Cafetalk 讲师专栏

Speak Better English: Embarrassing Stories #002

Speak Better English: Embarrassing Stories #002 Work / Meetings / Appreciation “You must be tir...

How to Feel More Confident in Online Classes

Remember how tricky it was to learn how to ride a bicycle? After a few weeks of unsteady riding , s...

Why your imperfect English/French is actually your greatest strength.

I have traveled across many borders, but the most beautiful thing I have ever discovered isn't a mo...

How Do You Like Your Coffee? The Ethics of Coffee.

Does coffee help you get to the other end of the day? I must admit, that when I am really busy, it ...

Gaining Confidence Online

Online classes can be intimidating if you are used to an in-person experience.  Prior to the pandem...

Why Reading News Articles Helps You Learn English

Reading news articles is a powerful way to improve your English. News uses real, everyday la...

Recipes and Cooking Shows. Practical English!

Do you want to improve your language skills, but find it difficult to find the time?I have a sugges...

How to Feel More Confident in Your Online English Class

  If you feel nervous, shy, or unsure when joining an online English class, you’re not alone. Many ...

How to feel more confident in online classes?

Totally get this—online classes can mess with your confidence in sneaky ways. You’re not alone, and...

You Don’t Need Confidence - Just Willingness

Under-confident people tend to have an exaggerated view of what 'confidence' looks like. I mean who...

Confidence: Make Mistakes Like a Pro!

Speak Better English: Make Mistakes Like a Pro! Study mindset • Practical habits • Simple phras...

聽力不用完美，先聽懂「關鍵字」就好

  ---日本語版はスクロールダウンしてご覧ください。---   我碰到學生告訴我，自己對聽力不太拿手，時常聽不懂。 其實這個狀況不只是正在學習新語言的學生，連母語者都可能有這種情況。例如，對話內容...

Daily English Upgrade #012: Tone Control — Polite disagreement (“I see your point, but…”)

Disagreeing politely is a real skill. Soft disagreement: I see your point, but… That makes sense, b...

Daily English Upgrade #011: Business Skill — Clarifying in meetings (“So you mean…?”)

In meetings, clarity beats “perfect English.” Clarify: So you mean (that)…? Do you mean (that)…? Co...

这几天天天天气不好 ! Master the Logic of "Days"

Hi! I’m Parky， your new Mandarin coach. “这几天天天天气不好。”(Zhè jǐ tiān tiāntiān tiānqì bù hǎo) Step 1: 这几...

Pet names (terms of endearment) in English

Photo by freestocks on Unsplash With Valentine’s Day coming up soon, I thought I’d share some comm...

Daily English Upgrade #010: JP Trap Fix — “Discuss about” → “Discuss”

Quick fix: √ discuss + topicX discuss about + topic Correct examples: Let’s discuss the plan. We di...

Two Heartwarming Dog Movies on Netflix: Togo and The Art of Racing in the Rain

Recently, I watched two wonderful movies on Netflix: Togo and The Art of Racing in the Rain. Both m...

Feeling nervous in online classe

How to stop feeling nervous in our online classes:1️⃣ Don’t be perfect You don’t need perfect Engli...

【一週兩次・讀台灣】台中男持棍毆打黑狗 動保處獲報收容安置

【一週兩次・讀台灣】 教科書を飛び出し、台湾の「今」を知り、生きた台湾華語をマスターしませんか？ 毎週2回、最新の台湾ニュースを題材に、台湾特有の文化、時代を映す言い回し、そして興味深い社会現象を...

Valentine's Day Date...is Battleship??

Have you ever played Battleship? Growing up, my older brother & I had a Battleship set that we ...

Daily English Upgrade #013: Mini-Conversation — Asking for recommendations

A natural flow: ask + follow up. Ask: Do you have any recommendations? What would you recommend? Fo...

Daily English Upgrade #015: Say It Better — “Interesting” (more specific reactions)

“Interesting” is fine — but adding one detail makes you sound more natural. Upgrades: That’s intere...

Use IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC, GMAT, GRE or SAT as a passport.

It is that simple!If you do yourself justice in one of these standardised tests, than they can act ...

The NEW word for office workers: Do you have "Bān Wèi"?

Did you return to work this week? In China, we have a very popular new word for this feeling:“班味儿” ...

A Fast Changing World

I've always been interested in what's happening in the world, and keeping up with the news. It's be...

Get to know about me short English introduction.

I’m writing this to let serious English conversational learners know that I have just created a fre...

Daily English Upgrade #017: JP Trap Fix — A vs The (one simple rule)

Simple rule: a / an = first time / one of many the = specific / already known Examples: I bought a ...

The mystery of the ablution

PrologueWe confront the sensory overload of a godless world, proving how specific water contact res...

Daily English Upgrade #014: Pronunciation — L/R quick wins (light/right, glass/grass)

If L/R is difficult, don’t aim for “perfect.” Aim for clear difference. Practice pairs (slow → norm...