V is for…

The words we use are a reflection of the times we live in. Historically, a lot of English words and phrases reflected the traditional occupations of farming, sailing, and soldiering. However, as the world became industrialized, words relating to ploughs, sails, and suits of armour have tended to fall out… Read More

The vocabulary of eating green

With millions of people in the UK following a vegetarian diet, and increasing numbers turning vegan, the option to cut out animal products is gaining momentum. On the back of that, the vocabulary used to describe all things plant is also rapidly expanding. To celebrate #NationalVegetarianWeek,… Read More
2 young woman on a sofa looking at a notebook

Making arrangements in English

Our last article discussed how you could make suggestions or express your opinions. We’re now going to look at how you can talk about your plans and make arrangements. Talking about your plans To tell your friends and people at work about your plans, use I’m going to ….     I’m… Read More
an older woman telling a story to a younger woman

Making suggestions, expressing opinions in English

Last time we looked at how we could ask people for information. This article will look at how you can make suggestions and express some opinions. One easy way of making suggestions to your friends and people at work is to use We could ….     We could ask Paul to… Read More
DANKE written on small blackboard

Learning German: Common courtesies

If you’re visiting a German-speaking country, you’ll want to be able to chat to people and get to know them better. The nuts and bolts of conversations revolve around common courtesies, such as asking people how they are, and saying please and thank you. As in English, in German there… Read More
Grazie! written on a brown label

Learning Italian: Common courtesies

Whether you’re visiting Italy or even planning to live there, you’ll want to be able to chat to people and get to know them better. The nuts and bolts of conversations revolve around common courtesies. As in English, in Italian there are several ways you can ask someone how they… Read More
a young man holding his phone, sitting next to an old man, sharing headphones

Asking for information in English

Our last learning English article gave useful phrases you could use when talking about yourself. This article will help your conversation skills even further by giving tips on how you can ask people for information. After saying hello to someone, especially someone we know, we usually ask about their health,… Read More
2 female friends having a coffee together

Talking about yourself in English

Our first learning English article explained how to greet people correctly. When you are talking to people, you will probably want to tell them some things about yourself. To say what your name is, use I’m … or, in a slightly more formal situation, My name’s … .      Hi,… Read More