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Idioms - useful and fun!

Hello everyone!I often find idioms are a useful way of quickly checking how fluent in English someo...

Elevate your Japanese skills!!

Hello to all Japanese learners! I’m Chii, a professional Japanese writing correction specialist. To...

Veronika the Cow and What Farm Life Taught Me

Recently, in a discussion lesson, we touched on the story of Veronika, a cow who made headlines for...

Daily English Upgrade #005: Better Questions — “What’s your take on…?”

  Want smoother conversations? Ask better questions. Instead of: “Do you like it?” Try: What’s your...

I jumped back up in the tutor rankings!

Thank you to all of the students and the Cafetalk team for helping me move up the tutor rankings in...

Winter weather words

Photo: winter weather in TorontoIt’s noon in Toronto and I’m sipping tea and looking out the window...

What Donald Trump Can Teach You About English

A question I recieve often from students, has often been all too easy to answer: "Is my English goo...

Going to the movies = Going to the "School of Rock"

I was so happy when I saw the weekly topic because I am someone who is a little bit obsessed with m...

Daily English Upgrade #004: Tone Control — “Send it today” → “Could you send it today?”

Same message — very different feeling. Direct (can sound too strong): Send it today. Neutral / pol...

The Book(s) That Changed My Life

Once again, I’ve seen this week’s topic and decided I would break the rules. What can I say?  I’m a...

Daily English Upgrade #003: JP Trap Fix — “I’m agree” → “I agree”

Quick fix that instantly makes you sound more natural: √ I agree. (Correct)X I’m agree. (Incorrect)...

你(nǐ)会(huì)读(dú)第(dì)三(sān)声(shēng)音(yīn)调(tiáo)吗(ma)？

你会读第三声音调吗？例如：五wǔ；耳ěr；笔bǐ；岛dǎo，雪xuě。 Can you read third-tone characters? For example, 五wǔ；耳ěr；笔bǐ；岛d...

The first propulsive--offensive action in this world

Propulsive thought: How ideas become the first offensive actionHow a profound idea, born from deep ...

A Turkish Phrase You Can’t Translate Directly: “Kolay Gelsin”

Hello! I’m Emine, a native Turkish speaker and a Turkish tutor. Today, I’d like to introduce you to...

Question about writing a decent proper English article.

Question: Why I no longer write English learning articles here? Answer: Because I have come to real...

新生命的孕育

这是zhèshì我wǒ见到jiàndào的de最zuì神奇shénqí的de新生xīnshēng命mìng的de孕育yùnyù。太tài奇妙qímiào了le，我wǒ儿子érzǐ真zhēn的de用y...

Daily English Upgrade #002: Micro-Pattern — “The main reason is…”

  This pattern helps you sound clear and organized: Pattern:The main reason is + (noun / clause). ...

English Idioms Challenge - Week 1

Hey all! Starting a weekly English learning challenge: to try & use this idiom in your next les...

这个中国菜好吃吗？

你nǐ知道zhīdào这是zhèshì什么shénme美食měishí吗ma？是的shìde，锅guō外面wàimiàn的de一yī圈quān烤kǎo的de是shì馒头mántóu片piàn和hé大...

Daily English Upgrade #001: Say It Better — “I think so”

Quick upgrade for today. “I think so” is correct, but it can sound a little flat. Try these instead...

'A silent voice' echoed through my life

One of the movies that has deeply influenced me is A Silent Voice. It is an anime film about school...

新年就要到了！你听过“年”的传说吗？

??《“年”的传说》 很久很久以前，有一种怪兽叫“年”。 Hěn jiǔ hěn jiǔ yǐqián, yǒu yì zhǒng guàishòu jiào “Nián”. 它每到冬天的最后一天，...

Learn English with Naeemah

I know that learning English can be a challenge at times, and sometimes what we all need is a teach...

I'm back!

Photo: The view from my wife's room at St. Michael's Hospital in downtown Toronto, where we spent m...

New Business English lesson: Talking about your job and company

“What company do you work for?”   “What’s your job?”   If you meet someone in a business situation,...

A Movie to remember

My favorite movie that influenced me is definitely “Mean Girls” (2004). This movie takes me back to...

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

この本が好きな理由は、文章がそれほど難しくなく、親しみやすいキャラクターのおかげで英語で読むことが楽しいからです。 この本から学んだことは、英語の読書は勉強のように感じる必要はなく、楽しく没入できる...

Mastering Vocabulary [1]: Daily Input!

Welcome to our first Mastering Vocabulary lesson! In this series I will teach you various methods y...

Magical Movies with a Lesson

The movies Wicked and Wicked for Good are highly enjoyable for many reasons.  The glorious costumes...

English as a Lingua Franca-a World Language.

A 'lingua franca' is a language adopted as a common language between speakers who don’t speak the s...