです。「りんごジュース」もそうです。しかし、コーラ...

To be safe !!

大雨、台風の時に I have an idea. When we have a predict to have heavy rain and something like that, the cit...

Series 1: I want to keep in touch with everyone

You may be familiar with all the problems, but I would like to introduce the fun of brain teasers a...