Cafetalk 讲师专栏

Daily English Upgrade #002: Micro-Pattern — “The main reason is…”

  This pattern helps you sound clear and organized: Pattern:The main reason is + (noun / clause). ...

My Top 5 English Corrections (From a Guy Who Once Complimented Someone’s “Fur”)

  Before we begin, I have a confession to make. A few years ago when one of my wife's friends visit...

The Unexpected Moment That Made Me a Teacher

My official journey as a teacher began in 2021, but the spark was lit in a quiet corner of a primar...

真(zhēn)让(ràng)人头(réntóu)大(dà)??

汉语hànyǔ的de音调yīndiào本来běnlái就jiù很难hěnnán学xué了le，可是kěshì有些yǒuxiē音节yīnjié还hái会huì变调biàndiào，真zhēn的de让r...

Speak Better English: Embarrassing Stories #001

Speak Better English: Embarrassing Stories #001 Work / Communication / New beginnings “Please t...

【一週兩次・讀台灣】台美關稅敲定15% 美認同「台灣模式」供應鏈合作

【一週兩次・讀台灣】 教科書を飛び出し、台湾の「今」を知り、生きた台湾華語をマスターしませんか？ 毎週2回、最新の台湾ニュースを題材に、台湾特有の文化、時代を映す言い回し、そして興味深い社会現象を...

How I Became a Teacher (Almost by Accident)

At junior high school in the UK, I studied one of the few computer courses available at the time. T...

The Art of the Brave Word: Finding Your Voice Across Worlds

Have you ever felt like Bilbo Baggins stepping out of the Shire for the first time? That tiny flutt...

Daily English Upgrade #007: Pronunciation — PREsent vs preSENT (stress changes meaning)

Quick pronunciation win: stress can change meaning. PREsent (noun) = a giftpreSENT (verb) = to show...

The Turkish tense that shows you how you know

Have you ever seen people online calling Turkish “-miş” the “gossip tense”? It went viral for a rea...

The dimension of my spot in the land of resurrection

The Crowd's Collective-yet-individual Consciousness in the Land of Resurrection How the collective...

Daily English Upgrade #003: JP Trap Fix — “I’m agree” → “I agree”

Quick fix that instantly makes you sound more natural: √ I agree. (Correct)X I’m agree. (Incorrect)...

Daily English Upgrade #005: Better Questions — “What’s your take on…?”

  Want smoother conversations? Ask better questions. Instead of: “Do you like it?” Try: What’s your...

A New Adventure in Teaching

Hello to all students (and fellow teachers)! I hope 2026 is treating everyone kindly. I’m still new...

Daily English Upgrade #006: Mini-Conversation — Small talk opener + 2 follow-ups

Small talk gets easier when you stop trying to be “perfect” and use a simple flow. Opener: How’s yo...

Daily English Upgrade #008: Say It Better — “Maybe” (natural softening phrases)

“Maybe” is fine — but these give you better control. Soft “maybe”: Maybe. It depends. More natural:...

Daily English Upgrade #004: Tone Control — “Send it today” → “Could you send it today?”

Same message — very different feeling. Direct (can sound too strong): Send it today. Neutral / pol...

More winter weather words

Photo: Snow piled high on a car on my street Once again I’m sipping on tea and looking out my wind...

THE SILENT SECRET: Winning "Best Thriller Screenplay" in Los Angeles!

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the cafe! I’m still pinching myself as I write this. As many of...

When and why did I decide to become a teacher?

I decided to become a teacher when I realized how much fulfillment I found in helping others learn ...

English Idioms Challenge - Week 2

Hey all! This is the second weekly English learning challenge: to try & use this idiom in your ...

SHOWREEL

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the cafe! I’m still pinching myself. As many of you know, I’ve...

What Teaching English Taught Me

 Why Did I Became a Teacher? Motivation / Career / Learning The simple answer is...   I became ...

Daily English Upgrade #009: Micro-Pattern — “What I mean is…”

Great when you want to clarify (and sound calm). Pattern: What I mean is + (clarification). Example...

用(yòng)汉(hàn)语(yǔ)介(jiè)绍(shào)自(zì)己(jǐ)

如rú果guǒ有yǒu1-2 分fēn钟zhōng的de时shí间jiān，你nǐ会huì怎zěn么me样yàng用yòng汉hàn语yǔ介jiè绍shào自zì己jǐ呢ne？If you had ...

Not Cold, Just Considerate: Japan’s Silent Rules for Language Learners

Japan can feel incredibly welcoming—and sometimes strangely hard to read.   You didn’t do anything ...

☆ Grammar Challenge ☆ January Grammar Clinic Quiz ☆

It’s already February, which means the January Grammar clinic has closed.  I’d like to thank everyo...

When and why did you decide to become a teacher?

Rather than simply becoming an instructor, my wish to teach on CafeTalk stemmed from a desire to pr...

給中級學習者的口說進化課：寫作

  學了兩、三年的中文，你是否常煩惱： 雖然日常交流沒問題，但一遇到複雜的話題，就只能用簡單的詞彙和斷斷續續的短句？ 其實，想要突破口說的瓶頸，其中一個祕訣就在於「寫作」。 寫作並非只是為了把字寫漂...

Daily English Upgrade #010: JP Trap Fix — “Discuss about” → “Discuss”

Quick fix: √ discuss + topicX discuss about + topic Correct examples: Let’s discuss the plan. We di...