Are you keeping social distance? Are you putting on a mask? Are you trying to stay home except when it’s necessary? Keep going like that to overcome the coronavirus! 一人一人の協力で、早くコロナが収束するよう、頑張りましょう！
しかし現在進行形の、”He is playing soccer.”という文は、現在彼がサッカーをしているかどうかに焦点が当たっています。この文は”He is a soccer player.”には書き換えられません。現在進行形の文では普段からサッカーをするかはわからないからです。遊びや、体育の授業でやっている場合も考えられます。自分は学生時代、体育でサッカーをやりましたが、本当にその時だけでしたので（運動音痴です。。）サッカー選手とはとても言えません！なので私は、“I don’t play scoocer”つまり、”I’m not a soccer player”です😅でも私が体育でサッカーをしているその時は“I’m playing soccer”と言えた訳です⚽️
They said that the government is planning to lift the state of emergency (SOE) in a few prefectures after May. Still, we shouldn’t let our guard down. Stay safe, everyone!
ー初めにー
Today’s Riddle:
If your answer was “one”, then you got it right!
Why?
The key phrase here is “You brought home one of the cutest mice you saw that day.”, so after ten months, you would still only have one mouse!
For this week, here’s the riddle:
“There’s a one-story house in which everything is yellow. Yellow wall, yellow doors, yellow furniture. What colors are the stairs?
* Hint
I suggest reading the question twice or thrice!
ー続いてー
Today’s Conversational Point:
Another tip to help continue the flow of the conversation is to avoid asking “closed-loop questions”. These questions are easily answered by a “yes” or a “no”. Instead of asking “Do you like watching Netflix?”, you can ask “How often do you watch Netflix?”
The answer to this question could either be how often they watch Netflix, or a “no” followed by an explanation, which could then be continued by another follow-up question. A simple thing to keep in mind is that it going back to what we previously talked about, ask “WH-questions”.
A step-up from this is to ask for their opinions. Ask questions that solicit their opinion/thought. Some sample questions are as follows:
“What do you think about ~?”
“How are you doing these days?”
“What did you do today?”
ー最後にー
Today’s Column:
In connection with our previous lesson, those of you who has taken a few lessons with me might know this, but I really like the show, “The Office”, and one of the actors there has started a Youtube series where he shares good news around the world. I think it’s timely to start this show, especially because of the ongoing pandemic. Also, I think it’s a good way to practice your listening skill in English!
Are you keeping social distance? Are you putting on a mask? Are you trying to stay home except when it’s necessary? Keep going like that to overcome the coronavirus! 一人一人の協力で、早くコロナが収束するよう、頑張りましょう！
今回は過去形について学びます。
シンプルに、過去に「～した」と表現したい時の方法ですね。
【一般動詞の過去形】
まずひとつ例をあげましょう。
Iwatchedthe war movie (yesterday).
(S) (V) (O)
私は昨日、戦争映画を観た。
The PM has not lifted the state of emergency and has extended it until the end of May.
Remember to stay indoors and try to limit your time outside.
ー初めにー
Today’s Riddle:
If your answer was “a piano”, then you got it right!
Why?
In English, and I’m guessing also in Japanese, what you press to make a sound on a piano is called “a key”, so a piano would have a lot of keys, but wouldn’t be able to open anything!
For this week, here’s the riddle:
“Mice are famous for their ability to multiply fast. Baby mice mature and can give birth two months after they are born. You recently went to a pet shop and brought home one of the cutest mice you saw the day after it was born. In 10 months from now, how many mice will you have?”
*Hint
Don’t overthink it! It’s a puzzle, not a math question!
ー続いてー
Today’s Conversational Point:
For today, we will try to cover the difference between American and British humor! This is something even I find difficult to explain, but I found a short, good video that explains briefly what it is. Personally, I think American humor relies more on the situations the characters are in and what the consequences of their actions are. However, British humor depends on the characters, what they’re saying and how they react to different situations.
For a good comparison, try to watch “The Office”, both the original UK show and its US adaptation. Only the UK version is available on Amazon Prime Japan and for the US one, you’d have to rent it somewhere.
For reference, here’s the video I mentioned earlier:
I apologize in advance for talking about something unrelated to Europe, the US, or Japan. But, I think this is something that we can all think about.
In the Philippines, one of the biggest entertainment and media group, ABS-CBN, was forced to go off air due to its contract expiring. The government refused to renew its contract due to a previous issue between the said company and the current president. Given the current pandemic the world is currently facing, the Philippine government still refused to reconsider its decision. This is now a moral and social issue, aside from the fact that it is a political one. If you have time, try to ponder and come up with your opinion about this.
If you have time, give the article a read and for those difficult words, I suggest referring to dictionary.com for simplified explanation.
Make sure that you’re updated with the news, especially today as the PM might release a statement regarding the extension of the state of emergency!
ー初めにー
Today’s Riddle:
If your answer was “one”, then you got it right!
Why?
Every daughter considers their one and only male sibling as their brother, so simply put, all of them only has one brother!
For this week, here’s the riddle:
“What has many keys but can’t open even a single lock?”
*Hint
Some of the most famous people who have used this are Beethoven and Chopin!
ー続いてー
Today’s Conversational Point:
Today’s topic might be a little tricky! I will try to explain what “sarcasm” is. A very simple meaning of that word would be using remarks or comments that mean the opposite of what you say for the purpose of either hurting someone’s feelings or being funny. This is heavily used in casual conversations and here are a couple of examples you can use them both in Japanese and English:
When the weather is terrible, you would comment, “Nice weather we’re having!” or 『いい天気ですね！』
When someone complains about something small or trivial, you would say, “I’m sorry for your loss.” or 『ご愁傷様。』
When someone gives too much information that you didn’t want to know, “Thank you so much. I’m full now.” or 『ごちそうさまでした。』
When someone tries to scare / bluff, but isn’t actually scary, “Oooh, so scary” or 『いや、怖いー』
These are some situations and phrases that are natural in English and I’m assuming that they are too in Japanese. I hope this helps!
Right now, most countries in the world are under a lockdown/state of emergency, which means that we have to stay indoors. However in the island of Bali in Indonesia, they celebrate an occasion called “Nyepi” or “Silent Day”, where the Balinese spend an entire day at home. They spend time with their families and they stay away from their phones, laptops and televisions and some of them even fast. The airport in Bali is also closed with respect to the same occasion.
If you have time, give the article a read and for those difficult words, I suggest referring to dictionary.com for simplified explanation.
Are you keeping social distance? Are you putting on a mask? Are you trying to stay home except when it’s necessary? Keep going like that to overcome the coronavirus! 一人一人の協力で、早くコロナが収束するよう、頑張りましょう
