The A to Z English Podcast

It's with heavy hearts that Xochitl and I are announcing that this is our last episode. We put the "..." in the title to indicate that no one knows the future and there may be a time we start the podcast up again. But for now, we won't be releasing any new episodes. A huge thank you and a huge hug from Xochitl and me to all of our listeners out there. You're the best audience in the world, and we so thoroughly appreciate your support. Thank you, thank you thank you!!! Podcast Website: https://atozenglishpodcast.com/the-last-episode/ Social Media: WeChat: atozenglishpodcast Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/671098974684413/ Tik Tok: @atozenglish1 Instagram: @atozenglish22 Twitter: @atozenglish22 A to Z Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/theatozenglishpodcast Check out our You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCds7JR-5dbarBfas4Ve4h8A Become a member of Podchaser and leave a positive review! https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-a-to-z-english-podcast-4779670 Join our Whatsapp group: https://forms.gle/zKCS8y1t9jwv2KTn7 Intro/Outro Music: Debora by Jangwa https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Dilating_Times/single/debora/ https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-a-to-z-english-podcast/donations Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl and Jack talk about what they think the future of ESL entails. 00:00:00 Jack Hey, A is the English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase. 00:00:17 Jack And if you. 00:00:18 Jack Join the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to. 00:00:22 Jack Talk with social. 00:00:23 Jack And we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app. 00:00:48 Jack Welcome to the A-Z English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with. 00:00:52 Jack My co-host social. 00:00:53 Jack And today, we're doing a topic talk episode and we're talking about the future of ESL or the future of EFL English as a second language or English as a foreign language. 00:01:05 Jack And UM. 00:01:06 Jack I've got a lot of opinions about this social because my job is here in Korea. I teach at the university and so I'm always listening and and trying to predict what the the future of the industry might be. 00:01:25 Jack Because it kind of greatly affects my my livelihood, my ability to have a job and earn an income. 00:01:34 Jack And. 00:01:36 Jack I've I've got my opinions about it. What do you what are your opinions about the future of ESL? What do you what do you think the the future might might bring? 00:01:44 Xochitl Uhm, you know, I haven't been in the industry nearly as long as you have, Jack. So like, I kind of, I feel like by the time that, you know, because of my age, I'm I'm younger and everything. By the time I graduated college and everything like. 00:02:01 Xochitl That that the industry was already taking the nosedive while I was, you know, in college, I would say. And, you know, the writing has been on the wall for a while, that there's especially during with the pandemic and a lot of people. 00:02:11 Jack Yeah. 00:02:21 Xochitl I mean the no mad lifestyle and teaching classes online and then there were certain difficulties with getting visas and staying in different countries. 00:02:31 Xochitl During the pandemic and there were, you know, a lot of complications because of COVID that created a ripple effect of a lot of systemic changes that were, I think, already kind of on the on the fringe before, but definitely. 00:02:46 Xochitl Kicked up uh during and after the pandemic and uh, how do I say this? I'm I'm not really sure about the future. I do know that. 00:02:57 Xochitl It's not as lucrative a business, you know, as it used to be. I would say definitely people who are in ESL now, it's kind of like a. 00:03:06 Xochitl A labor of love and it used to be that, you know, 20 years ago, you're starting pay in in a job like what you would get paid in Korea was the same as what you get paid now. And of course it went a lot farther 20 years ago. Yeah. 00:03:19 발표자 Right. 00:03:22 Jack Yeah, yeah, things are more expensive now. Inflation has basically cut that by 1/3. 00:03:29 Jack Yeah. 00:03:30 발표자 Hmm. 00:03:31 Jack Yeah. 00:03:32 Xochitl The buying power of that same quantity, it's just not what it used to be. 00:03:36 Jack Thread. 00:03:38 Xochitl So I don't know and I think that also displayed some people from, you know taking the route of moving to another country because it takes a lot of money which a lot of people also aren't aware of to to move out to another country. Yet in Korea like you get an apartment provided. 00:03:57 Xochitl And you get a lot of benefits, but just the visa process alone, plus they reimburse you for your flight ticket after like a year of contract, but you have to pay the money. 00:04:06 Xochitl Front and and a bunch of those related charges. You know, we're talking about...

Here are the meanings of the phrases "drop the ball" and "fall off": Drop the Ball "Drop the ball" is an idiom that means to make a mistake or fail to meet an obligation or responsibility. It suggests that someone has let something important slip through the cracks, leading to a failure or mishap. The phrase likely originates from sports, where dropping the ball can lead to a loss of possession or a missed opportunity. Example: "I really dropped the ball on that project. I forgot to submit the report on time." Fall Off "Fall off" can have a few different meanings depending on the context: Literal Meaning: To physically fall from a higher place to a lower place. Example: "Be careful on the ladder so you don't fall off." Decrease or Decline: To experience a reduction in amount, quality, or intensity. Example: "Sales have fallen off since the holiday season." Lose Focus or Consistency: To stop maintaining a certain level of performance, attention, or engagement. Example: "He was doing well in his studies, but his grades fell off after he started working part-time." Both phrases are commonly used in everyday conversation and writing, and their meanings can often be inferred from the context in which they are used. Podcast Website: https://atozenglishpodcast.com/idiom-academy-drop-the-ball-and-fall-off/ Social Media: WeChat: atozenglishpodcast Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/671098974684413/ Tik Tok: @atozenglish1 Instagram: @atozenglish22 Twitter: @atozenglish22 A to Z Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/theatozenglishpodcast Check out our You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCds7JR-5dbarBfas4Ve4h8A Become a member of Podchaser and leave a positive review! https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-a-to-z-english-podcast-4779670 Join our Whatsapp group: https://forms.gle/zKCS8y1t9jwv2KTn7 Intro/Outro Music: Debora by Jangwa https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Dilating_Times/single/debora/ https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-a-to-z-english-podcast/donations Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl and Jack answer more silly questions. Transcript: 00:00:00 Jack Hey, A is the English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase. 00:00:17 Jack And if you. 00:00:18 Jack Join the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to. 00:00:22 Jack Talk with social. 00:00:23 Jack And we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app. 00:00:48 Jack Welcome to the Ados English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social. And today we have a fun topic talk. 00:00:57 Jack And this one is. These are just silly questions, social and. 00:01:02 Jack We're going to do three of them, and if you join our English corner through the WeChat group, you can also discuss these. We we discussed these questions last week, but we will discuss questions like this in the future as well. And #1 is what are your most random pet peeves? 00:01:22 Jack We we talked. 00:01:22 Jack About pet peeves before, but what's your like most random one? That probably no one else is annoyed by, but only you? 00:01:30 Xochitl My most random pet peeve. 00:01:35 Xochitl The leading the chair not pushing, as we discussed before. 00:01:39 발표자 Mm-hmm. 00:01:41 Xochitl What's another one? 00:01:44 Xochitl I'm trying to think I'm not too much of A picky person, so it's kind of hard for me. I hate this is kind of a like a weird one. It's not really my business, but I just hate seeing like. 00:01:57 Xochitl Like useless men like this sounds weird, but it's kind of a pet peeve of mine when there's, like, a a woman with like like this just happened in the airport. There's a woman was literally the she she and her husband were at the airport and she had like, seven kids. And I think she's pregnant with another kid and. 00:02:17 Xochitl He the man just like there's he was supposed to get like dinner for all the kids and the wife with his oldest son, and they just disappeared for like 2 hours and then came back with nothing. 00:02:30 Xochitl And the kids were, like, running around and screaming, and the lady looked, like, devastated. And it was like, oh, my God, I just, you know what I mean? I hate seeing stuff like that every time I see a man, a useless partner. That's a huge piece. And it's funny because it's not really my business, but it just makes me angry. 00:02:48 Jack Yeah, it's kind of I'm. I'm just, I think. 00:02:50 Jack It's funny that you were. 00:02:51 Jack Just watching that whole scenario play out and just seething, just so angry. 00:02:57 Xochitl Yes, I was sitting across from the waiting and I was just like, oh, my God, this poor lady. And this, like, older lady sitting next to her was like, helped ended up helping her with distract her kids for a while, which was really nice. Of the older lady to step in. But it was just. 00:03:12 Xochitl Crazy that the woman has a whole husband. That's like doing nothing. 00:03:17 Jack Yeah. 00:03:17 Xochitl Just absolutely insane. 00:03:19 Jack I wonder, I wonder if my wife would have stories. And then I thought fortunately there might be some examples of me checking out for a moment, but I I try not to. I I try to, you know, we we try to divide and conquer. You know, the best that we can. 00:03:34 Xochitl I don't think he would have been that useless like this guy was a a new level. You know what I mean? From what I've seen of you, I have a hard time believing you would have been that. 00:03:39 발표자 Yeah. 00:03:43 Xochitl Bad. 00:03:43 Xochitl You know, so that's a. 00:03:45 Xochitl Big Tip team of mine and I think. 00:03:49 Xochitl Those are those are two big ones,...

In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl explains why she may not want to have children. Transcript: 00:00:00 Jack Hey, A is the English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase. 00:00:17 Jack And if you. 00:00:18 Jack Join the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to. 00:00:22 Jack Talk with social. 00:00:23 Jack And we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app. 00:00:49 Jack Welcome to the A-Z English podcast. My name is Jack and. 00:00:52 Jack I'm here with my co-host social. 00:00:54 Jack And today we have an interesting topic. 00:00:56 Jack For you and social, I'm going to. 00:00:58 Jack Let you introduce the topic today. 00:01:04 Xochitl Today, we're going to talk about. 00:01:07 Xochitl Societal pressures and expectations kind of in this upcoming generation, which includes, you know, people my age and younger, and we're going to talk about how I maybe don't want to have kids. 00:01:22 Jack MHM. 00:01:24 Xochitl Yeah. So I don't know what to say about that, except I guess I've gotten to an age finally. 00:01:29 Xochitl There, you know one once people know like they ask me how old I am and once they know, you know, they they sometimes ask, you know, do I want to have kids or am I thinking about having kids? And the answer is kind of no. I mean whenever I hear screaming children, it just dries up, it dries. 00:01:50 Xochitl The uterus right up, Jack to the side. 00:01:51 Xochitl Of. 00:01:52 Xochitl Something I just I hate. I I can't really stand the shrill shrieking of of joyous children. I'm just kidding. But it is it. It is really hard and and I just see there's so much responsibility. I admire people who are parents. Of course I know it's really hard. 00:02:01 Jack Yeah. 00:02:10 Xochitl But I do see there's so much responsibility and it kind of makes me feel like you just never know where things are gonna go. Like a lot of things are kind of out of your control when you have kids and. 00:02:25 Xochitl It's scary because I I I I guess I always go to the darkest, you know, recess of my mind and think you know what? If someone murdered my kids or you know what? What kid murdered someone you know and and not just that. It's like every decision that you make for the rest of your life will revolve around your kids and even when your kids are adult. 00:02:36 Jack Hmm. 00:02:49 Xochitl You're going to worry about them every single day, and you're gonna. 00:02:54 Xochitl Like put your energy into that bill. Never stop being your kids, you know. 00:03:00 Jack Oh, I I know exactly what you mean. It's. But can I go back and back a little bit? Are you are you offended when people ask you that? 00:03:05 Xochitl Oh yeah, Jack, rewind. 00:03:09 Xochitl I don't really care but, but I know some people. Some people do get offended and I think that's their right because it's kind of like it's not really anyone's business, you know, and if. 00:03:19 Jack Yeah, it's kind of an inappropriate question in some in some ways. 00:03:22 Jack I feel like. 00:03:23 Xochitl It's kind of a crazy question because it's like if I wanted kids and could have kids, wouldn't I have them right now? And then it's like, and if I didn't want kids, then why are you asking me and like? 00:03:29 Jack You're right. 00:03:35 Xochitl Like there's just or if I want kids and couldn't have them like, then we're just about to open a really uncomfortable can of worms, especially if you don't know me super well. Like, what if you asked me that and I have on my, like, fifth round of IVF and we know it's not gonna work anymore. And I'm like, I start...

In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl and Jack explain when to use play, do, and run with activities related to exercise. Transcript: 00:00:00 Jack Hey, A is the English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase. 00:00:17 Jack And if you. 00:00:18 Jack Join the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to. 00:00:22 Jack Talk with social. 00:00:23 Jack And we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app. 00:00:49 Jack Welcome to the A-Z English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social. And today we are doing a vocabulary builder and social. We're going to talk about sports and activities today and I think there there are some verb differences that we use when we're talking about. 00:01:08 Jack Certain sports and then certain kind of. 00:01:10 Jack Sport like activities. 00:01:13 Jack And so, like, what would we use to to describe like, basketball, tennis, baseball, soccer? Which verb do we use with with those sports? 00:01:28 Xochitl Uh, I would say we use play with those, right, with those sports. 00:01:32 Jack Exactly. We say I play basketball. He plays basketball, they play basketball, I play soccer. Do you? 00:01:41 Jack Do you play any sports? 00:01:44 Xochitl UM. 00:01:46 Xochitl I used to. 00:01:49 Xochitl But I don't anymore. 00:01:51 Jack What? What did you used to? I bet you used to be on the soccer team, right? 00:01:54 Xochitl Yeah, I used to. 00:01:55 Xochitl Play soccer I I did used to play soccer, but I have another one and and I realize it conflicts with R2 but I used to run track. 00:01:56 Jack Yeah. 00:02:05 Jack Ohh, nice. Well, there's a third one we could throw in there. Yeah. Run. Run track. Yes. 00:02:06 Xochitl Press. 00:02:10 Xochitl I ran track or you can go. I ran cross cross country as well. 00:02:15 Jack Ohh I ran cross country one year but I was I finished last every time I was the slowest. 00:02:20 Xochitl I also finished last every time so I don't feel bad. I live in two last places and now it's podcast. Ohh, that's funny. Running a podcast. You also kind of run a podcast. 00:02:26 Jack Yeah. 00:02:32 Jack Yeah, right. We run an English corner. We run an English business. 00:02:34 Xochitl You can run. Yeah. You run a business as well, that's just. 00:02:38 Jack Right, yeah. 00:02:40 Xochitl Thing. 00:02:41 Jack OK. Yeah. So I used to, I used to play play basketball in in high school and college. That was my, my, my big sport was was basketball. But after graduating from university, I I stopped playing basketball and I, but I continued to play tennis. 00:03:01 Jack So when? 00:03:01 Jack When I go home to America, I play tennis with my brother. I play with my dad and I play with my mom. They they all play tennis and my dad is 75. My mom is 74, but they still play tennis almost every day, so they're very into fitness and and well and health. 00:03:22 Jack MHM. 00:03:23 Jack What about do what? What kind of so do is the second one and what what do we use? What activities do we use do for? 00:03:33 Xochitl Do hmm. 00:03:37 Xochitl I. 00:03:41 Xochitl I do Taekwondo. I used to do Taekwondo. 00:03:44 Jack Oh, did you do a little around self-defense? Yeah. 00:03:45 Xochitl I did like. 00:03:48 Xochitl A little martial arts, yeah. 00:03:49 Jack Yeah, watch out or social's going to spin kick you around the chin. 00:03:55 Xochitl Yeah, I actually kicked my dad once. He asked me to. So it's it was not my fault. And I told him I wouldn't do it. And then he said I would be grounded if I didn't kick him. So then I did kick him. I was a kid. I was...

In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl and Jack ask each other funny questions. Transcript: 00:00:00 Jack Hey, A is the English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase. 00:00:17 Jack And if you. 00:00:18 Jack Join the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to. 00:00:22 Jack Talk with social. 00:00:23 Jack And we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app. 00:00:49 Jack Welcome to the A-Z English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my. 00:00:52 Jack Co-host. 00:00:53 Jack Social and today we're going to do some funny quiz questions. And so I'm going to ask social some questions. She's going to ask me. They're kind of silly, but I think it's it'll be fun to, you know, see what our answers are. 00:01:08 Jack And so, uh, so. So the first one is. 00:01:12 Jack If you could teach a dog your dog duende to do 1 human thing, what would it be? 00:01:21 Xochitl Yeah. 00:01:22 Xochitl Uh, Jack. That one's hard because initially I want to say I want to teach him to speak, but I think I would get annoyed like I love him to death, but he's like he's a little puppy and he has a lot of energy, so he just be talking my ear off, like how little kids do you know? 00:01:39 Jack What's this? What's this? What's this? What's this you're like? 00:01:43 Xochitl Yeah, constantly. Like, so you know. 00:01:47 Xochitl But you know it's between. 00:01:49 Xochitl Teaching them how to talk and this is kind of a cheating answer, but I'd like to teach him to be self-sufficient. That way I could just like go on trips without having to worry about him. I feel like he can feed himself and get himself water and take himself out for a walk or whatever if that was possible I would. 00:01:58 Jack Yeah. 00:02:08 Xochitl That would be great if you could just be self-sufficient and that. 00:02:10 Xochitl Just. 00:02:10 Xochitl Kind of that involves is kind of cheating because it involves a lot of human things under one umbrella. 00:02:16 Jack You know, but I I just picture him sitting on the sofa like a human with, like, the remote control in his paw. 00:02:23 Jack It's just kind of slipping through the channels looking for anything with dogs on TV. 00:02:24 Xochitl Yeah, he would definitely. 00:02:30 Xochitl Yeah, because there's some shoes he actually likes to watch. I think I was watching, like Sophia and the guard the other day. That's a YouTuber. And he was really intently watching the show. So he's very, yeah, there's some things he really likes. I think he likes Sophia and. 00:02:41 Jack Wow, that's weird. 00:02:49 Xochitl I don't know. There. Yeah. There's some things to seem to like more than others. I still haven't figured out the pattern yet with my other dog. He like to with Mouse, which is a dog. But my family had before I had went to. He liked The Walking. 00:03:01 Xochitl Ed. 00:03:03 발표자 Ohh. 00:03:05 Jack What? What does that mean? 00:03:05 발표자 2 And. 00:03:07 Xochitl I don't know. You seem to like The Walking Dead and he like to watch the the show with like a a dog in it too. He would watch that, like, whenever we watched it, he would sit down. 00:03:18 Xochitl And watch it. 00:03:18 Xochitl The other shows and before him really quickly. So yeah, I think if if I could teach him to be self-sufficient, that's kind of. 00:03:25 Xochitl What I would do? 00:03:26 Jack Yeah. Yeah. Ohh. 00:03:27 Xochitl Jack, how for your dog. Oh, sorry. Go ahead. 00:03:30 Jack Oh, no. Yeah, Michael. 00:03:31 Jack I was going to say the same thing that you said. I was going to say, like I wanted to teach my dog to speak, but...

In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl and Jack offer some tips for IELTS test takers and then each of them answer an IELTS speaking question. Transcript: IELTS Speaking Part 3 involves a two-way discussion with the examiner, typically lasting 4-5 minutes. This part requires you to express opinions, discuss abstract ideas, and provide detailed answers. Here are some effective strategies to excel in this section: 1. Expand Your Answers Develop Ideas:Structure:2. Use a Range of Vocabulary and Grammar Lexical Resource:Grammar:3. Linking Words and Phrases Cohesion:Signposting:4. Express Opinions and Justify Them Opinion:Justification:5. Speculate and Hypothesize Speculation:Hypothesis:6. Stay Calm and Confident Calmness:Confidence:7. Practice Common Topics Familiarity:Current Affairs:8. Engage in Real Conversations Practice:Feedback:9. Time Management Balance:Pacing:10. Active Listening Understanding:Clarification: Question 1: "How has technology affected the way people communicate?" Answer: "Technology has profoundly transformed the way people communicate, making interactions more immediate and accessible. One major impact is the shift from face-to-face conversations to digital communications. Nowadays, people frequently use messaging apps, social media, and video calls to stay connected, even across vast distances. This immediacy allows for real-time communication, which is particularly beneficial for maintaining relationships with friends and family who live far away. Moreover, technology has democratized information sharing. Social media platforms enable individuals to share their thoughts, experiences, and news with a broad audience instantly. This has led to a more interconnected world where people are more aware of global events and diverse perspectives. However, there are downsides as well. The over-reliance on digital communication can lead to a decline in interpersonal skills. Many people, especially younger generations, may find it challenging to engage in face-to-face conversations and develop deep, meaningful relationships. Additionally, the prevalence of digital communication can contribute to a sense of isolation, as virtual interactions might not provide the same level of emotional connection as in-person interactions. In summary, while technology has revolutionized communication by making it faster and more widespread, it also presents challenges that society must address to ensure healthy and effective interpersonal interactions." Question 2: "What role do older people play in society today?" Answer: "Older people play a crucial role in society today, contributing in various significant ways. One important role is that of wisdom and experience. Older individuals often have a wealth of knowledge accumulated over their lifetimes, which they can share with younger generations. This can be particularly valuable in professional settings, where mentoring and guidance from experienced workers can enhance the skills and development of younger employees. Additionally, many older people continue to contribute economically by remaining active in the workforce or engaging in volunteer activities. This can help alleviate some of the pressures on social security systems and provide essential services to communities. For example, retired professionals often volunteer their time and expertise in non-profit organizations, schools, and local communities, enriching society with their contributions. Moreover, older adults often play vital roles within families, such as providing childcare for grandchildren or offering emotional and financial support to their adult children. This intergenerational support can strengthen family bonds and provide stability, particularly in times of economic or social hardship. However, it's important to recognize that older people also face challenges such as ageism and health issues, which can limit their ability to contribute fully to society. Therefore, it...

In this emotional episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl and Jack talk about funerals and the loss of a loved one. Transcript: 00:00:00 Jack Hey, A is the English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase. 00:00:17 Jack And if you. 00:00:18 Jack Join the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to. 00:00:22 Jack Talk with social. 00:00:23 Jack And we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app. 00:00:48 Jack Welcome to the Ages English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social. And I'm going to let social introduce today's topic. So social, what would you like to talk about today? 00:01:02 Xochitl Jack, I kind of want to talk about funeral traditions in different cultures. So I was going. 00:01:08 Xochitl To talk about, you know. 00:01:10 Xochitl Mexican traditions because I just went through that with my grandfather passing, I guess he passed. 00:01:17 Xochitl Let's like a week ago now, maybe or a little less than a week ago, so. 00:01:24 Xochitl Yeah, I don't know. And I've been, uh, I guess I can just get into it. 00:01:30 Xochitl Sure. 00:01:34 Xochitl I don't know how to kick this off actually. 00:01:36 Jack Ohh no, that's alright. Maybe start with the just just the process is in. In American culture there's a I guess there's kind of two, two aspects to it, right. There's the funeral and the. 00:01:52 Jack Wake. 00:01:54 Xochitl Hmm. 00:01:55 Jack And the wake is more like a. 00:01:59 Jack A gathering where people get together and there's maybe some. Sometimes there's food, I think is if I'm not mistaken, yeah. 00:02:07 Xochitl Yeah, that's true. 00:02:09 Jack Yeah. So and I think the interesting thing about that in American culture and maybe this is true in, in every culture. 00:02:18 Jack It seems odd to be eating at that time. You know what, I. 00:02:22 Xochitl But yeah. 00:02:22 Jack Mean like no one? 00:02:23 Jack Has an appetite that people are grieving, they're upset. But I feel like maybe the food preparation is a distraction. 00:02:36 Jack It's it's, it's focusing on our executive function of our brain, the the part that is just very analytical and just doing things. And I think that is a distraction from the pain and the grief would. 00:02:52 Jack You agree with that? 00:02:54 Xochitl I think so I I think. 00:02:59 Xochitl That also it's because a lot of people who aren't, like, super close family come and so they're like, you know, they're they're kind of there to help in certain in a certain way or just to, you know, for emotional support. But they're they're probably going to be hungry because I don't think they're mourning. 00:03:21 Xochitl And really like the same way you know on, I mean they're they're sad, I'm sure, but it's like a little different. So I think it's like it's kind of a way for the family to say thank you in Mexican tradition that happened. 00:03:22 Jack Right, right. 00:03:34 Jack Yeah. 00:03:37 Xochitl That happens too, but it's like a two day. 00:03:40 Xochitl Affair where you have to be like awake all night. 00:03:45 Xochitl You're like, up for 48 hours straight basically because you can't leave the body alone. 00:03:49 Jack Oh, OK, OK. Because that's different than American culture, where the the body is. 00:03:58 Jack Is is in the caskets. 00:04:02 Jack But you don't have to stay up all night with with the body. 00:04:08 Jack Hmm. 00:04:09 Xochitl Yeah, this the body was in the casket. But we do have to stay with the body because. 00:04:15 발표자 It's. 00:04:16 Xochitl It's like I don't know. I guess it's to prevent bad spirits, like...

In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl and Jack talk about whether or not they think it's ethical for people to eat meat. Transcript: 00:00:00 Jack Hey, A to Z English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase. 00:00:17 Jack And if you. 00:00:18 Jack Join the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to. 00:00:22 Jack Talk with social. 00:00:23 Jack And we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app. 00:00:49 Jack Welcome to the A-Z English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social. 00:00:54 Jack And today we're doing another topic talk and today's question is, should humans switch to a plant based diet to protect animal rights? 00:01:06 Jack What do you think, social? 00:01:08 Xochitl Should humans switch your plan beside? Well, I have been vegan in the past, Jack, and I've also been vegetarian in the. 00:01:16 Xochitl So I had. 00:01:18 Xochitl The even the plant based diet on multiple occasions, but I never judge anyone who didn't because it's a very hard switch because the world is kind of built around assuming that you have a normal diet and now vegan food is way more accessible. Back. When I was vegan in high school. 00:01:36 Xochitl Uh, it was very hard to be vegan. You couldn't go out to eat anywhere. You couldn't buy any like ready made vegan food at the store and there weren't any products like, there weren't any good veggie burgers or vegan. 00:01:45 Jack Yeah. 00:01:49 Jack No impossible burgers or anything like that. 00:01:52 Xochitl No. So it really sucked. And then? 00:01:56 Xochitl I yeah. So I don't know. And then there. 00:01:59 Xochitl Are there were there? 00:02:00 Xochitl Was a phase where I would eat plant. 00:02:01 Xochitl Based like uh? 00:02:04 Xochitl Two weeks out of the month and then the other two weeks, I just see normal, but that was more. That was like, yeah, I mean, yeah, it was kind of a whole thing, not in the ways you might you might expect but but. 00:02:11 Jack For health. 00:02:22 Xochitl Yeah, so, so I don't know, this is a tricky 1 because to me now I like me, I enjoy me and I enjoy having food freedom and getting to eat whatever I want and. 00:02:37 Xochitl I think that as people, us being vegan is like far less or us consuming meat or choosing not to consume meat or choosing to eat plant based or not plant based whatever it may be is far less damaging to the environment or has far less of an impact overall than these giant greedy. 00:02:57 Xochitl Corporations and industries that are. 00:03:00 Xochitl Choosing practices that are they know, have been harmful for years, like the fracking industry and. And so I think ultimately, yes, it's just like our little drop in a bucket or drop in the ocean and we can choose to do it or not to do it. I don't think it really necessarily makes you better. 00:03:20 Xochitl Or not, or neither do I I I just think it's so much more impactful for a corporation to. 00:03:28 Xochitl And the government to put in regulations than it is for people to just go like Meatless Mondays or something. 00:03:35 Jack Yeah, my my problem with with eating meat and. 00:03:41 Jack It's the factory farming is I have a real problem with that because I know that there are definitely animal abuses that are happening. And yet, even though I know that intellect. 00:03:51 Xochitl Yeah. 00:03:55 Jack Really, it's really hard for me to make the switch to vegan or vegetarian or be vegan or vegetarian, even though I know that it's probably morally the right thing to do until farming practices become more ethical. 00:04:15 Jack And you know, because I...

Did you enjoy the Barbie movie? Well, in this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl describes what kind of Barbie she thinks she would be, and Jack describes what kind of Ken he would be? Transcript: 00:00:00 Jack Hey, A to Z English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase. 00:00:17 Jack And if you. 00:00:18 Jack Join the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to. 00:00:22 Jack Talk with social. 00:00:23 Jack And we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app. 00:00:50 Jack Welcome to the Ages English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social. And today we have a topic talk. And right now social something that's trending on on TikTok and on on the Internet right now is comes from the the Barbie movie and. 00:01:10 Jack The question that people are asking themselves is what kind of Barbie are you like, could you describe your Barbie and what kind of Ken are you? So could you describe your Ken? So maybe you could describe your Barbie and I'll describe my Ken. 00:01:28 Xochitl OK, I'm like uh. 00:01:32 Xochitl I don't know. 00:01:35 Xochitl I think I OK. Ideally what I would like to be in fashion Barbie, you know, I have all these clothes and I. 00:01:41 Xochitl I love clothes. 00:01:42 Xochitl But I don't really dress up that much anymore, like how I used to, but I used to love clothes, so I think I would be like fashion Barbie, you know. But now I'm kind of more like a. 00:01:56 Xochitl Like. 00:01:59 Xochitl Met Barbie or something? I don't know. Like, like a beige Barbie. Something I don't like. Kind of disillusioned with life. Ever so slightly. Yeah. 00:02:11 Jack Trying trying to figure it out, Barbie. 00:02:13 Xochitl Trying to figure it out, Barbie. Yeah, but you know, it's done better this year. I gotta say, the trend, the end of tail end of 27 was a great time where I started a bunch of projects, including our English corner. So with you. So I'm really excited. 00:02:29 Xochitl About that and yeah, so maybe right now I would actually be like. 00:02:35 Xochitl An iconic Barbie that had all the jobs like veterinarian, doctor, Fashionista like you know, the one that's doing everything I'm doing a lot like the English corner, the coffee business, selling clothes. 00:02:42 Jack Yeah. 00:02:51 Jack What? What kind of clothes, like, talk about the clothes you stuff. Cause I think that that's that would be like I can. I can picture your Barbies clothes because of the you know you you sell clothes on. I I see you post like dresses like you you're you're big into like thrifting right like. 00:02:51 Xochitl Yeah. 00:03:09 Xochitl Yes, yes. 00:03:10 Jack Yeah. 00:03:11 Xochitl Yeah, I saw. 00:03:11 Jack So lots of like prints or something. Is that what they are kind of kind of prints with like UM? 00:03:16 Xochitl It can be. I think they're just. It just really depends. It's more so for me right now I'm selling like American clothes. So and Mexico American clothes is is popular because it's higher quality. Traditional American garments are high quality like cotton and stuff. But like regular everyday wear. 00:03:37 Xochitl Those is pretty low quality. 00:03:39 Jack Yeah. 00:03:39 Xochitl It's like worse than she and quality or whatever. Like it's very bad. So being that it's so bad, American clothes is quite popular here. So I just kind of pick whatever I think looks nice. And I think other people will like and bring that and sell it. 00:03:58 Xochitl Beer so it could be like uh, dresses with plants or. 00:04:03 Xochitl Dresses for graduation or like the. 00:04:07 Xochitl You know, sweaters and...

In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl and Jack discuss the question: Is cheating in a relationship ever justified? Transcript: 00:00:00 Jack Hey, A is the English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase. 00:00:17 Jack And if you. 00:00:18 Jack Join the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to. 00:00:22 Jack Talk with social. 00:00:23 Jack And we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app. 00:00:49 Jack Welcome to the Ados English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social. And today we have a topic talk and social. Today's topic is a little scandalous. The question is, can cheating in a romantic relationship ever be justified? 00:01:07 Jack Should the couple try to work through it, or is the trust permanently broken? 00:01:15 Xochitl Uh, I really don't think it's ever justified. I personally have never cheated, so I don't understand. 00:01:24 Xochitl It's a decision, too, I hate when people say that it's a mistake. I don't think it's a mistake. It's a choice that people actively made and you have to live with the consequences of that choice. And I think, like, if you do want to try to work through it, then the person who cheated needs to be willing to really put in the majority of the work. 00:01:31 Jack Right. 00:01:45 Xochitl And. 00:01:47 Xochitl Needs to be willing. 00:01:48 Xochitl To see that there are going to be pretty big consequences like the that person is not going to trust you. Like for a good long while. And I I think that's perfectly acceptable and absolutely normal. It'd be kind of weird if they suddenly did trust you, you know. 00:02:05 Jack Yeah, I. 00:02:06 Xochitl Again, you've been good. 00:02:09 Jack Oh, sorry, I I I really hate it. When. When? 00:02:13 Jack Like cheaters, say something like UM. 00:02:16 Jack Well, you weren't paying attention to me or you weren't being attentive as a as a partner. And so I started looking in, you know, other places to get my needs met or whatever and that sort of kind of nonsense, you know, it's like I I think this is one of those. 00:02:19 Xochitl Ah. 00:02:36 Jack Rare occasions where it's like 100 zero, you know, like it's yeah, it's it's 100% the cheaters fault and they they have to take full. 00:02:49 Jack Responsibility for their actions. I I don't think there can be any Hemming and hawing about it. It's it's, you know, I I think it's such a it's such a red flag when when a cheater starts trying to push the blame onto. 00:03:10 Jack His or her partner for you know, making. 00:03:13 Jack Me do that it. It reminds me of, like, domestic violence, right where the domestic abuser tries to blame the, you know, you know, I I don't. I didn't want to hit you. But you make me so angry, you know, and and that that's that's that's just nonsense. 00:03:18 Xochitl Ma'am. 00:03:30 Xochitl Right, yeah. 00:03:34 Jack Like, that's just garbage logic and so. 00:03:38 Jack Yeah, I I just, I just don't. Yeah. 00:03:40 Xochitl Yeah, I think I I'll go. I'll go a step further here and say that cheating is definitely a form of abuse because you have to be lying to cheat. And lying is emotional abuse by definition. 00:03:55 Xochitl So yeah, in some ways you're gaslighting your partner. You're, uh, hiding information from them. You're lying to them. You're invalidating them constantly because you're trying to make them think that they're crazy when you're cheating so that they don't hold you accountable for your actions, and you're blaming them and and shaming them. And it just. 00:04:17 Xochitl It's toxic and it is abusive in in the context. And I yeah, I...

In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl talks about the organic coffee business she has started with her partner. Transcript: 00:01:24 Jack Kind of a a sky blue or or light blue color with a a really cool logo and everything on there and so I was just wondering like what's going on with that? 00:01:36 Xochitl Well, that I started selling organic coffee. My partner is a coffee farmer in the Sierra Juarez, which is an area mountainous area of Wahaca where I live. 00:01:50 Xochitl Yeah. And he he's a farmer, so he does things like, uh, he plants beans, corn, coffee, pineapples, mangoes, avocados. But the big one of the big. 00:02:07 Xochitl Sources of income for coffee farmers are for farmers here in Osaka is coffee, is coffee used to be quite well paid, but unfortunately the the price of coffee has really gone down a lot. I'm not sure what's going on, but the market. 00:02:22 Xochitl It's not that there's more supply than demand. It's just I think, how. 00:02:29 Xochitl Some things have been happening with exports to the United States and prices and the dollar and the peso and how they're moving up and down. It's caused a lot of issues and. 00:02:41 Xochitl Well, I was talking to him and he was he was telling me that. 00:02:45 Xochitl They can only sell their coffee in parchment at 41 pesos, which is about like 2 bucks a kilo. A kilo is 2 point. 00:02:53 Jack Dollars a kilogram for. Oh my God. 00:02:56 Xochitl Yes, it's parchment coffee, so it's not like roasted or anything. It's just it that has to go through a whole process before it's ready to drink, but it's. 00:03:05 Jack MMM. 00:03:07 Xochitl It's still far to cheap price for organic coffee, and they're not making any money off of it anymore. And also. 00:03:16 Jack Someone's making money though. It's like the middleman, you know, they're. 00:03:19 Xochitl Yeah, it's the middleman is making money because the the price of coffee, especially organic coffee and local coffee, has gone up on the market, but they're not paying coffee funds. 00:03:21 Jack Yeah. 00:03:28 Jack Right. But the farmers are getting screwed on the on the the back end, yeah. 00:03:33 Xochitl Yes, it's exactly what's happening. So it's it's really been a disaster for a lot of people. And yeah, I was talking to him and I just had the idea to sell his coffee here in the city because I live here. 00:03:35 Jack Yeah. 00:03:45 Xochitl City. 00:03:46 Jack Hmm. 00:03:47 Xochitl And you know, we talked about it and we made some plans and we kind of it just got, I just kind of posted it on an expat wahaka group saying hey, guys like would you be interested in organic coffee? 00:04:01 Xochitl And a bunch of people were like, oh, yeah, you know, we didn't know how to price it. Like, we didn't know. 00:04:05 Xochitl Anything about it? 00:04:06 Xochitl Because he's gonna coffee farmer and his family has done coffee farming for generations. But like he's never really been on the on this like market end of. 00:04:14 Xochitl Things. 00:04:15 Xochitl Because what they usually do is they they belong to an organization coffee organization called Niche. 00:04:21 Xochitl Yeah. Which is like organic coffee organization and. 00:04:25 Xochitl They they give them like. 00:04:28 Xochitl Courses and stuff on how to grow organic coffee and different varieties that are worth more money and all these kind of. 00:04:34 Xochitl Things. 00:04:35 Xochitl But because of how the market's going and I don't know what's happening, they're only able to buy 200 kilos on average from each coffee farmer. 00:04:45 Jack Oh, it's nothing. 200 kilos. 00:04:45 Xochitl And. 00:04:47 Xochitl Yeah, the the usual production is at least five. You usually at least have 500 kilos leftover after that, you know, even for a small farmer. So uh. 00:05:01 Xochitl Yeah. So it got to the point, you know, they have they have like at least 300...

In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl and Jack talk about "a" and "an." Transcript: 00:00:00 Jack Hey, A is the English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase. 00:00:17 Jack And if you. 00:00:18 Jack Join the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to. 00:00:22 Jack Talk with social. 00:00:23 Jack And we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app. 00:00:50 Jack Welcome to the A-Z English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social. And today we are in the grammar zone and we're going to talk about ohh and on. 00:01:02 Jack In social, what is the difference between those two articles? Why do we? 00:01:07 Jack Why do we separate those? We have two different words for them. 00:01:12 Xochitl UM. 00:01:13 Xochitl Because they have to agree with the next word. So if. 00:01:20 Xochitl The next word starts with a the vowel. Then it has to be a N. 00:01:26 Xochitl So, for example, an elephant an A A. 00:01:33 Jack An igloo. 00:01:34 Xochitl On apple. 00:01:35 Jack Yeah. 00:01:36 Xochitl Yeah, an English an apple. And if it's a, it's because the next the following thing that you're referring to. Uh. Noun that you're referring to, I guess, usually starts with a a consonant and not a vowel. So it'd be like a pie, a cake. 00:01:56 Xochitl A A car. 00:01:59 Xochitl And etcetera, etcetera. Just anything that starts with the continent and then on and. 00:02:04 Jack A podcast. 00:02:06 Xochitl Yeah, podcast. 00:02:07 Jack MHM. 00:02:09 Xochitl And an is for anything that starts with. 00:02:11 Xochitl A vowel, I think. 00:02:12 Xochitl It's because it it does sound. It does make it sound smoother, like think about saying a elephant or a elephant instead of an an elephant. It just avoids your vowel noises all mushing together. 00:02:21 Jack Yes. 00:02:27 Jack Right. It's very awkward in English to have two vowel sounds together. You we can't do that, right? They need to be interrupted by a consonant sound like uh. 00:02:39 Jack Uh, like a a egg is is 2 two vowel sounds together, right? 00:02:45 Jack So yeah, we can't. It's just a, it's a a phonetic rule in English that you just. 00:02:45 발표자 Yeah. 00:02:52 Jack It's much easier if you break it up with the with the consonant. So we say on an egg, an apple. Any glue like that. 00:03:02 Xochitl Well, thanks. 00:03:03 Jack Yeah. 00:03:05 Xochitl Yeah, I think that's pretty much it. It just keep in mind. 00:03:09 Xochitl If it's going to start with a consonant, make sure that you are using A and then if it's going to start with the vowel, the next following we're just going to start with the vowel. Make sure that you're doing AN on and yeah, that's. 00:03:21 Jack Right. 00:03:22 Jack What about? What about a an hour? 00:03:25 Jack And that's an H. 00:03:26 Xochitl Uh. 00:03:27 Jack So we should say our. 00:03:28 Xochitl Yeah, that's true. 00:03:30 Xochitl Yeah, but you don't you say an hour. Ha. There are some exceptions to this rule, and I think it comes down to if that consonant is silent and our age is silent. So you're still making two vowel sounds. So you would do an AM hour instead. 00:03:42 발표자 Right. 00:03:49 Jack What about source? Yeah. 00:03:49 Xochitl Of an hour. 00:03:52 Xochitl But see, that's not. 00:03:54 Jack It's not horse. Yeah, we say on horse. 00:03:56 Xochitl Yeah, I don't know why is it like that. Jake. Jack. 00:04:01 Jack My my name is Jack by. 00:04:02 Jack The way no, no, no, you're you. You are. You're exactly right. It it doesn't. The rule is not. It's not a spelling...

In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl presents Jack with a conundrum: Would you rather have your daughter or wife encounter a strange bear or a strange man while alone in the woods? Transcript: 00:00:00 Jack Hey, A is the English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase. 00:00:17 Jack And if you. 00:00:18 Jack Join the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to. 00:00:22 Jack Talk with social. 00:00:23 Jack And we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app. 00:00:49 Jack Welcome to the A-Z English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social. And today we have another topic talk for you and social you have kind of a I don't know what you would call like a situation or a conundrum. A conundrum is like a difficult decision or difficult situation. 00:01:09 Jack So what is your? What is the conundrum? 00:01:12 Xochitl Jack, this has become really popular in my medicines in the last, maybe even couple of months and it's very popular amongst American medicine. So I'm curious to hear what your answer is. So without any context, let's say that your wife and your daughter are in the woods. 00:01:32 Xochitl Lost and alone. And they have, you know, no Internet cell service. Whatever to call you or call anyone else. 00:01:39 Xochitl Would you rather they come across a strange man that no like you? You don't know? They don't know. Nobody knows him or his intentions or anything. Or would you rather they come across a bear? 00:01:50 발표자 Yeah. 00:01:51 Jack No. OK. So just to for our listeners there, in in, in case you didn't catch that you said social that my my wife and my daughter are in the woods just walking in the woods. They have no cell phone, no way to to contact anybody. 00:02:12 Jack And the question is, would I rather they come across a bear or a strange man that they don't know? 00:02:21 Xochitl Yes, correct. 00:02:23 Jack OK. 00:02:25 Jack This is, you know, this should be an easy question. I mean, if we lived in like a, like, a a reasonable world, you know, where we, you know. But I feel like I listen to a lot of, like, true crime podcasts. And so I just, I've listened to too much true crime to. 00:02:44 Jack To to answer this one easily, what kind of bear is it? Is it a grizzly bear? 00:02:50 Xochitl Don't know. We don't know what kind. 00:02:52 Xochitl Of bear it is. It's just. 00:02:52 Jack You don't know what kind of bear it is. It could be a brown bear. It could be a black bear. It could be a a grizzly bear. 00:02:57 Xochitl Come here. Just sit there. It's just like you don't know what kind of man it is. You. 00:03:03 Xochitl Also don't know. 00:03:04 Xochitl What kind? 00:03:04 Xochitl Of bear it is. Yeah, have. 00:03:06 Xochitl Some good choice there. 00:03:09 Jack Do I know the gender of the bear? 00:03:12 Xochitl Uh, no. 00:03:16 Jack All right. Because, you know, if it if it were, uh, if it were a female bear, I would be, I would. I would choose the man because, you know, if if the if the if a if a female bear is protecting her Cubs. If her Cubs are in the area. That's a very dangerous situation. So I would. 00:03:36 Jack I would just hope that the man is not a psychic, a psychotic killer. You know, a psycho. 00:03:44 Jack Right. 00:03:46 Jack If the if the bear were male I uh, it's probably gonna just leave them alone, you know? Like it just it it they. 00:03:54 Jack You know, they don't really necessarily see humans as prey, necessarily, unless they're starving, you know, they'll they'll pretty much just. They might play around with you or whatever, which is terrifying. You know,...

In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl shares 3 confusing words with the listeners. She and Jack explain the meanings of the words and how to use them in sentences. Transcript: 00:00:00 Jack Hey, A is the English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase. 00:00:17 Jack And if you. 00:00:18 Jack Join the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to. 00:00:22 Jack Talk with social. 00:00:23 Jack And we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app. 00:00:50 Jack Welcome to the A-Z English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social. And today we're going to share. Well, we're going to do a we're under the vocabulary spotlight and we are going to share some words that we came across during our English corner classes that students kind of struggle with. And so so. 00:01:11 Jack Was the first one that you you had that you came up with? 00:01:15 Xochitl The first one I noticed students struggled a little bit with was workload, the pronunciation, workload and then on top of that, what it meant workload is just. It's a compound word. It has the word work in it and the word load in it, and you put it together. 00:01:19 발표자 Hmm. 00:01:36 Xochitl With no spaces and its workload, so workload just means the amount of work that each person is. 00:01:44 Xochitl Uh. 00:01:45 Jack Each. 00:01:45 Xochitl Person's share of work so that can be at your house like domestic tasks like chores or that can also be at your job. You know, between your colleagues you may have a heavier workload if you have a higher position in the company. So that's kind of what workload refers to. 00:02:08 Jack Yeah, exactly. It's, it's it's a lot of times you hear it with the word share shared workload. 00:02:15 Jack You know, so you have, you have this like? 00:02:18 Jack The certain amount of work that you have to do at your office and then they divide it among the employees. You're gonna do this much? You're gonna do this much? You're gonna do this much? You're gonna do this much, and each piece is your workload. 00:02:33 Jack And and then you basically just start working away, chipping away at it, you know, trying to to decrease it down to 0. 00:02:42 Jack And of course, in the company or corporation it never gets down to 0 because there's always more work. You know you there's another workload piled on top of your old workload. And so you know, it's kind of a never ending, you know, thing but. 00:03:02 Jack Yeah, I mean, I just think that like, yeah, certain even within this podcast social and I divide certain parts of the workload, she's spends a lot of time talking to students on the app. 00:03:13 Jack App communicating with them, recording I my workload is. Yeah, I do like the editing and and and some of the you know adding like little music pieces or whatever to it which actually I enjoy. So it's kind of like my my workload is kind of the fun part and I get the the editing part of it. 00:03:19 Xochitl Can I have an idea? 00:03:34 Jack But yeah, it's a it's a shared workload and and you know when you do that, when you share the workload, it makes it a lot easier to finish a project more quickly. 00:03:47 발표자 So. 00:03:50 Xochitl The second one that I saw some students struggle with was the meaning of emotional labor. When I say emotional labor, what does that mean to you, Jack? 00:03:59 Jack This one I've actually I'm not too familiar with this term. This seems like uh, maybe something that is a newer. 00:04:07 Xochitl Kind of a new age term. 00:04:09 Jack Yeah, just like a Gen. Z kind of thing like. 00:04:12 발표자 Yes. 00:04:15 Jack Most...

Too rich for my blood: The phrase "too rich for my blood" is an idiomatic expression meaning that something is too expensive or beyond one's financial reach. It conveys the idea that the cost or price of something is more than what the speaker is willing or able to pay. This phrase is often used in social or economic contexts to indicate that a particular item, activity, or lifestyle is financially out of reach for the person using the expression. Transcript: 00:00:00 Jack Hey, A is the English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase. 00:00:17 Jack And if you. 00:00:18 Jack Join the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to. 00:00:22 Jack Talk with social. 00:00:23 Jack And we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app. 00:00:50 Jack Welcome to the A-Z English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social. And today we are going to do an MI, the jerk episode and here's the situation. 00:01:00 Jack Uh, social you and a group of your friends have a tradition of going out for dinner every Friday night. Everyone in your group has generally similar financial situations, and you typically all choose moderately priced restaurants. One Friday, you suggest a new upscale restaurant that just opened in town. The menu. 00:01:20 Jack Is significantly more expensive than your usual spot. 00:01:24 Jack Two of your friends expressed concerns about the cost, saying they can't afford to spend that much on dinner. 00:01:31 Jack You respond by saying, come on, it's just one night you can skip it. If you can't afford it. This statement causes tension and the group ends up splitting with some going to the upscale restaurant and others opting out entirely. Question, are you the jerk for suggesting the expensive restaurant and making the comment? 00:01:52 Jack About affordability. 00:01:54 Jack Hmm. 00:01:56 Xochitl No, I don't think so. I think if I couldn't afford something and my friends would going to do it, I would be like. 00:02:03 Xochitl You know to have fun. Uh, tell me what it tell me. If it's good, I'll save up and maybe next time we can all go together. 00:02:11 Xochitl Because, you know, sometimes people are at different points and yeah, you have. Uh, you may make the same income, but you might have different responsibilities or people might be starting different projects or have different things they need to take care of, like student loans, rent. You know, you can make the same amount of money and have vastly different expenses. 00:02:31 Xochitl Also prioritize. 00:02:32 Xochitl Guys. Uh, what? You spend your money on very differently. So someone might say, you know, I don't like spending a lot of money on dinner. I'd rather spend it on a hobby or, you know, I I'm saving up for a trip. Coming up in a couple of months or something, you know? So I wouldn't be upset. 00:02:53 Xochitl You know you can skip it if you if you can't afford it. I wouldn't take that. 00:02:58 Xochitl As a comment, you know calling me broke or trying to, like, hurt my feelings. I would just think, yeah, you know, I I can't afford it. Or maybe it's not my priority to spend my money there. I might respond that I might be like, well, I can sort it, but I'd rather spend my money elsewhere. But, you know, you guys have fun and enjoy it and tell me if it's any good. 00:03:19 Xochitl And then maybe we can go together next time. So yeah, I don't think this person is a jerk. Maybe they could have. 00:03:26 Xochitl Uh, avoided that comment just because it could hurt a few people's it it could potentially hurt someones feelings, especially if they're already sensitive about maybe they...

In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl explains the tuna fish sandwich debate question to Jack. Then, Jack offers his opinion on the situation. Transcript: 00:00:00 Jack Hey, A to Z Listeners this is the English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase. 00:00:17 Jack And if you. 00:00:18 Jack Join the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to. 00:00:22 Jack Talk with social. 00:00:23 Jack And we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app. 00:00:50 Jack Welcome to the A-Z English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social. And today we have a topic talk, I believe, and this is the tuna fish sandwich debate and social. I have no idea what this means. Please enlighten me. 00:01:08 Xochitl Jack, I came across this and it it's kind of popular amongst American medicines in the in the group that I found. So a girl was commenting about how. 00:01:21 Xochitl She gave her. 00:01:23 Xochitl Money to go buy and cheese sandwich with all the fixings, which for others who don't know means, you know, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, whatever. And she very specifically said she wanted that ham and cheese sandwich. So he went to subway, she gave him money for both of their sandwich. 00:01:37 발표자 3 Mm-hmm. 00:01:44 Xochitl And I believe she wasn't feeling well or or something. So anyway, he went alone. So he went and bought a sandwich and he bought himself something different. And then he bought her a tuna fish salad sandwich, which he also likes. But he knows she doesn't like tuna. 00:02:05 Xochitl And she doesn't really eat tuna, but he likes tuna, and he brought her the sandwich and told her that he brought her the tuna fish sandwich because he just wanted her to try his favorite sandwich, even though he got himself something different as well. So the commenters were divided on whether she should be grateful. 00:02:25 Xochitl And she was actually saying she was grateful anyway, but that it kind of annoyed her. But she ended up feeling grateful that he went and got sandwiches, or if she should be upset. 00:02:36 Xochitl That he got her something she didn't ask for with her money, that he liked, that he knew that she wouldn't really like. So what do you think, Jack? 00:02:45 Jack Yeah, this one is. This is very uhm, here's an expression SUS like suspect, you know? Yeah, this is suck. 00:02:53 Xochitl But yes, that's like me. So it's like weird or kind of suspicious. That's what it stands for. Suspicious. 00:02:56 Jack Yeah. 00:03:00 Jack Suspicious. Exactly. 00:03:03 Jack This reminds me of an episode of The Simpsons where Homer. 00:03:09 Jack Buys Marge a bowling ball for her birthday that is exactly like sized for his hand and his fingers. So basically he buys her a present that she will never use and doesn't wants and that. 00:03:29 Jack He wants and that he will use. 00:03:31 Jack And she is supposed to be grateful for that. And and this is like, this is just pure manipulation, you know, like, this is just this guy wants to eat all of the sandwiches and he's got his sandwich that he bought for himself. 00:03:43 Xochitl Right. 00:03:53 Jack And then he knows that she's not going to eat the tuna sandwich because she doesn't like tuna. 00:03:59 Jack And he's trying to frame it as like I'm it's like. 00:04:04 Jack It's it's like the it's, it's just it's like. 00:04:06 Jack Kind of like a. 00:04:07 Jack Gaslighting, almost like like I'm I'm giving you the exact opposite of what you want and and make and and you're and forcing you to say thank you for. 00:04:09 Xochitl Yeah. 00:04:18 Jack For me doing it's, it's just...

In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl and Jack talk about which chores they hate and which ones they don't mind. Transcript: 00:00:00 Jack Hey, A is the English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase. 00:00:17 Jack And if you. 00:00:18 Jack Join the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to. 00:00:22 Jack Talk with social. 00:00:23 Jack And we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app. 00:00:52 Jack Welcome to the agency English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host, social. And today we have a topic talk episode and social. Today's topic is what household chores? 00:01:03 Jack Do you usually help? 00:01:04 Jack With and which ones do you enjoy and which ones? 00:01:07 Jack Do you hate? 00:01:10 Xochitl Ohh well Jack, I live alone. 00:01:13 Jack So you do. 00:01:14 Xochitl I. 00:01:15 Xochitl Yeah, I mean, I did and find out what. Yeah, now that I live in Mexico, I pay someone to come do some of them. And I do some of them. So that kind of works out pretty well for me. But lately, the person that I was paying to come do household chores, unfortunately. 00:01:16 Jack Swear none of them. I don't know. It depends on. 00:01:18 Jack How you live, yeah. 00:01:24 Jack Yeah. 00:01:34 Xochitl Her father got ill and I totally get that. So I've been handling them on my own. 00:01:40 Jack MHM. 00:01:40 Xochitl And and. 00:01:43 Xochitl I like cooking. Uh, if there's other people around like I hate cooking just myself. 00:01:50 Jack Yeah, me too. I hate like it's still. There's nothing lonelier than frying. Like one egg, you know? 00:01:56 Jack What I mean, it's just like what's? 00:01:57 Xochitl Oh my God. Wow. We're like. 00:01:58 Jack What's wrong with my life? You. 00:02:00 Jack Know when you yeah. 00:02:00 Xochitl I know it's just and we have no one to eat with and it's like just different thing. So if I'm alone, a lot of the times, they'll just end up ordering food like Uber eats or whatever. And but if there's even just one other person with me, I'm happy to cook. 00:02:04 Jack Yeah. 00:02:12 Jack Oh, nice, yeah. 00:02:19 Xochitl Other chores that I do like wash the dishes, do my laundry. 00:02:25 Xochitl Ah, sweep mop. 00:02:29 Jack Is is there one that like, really irks you? That just drives you crazy, that you really hate. 00:02:29 Xochitl I don't. 00:02:34 Xochitl OK, I don't like sleeping and mopping because it makes my back hurt, which is like weird, but I don't know why, but my back really hurts. Whenever I like sweep and mop, so I don't like that. I don't like getting. 00:02:39 Jack Ah. 00:02:46 Xochitl Even though I don't mind sleeping in mopping, it's just the fact that my back always hurts. It like really annoys me and I don't like. Yeah, I don't like. 00:02:53 Jack It's yeah. 00:02:56 Xochitl Doing the dishes I used to really like doing the dishes when I was a kid, and now I hate doing the dishes because it's like. 00:03:03 Xochitl Just the nasty food on it. Or like other people's mouths. It not it, grosses me. 00:03:09 Jack It reminds me of the like Reddit thread like kids are. 00:03:13 Jack Freaking stupid, you know, like a kid like kid kids are like, oh, man, I wish I were old enough to mature enough to wash the dishes, you know? And they kind of trick you into doing it, you know? Yeah. 00:03:23 Xochitl Alright. 00:03:27 Xochitl I know. And you think it's fun and then you're like, you become an adult and you have to do the dishes every day. And the kitchen is never clean. And every time you cook something, the kitchen is dirty again. And then it...

In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl and Jack discuss three idioms related to rain. Transcript: 00:00:00 Jack Hey, A is the English podcast listeners. It's Jack here and we just want to announce that we are now on WeChat. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast that is A-Z English podcast, one word all lowercase. 00:00:17 Jack And if you. 00:00:18 Jack Join the group. You will be able to talk with me. You'll be able to. 00:00:22 Jack Talk with social. 00:00:23 Jack And we can answer your questions. We can read your comments on the podcast. So we'd love for you to join us and be active in our we chat group. Our WeChat ID is A-Z English podcast. Thanks. See you on the app. 00:00:51 Jack Welcome to the A-Z English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social. And today we are in the Idiom Academy and we have 3 idioms social what is what's our first one? 00:01:01 Xochitl Our first idiom is it's raining cats and dogs. 00:01:06 Jack Oh yeah, sure. 00:01:08 Xochitl What does that mean, Jack? 00:01:10 Jack Well, it means that uh, cats and dogs are are just falling from the sky for some reason. No, what it means is that it's raining very, very hard out there outside. 00:01:24 Jack So we, you know it's it's it's kind of an old idiom cause I can just picture like my grandfather or my dad saying, you know, like we're going outside to go in the car and it's oh, it's raining cats and dogs out there, you know. So we. 00:01:32 Xochitl Yeah. 00:01:39 Jack It's it's, it's. 00:01:40 Jack One of the the dumbest like idiots like we have. 00:01:45 Jack But it's so. 00:01:45 Xochitl Yes, weird. 00:01:46 Jack Common like people use it still all the. 00:01:50 Xochitl Yeah, it's kind of not like it's a very nonsensical one. Like why? I don't know if it's just because, like, when it rained really hard you. I don't know what the etymology is, which means like the origin. I really like origin is I think it's just like the slamming sound, maybe of rain. It's like a cat. 00:02:09 Xochitl Fell from your roof or something on? I don't know, so. 00:02:13 Xochitl I'm not sure it's not. 00:02:13 Jack I mean it it it, yeah. 00:02:14 Jack You could just any two nouns could be like it's raining bowl bowling balls and toaster ovens. You know, like it it could be it. It makes as much sense as, you know, cats and dogs so. 00:02:22 Xochitl Right, yes. 00:02:27 Xochitl Yeah, but for some reason we we chose cats and dogs. So like this thing. 00:02:27 발표자 3 Yeah. 00:02:31 Jack Yeah, we chose cats and dogs. We have to live. 00:02:33 Jack With it, yeah. 00:02:34 Xochitl It's pouring. It's pouring. So which brings us to our next idiom. When it rains, it pours. Jack what? 00:02:36 Jack Yeah. 00:02:42 Xochitl That means only rain. 00:02:43 Jack Ohh this one I I like this one because like it's like when you when you get a little bit busy you get really busy. You know it seems like like you you you'll you'll go like weeks without any anything and then all of a sudden you have 20 things that you have to do. You know it's like. 00:03:01 Jack It just kind of, you know? Yeah, it's just like when it rains, it pours it a lot of rain comes, you know. But when there's nothing that nothing is happening. 00:03:08 Xochitl Right. 00:03:11 Xochitl When it rains, it pours. Or what's the other one? It can also mean when something bad. 00:03:17 Xochitl Happens that a lot of bad things happen, like let's say ohh you know I was. I was doing fine. Let's let's been fine. And then I broke my thumb and then my mom broke her leg and then we owe hospital bills and now? 00:03:38 Xochitl The hospital or out of our pain medication. 00:03:40 Xochitl Then and then my dad got in a car crash on his way. 00:03:44 Xochitl To. 00:03:44 Xochitl Pick us up. It's not a bad thing. 00:03:45 Jack Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's just like, yeah, yeah. 00:03:49 Xochitl It's...