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come rain or shine

Hi everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Time for English.

The rainy season's here.

When it rains, some outdoor events and activities, like baseball games, open-air concerts or barbecues, are cancelled or postponed. They are "rained out" or "rained off".

There are other events, however, that won't be cancelled even when it rains. They are "rain or shine" events. For example, you're inveited to an outdoor yoga class. The invitation says, "All ages and levels are welcomed. Come rain or shine." It means anyone can join and it'll be held whether it rains or the sun shines.

The phrase is also used figuratively for "no matter what happens". For example, I'll be there, come rain or shine. You can also say "come rain or come shine", or just "rain or shine" without the word "come". For example, he's always reliable, rain or shine.

Now, would you like to practice the phrase together. Please repeat after me:

I'll be there, rain or shine.

Hi everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Time for English.

Let's say, you're in a club. There's a dance floor. A gentleman comes up to you and asks you to dance with him. But you prefer not to. You don't feel like dancing. What would you say?

Well, there's a polite way of saying no to someone or declining an offer. You can just say, "I think I'll sit this one out". According to Longman, to sit something out means "to not take part in something, especially a game or dance, when you usually take part".

So, it doesn't have to be about dancing. You may be invited for a pool game, a drink or a barbeque party. When you want to say no, and if you want to do so politely or elegantly, you can say, "I think I'll sit this one out".

Oh, just in case, you may not want to use this phrase for a marriage proposal.

Now, would you like to practice together? Please repeat after me:

I think I'll sit this one out.

Hi everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Time for English.

Last week you learned how to find out how other people spend their long weekends and holidays. Have you had a chance to use the question in real life? I suppose you've got a lot to talk about after a very special extra-long 10-day Golden Week with the new emperor's enthronement included.

Today, I want to do a quick review of the word "spend". We've talked about the word spend many times before. So I'm sure you know what the word means and how it's used. But you know what they say: repetition is the mother of all learning. We might as well do it again.

Essentially, you spend time doing something. For example, I spent the whole day reading. Kaori spent the weekend weeding the garden. They spent hours catching up on each other's news. Hanako has spent years trying to learn English.

Now, would you like to practice together? Please repeat after me:

I spent the whole day reading.

Hi everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Time for English.

Last week you learned how to find out how other people spend their long weekends and holidays. Have you had a chance to use the question in real life? I suppose you've got a lot to talk about after a very special extra-long 10-day Golden Week with the new emperor's enthronement included.

Today, I want to do a quick review of the word "spend". We've talked about the word spend many times before. So I'm sure you know what the word means and how it's used. But you know what they say: repetition is the mother of all learning. We might as well do it again.

Essentially, you spend time doing something. For example, I spent the whole day reading. Kaori spent the weekend weeding the garden. They spent hours catching up on each other's news. Hanako has spent years trying to learn English.

Now, would you like to practice together? Please repeat after me:

I spent the whole day reading.

Hi everyone! Welcome back to Time for English.

When you come back from holidays or long weekends, you typically speak with your friends at work or school about what you did during the holidays. For example, "I spent my holidays in Hawaii with my family" or "I was away with my girlfriend, we spent a week in Paris." "I went back to my hometown." "I visited my friends in Okinawa" Or "I didn't do anything special. I just stayed in, eating, drinking and watching movies on Netflix."

When you want to find out what someone did during their holidays, how would you ask? You can say, "How did you spend your holidays?" You can be more specific and say, "How did you spend your New Year's holidays?" or "How did you spend your Christmas holidays?" Let me give you two more sentences worth remembering: "How did you spend your weekend?" and "How do you usually spend your weekends?"

Now, would you like to practice together? Please repeat after me:

How did you spend your Golden Week holidays?

Hi everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Time for English.

Can you tell the difference between a calendar year and a fiscal year?

A calendar year is the one year period that begins on January 1 and ends on December 31. In other words, a calendar year starts and ends on the same day for everyone.

A fiscal year is any twelve-month period that a company or government uses for accounting purposes. A fiscal year may not be the same as a calendar year, and may vary among different countries and organizations.

For example, in Japan, the government's fiscal year begins on April 1 and runs until March 31, and so does the one in the UK. In the United States, on the other hand, the fiscal year of the federal government runs from October 1 through September 30.

Fiscal years are commonly used when discussing budgets or comparing financial performance over time.

Now, would you like to try a quiz? You'll be given three options. Please listen carefully and choose the one that is NOT true. Ready?

1. A calendar year always begins on January 1.

2. Fiscal years are different from country to country.

3. A calendar year is typically used when talking about budgets.

Hi everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Time for English.

The Heisei period will end in another two weeks and the new era begins on May 1.

It was announced earlier this month that the 248th imperial era was named "Reiwa". A Japanese era name, or "gengo" is a combination of two Chinese characters, traditionally chosen from the Chinese classics. But for the first time ever, the era name was taken from the oldest existing anthology of Japanese poetry.

The news was reported worldwide, experts and media offering different interpretations of the meanings of "rei" and "wa". According to BBC, for example, Reiwa signifies "order and harmony".

It's true (that) the character "rei" of Reiwa is most often used to mean "order". But the government's official explanation is that "rei" has the meaning of "good" or "beautiful". Meanwhile, everyone agrees the character "wa" means "peace" or "harmony".

Now, would you like to try a quiz? You'll be given three options. Please listen carefully and choose the one that is TRUE. Ready?

1. Reiwa begins on May 1.

2. Imperial era names in this country were always taken from Japanese classics.

3. BBC's interpretation of Reiwa is "beauty and harmony".

Hi everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Time for English.

In Japan, everything starts in April. The government starts its fiscal year in April, to begin with. Companies, too, traditionally start their fiscal year in April, although more businesses today choose to use a calendar year. In schools, new grades and classes typically start in April.

Naturally, people face a lot of changes in April. A young friend of mine, for example, just started college. She is now learning new things, meeting new people, trying or maybe struggling to adapt to her new surroundings.

Dealing with a change may be a challenge. I was once advised, when facing a change, to see it as an opportunity rather than something to be scared of, as business people love to say, "make change your friend, not your enemy". It may not be easy, but certainly worth a try!

Now, would you like to try a quiz? You'll be given three options. Please listen carefully and choose the one that is NOT true. Ready?

According to this episode:

1. A lot of changes happen in April in Japan.

2. Dealing with a change may be difficult.

3. Opportunity is something to be scared of.

Hi everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Time for English.

Are you familiar with the word "adorable"? Adorable is an adjective to describe people, animals or things. If someone or something is adorable, they're lovely and endearing. For example, a baby. A baby girl or baby boy, it doesn't matter. Instead of saying "Oh, it's so cute", you can say "Adorable!". You have a doll. It's an antique porcelain doll wearing a dress with laces and frills. Instead of saying "Oh it's so beautiful", you can say "It's so adorable."

Now. Why am I talking about "adorable"? Well, a little while ago, a new pet shop opened up in my neighborhood with a cat café upstairs. I've never visited the café, just window-shopping from time to time on my way home from the nearby supermarket. And I have mixed feelings about selling puppies and kittens at pet shops. But that aside, they all look so pretty. Absolutely adorable!

Now, would you like to practice together? It's just a single word, but please repeat after me. Ready?

Adorable!

Hi everyone! Thank you for tuning in to Time for English.

A daughter of a friend of mine is getting her new and first credit card. She has applied for one and is now waiting for it to be approved.

As an English learner, you probably want to learn how to ask if you can use your credit card in shops and restaurants. You can simply ask by saying, "Can I use a credit card?" Can I use a credit card? Or you can also say, "Can I pay by credit card?" Can I pay by credit card?

You can put the question differently from their point of view. In that case, you may want to remember two verbs: to accept and to take. Do you accept credit cards? Do you take credit cards? You can be more specific by mentioning brand names, like "Do you take American Express?" "Do you take VISA?" or "Do you take Mastercard?"

Just always remember: When you use your credit card, you're using borrowed money.

Now, would you like to practice together? I'll read an example sentence, so please repeat after me. Ready?

Do you accept credit cards?