New Coronavirus Variants、Feb/2021

I'm worried about my family in South Africa. COVID-19 is spreading very quickly over there.

I read they found a new variant. Is your family all right?

Yes, they are okay, but several people I know have tested positive. What is the situation like in Japan?

Japan is experiencing an increase now. The borders are shut to international travelers again.

I heard that new variants are more contagious. We need to be careful.

Yeah. We should try to stay home as much as possible to stop the spread.

Feb 2021

Vietnam has discovered a new coronavirus variant that's a hybrid of strains first found in India and the UK, the Vietnamese health minister said.

variant ヴァﾘｱﾝﾄ adj）異なる　n)変形･変体

hybrid ハｲﾌﾞﾘｯﾄﾞ adj)混成の　n)混成･混種

strain ｽﾄレｲﾝ n)変種･品種

I'm not sure if vaccine is going to work on new variant. 

Linaria

 

This is just fantastic, like relaxing hereafter a busy day.

We're sweating like crazy. めちゃめちゃ汗かいています。

Outgoing 外向的な

Sociable　社交的な

Extroverted/an extrovert 外向的な 　Introverted/an introvert

social butterfly 

could have PP

推量

I could be wrong. 私は間違っているかもしれない。

I could have been wrong. 私は間違っていたかもしれない。

仮定

I could go to Japan if I had a holiday. 休暇があれば日本に行けるのに。（実際には休暇がない）

I could have gone to Japan if I had had a holiday. 休暇があったなら日本に行くことができたのに。（実際に休暇がなかった）

 (仮定　少し後悔の念　～できただろう　 過去の推量　～でしょう（could+have+PP）

I wish I could have

Couldn't you have gotten something...

Couldn't you have gotten something a bit more comfortable?

I could have study English more

  

camped

cramp　ｸラァﾝﾌﾟ n)（手足の筋肉の）けいれん･ひきつり、締め付け金具

cramped ｸラァﾝﾌﾟﾄｯ adj)窮屈な、けいれんを起こした

Some guest houses' rooms were too cramped.

It looks pretty cramped inside. Couldn't you have gotten something a bit more comfortable?

Gadget

gadget ガｧｼﾞｪｯﾄ n)ちょっとした道具･目新しい物

The latest electronic gadget is much more important to young people than a cool car.

The latest electronic gadget seems far more important than a nice car.

Portable electronic gadgets are now blamed for 10 percent of pedestrian injuries.

portable ポーﾀﾌﾞﾙ adj)持ち運びに便利な･携帯用の

electronic ｲﾚｸトﾆｯｸ　adj)電子の･電子機器の

pedestrian ﾍﾟデｽﾄﾘｱﾝ n)歩行者　adj)歩行者の･徒歩の

injury イﾝｼﾞｭﾘｰ　n)けが･傷害

blame ﾌﾞレｲﾑ v)責めに帰する

Pedestrian injuries are increasing. One of the cases is smartphone zombies. One of the reason is walking while on the phone. 

May is here and that means summer is very close now.

Do you have any particular place you want to go to?

particular ﾊﾟｧテｨｷｭﾗｧｰ adj)特定の･特に

chill

I wanna chill this weekend.

Let’s go chill at the park. 公園でのんびりしよう。

There he goes again. また彼のいつものが始まった。(うんざりしている意）

every other day/week 　一日（週）おき  

I lift weights every other day rather than every day to avoid injury.

Please don't tell on me. 私のことを言いつけないでください。

I'm telling the teacher on you. 先生に言いつけるよ。

She told on me and I got in trouble. 彼女が私のことを言いつけたんだ、それで困ったことになったよ。

I think I overdid it.　やりすぎたかもしれない。

You might hurt your back if you overdo it. やりすぎると背中を痛めるかもしれません。

I think I overdid it in the gym last night. 昨夜ジムでやりすぎたと思います。

It's good to study a lot, but don't overdo it.

for the time bing

Japanese actress Kyoko Fukada has been diagnosed with adjustment disorder and will take a break from work to focus on her treatment for the time being.

diagnose ダｲｱｸﾞ ﾉｳｽﾞ v)診断する

disorder ﾃﾞｨｽ オｰﾀﾞｰ n)混乱･不調･（心身機能の）病気

adjustment disorder  適応障害  

treatment ﾄリ-ﾄﾒﾝﾄ n)扱い、手当

for the time being しばらくの間、当分の間、とりあえず、差し当たり

We have to put up with traveling for the time being.

我慢する（仕方なく受け入れる）　put up with...

We should stick to this method for the time being. (for the present)(for the moment)しばらくの間はこの方法を続けていくべきです。(for a moment 少しの間）

stick to...　仕事などに専念する　stick-stuck-stuck 突き刺す

method メｿｯﾄﾞ n)方法

I'll be living in Los Angeles for the time being.

For the time being, I'll ride my bicycle to work.

I'm planning on starting my own business soon but for the time being I'm going to save up some money.

What do you hope to do in the future?  将来何がしたいですか？

Have you heard about that? 聞いた？

My condo has a view of the forest.

I live in condo that was an affordable housing.

How hard is it to find a place to live in your country? あなたの国では、住む場所を探すのは大変ですか？

Well, in the cities, there are a lot of places to live, but there's not enough affordable housing. If you're not rich, it can be hard to find a place to live. 都市部では住む場所はたくさんありますが、手ごろな価格の住宅が少ないです。お金持ちでなければ住む場所を見つけるのは難しいです。

And is that a recent issue? Or is it a long-term problem? それは最近の問題ですか？それとも長期的な問題ですか？

I think it's a long-term problem, but it's gotten worse recently. I'm not sure why it's changing. 長期的な問題だと思っていますが、最近はさらに悪化しています。なぜかわっているのかはわかりません。It's getting worse recently.

Do you think it's better to rent or buy a place to live? 住む場所は借りるのと買うのとどちらがいいと思いますか？

For young people, I think it's better to rent. This is because it's more flexible. If you rent an apartment, you can easily move to another city or country. 若い人にとっては借りる方がいいと思います。それはより柔軟性があるからです。アパートを借りれば他の都市や国に簡単に引っ越すことができます。

How long do you think young adults should live with their parents? 若年層は両親とどのくらいまで一緒に住むべきだと思いますか？

I believe this is a very personal choice. It depends on your family's situation. For some families, it's a good option. It can give people time to start a career. これはとても個人的な選択だと思います。家族の状況にもよります。家族にとっては、それはよい選択しかもしれません。キャリアを始めるための時間を確保することができます。

It's been raining all day long.

South Korea said masks will no longer be required outdoors from July for those vaccinated with at least one COVID-19 shot.

ornament オーﾅﾒﾝﾄ　n)装飾品

centerpiece セﾝﾀｰﾋﾟｰｽ  n)中央装飾品・目玉

a piggy box/a money box  子供用貯金箱

a safe 大きい金庫

a safety box 小さい金庫

Work Outside

I'm a bit tired today. I worked outside. Roof repairing works. Strong sunshine today. 

I'll stick with my job on this weekend. 

on board

I'm on board. I’m so on board. （計画に対して）賛成です。

Are you on board? 賛成？

be on board 船、飛行機に乗っている状態

get on board 乗る気になる

He's not on board with the plan.

I'm not really on board with going to Disneyland.

I hope he gets on board soon.

How can we get him on board? 

I like doing my best to stay fir. I use to be an overweight middle-aged man. Now, I'm the type of person who enjoys self-care activities such as running and swimming.

Could we get some AC going? 　エアコンをつけてくれる？

John got engaged.

engage v)婚約する

engaged adj)婚約している

engagement n)婚約

Britain's Prime Minister Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds have sent wedding invitations to family and friends for July 30, 2022.

Plastic, Plastic Wate

Plastics are a big contributor to climate change.

We need to use them as little as possible.

contributor to ｺﾝﾄリﾋﾞｭｰﾀｰ n)...の要因

Shifting to paper packages is believed to be reducing its plastic.

Am I saying it right? 正しく言ってる？

What was that again? 何だって？

That's terrible! It's awful! それはひどい！

asap ｴｲｻｯﾌﾟ＝ASAP

find/find out/discover

I live in the place that recently became famous for the pet snake "python" that managed to break free from the apertment.

python パｲｿﾝ　n)ニシキヘビ

They found the missing snake in the attic.

attic ア ﾃﾞｯｸ n)屋根裏･屋根裏部屋

find 目に見えるものを発見する

find out 目に見えないもの（情報など）を発見する

discover 初めて発見する

The landlord found out that one of his residents was keeping snakes. 大家さんは一人の住人が複数のヘビを飼っていること（情報）を発見した。

The snake was found/discovered in the attic. ヘビは屋根裏で発見された。（行方不明になってから初めて発見されたのでdiscoverでも問題ない）

Newton discovered gravity. ニュートンは重力を発見した。

landlord ラﾝﾄﾞﾛｰﾄﾞ n)地主、家主

gravity ｸﾞラｳﾞｧﾃｨ n)重力

Job Interview

confident コﾝﾌｨﾃﾞﾝﾄ　adj)自信のある･確信のある

concise ｺﾝサｲｽ adj)簡潔な

To be concise and confident

I'll keep that in mind. 覚えておくよ

slip my mind 思い出せない･度忘れした

cross my mind ふと心に思い浮かぶ

aged eyes

I can't see as well as I use to.

Authentic

authentic ｵｰセﾝﾃｨｯｸ adj)本物の、本格的な

The restaurant serves authentic Japanese cuisine.

Open Water Swimming

Open water swimming is an Olympic sport now.

I like running, hiking and open water swimming.

Architecture License

I teach young guys how to get the license to practice architecture at school.

practice v)職業として行う

専門学校 Vocational/technical school/college

vocational  ｳﾞｫケｲｼｮﾅﾙ　adj)職業の、職業上の

technical  テｸﾆｶﾙ adj)技術の

部分否定

Not everyone succeed in their diet.

Not every student succeed in their exam.

Not everyone is interested in the Olympics.

Not everyone in Osaka loves udon noodles.

Not every driver is...

succeed ｻｸシ-ﾄﾞ v)あとに続く、跡を継ぐ、後任になる

succeed in...   v)...に成功する

succeed + n 　あとを継ぐ　

...succeed.  成功する

Holding the Tokyo Olympics amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic amounts to a suicide mission, according to Rakuten Group Inc. CEO Mikitani.

amid  ｱミｯﾄﾞ p)～の真ん中に、～の真っ最中に

ongoing オﾝ ｺﾞｰｲﾝｸﾞ adj)継続中の･進行している

amount ｱマｳﾝﾄ v) amount to ～に達する･～と言っていい、～に等しい

筋トレ

筋トレ　work out : to exercise in order to improve the strength or appearance of your body

筋トレする　do (some) strength training 

strength training:  

muscle training は使わない

strength ｽﾄレﾝｸﾞｽ　n)力･強さ･耐力

chubby　チャﾋﾞｰ　adj)太った

Fuel

hydrate　ハｲﾄﾞﾚｲﾄ 　v)水化させる　n)水化物

I try to work out every other day to keep fit. 健康的であるために一日おきに運動するようにしているよ。

I feel like I'm getting chubby there days. Gotta work out more. 最近太ってきた気がするな。もっと運動しなきゃ。

Fuel yourself and stay hydrated during your workout. 運動している間はエネルギーをとってこまめに水分をとるようにしましょう。

筋肉痛

My back is a little sore. 背中が筋肉痛だよ。

sore ソーｱ adj)筋肉痛などでヒリヒリ痛い

I'm not used to using there muscles. それらの筋肉を使うことに慣れていないよ。

muscle マｯｿﾙ n)筋肉

muscle pain は深刻な病気のイメージ　単純な筋肉痛は sore を使う

I'm so sore from snowboarding.

We walked a lot today. I'm afraid we are going to be sore tomorrow.

My arms are sore.

I played soccer for the first time in forever and now my legs are so sore. 久しぶりにサッカーやったから足が筋肉痛だよ。

My abs are so sore from yesterday's strength training. 昨日の筋トレで腹筋が痛い。

How was your holiday? It was great! I climbed Mt. Fuji and watched the sunrise from the top. It was breathtaking. Wow. That sounds so cool. Climbing Mt. Fuji is on my bucket list. Was it hard to climb? Not too heard actually, but I was so sore all over the next day.

It's nothing to be ashamed of

恥ずかしいことじゃないさ

It's nothing to be ashamed of. As long as you wanna study English.

my aged eyes 老眼

I have a hard time reading this book.

Kazu is really common name by people of all ages in Japan.

Waht's your religion?

Do you believe in any religion? 

religion ﾘリｼﾞｮﾝ　n)宗教

religious adj)信心深い

atheist エｲｽｨｴｽﾄ n)無神論者

agnostic ｱｸﾞナｽﾃｨｯｸ　n)不可知論者（神をいるともいないとも言わない立場をとる人　adj)明確な見解のない

Weekend

busy weekend!

Canceling the Olympics? Huge consequences and financial quagmire

Nearly 70% of the population do not want the Olympics which starts on 23 July. It's going to hold in two months.

consequence コﾝｾｸｴﾝｽ n)結果、成り行き、影響、重大さ【共に従う、あとに従っておこるもの】

quagmire ｸワｯｸﾞﾏｲｱｰ　n)沼地･湿地、苦境･窮地

Lousanne　ローザンヌ（スイスのIOC本部の所在地）

response ﾘｽポﾝｽ　n)応答･返答

mounting マｳﾝﾃｨﾝｸﾞ adj)増加していく･高まっていく n)上昇･高まり

opposition ｵ ﾎﾟジｼｮﾝ n)反対･抵抗

unparalleled ｱﾝパﾗﾚﾙﾄﾞ adj)前代未聞の

act n)行為･ふるまい

peacetime ピーｽﾀｲﾑ　n)平時（⇔wartime)

bombshell ボﾝﾌﾞｼｪﾙ n)衝撃的事件

far-reaching　adj)遠くまで及ぶ

complex v)複雑にする　n)複合の、入り組んだ･複雑な

Canceling the Tokyo Olympics in response to mounting public opposition in Japan to holding the Games during the COVID-19 pandemic would be an unparalleled act in peacetime.

It would represent a bombshell for the sporting world and have far-reaching and complex financial consequences.

go with the flow

流れにまかせる・他人にまかせる

I don't mind. I'll go with the flow. 気にしないよ。みんなにあわせるよ。

doesn't really bother me at all 気にしないよ

I might as well go with the flow.  流れに身をまかせたほうがよさそうだ。

Just relax and go with the flow.　リラックスして成り行きに身をまかせて。

Running at the park, Swimming at the gym, and just trying to relax.

When I travel, I rather go with the flow than plan too much.  旅行するときはむしろ流れにまかせる。

Let's go with the flow.

Where are you gonna visit in Japan?　I don't really have plans. I'm just gonna go with the flow.

Don't think too much. Just relax and go with the flow.

He needs to take control all the time.  Can't he just go with the flow for once?  彼はいつも主導権をもたないといけないんだよ。一度くらい他の人に任せることはできないのかね。

old-fashioned

The old ways serve us no longer. 古いやり方はもう通用しない。

old-fashioned 古い・古風な(ﾈｶﾞﾃｨﾌﾞ・ﾎﾟｼﾞﾃｨﾌﾞ)

old-school 古き良き、懐かしい(ﾎﾟｼﾞﾃｨﾌﾞ)

out-of-date 時代遅れの(ﾈｶﾞﾃｨﾌﾞ)

He wear old-school clothes. 彼は古き良き服を着ている

He wear out-of-date clothes.

This data is out of date.

This information is out of date.

hit the road

handy

the weather's warming up

sunlight

shade

bright

spacious living room

fully

When was it due?

matter

priority seats

Keep of the grass

rules ease

ease イーｽﾞ v)楽にする、緩和する　n)楽なこと

People living the UK are allowed to travel to a select number of countries for leisure.

leisure リーｼﾞｬｰ n)余暇、ﾚｼﾞｬｰ

Do you think...”It feels unreal"？

the easy of lockdown rules on overseas travel

on the government's green list

extra paperwork to check-in, including showing negative Covid-19 test results

People can visit countries on the green list without isolating on their return.

Couldn't be better/worse

How's it going? (It)couldn't be better.　最高だよ。

How are you doing? (I)couldn't be better.

How are things going? (Things)couldn't be better.

How is your married life? (I)couldn't be happier.

How are you feeling today? Couldn't be worse. 最悪だよ。

I think Japanese railways are the most punctual in the world.　I couldn't agree more. まったく同感です。

punctual パﾝﾁｭｱﾙ　adj)時間を厳守する、規則正しい、点のような

It couldn't be better.　あれ以上のものはない。

It couldn't have been better. (過去の出来事）あれ以上のものはありえなかった。

Stephen Hawking

Mark is a scientific thinker, but I'm not. マークは理系な考えだ。

World renowned physicist Stephen Hawking has died at the age of 76.

renown ﾘナｳﾝ　n)有名、高名　renowned adj)有名な、名高い、名声のある

physicist フィｽﾞｨｽｨｽﾄ n)物理学者

He died peacefully at his home in Cambridge in the early hours of Wednesday, his family said.

The British scientist was famed for his work with black holes and relativity, and wrote several popular science books including A Brief History of Time.

At the age of 22 Prof Hawking was given only a few years to live after being diagnosed with a rare form of motor neurone disease.

In a statement his children, Lucy, Robert and Tim, said: "We are deeply saddened that out beloved father passed away today.

"He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years."

They praised his "courage and persistence" and said his "brilliance and humour" inspired people across the world.

"He once said, 'It would not be much of a universe if it wasn't home to the people you love.' We will miss him forever." 

carbon neutral

 reduce the amount of carbon dioxide

 Good day, How are you going？ 

Good thanks, yourself?  

Good thanks miss/sir

What are you guys up to?

 NZ PM Jacinda Ardern ジャｼﾝﾀﾞ ｱ-ダーﾝ

Ardern is the world's first sitting prime minister to take maternity leave, and Ardern said she's hoping for a time when a story like hers isn't such a novelty.

novelty ノーｳﾞｪﾙﾃｨ n)目新しさ

How did New Zealand become Covid-19 free?

It locked down early and aimed for elimination.

elimination ｲﾘﾐネｲｼｮﾝ　n)排除、除外、除去

When did New Zealand bring in border closures?

How New Zealand went 'hard and early' to beat Covid-19?

New Zealand introduced a new four-stage alert system.

New Zealand's approach to the pandemic was to "throw everything at it at the start".  

The UK has never closed its borders.

The UK government responses to Covid-19 is completely opposite from NZ.  

Comparing/contrasting UK and NZ, it seems that UK wants a challenge.

In contrast to living in the city, living in the countryside is very different. 都市での生活とは対照的に、田舎での生活は非常に異なります。

Her clothes are colorful opposed to his. 彼女の服は彼と対照的にカラフルです。

oppose ｵポｳｽﾞ v)反対する　opposed　adj)反対の

Even though they are twins they are complete opposites. 彼らは双子なのに完全に反対です。

NZ to launch world-first climate change rules

New Zealand is to become the world's first country to bring in a low forcing its financial firms to report on the effect of climate change.

The country wants to be carbon neutral by 2050 and says the financial sector needs to play its part.

Banks, insures and fund managers can do this by knowing the environmental effect of their investments, says its Climate Change Minister James Show.

So long as there's no emergency. 有事でなくてよかったです。

How's your day going?

bamboo shoots

Bamboo shoots that represent spring are in season in May. 春の風物詩、タケノコの旬は５月です。

On Children's Day, they are often used for dishes, containing a wish for growing up straight, quickly, and healthily like bamboo. 5月5日のこどもの日には、タケノコのように真っすぐすくすくと育ってほしいとの願いから料理によく使われる。

Let's tell you about bamboo shoots today.

Bamboo shoots are said to grow by dozen of centimeters per day and are fast-growing. タケノコは1日に数十センチ伸びると言われており成長が早い。

They lose their freshness quickly after the harvest. 収穫後に鮮度が落ちるのも早い。

Thus, it may be the best to eat them as soon as possible after you get them. したがって、入手したらできるだけ早く食べるのが望ましいだろう。

Bamboo shoots are famous for containing rich nutrition. タケノコは豊富な栄養を含むことでも有名だ。

They are high in fiber and improve the intestinal environment. 食物繊維が豊富で腸内環境を整ええてくれる。

Moreover, they include potassium and are effective for high blood pressure. 加えて、カリウムが含まれており、高血圧予防にも効果的だ。

Why don't you enjoy the seasonal food that is considered auspicious and easily digestible? 縁起が良く、身体にも優しいタケノコを食べて、旬を味わってみてはどうだろうか。 

The weather today is so gloomy.

According the weather forecast, it's going to rain during this week.

We can't work as I want to.

I think that beginning of the rainy season this year seems to be earlier than usual.

It's been raining all week. 今週ずっと雨が降っている。

It seems early rainy season starts.

earlier/later than usual

peckish

I’m feeling peckish after a busy day.

I love trying to have delicious street food. 

I like explore something savory street food.

peckish ペｹｯｼｭ adj)小腹のすいた

savory セｲｳﾞｧﾘｰ adj)味香りのよい、辛い、ピリッとした⇔sweet

marathon

/'mærəθɑːn/ 

I used to watch a Samurai drama marathon.  marathon 連続放映

freaking/super high-maintenance

She looks pretty freaking awesome! 彼女は結構素晴らしい！ freaking adj)とても、非常に

She is my type.

but also she looks like super high-maintenance. 超面倒な人にも見える。

super ungrateful

He is like so dumb. 馬鹿みたい　dumb adj)馬鹿な

予約

I got us a table at that new Mexican restaurant.

Are there any places left?

Are there any seats left?

aisle seat/window seat
I usually come here with same day booking.

eat out

It's not often I get to eat out these days. 

I thought we'd already decided/agreed to/on...

I thought we'd(had) already decided/agreed to/on...

I thought + 過去完了　プランが変更されたことに対する驚きを表現

That makes sense

 明らかでわかりやすい

理にかなっている。なるほど。

It/That doesn't make sense.

Does it/that make sense?　わかる？

(Do you understand?わかる？：子供に対して使うくらい)

It would make sense if..  ...ならまだわかるけど

You’re not making any sense。　言ってることがわけわからない

I (don't) feel like ...ing

I feel like hiking or swimming this weekend.

What are you going to do on weekend?
I don't feel like going outside. It's so cold.

challenge

You want a challenge. チャレンジャーだな～。

payday

It's the day before my payday.

It's finally my payday! Let's go out!

chilly

It's a bit chilly.

It's getting chilly.

肌寒い

brochure

brochure/pamphlet

I was just looking at this holiday brochure. Shall we go to France this year?

What do you think about going on that dinner cruise we saw in the brochure.

Please give this brochure out to new clients. It explains all our services.

These brochures cost a lot of money to make so only give them out to .serious customers.　これらのブローショアーを作るにはかなりのお金がかかったので、ちゃんとしたお客にしか渡さないで。

some pamphlets/marketing pamphlets

The doctor gave me a pamphlet explaining diabetes. 医者は糖尿病について説明するパンフをくれました。

brochure, pamphlet: giving info & showing pics

leaflet チラシ

The post box is always full of leaflet.

delivering leaflets　チラシ配達

put those leaflets in the trash それらのチラシをゴミ箱に捨てて

flyer 新しい店、イベント等の宣伝チラシ

There was a man handing out flyers outside the station.

booklet 使い方/作り方の小冊子

Did it come with an instruction booklet? 取扱説明書は付いている？

A Couple

A married couple 夫婦

An old couple

My mouth is watering

Oh, My mouth is watering. ヨダレが出るよ。

Come all the way

I came all the way here from zzz by running.  わざわざzzzから走ってやってきた。

仮定法過去完了

If I had been more careful, I wouldn’t have got a traffic ticket.

If I hadn't been so tired, I would've done much better.

If I had studied hard in my young age, I wouldn't have studied now.

If I had worked more, I could've taken a vacation.

If I had run, I might have got there in time.

The Ramen People in Kyushu Love

Nowadays, there are a variety of Ramen style in Japan.

Tonkotu ramen is among the most popular style in Japan. 

 among pr)前置詞個がはっきりしないイメージ、まじって、囲まれて、の間に

It originated in Fukuoka, a prefecture on the Kyushu island of Japan, and it is a specialty dish in both Fukuoka and Kyushu. 

 originate v)起源を発する、始まる

competitive package

competitive package: 競争力のある

package n)包装・パッケージ、提案・計画・対策

an aid package 支援計画

economic package　経済計画

a rewarding job

What work do you do?

I'm in construction.

I am working as a kind of freelancer for my own company.

It's not a usual nine-to-five job but I enjoy freedom.

I'm proud to have a rewarding job

I am in construction working as a kind of a freelancer for my own company it's not a usual 9 to 5 job Actually I was stuck with my job during golden week but I enjoyed freedom

but I enjoy freedom

What is the legal drinking/driving age in ...

We can drink when we turn 20.

It's 18.

overwork

 She is overworked in this pandemic.

Ive been tired from overwork these days.  Need something to change.

keep each other motivated

 Keep each other motivated for English.

be about to...

 まさに...しようとしている。

What do you think about this picture?

She is about to..

stick with/to

I was stuck with my job during the golden week.

stick with a job ひとつの仕事をやり続ける

If you don’t mind me/my asking

 If you don’t mind telling meもし伝えてもらえるならば、

If you don't mind me sayingもし言わせてもらえば

speak highly of...

...のことを良く言う、ほめる、称賛する

He spoke highly of you.

She speak highly of your company.

All of your clients speak very highly of you.

Where are you going to dinner? The ABC restaurant. I've never been there before, but Hana spoke highly of it.

My goal is to...

 My goal in life is to travel the world.

so that

so that: 目的・結果を表す

I enjoy studying English so that I can communicate with many people on a/my trip abroad.

I enjoy studying English so that traveling overseas become way/much more fun.

New Year's Resolutions, Jan/2021

Happy new year, Z! Thanks for bringing us to the shrine! It's so beautiful.

My pleasure! Do you have any New Year's resolutions?

This year. I want to learn Japanese so that I can watch anime and read comics.

My goal is to improve my English speaking ability. I'll also exercise more to stay healthy.

I also want to be more active. I'm going to learn some healthy recipes too.

Good luck. I hope we can all achieve our goals this year.

We can do it! Let's share our progress and keep each other motivated.

COVID-19 and the Medical Crisis, Jan/2021

Z, I'm really worried! My nurse friend is overworked in this pandemic.

How awful. It is becoming difficult for hospitals to provide beds for patients.

Yeah. Even thought medical workers are working hard, some will receive reduced bonuses.

That's terrible. I think everyone is feeling more stressed these days.

True. In Japan, more people died from suicide than COVID-19 in October.

We need to look after our mental health and remember to check on our friends and family.

Legal Drinking and Driving Age, Jan/2021

Hey, Z. Can you explain what Coming of Age Day is? 　成人の日

It's a holiday about becoming an adult. We celebrate it at 20.

That's interesting. What is the legal drinking age in Japan? It's 21 in most states in the US.

We can drink when we turn 20. What is the legal driving age in the US?

It's 16. My parents bought me my first car when I got my license.

Really? The minimum driving age in Japan is 18. That's when we finish high school.

Yeah, I never realized that age requirements are different in the US and Japan.

Famous Japanese Culture, Jan/2021

I can't wait to see that popular demon movie! I heard it's just as good as the comics.

It's a record-breaking movie. It made over 10 billion yen in ten days!

Apparently, the anime can be streamed in more than 100 countries, in eight languages.

Wow! Speaking of Japanese films, Akira kurosawa is my favorite director. His films are still popular today!

His movies have inspired many famous directors from around the world.

I enjoy Japanese literature like Haruki Murakami. His characters are unique and attractive.

I'm happy to hear that people who live overseas enjoy Japanese culture, too.