GENIE Enjoy English

Hi everybody!

Students often ask me, “How do you say 「よく言われる」 in English. 生徒さんに 「よく言われる」 って英語でなんて言うの？ってよく聞かれます。

In Japanese you use the passive form. 日本語の場合は受身を使うんですけど、英語の場合はどっちでもいい (either one is okay!) so let`s practice both.　First, here`s the passive:

① I am often told + 文

Here is the active form:

② People often tell me + 文

In English the active form is probably better so let`s practice with ②.  Here are some example sentences…

People often tell me I look like Brad Pitt. (ブラピに似てるってよく言われる。)

People often tell me I am very handsome. (ボブ先生とてもハンサムだってよく言われる。)

まあ、この例文↑↑は嘘だけど練習のために嘘ついても大丈夫ですよ！　When you are practicing a foreign language it`s okay to lie!

後、 「何々/誰々に似てる」のようなコメントに反応する時はだいたい “People often tell me that!” or “I hear that all the time!” を言うんですよ。　For example…

Aちゃん)  You are so strong!

B君) People often tell me that.

or…

Aちゃん) You are so kind!

B君) I hear that all the time.

And here`s one more useful related phrase.  How do you say 「よく聞かれる」 in English??   That`s easy!  Just say…

People often ask me + 文

Well, that`s all for today!  Have a good week and catch you later (＾。＾)/

♪Learning is the greatest joy♪
Bob @ ☆GENIE☆
0364353167 (office)

Hi everybody!

Today wasn`t too bad but yesterday was really cold, wasn’t it?!  In fact, recently every day has been very cold。・゜゜(>_<)゜゜・。I don’t like winter and I don’t like the cold.  I wanna hibernate until April.  But, of course, I can’t.  So here is another seasonal blog! Today’s theme is…

冬の言い回し！！

And today’s useful phrases are…

Brr (これは意味がないけど、寒い時に英語のネイティブスピーカーがよく使う独り言です。　発音のチェックはこちらで→ http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/brr)

It`s cold again today. (今日も寒いです。)

Today was really cold, wasn’t it?! (今日はめちゃくちゃ寒かったよね？！という意味なんです。　だいたい仕事の後 [夕方からかな？] この過去形の言い回しを使います。)

This winter has been very cold. (←This winter is very coldって言う意味なんで英語の場合はまだ終わってないことについて話すと現在完了形か現在完了進行形をよく使うので｀has been cold´を練習しましょう。 ｀今日´も終わってないから先の｀Today was really cold, wasn’t it?!´も現在完了形の｀Today has been really cold!´にして、練習した方が良いかもしれないけど　”Today” の場合は時間次第で “It`s cold today” or “Today was cold” のほうが自然です。多分一日で気温がそんなに変わらないからでしょう。)

Recently every day has been very cold! (最近毎日めっちゃ寒い！)

Is the snow accumulating? (雪がつもってる？　発音のチェックはこちらで→ http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/accumulate)

I hate the cold! (寒いのが嫌い！)

I wanna hibernate. (冬眠したい。　発音のチェックはこちらで→ http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hibernate)

Well, that`s all for today!  I hope spring comes early this year and I hope you come to GENIE to Enjoy English in the warm Aloha room someday soon!!  GENIE のアロハルームは暖かそうでしょう！！(→_→)

Catch you later (＾。＾)/

♪Learning is the greatest joy♪
Bob @ ☆GENIE☆
0364353167 (office)

Hi everybody!

My students and I often talk about our trips abroad. Going abroad is fun! But there are some annoyances, too. 海外旅行は楽しいけど時々嫌なこともあるんですよね。 For example, I went to Phuket this month and had a good trip.  But! お腹を壊した。・゜゜(>_<)゜゜・。

それは海外旅行の時によくおこる嫌なことなんですね？！ ということで、本日の役に立つ表現は…

I got sick to my stomach.

質問にすると…
Did you get sick to your stomach? (お腹を壊した？)　or…

Have you ever gotten sick to your stomach while traveling abroad? (海外でお腹を壊したことある？)

いつも通りの現在形にすると…
I always get sick to my stomach when I travel abroad.

Well, that’s all for today. I hope you never get sick to your stomach and I hope you always enjoy English while traveling abroad.   And of course I also hope to ENJOY ENGLISH with you here at ☆GENIE☆ too!

♪Learning is the greatest joy♪
Bob @ ☆GENIE☆
0364353167 (office)

Hi everybody!

How do you say 「最近」 in English?  There are basically two common English words that have the same meaning:

recently & lately.

Most students know these words but many,  many students make mistakes when they use them.  だいたいみんなの生徒さんは “recently” and “lately” の意味が分かるけどこの単語の使い方はちょっと難しいみたいですね。　So today let`s practice using recently & lately.

First of all、latelyって「遅く」と言う意味ではないです。　遅くって late ですね。　For example, if you want to say 「遅くまで起きていた」 you should say “I stayed up late,” not “I stayed up lately.”

Now here is a mistake that many students make.  Japanese students of English often say something like…

I have no date recently. ←これはジャパニーズイングリッシュです！　なぜならば、英語の場合は｢最近何々をしてない」って言おうとすると現在完了進行形を使います。　Do you remember this pattern from junior high school? ↓↓

have (not)/has (not) + been + 動詞ing

So, how do you say 「最近デートしてない」 in English?  You can say…

I haven`t had a date recently./I haven`t had a date lately. ←現在完了形

or you can say…

I haven`t been dating recently./I haven`t been dating lately. ←現在完了進行形

Here are some other examples…

I haven`t been sleeping much lately. (最近あまり寝てない。)

I`ve been eating out a lot recently. (最近よく外食してる。)

Vanessa hasn`t been doing anything recently. (バネッサは最近何もしてない。)

Yukio has been calling me every day recently. (ユキオは最近毎日私に電話してる。)

Well, that`s all for today!  I had a fun but busy day so I`m gonna go home and go to sleep early…and sleep late tomorrow!  I hope you enjoyed this blog and I hope you`ve been reading this blog a lot lately! Oh!  and I hope to ENJOY ENGLISH with you here at ☆GENIE☆ someday soon (＾。＾)/

♪Learning is the greatest joy♪
Bob @ ☆GENIE☆
0364353167 (office)

Hi everybody!

Today I got a request for a Saturday morning Fun Topics class today from one of my students.  I asked her which theme she wanted me to change the class to from February.  今日メールで大事な生徒さんに２月から土曜日の 朝の Fun Topics のテーマを変えるので World Cultures & Japan, People, and Places でどれがいいですか？と聞ききました。　And she answered…

How do you say 「どれでも大丈夫」 in English?

That`s a good question!  So today`s useful phrase is…

Anyone is fine. Or… Anyone is okay.

And ２つだけの選択がある場合は・・・

Either one is fine. Or… Either one is okay.

「Fine」 と 「okay」 でどっちのほうがいいの？

Ummnnn…either one is fine!

I hope these phrases will be useful for you and I hope to ENJOY ENGLISH (Fun Topics – Places on Saturday mornings from February!) with you here at ☆GENIE☆ soon (＾。＾)/

♪Learning is the greatest joy♪
Bob @ ☆GENIE☆
0364353167 (office)