English as a foreign language

Brilliant at (something)

/ italkyoutalk

Do you know the English expression “to be brilliant at (something)“? Read the conversation below. Can you guess the meaning?

Collette: I saw your son’s artwork at the exhibition yesterday. He’s brilliant at drawing.

Carlos: Thanks. He wants to be an artist when he’s older.

Does it mean:

a) be bad at something

b) be mediocre at something

c) be excellent at something

d) be average at something

The answer is below! ↓

photo frames mounted on walls

Photo by Luis Martinez on Pexels.com

 

Answer: c) be excellent at something

 

Know (something) inside out

/ italkyoutalk

Do you know the English expression to know (something) inside out? Read the conversation below. Can you guess the meaning?

Terry: I need help with my science homework.

Gill: Why don’t you ask Sarah? She knows the subject inside out. She has a degree in chemistry.

Does it mean:

a) know something very well

b) know a little about something

c) not know anything

The answer is below! ↓

adult biology chemical chemist

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

 

Answer: a) know something very well

 

Break even

/ italkyoutalk

Do you know the English expression “to break even“? Read the conversation below. Can you guess the meaning?

Jim: How is your business going?

Ian: It’s OK. We’ll break even this year. So not good, but not bad.

Does it mean

a) make a loss

b) make a profit

c) go bankrupt

d) have no profit or loss

The answer is below!↓

photo of person holding black pen

Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com

 

Answer: d) have no profit or loss

[Easy English Blog] Studying languages

/ italkyoutalk
brown book page

Photo by Wendy van Zyl on Pexels.com

I love studying languages. My plan this year was to study Chinese, French and Russian, but I have changed my mind. I think it is better for me to focus on one language at a time. So I decided to focus on Chinese and try to pass the HSK level 3 exam.

I think focussing on one language at at time works well for me. When I was studying Japanese, I focussed on Japanese, and didn’t study any other languages. It took me three years to get level 1 on the Japanese proficiency test. So maybe this method works for me.

Some people can study many languages at the same time. I would like to, but I don’t think I can. So, I will focus on Chinese until I can pass level 4 on the HSK exam, and then I will start to study French. I might take a French test to keep me motivated. Once I have reached a high level in French, I will start to study Russian.

I wonder how long this will take? I guess it depends on how much time I can study every day. I’ll try to do at least an hour. My goal is to speak 5 languages fluently.

How many languages are you studying? Do you study them all at the same time? Or do you study them one at a time?

By Heather @ I Talk You Talk Press