​The Year of the Mouse has officially begun.  One of my students made me a card.  I think it's so cute!  Thank you!  Happy Lunar New Year everyone!

This is my speaking diary of daily life.  It's in easy English so you can enjoy some listening & reading practice and learn some useful daily conversation.  Enjoy!
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↓  Students & teachers,
https://www.imagineigo.com/english-diary-resources.html
↑  you can freely download a printable copy of the text here!

Last week my electric razor broke and hurt my face a little.  Ouch!  So I said, "I guess I'll have to go shopping for a new one soon."  Of course I needed to buy a new razor!  So why did I say "guess"?

We usually use the word 'guess' when we give an answer to a question but we are not sure about it.  Or sometimes, someone has a surprise and asks you what you think it might be... "Guess what!"

So basically, 'guess' usually means "I'm not sure."  So why did I say it when I was sure that I had to buy a new razor?

Well, to be honest, I didn't really want to go out and spend my time and money getting a new razor.  I just wanted a convenient shave with my old razor.  But that was now impossible.  So I had to give up and make a plan in my busy day to go shopping...

In these cases when we must do something that we don't really want to do, we often use the word 'guess' to make it feel softer for us.  So the phrase "I guess I will..." basically means "OK.  I give up.  I'll do it."

We actually use this a lot in our conversations with friends and some family.  Just please don't use this for business.  If you do, your boss or customers will know that you don't really want to do something, and they won't be happy about that!  It will definitely not give a good impression...

Well, I think you get the idea...  So I guess I will finish this tip here.

↓ Watch the original video mentioned in today's tip!
https://youtu.be/cvObc2dAt5w

​I finally saw the new Star Wars movie last night!  Honestly, the plot was a little messy, but it was definitely interesting and a lot of fun to watch.  A satisfying finish to a chapter in a long, long saga--
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So, to my friends and students who may have been waiting to discuss it, I'm ready!  ...and thank you very much for your patience!

​This is my video diary of daily life.  It's in easy English so you can enjoy some listening & reading practice and learn some useful daily conversation.  Have fun!

↓  Students & teachers,
https://www.imagineigo.com/english-diary-resources.html
↑  you can freely download a printable copy of the text here!

​Last week in my daily English diary, I said that I was "pretty busy".  And before that, I once said that I am "pretty skinny".  If you learned that the word 'pretty' means beautiful, then you might be confused.  Or maybe you think I am very proud and arrogant...

Well...  actually, you're right!  The word 'pretty' does mean beautiful or attractive.  That's its basic definition in the dictionary.  But we also use it to mean 'very' or 'quite'.
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So, when I said "pretty busy" and "pretty skinny", I was saying that I was "very busy" and that I am actually "quite skinny" (or thin).  If I was so proud and arrogant, I might say that I'm "pretty pretty".  But I think that would be a little too much...

​This learning tip is part of my short daily diary.  It's in easy English so you can enjoy some listening & reading practice and learn some useful daily conversation.  Enjoy!

↓ Watch the original videos mentioned in today's tip!
"pretty busy"  https://youtu.be/pAI1kIkoD70
"pretty skinny"  https://youtu.be/7LjA3FWsrNc

​I want to start this year with a fun tip from my Daily English Diary last Sunday.  I held a karaoke party all day long.  We sang all our favorite songs from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm!  Around 8 hours!  Wow!

If you are studying English in Japan, you might be surprised by the way I just said "karaoke".  And if you are in other countries, you might wonder why the spelling of this word looks a little unusual for English.

Well, that's because it's not actually English.  The first karaoke machines were invented in Japan.  So they got a Japanese name: "kah-rah-oh-keh".  The 'kara' means 'empty', and the 'oke' is short for 'orchestra'.  It's like having an orchestra in an empty room--  and you're the star!

When it became popular in the USA, people used the Japanese name for it.  But the original sound of the Japanese "kah-rah-oh-keh" doesn't fit so easily with the natural rhythms of English.  So it got changed a little.  Well, maybe a lot...

Anyway, this happens in every language.  People "borrow" technology, foods, ideas, and the words for those things from other cultures and languages.  Then they change them to fit locally.

For example, modern Japanese has taken many words from English and changed them into Japanese pronunciation.  It is sometimes called "Katakana-English".

But we shouldn't forget that English is actually quite full of words "borrowed" from other languages.  It has been doing this regularly for more than 1,000 years.  In fact, English might be the most mixed language in the world.
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So see if you can find some words rearranged from your own language in English, and enjoy those connections--

​This learning tip is part of my short daily diary.  It's in easy English so you can enjoy some listening & reading practice and learn some useful daily conversation.  Enjoy!

​↓ Watch the original video mentioned in today's tip!
https://youtu.be/-SoBlyJ6bJY